Peoples Daily Newspaper, Monday 01, July, 2013

www.peoplesdailyng.com

Vol. 11 No. 31

Monday, July 1, 2013

. . . putting the people first

Obama warns Africa’s tyrant leaders >>3

Sha’aban 23 , 1434 AH

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Jonathan rubbishing anti-corruption fight, says Ribadu >>2

Nigerian leaders have failed — Sultan

By Lawrence Olaoye, Abuja & Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

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he Sultan of Sokoto who is also President-General of Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI), Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday attributed Nigeria’s many woes to what he described as bad governance arguing that the nation’s successive leaders have failed the people.

“Many things are going wrong and nothing seems to be working,” the Sultan lamented yesterday at a National Conference on the role of Muslim scholars in fostering unity, peace and security in Nigeria, organized by JNI in Kaduna.

According to him, if those in power do what is expected of them, the problem of insecurity would not be there.

As the Sultan put it, “bad leadership is the cause of insecurity in Nigeria. If those in power are doing what is expected of them we would not be having these problems.

“So many things are going wrong in this country .

“So many things are not working because the leaders refuse to allow them to work.

“As Muslim leaders, we know what Allah says about leadership, we know how our noble leader gave his life through a good channel Contd. on Page 2

R-L: Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, Kaduna state Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, and Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar bin Umar Gabai, during the opening ceremony of Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) national conference, yesterday in Kaduna.

Photo: Mohammad Ibrahim

t least 175 inmates of the Olokuta Maximum Prison in Akure, the Ondo state capital, have escaped after gunmen stormed the facility early Sunday.

Witnesses say the attackers used

explosives to blast their way through the prison which is a few kilometers from the 32 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Akure.

There were unconfirmed reports that four people died in the attack

Gunmen kill two, free 175 inmates in Akure prison A which occurred at about 12.30 am.

The State Comptroller of Prison, Tunde Olaniyan, confirmed the jailbreak as well as the killing of two persons.

“The gunmen shot and killed

two people while trying to get in and some of the escaped prisoners have been re-arrested,” Olaniyan said, noting that some prison staff were injured in a gun battle and were receiving treatment.

Olaniyan said the gunmen had superior weapons and described the attack as “unusual” adding that some of the inmates that escaped from the prison have been reContd. on Page 2

We’re yet to meet key Boko Haram leaders — Turaki >>3

PAGE 2

News

CONTENTS News 2-10 Editorial 12 Op.Ed 13 Letters 14 Opinion 15 Metro 16-18 Business 19-22 Stockwatch 23 S/Report 24-25 Law 26 Education 27 Health 29-30

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Jonathan rubbishing anticorruption fight — Ribadu From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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o r m e r Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) presidential candidate in the 2011 election, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, yesterday described President Goodluck Jonathan as rubbishing the anti-corruption crusade in the country.

Ribadu who spoke in Lagos during a public lecture organised by the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni Association (UNILAG UMA) said corruption was the only

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ormer Vice President and a founding member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has expressed worry over the dwindling fortune of the party in the South West region of the country.

This is coming as he pointed out that the leadership of the party must have sold out in 2011 having voted massively for the PDP Presidential

Int’l 31-34 Strange World 35 Digest 36 Politics 37-38 Newsxtra 39 Sports 41-44 Leisure 47 Columnist 48

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expose their abuse of office.

“Some convicts are being granted state pardon, thereby rubbishing the whole effort at corruption. These practices have turned corruption into a sort of culturally or ethically accepted trend,” Ribadu said.

He said the anti corruption war could be won if the nation’s leaders show the way.

According to him, “corruption fight can be won if the leader shows the way, all the other people will follow but when the leader takes the other way, we are in a problem.”

He said that when the EFCC was established in 2003, there were few

high-profile cases of corruption that were successfully prosecuted.

“EFCC’s interventions led us into various networks that have previously enjoyed impunity and notoriety, from the internet scams that dent the image of the country to abuse of office at private and public sectors.

“At the EFCC, we tracked the chains of people and organisations from public and private sectors who formed the corrupt Nigerian networks, despite the challenges; we risked our lives, survived the waves of dirty media campaigns and resisted temptations to have us compromised,” he said.

PDP’s declining fortunes in S/West worries Atiku

By Lawrence Olaoye

2015: PDP’s many troubles , Page 4

reason President Barak Obama would not visit Nigeria during his ongoing visits to African countries.

Speaking on the theme, “Corruption and Justice in Nigeria,” Ribadu said Jonathan was not building on the anti-corruption foundation of previous governments.

According to him, only a corruptfree president who is also ready to subject his cronies to processes of the law, in case of infringement, can lead the crusade against corruption.

“So many corrupt people get away with their acts, largely because of their relationships with heads of institutions that ought to counter or

candidate in all the states in the region but one only to turn around to vote for the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in other elections.

Atiku, who pointed out that the reason for the formation of the party was to provide responsible leadership and promote national harmony, also lamented that that party is currently headed in the wrong direction.

He said, “I have said it and I will continue to say it that the party is

headed in the wrong direction as it moves from one crisis to the other.

“It appears that in the pursuit of our personal ambition, we have continued, but also on the freedom of Nigerian citizens who deserve a right to choose who should govern them and for how long.

“Sometimes, progress involves stepping backwards. In the South West, this is such a moment for the Peoples Democratic Party,” Atiku admonished.

Nigerian leaders have failed — Sultan

Contd. from Front Page to copy and I believe totally if we imbibe the virtues of what the Holy Quran says and the character of our noble leader, nobody will go wrong.”

Sultan stated that many scholars have spoken against the insurgents in the country describing their actions as antiIslam.

“So, what else do you want the Ulama to do? The Ulama do not control government, traditional leaders do not control government.

“What we can do as religious and traditional leaders is to advise government and we have been doing that long before now.

“Many papers have been written to the Federal Government in particular on how to resolve this problem.

“Scholars equally condemned their activities at different fora,” he said.

Sultan Abubakar further stated that the reason for the conference was to unite brothers and sisters in Islam.

According to him, if there is unity among Muslims, there will be peace in the country.

“If there is peace among Muslims in this great country of ours which Muslims constitute the majority, there will be total peace in Nigeria and if there is peace definitely there will be development.

So, I believe it is high time all of us came together to discuss those things that come first in our lives as Muslims.

“With the turnout of ulama from across the country, it shows that we are ready to be united.

“Our coming together under one umbrella, sitting down to discuss the main problem facing us I think it is a very good plus to all of us.

“We want to state it clearly here that our main problem is lack of unity, lack of consensus in whatever we do and of course these are points bothering Muslims of this country.

“We are very aware of the challenges facing us as Muslims not just in Nigeria but globally which we believe somebody somewhere is putting the pins.

“But Insha Allah, with constant prayers from all of you as distinguished Ulama, with constant prayers from downtrodden and any other person, we shall overcome these challenges and move to greater heights.

“We are committed to ensuring justice in whatever we do. We are committed in ensuring those leaders who Allah put on us to lead us do what is right and we will continue to tell them where they go wrong.

“I believe it is high time we put aside the so called differences in understanding Islam, put aside hatred and put aside character interest and put Islam above all.

“If we do so, Insha Allah, we will get the end of all the problems facing us.

“We will not allow anybody to stop us from being Muslims

because that is what Allah chose for us and that is what we choose to be.

“We believe there are so many things that have taken place in the name of other religions but Islam has been singled out, that is a challenge to us to wake up, stand together, strengthen our hands of unity and face those problems squarely.

Youth not properly educated Speaking earlier at the weekend at a separate function in Abuja, the Sultan also fingered “lack of proper education of the youth” as responsible for the insecurity situation in the northern part of the country.

He spoke while commissioning the Jumat mosque of Baze University, Abuja.

According to him, “the greatest problem facing the Muslim ummah in Nigeria today is lack of education.

“If there has been adequate education of our youth either Western education or Islamic education the insecurity problem we are facing wouldn’t have risen.

“People would not have picked up arms and grenades and kill in the name of Islam for Islam abhors such behaviour.

“We must always educate our children with true teachings of Islam.

“We advise our Ulama to always teach us and preach the true message of Islam.

“Put aside your personal grievances; put aside your greed for worldly things.

The former Vice President noted that the party’s fortune began to nosedive in the South West in 2011 when the party could not win any governorship seat but could only manage to get only one Senator, seven members of the House of Representatives and only 18 members in all the state Houses of Assembly. Atiku lamented that the PDP could not win a single local government in the whole region.

While pointing out that the situation must be reversed in the interest of the nation, Atiku said the prevailing disturbing situation in the region could not be attributed to the failure of the PDP stakeholders to deliver good governance.

“I am sure that our party didn’t come to this sorry state in the region because the party men failed to deliver good governance to the people. Landmarks of achievements

by PDP governments dot the region.” he said

Gunmen kill two, free 175 inmates in Akure prison Contd. from Front Page arrested.

The police also denied claims that the gunmen were members of the Boko Haram sect.

The Ondo state Police Command attributed the attack to armed robbers who came to free some of their colleagues detained in the prison.

Spokesperson of the police, Wole Ogodo, said investigation into the attack had begun.

He however appealed to people of the state to inform the command of any strange movement in their areas.

Hours after the incident, residents trooped to the scene of the incident to ascertain the level of damage done by the attack.

Journalists were however barred from gaining entry to the main prison building.

PAGE 3

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

News Obama warns Africa’s ‘tyrant’ leaders T

he US President, Barack Obama, warned yesterday that Africa could only fulfill its rising potential with leaders who serve their people, not tyrants who enrich themselves.

In a strident call for democratic change and good governance, Obama used the political legacy of ailing Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s emergence from grim years of apartheid as proof that freedom will ultimately prevail.

“In too many countries, the actions of thugs and warlords and human traffickers hold back the

promise of Africa,” Obama said at a speech at Cape Town University.

“America cannot put a stop to these tragedies alone, and you don’t expect us to. That is a job for Africans. But we can help you and we will help you,” he said, announcing major new US programs to boost electricity and health care.

“History shows us that progress is only possible where governments exist to serve their people and not the other way around,” said Obama, in a line that drew loud and prolonged cheers from his

audience of more than 1,000 people.

The speech was delivered from the same spot where American political icon Robert Kennedy delivered his famous “ripple of hope” speech in 1966, which called on students to decry the “racial inequality of apartheid”.

Obama’s goal was to inspire a new generation of Africans with the belief that they could ignite political change and the potential of their continent.

He slammed leaders who “steal or kill or disenfranchise voters,”

saying that the ultimate lesson of South Africa was that such brutal tactics will not work.

“So long as parts of Africa continue to be ravaged by war and mayhem, opportunity and democracy cannot take root,” said Obama.

“Across the continent, there are places where still, fear often prevails,” Obama said, warning of “senseless terrorism” from Mali to Mogadishu.

“From Congo to Sudan, conflicts fester,” Obama said, hitting out at those who argue that American

calls for democracy and freedom are “intrusive” or “meddling”.

He also condemned the rule of Robert Mugabe in neighbouring Zimbabwe, where he said the “promise of liberation gave way to the corruption of power and the collapse of the economy”.

Like the rest of Obama’s trip to South Africa, the speech was rich in emotion when he mentioned his hero Mandela, who lies critically ill in a Pretoria hospital.

“You have shown us how a prisoner can become president,” Obama said.

Human Rights Commission indicts military on Baga killings

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L-R: Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada, Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-General Azubuike Ihejirika, and his wife, Nnena, during the 2013 Nigerian Army Day celebration church service, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

Amnesty committee yet to meet key members of Boko Haram leaders - Turaki From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

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he Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution on Insecurity Challenges in the North Chairman, Barrister Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, yesterday said that the committee was yet to meet with key members of the Boko Haram insurgent group.

However, according to him, the committee has met with some

members of the group, particularly those in the shura cabinet of the group.

Turaki stated this after delivering his speech at the ongoing national conference on the role of Muslim scholars in fostering peace, unity and security in Nigeria.

He was responding to a question put to him by the Sultan of Sokoto during the programme.

“Yes, we are making progress because we have met with some members of the group shura and

other members of the group.

“But we are yet to meet other key members of the sect,” he said.

Earlier while delivering his speech, Turaki who is also the Minister of Special Duties told the gathering that they were at the conference in order to brainstorm with Islamic scholars on how to bring an end to insecurity challenges in the region.

He said that the President had shown great commitment

towards tackling the problem as he pleaded with the ulama to help the committee in appealing to the remaining members of the Sect to accept dialogue.

According to Turaki, “we are here to appeal to the Sultan to help us beg this people to come out and accept dialogue. “We know what Islam says about dialogue and we are also here because we know violence cannot be solved with war.

So please call on them to accept to dialogue with us.

Fuel scarcity looms as NUPENG begins strike today From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said it would begin a warning strike from today.

The strike is to protest what the group describes as bad state of roads in the country.

NUPENG’s General-Secretary, Mr. Isaac Aberare, in a statement in Lagos yesterday said, “the strike is also to protest the refusal of NARTO to implement the signed collective bargaining agreement with the petroleum tanker drivers, we are also unhappy over the bad state of roads across the nation.”

The union had served a notice

concerning the strike three weeks ago.

NUPENG said all efforts by the Federal Ministry of Labour to intervene in the issue had failed, just like the call for a stakeholders meeting in the oil and gas sector to address a number of issues.

The union directed all members at the various depots to stop loading

petroleum products for the next three days.

The statement said members in all the branches in the country must also follow abide by the directive.

The statement warned that if after the three-day strike, nothing s done to address the situation, NUPENG would be forced to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike.

igeria’s human rights body has rebuked the scale of military force used on the coastal town of Baga, Borno state where between 30 and 200 people were killed in fighting between soldiers and Boko Haram militants in April.

The report also criticises the government for focusing more on the number of casualties than the legality and the scale of the force.

The National Human Rights Commission said in an interim report on what is now known as the Baga massacre, released Sunday, that while it was yet to announce its impression of the the numbers killed in the attack, and those responsible, the incident illustrates “serious concerns” about “proportionality of the use of force as well as humanitarian and human rights compliance in internal security operations.”

“Most of the allegations against the JTF (Joint Task Force) clearly appear to raise questions of proportionality of the use of force and standards applicable to the conduct of the armed forces in internal security operations.”

The commission said it was “tragic” for the Federal Government to give more attention to the debate on the number of those killed than the legality of the killings, as though there exists a threshold for accepting extrajudicial killings.

“The details of Baga incident have been drowned out by competing claims about the casualty count with a focus on the numbers reported killed rather than on whether the nature of force that resulted in the their killing was proportionate or disproportionate taking account of all circumstances of the case, and, therefore, whether the force was ultimately lawful or unlawful,” the report said.

“Through this controversy, the impression has been created that certain thresholds of numbers of killing may be permissible so long as they are made to appear low enough.

Government has not done enough to discourage the impression.

PAGE 4

The Page 4 Report

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

2015: PDP’s many troubles

As the 2015 general election approaches, the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP) boasts of winning more states. This optimism, according to its National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, is anchored on the performance of President Goodluck Jonathan and other governors on the platform of the party. But incessant crises rocking the party may make the task of retaining the present states and the Presidency Herculean. Lawrence Olaoye and Soji Oyinlola write:

P

olitics, according to experts, can safely be described as conflict and conflict resolution.

Therefore, whoever is interested in participating in the political milieu, especially in the Nigerian context, should be ready to contain and curtail crises in whatever dimension they may come.

Although most political parties in the country, since the advent of fourth republic, have had their fair shares of crises, the ruling party, PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP), has thrived from one to the other.

Most often than not, these are self inflicted but the ability of its managers to navigate these labyrinth of crises and extricate the party from the danger of self immolation has never seized to amaze discerning political experts and scholars alike.

But recent happenings in the ruling party as the nation inches towards 2015 has become a source for worry to those who could imagine the catastrophic effect awaiting the party should the crises in its fold be not urgently resolved.

Observers are unanimous in their submissions that if the several unresolved crisis ravaging the party is something to be taken seriously, it is well safe to conclude that the party risks going to the 2015 general election a balkanized body.

The recent crisis that threatens the party started with a section of the PDP governors accusing the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamangar Tukur, of running the party as a private business. This disenchantment was at the root of the bloodied nose the party suffered at the recently held Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) election where the Plateau state governor, Jonah Jang, put forward as the party’s consensus candidate was roundly trounced by the Rivers state governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who never enjoyed the party’s endorsement.

Although the Presidency and the party hierarchy had made several efforts to extricate themselves from the defeat, discerning Nigerians know that the ruling party is divided against itself. This is even more so when the PDP controls a comfortable majority in the NGF. The handling of the fallout of the NGF election with Amaechi’s suspension alongside his Sokoto state counterpart, Alhaji Aliyu Matgakarda Wamakko, became the Achilles heels of the party as its leadership was roundly condemned.

Though Wamakko has been recalled, obviously in response to the criticisms that followed his suspension, the crisis within the party is clearly still far from being over.

The Rivers state governor is being viewed as a victim of witch hunt for having the temerity to ever voice his ambition to vie for the position of the nation’s Vice President in 2015 even when

President Goodluck Jonathan has yet to kiss the Presidency goodbye.

But the party would want everyone to believe that Amaechi is being sanctioned for anti party activities.

The Jonathan-Amaechi feud has succeeded in polarizing the party and the reconciliatory efforts being made by the PDP hierarchy seems to be yielding little or no results. This is more so when the party leadership are being generally perceived as being part of the problem.

Although Jonathan has yet to publicly declare his intention to contest the Presidency on the platform of the party, his body language and pronouncements from his aides indicate that there may not be vacancy in Aso Rock, especially on the platform of the PDP, in 2015. This reality has dawned on the core political actors in the country, especially those stakeholders from the North who insist that Jonathan actually signed a single term pact with them before securing their supports at the 2011 PDP Presidential Convention held in Abuja.

Chairman of the Northern State Governors Forum (NSGF) and Niger state governor, Dr. Mua’zu Babangida Aliyu, has cried himself hoarse to drum it into the ears of those willing to listen that northern governors actually supported Jonathan with the understanding that he would not recontest.

The crisis ignited by Jonathan’s insistence on contesting the Presidency in 2015 has yet to abate and could destroy the party if not well handled.

Already, Jonathan had succeeded in polarizing the northern governors through the schism brought about by the refusal of some of them to support one of their own as the NGF chairman. The bad blood introduced by the NGF politics, with the governors of Bauchi state, Alhaji Isa Yuguda and his Benue counterpart, Gabriel Suswam, withdrawing their membership of the NSGF, will not ultimately do the party any good ahead of 2015. This is even coming as there are insinuations that some of the aggrieved governors have begun to consider the possibility of pulling

Alhaji Bamanga Tukur out of the ruling party with their supporters either to join the new amalgam All Progressives Congress (APC) or to form a third political force to prosecute their ambition in the forthcoming general elections.

It is apparent that the ruling party would have a lot of work to do beyond its current window dressing reconciliation efforts by its National Chairman, Tukur and its Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony Ananih if it hopes to make any desirable impact in the 2015 general elections. Already, the South West zone of the country has successfully severed its political umbilical cord from the PDP, at least for now.

The crisis in the South West PDP has defiled all solutions making the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, to raise the alarm that something must be done urgently to regain the zone back into the ruling party. Atiku, in a recent clarion call made to the party stated “I have said it and I will continue to say it that the party is headed in the wrong direction as it moves from one crisis to the other. It appears that in the pursuit of our personal ambition, we have continued to trample with impunity on the rights not only of the members, but also on the

“

The Jonathan-Amaechi feud has succeeded in polarizing the party and the reconciliatory efforts being made by the PDP hierarchy seems to be yielding little or no results. This is more so when the party leadership are being generally perceived as being part of the problem

freedom of Nigerian citizens who deserve a right to choose who should govern them and for how long.

Sometimes, progress involves stepping backwards. In the South West, this is such a moment for the Peoples Democratic Party.”

He reminiscenced “The PDP became a very strong political party in the South West as a result of the efforts and commitment of leaders who commanded the respect of the generality of the people of the South West. By the year 2009, the party had 5 of the 6 Governors in the zone, 14 of the 18 Senators, 46 out of the 71 House of Representatives seat, 102 members of the State House of Assembly, and 115 Local Governments. Members of the PDP also occupied all commissionership and special advisers positions, in addition to all statutory board membership.”

The former Vice President painted the reality in the zone now when he asserted “However, the fortunes of the PDP in the South West took a startling reverse from 2011 such that today, the party has no Governor in the region, has only 1 Senator, 7 Members of the House of Representatives and only 18 Members in all the States House of Assembly. Of course, not a single Local Government administration is PDP-controlled in the entire region. It is not only in the interest of PDP, but indeed that of the Nation that this trend be reversed.”

While the party lost gallantly in the South West at the last general election to the opposition ACN and the Labour Party, the prevailing situation seems not to suggest any change in the PDP’s electoral fortunes come 2015. From Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo and Lagos State, the party has lost so much cohesion that it will be difficult for it to present a common front to prosecute the next election.

More worrisome is the crisis in Ekiti State chapter of the party.

While other parties are fine tuning strategies with which they plan to approach the 2014 governorship election, the PDP is pursuing a court case, aiming to sack the Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe-led State Working Committee.

Also recently, a section of party chieftains, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Minister for Commerce, Alhaji Jubril Kuye met to review the suspension clamped on former Governor Gbenga Daniel over allegations bothering on disloyalty to the party. The unfortunate crisis is coming at a time when opposition governors in the zone are enjoying commendation from members of the public for outstanding performance and good governance.

Nevertheless, the leadership of the party has made conscious efforts towards repositioning the PDP and steer it clear of crisis by asking those members of its National Working Committee (NWC), whose elections are being challenged in court owing to the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) report that they were not properly elected, to resign their positions. Those affected by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) decision, but are not likely to make it back through the new Special Congress, may not feel comfortable with the resolution.

The party’s decision to conduct a fresh zonal congress in the South West is already generating another ripple with the zone’s former National Vice Chairman and former Ekiti state governor, Chief Segun Oni and the ousted PDP National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, threatening court action against the party should it go ahead with the zonal congress.

Among other many worries of the PDP is the seeming success the merging opposition parties seem to be recording in their efforts to form the APC as a vehicle to wrestle power from the ruling party. While the PDP has continued to deny the existence of threat posed by the yet to be registered party, those in the know say the growing popularity and acceptance of the new party among the populace is giving members of the ruling party sleepless nights. The fact that the APC had concluded arrangement to field a presidential candidate from the north is currently rattling the PDP. Agreed, it may be too early in the day to predict where the pendulum swings come 2015 general election because politics is no mathematics, situations on ground point to the fact that the PDP needs to put its house in order if it is serious to achieve its much trumpeted ambition to win more states in 2015.

News

PEOPLES DAILY,MONDAY, JUly 1, 2013

PAGE 5

Senate mourns as Senator Ewherido dies

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

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R-L: Wife of the Vice-President, Hajiya Amina Sambo, wife of Jigawa governor, Hajiya Amina Lamido, and National President, women preachers, Hajiya Maryam Othman, during the National Conference of Women in Da’awa, yesterday in Dutse.

Photo: NAN

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t.-Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), in Abuja on Sunday said that the military was winning the war on terrorism.

Ihejirika said this at the InterDenominational Service held at the All Saints Military Protestant Church, Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja, to mark the 2013 Nigerian Army Day Celebration.

He said the military had made tremendous achievements, but a lot still had to be done. ``When I remark that we are winning the war on terrorism, according to a Chinese General Sunzu which says, you know yourself, you know the enemy then you can fight a thousand wars.

Nigerian Army winning war on terrorism – Ihejirika ``Wining the war starts from in-house, I am aware of the improved capacity of the units, improved capacity of the officers and men, and this is what gives me the confidence that we will excel. ``And as for the operation itself, the nature of insurgency is such that you will continue to have occasional setbacks because you are dealing with people who disguise as civilians,’’ he said.

Ihejirika said that some

soldiers had been ambushed a number of times in the current operation, adding that it was made possible by the fact that the insurgents disguise as civilians.

He said as such some of the soldiers might not be on their best guard.

Ihejirika said attitudinal change was one the most important attribute that had helped to drive his vision to ``transform the Nigerian Army into a force

able to deal with contemporary challenges.

He said officers and commanders in the field now adopt positive attitude in carrying out their duties and no longer ``sit on the fence’’.

According to him, a lot of initiatives were coming out of the field, some of these initiatives, include repair of equipment that would be on display on July 6, 2013. (NAN)

African Union leaders meet over hunger eradication

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frican Ministers and other senior officials meeting at the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa said yesterday that Africa has vibrant societies that are eager to achieve development and eradicate hunger.

The ministers met ahead of a meeting of AU Heads of State and Government today under the theme, “New, unified approaches to end hunger in Africa.”

The need to promote food security in Africa motivated the AU, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the Lula Institute to partner for a unified approach to end hunger in Africa by 2025 within the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) framework.

About 15 Heads of State and Government responded to the invitation to participate in the

event and add value to CAADP by sharing knowledge on investment to vulnerable people.

“Hunger will not be eradicated unless we include the poor in the government budget,” said founder and honorary President of Lula Institute, LuizInácio Lula da Silva.

According to him, “I am convinced that ending hunger will only be possible if transformed into a state policy.

“The commitment of civil society is also important to the success of this process.

“I am certain that every country in Africa and in the world can end hunger if they include the poor in their national budget. Economic growth alone is not enough.”

And, the the AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Mrs. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, said: “the CAADP Framework is

steadily gaining recognition as a comprehensive, multi-sector approach for boosting production and productivity, and also for improving resilience and food security, by scaling up agricultural investment and increasing economic opportunities for entire populations.

“It is, therefore advocated that CAADP provides the platform for building and facilitating the renewed partnerships as well as technically backstopping a unified approach for scaling up hunger eradication efforts at all implementation levels.”

On his part, Director-General of FAO, Mr. Graziano da Silva, stressed: “we can win the war against hunger only if we work together.

“This meeting in Addis Ababa will support our efforts by transforming political will into further and coordinated action.”

The Renewed Partnership has

Group commends NUJ over probe of alleged extortion, blackmail

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he Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has been commended over its commitment to the preservation of the ethics and credibility of the journalism profession as demonstrated by its intervention in the crisis caused by the defamatory book allegedly being written by Publisher of Desert Herald Magazine, Mallam Tukur, against the administration of FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed.

Coalition of Civil Society

Organizations in Nigeria which made the commendation at the weekend described the planned book as a mere one-sided novel fraught with libel and defamation rather than a factual journalistic work.

The group in a statement in Abuja yesterday by its, President Ikechukwu Chukwunyere and the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Etuk Bassey Williams, commended the FCT Minister, on the achievements

of his administration.

The statement warned blackmailers and detractors to leave him alone to enable him continue his good works in FCT. The group listed among his numerous achievements massive road construction, opening of new districts via land swap and district infrastructure contract awards, reform of the transport sector, attraction of foreign and local investments.

the intention to contribute to the CAADP agenda. The synergy from combining CAADP with its renewed momentum and social protection under the partnership for Unified Approaches to End Hunger in Africa would justify the ambition to achieve the objectives.

enator representing Delta Central on the platform of Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Pius Ewherido, passed on yesterday at the National Hospital, after a brief illness.

The Urhobo born politician who was serving his first term, is the only Senator elected on the platform of DPP in Nigeria.

According to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the President of the Senate, Paul Mumeh, David Mark described Ewherido’s death as untimely, saying he was a forthright and vibrant parliamentarian.

Mark observed that Ewherido was one of the foremost and hardworking Senators in the Seventh Senate, saying that though his tenure was short, it was eventful as his membership of the Senate displayed patriotism, commitment and truly distinguished himself as a parliamentarian of a very high standard.

“We have lost a true friend and colleague. We lost a vibrant and a very articulate senator.

We have lost a patriotic Nigerian who stood to be counted when it mattered”, Senator Mark lamented.

He noted that one of Senator Ewherido’s bills on how to address the issue of Manslaughter in the land is currently under going thorough legislative works, adding that the deceased should have been alive to see his good works aimed at saving mankind.

Also, a statement by the Senate Spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, explained that Ewherido only took ill at the weekend and was not able to make it.

The Senate, Abaribe said, was heartbroken and devastated over this unfortunate incidence .

CPC urges Jonathan to withdraw case against Leadership journalists

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

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ongress for Progressive Change (CPC) has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to unconditionally withdraw the case against two leadership journalists, describing his decision to re-arraign them weeks after he purportedly pardoned them as shameful.

In a statement yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Rotimi Fashakin, CPC said the governance of a nation state requires far-sightedness, adding that the current approach to governance by the Jonathan regime, can no longer help the country navigate out of its numerous travails.

“Rather than expending scarce national resources on a worthless

litigation, the President should brace himself up to the task of showing enviable leadership.

“The obfuscation that this regime employs to hide its perfidious and capricious politics really stinks.

“We advise the President to cut the chase and order unconditional withdrawal of the law suit forthwith to save the Nation from further embarrassment,” the statement read.

In addition, the party raised reservation with Section 308 of the Constitution, which confers immunity on Jonathan, saying that if he, being the Head of the Federal Government, is expected to sue on matters concerning his office and person, then he should be sued.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

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News

Governors urged to fund road traffic agencies in states

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call has gone to governors of the states of the Federation to make adequate budgetary provision for the Road Traffic Agencies as a way of enhancing effective road traffic management and motor vehicle administration in the states.

Former Director of the Federal Capital Territory Directorate of Road Traffic Services, Mr. Samson Adebanjo Ataiyero who made the call at the opening of the Year 2013 meeting of the Conference of Directors/

Chief Road Traffic Officers of the Federation also called for collaboration among all agencies and stakeholders in road traffic management to ensure safety of lives and property on Nigerian roads.

According to Mr. Ataiyero, who is also a former Chairman of the conference, state governors should pay serious attention to matters of safety on the roads within their jurisdiction, saying “the way to achieve safety on roads across the nation is for governors to make adequate

budgetary provision for the effective performance of the functions of the states road traffic agencies”.

He noted that a situation where some governors would leave their safety agencies to fund and provide working equipment to Federal agencies “is unacceptable and should be discouraged forthwith”, adding that “the state road traffic agencies and motor vehicle administration directorates are veritable sources of maintaining safety on states roads as well as

means of generating revenues that can help develop the states”.

Mr. Ataiyero lauded the efforts of the Federal Government and some states at making Nigerian roads motorable and stress-free, but urged that road construction should meet international standards so “the beauty of the surface of the roads does not have graves in their bellies”.

The former chairman appealed to the National assembly to extend further the effective date for the change from the old number plates

to the new ones, noting that safety of lives and properties on Nigerian roads should be paramount to all stakeholders which the introduction of the new number plate has not necessarily addressed.

He said that the change will add to the already tense financial situation of vehicle users and called for a clear demarcation of role of all agencies in road traffic management as this will remove the undue duplication of functions and unwarranted taxation imposed on road users.

Lamido turbans Zanna and Kaigama Adamawa From Umar Dankano, Yola

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L-R: Representative of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Oyemade Abiodun, Media Adviser to former VicePresident Atiku Abubakar, Malam Garba Shehu, Chairman, Daar Communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, and Founder, Timilehin Hope Foundation, Mrs. Lara Owoeye-Wise, during the launch of Timi Hope Foundation, on Saturday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Youth Vanguard commends Magajin Garin Sokoto From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

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okoto Youth Vanguard has called on traditional leaders across the country to emulate the laudable efforts of Alhaji Danbaba Hassan Marafara, Magajin Gari Sokoto, towards assisting the less privileged in the society.

The commendation was made yesterday in a statement signed by the chairman, Alh Haliru Usman Baba, and Secretary, Engr.

Abdullahi Hassan in Kaduna.

“Alhaji Hassan Danbaba Marafa is the only grandson of the late premier of northern region, Sir. Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto.

Like a true grandson of the late premier that he is, Alhaji Hassan Danbaba Marafa has within the last two years sponsored more than 17 of our members to various institutions of higher learning within and outside the country and also

facilitates employment for hundreds of youth across various states in the North”.

The youth who said that “the present complex security challenge in the country, especially in the North, cannot be solved by

government alone”, urged leaders to device a way of assisting the millions of jobless youth in the country by creating employment for them.

He described job-cration for jobless Nigerians as a task before all well-meaning and privileged

Nigerians.

“We acknowledge the leading role of government in this direction, but government alone cannot solve this hydra headed problem without the support of the rich within the society”, he noted.

he Assistant General Manager, Procurement and Due Process of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Alh. Muhammad Lawan Sheikh and Professor Umar Pate, Professor of Mass Communication from University of Maiduguri, have been turbaned as Zanna Adamawa and Kaigama Adamawa respectivelyby the Adamawa emirate council.

Conducting the turbaning ceremony weekend, His Royal Highness Lamido Adamawa, Alh. Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa, said the selection of the duo was carefully done after seeing the contributions of the new title holders to the development of traditional institutions and enhancement of humanity.

Lamido Musdafa advised them to use their wealth of experience, exposure and magnimity in improving the well-being of the people in the emirate and country as a whole so as to encourage people in contributing positively to the development of cultural values and morality.

However, in a related development, the newly turbaned Zanna Adamawa in an interview with journalists appealed to traditional rulers across the nation to emulate the Lamido Adamawa’s zeal in giving traditional titles to only men of proven integrity.

Lawal, said “Dr Barkindo Aliyu Mustapha, the Lamido Adamawa Emirate has proof that only men of integrity should be honoured with traditional titles by putting in place a mechanism to checkmate that bad elements are not accorded traditional titles in his emirate”.

Group calls on FG to stop killings by Fulani herdsmen

By Lambert Tyem

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Tarok cultural group, Ngwang IshiOtarokWorldwide,yesterday calledontheFederalGovernment to ask security forces to rise to the task of monitoring crime in the country especially the Fulani herdsmen who attack people in Plateau State and other parts of Nigeria.

The group said that the massacre of Tarok people in Langtang South Local Government Area of Plateau State was an injustice that must be addressed,

adding that over 50 Tarok men and women were killed by the herdsmen last Thursday without any provocation.

The Otarok National Youth President,Mr.Pirtim Bali,whoaddressed journalistsinAbujaonSundayexplained that the Fulani herdsmen once attacked and killed Tarok people in 2001 and 2004, noting that the government did not bring the perpetrators to justice and this he said emboldened the attackers to launch the latest attack against harmless farmers and their families.

Bali warned that his people may

be forced to defend themselves if the governmentcontinuedtoturnablindeye to the bloody attacks on Tarok people by nomadic Fulani herdsmen.

The Tarok youth leader stated that about 36 victims of the attack were buriedinMagamaonSaturday,adding that many residential houses, churches and schools were destroyed by the assailants during the attack.

Bali said no security personnel were stationed in the three affected communities of Magama, Bugan and Karkashim, stressing that the people

were not protected against possible attacks.

According to him, the survivors are currently homeless and exposed to the elements, having lost their homes during the incident.

He called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to send relief materials to the survivors, adding that Tarok youths are mobilisingfundsandmaterialassistance, but this, he said, was not sufficient to meet the needs of the people in the three communities.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 8

USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS ON ANY EMERGENCY Council endorsed the useful phone numbers submitted by the security agents for easy access in case of any emergency on the metropolitan Roads. Accordingly, the general public may easily Contact KAROTA for: Breakdown of Vehicle(s), Traffic Congestion, Accidents, and Illegal/Wrong Parking to kindly Call KAROTA through the following number – 08091626747. Similarly, the State Police Command could be contacted on – 08032419754 and 08123821575. In addition, the State Fire Service can also be contacted on – 07051246833 and 08191778888.

104th KANO STATE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

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he Kano State Government is popularly and squarely back at work and re-energized for the second tenure of Governor Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE, after being away on retreat for three (3) days (20th – 23rd June, 2013) to Abuja, which was purposefully convened to appraise the performance of the present administration.

Essentially, the main Agenda of activities at the retreat centred on issues involved with identifying specific areas of high and low performance in the execution of policy programs/projects aimed at transforming Kano State as promised by Governor Engr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE at his campaigns and inauguration. At the retreat, participants carefully studied the performance of the administration and came out to the conclusion that the administration has performed extremely well since its inception in the last two years. The communiqué agreed that the administration is very well focused and should continue with the good works it has embarked upon for the benefit of the citizens of Kano State, in those vital areas such as Education, Health, Water Supply, Agriculture, Environment, Infrastructural Development/ Maintenance, Commerce/Empowerment, etc.

As such, today Wednesday 26th June, 2013 (17th Sha’aban, 1434AH) marks the first Kano State Executive Council meeting after the first of two retreats earmarked for the year 2013 while standing concurrently for the date the one hundred and forth (104th) meeting in the series held since the commencement of the second incumbency of the tenure of this administrative.

Typically, an appreciable number of twenty-five (25) memoranda were submitted for deliberation by Council from nine (9) MDAs. Twenty-one (21) of them were approved for execution with an expenditure of Fifteen Billion, Fifty Six Million, One Hundred and Ninety Seven Thousand, Eight hundred and Seventy Five Naira, Thirty Kobo (N15,056,197,875.30) covering seventeen (17) projects. Thus:

1. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY TO THE STATE GOVERNMENT This Office submitted six (6) memoranda on behalf of some MDAs for deliberation by Council after which three (3) were approved for execution as follows: a) Presentation of Request for Funds In Respect of Renovation of Kano State Pension Fund Trustees House, Abuja:Kano State Pension Fund Trustees (KSPFT) is one of the most successful public pension management organizations that were formed since the introduction of Pension Contribution regime in Nigeria.

While other Pension offices in some States still practice the moribund system of pension administration, KSPTF is at par with private pension administrators in the implementation of the new system. This explains the basis for this memorandum.

Council recalled the purchase of Tofa House, Abuja (renamed Kano State Pension Fund Trustees House, Abuja) by the Kano State Pension Fund Trustees (KSPFT) a few years ago in order to invest and recoup profits for the sustenance of the program and continue payments of pension to contributors. In fact, this house since acquired has never been renovated leading to most of its occupants/renters vacating thereby affecting KSPTF revenue generation efforts. The amount required for the renovation of the complex runs into millions leading to the idea to involve private investors to finance the project and recoup their investment through rental fees. This explains the basis for this memorandum.

The Office of the Executive Secretary, Kano State Pension Funds Trustees (KSPST) reminded Council, through the contents of this memorandum that the organization was recently advised to adopt Public Private Partnership (PPP)/BOT concept in respect of the renovation of Kano State Pension Fund House, Abuja.

Further, Council was informed that the KSPFT received an offer from a Company by name Sinoki based in China (through their Agent in Nigeria called YOEPEC) in line with the directives set by the Government.

Series of discussions ensued with the prospective lessee, which finally yielded the followings: i.

That the lease period for the property is ten (10) years. ii.

That the rent payable shall be N20,000.00 per square metre per annum for the first five (5) years and N22,000.00 for the subsequent five (5) years. iii. That cost for renovating the property was quantified at the sum of N410,347,450.00. iv. That the repayment schedule of the cost of remodeling is 70% to be charged against the first rent installment payable while the remaining 30% of the cost of renovation shall be charged against the second rent installment.

Essentially, two (2) main observations were presented for consideration by Council. Thus: • The initial rent payable to KSPFT at the commencement of the agreement is N233,756,785.00.

• The final rent installment payable to KSPFT at the commencement of the final phase (i.e. five (5) years after commencement of the agreement) is N449,995,762.00.

The candid opinion of the KSPFT is that the merit of this arrangement is that there shall be no financial commitment from the State Government or the Trustees. Indeed, the KSPFT shall be entitled to substantial revenue, and shall at the expiration of the lease period be in possession of a fully renovated property/facility that can be rented out at appropriate/competitive terms.

As such, the KSPFT sought approval from Council to enter into Public Private Partnership (PPP) with Sinoki in respect of renovating Kano State Pension Fund Trustees House, Abuja at the terms presented for consideration by Council. Approval was granted as requested

by Council in view of the viability and prospects of the presented arrangements.

Governor Kwankwaso b) Presentation of the Review of the Case of Six (6) Kano State Indigenous Postgraduate Students Sponsored for Studies at Al–Madinah International University, Malaysia:Council recalled this administration’s policy of sponsoring 501 State indigenous citizens to pursue higher degrees overseas. The contents of this memorandum notified Council of the agitations regarding the case of six (6) students undergoing Postgraduate studies in Business, Accounting and Economics at Al–Madinah International University, Malaysia who complained to the State Government about non–accreditation of their offered programs by the Malaysian Ministry of Education.

The Kano State Scholarship Board submitted its position for consideration by Council on the matter, which indicated that a Consultant involved in obtaining admissions for the students was part of the Investigating Committee on the agitations whose findings were presented as follows: i.

That the Institution, Al-Madinah International University, Malaysia is ranked 3rd Position among Private Universities and 18th among the 76 Higher Institutions in Malaysia. ii. That the Institution is ranked 2,116 among 11,997 Universities in the World. iii. That the Provisional accreditation was extended for courses offered by the Institution while full accreditation would follow before the students’ final graduation.

Council acknowledged the presentation in appreciation and accepted the need for the transfer of the students to public universities of their choice to continue with their studies. c) Request for Funds to Enable Payment of Quarterly Allowances In Respect of 125 Members of the Shura Council:The Secretary to the State Government presented a request on behalf of the Shura Council regarding the release of accrued allowances for its 125 Members and operational funds for the period of four (4) months (February – May, 2013). Details were presented for consideration by Council. Statutory Provisions prompted Council to approve the release of the aggregate recommended sum of N16,838,900.00 to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government for disbursement to the 125 Members of the Shura Council as their sitting allowances for the period of four (4) months (February – May, 2013) and provision of operational funds.

2.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION The Ministry of Education submitted seven (7) memoranda for deliberation by Council. Six (6) of them were approved for execution as follows: a) Request for Approval to Utilize and Release of Year 2012 Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Intervention Fund for the Purchase of Special Education Material/Equipment:The Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Education substantiated to Council, through the contents of this memorandum that, UBEC has already approved the Action Plan presented by the State Education Basic Education Board SUBEB and has released the sum of N23,882,227.00 as the year 2012 Special Education Intervention Fund to the State.

Details on the issue were presented to Council for consideration.

Council noted, considered and granted permission for the utilization of the released N23,882,227.00 from UBEC for the purchase of Special Education materials/equipment and provision of infrastructure to

Special Education Schools at Tudun Maliki and Kuka Bulukiya in the State by the State Universal Basic Education Board. b) Request for Funds to Enable the Construction/Provision of Infrastructure (Hostels, Classrooms and Perimeter Wall Fence) and Furnishing at the Newly Upgraded Government Technical College, Dambatta and Girl’s Science and Technical College, Karaye:Provision of qualitative education at all levels and in all ramifications is among the top priorities of the present administration.

The physical/infrastructural, material/consumables, manpower, etc. requirements are continuously being provided since the inception of the second tenure of this administration as promised. Many new Primary/ Junior (Basic Education) Schools, Senior Secondary Schools have been established along with the construction of additional number of classrooms in existing ones. Activities of the Community Reorientation Committees (CRC) ensure the execution of repairs where necessary, feeding primary School pupils across the 44 LGCs and the provision of uniforms for new intakes. The newly established Governor’s College (and the proposed First Lady’s College) tops the list of the established Senior Secondary Schools in Nigeria. At tertiary or post-Secondary level, this administration’s performance is impeccable. One additional University (i.e. Northwest University, Kano) has been established along with twenty (20) skill acquisition Schools/Centers.

In any case, some schools upgraded to Technical Colleges require some effort in order to address the accommodation and infrastructural problems caused by the growing number of students admitted into the Schools. Government Technical College Dambatta and Girl’s Science and Technical College Karaye are among the recently upgraded Schools to their current status courtesy of the present administration. The two Schools require infrastructures like student hostels, classrooms, wall fence and furniture. Upgrading the two (2) Schools necessitates the provision of the following as identified by the Ministry of Education: SN Proposed Project Cost (N) i.

Construction of Student Hostel block, renovation of two (2) abandoned Student Hostels, perimeter wall fence and furnishing of infrastructures at GTC Dambatta 64,963,383.68 ii. Construction of two (2) duplex Classroom blocks, two (2) Student Hostel blocks, twin Science laboratory block, 890M long perimeter wall fence, reticulation of water and electricity supplies and furnishing of infrastructure at GSTC, Karaye 84,442,865.97

Total 149,406,249.65 As such, the Ministry of Education requested Council to consider the details presented and approve the release of the aggregate sum of N149,406,249.65 to enable the execution of the stated projects at the locations mentioned above so as to actualize the envisaged purpose for upgrading the two Schools.

The request was considered relevant and in agreement with the resolved policy of the present administration to provide qualitative education at all levels and in all ramifications. Council approved the release of the requested aggregate sum of N149,406,249.65 to the Ministry of Education to enable the execution of the projects according to the specifications presented so as to actualize the achievement of the envisaged goals for upgrading the two (2) Schools. c) Request for Funds to Enable the Establishment of Nine (9) Technical Colleges in Nine (9) Local Government Council Areas (LGCAs) of the State:Among the commendable resolutions embarked upon by the present administration is the provision of opportunities and access to the acquisition of required applicable skills for the teeming youth to be empowered for self–reliance/employment and concurrently increase the middle cadre manpower in the State to cater for industries requiring their services.

As such, details on the scope of work and general requirements for the establishment of nine (9) Technical Colleges in nine (9) LGCAs of the State were presented for consideration by Council from the Ministry of Education.

The details presented indicated that the sum of N471,009,940.85 is required for the establishment of one (1) Technical College totaling up to the aggregate sum of N4,239,089,467.60 for the nine (9) proposed.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Education recommended the execution of the entire project in two (2) phases beginning with the first phase costing N177,975,865.79 per one (1) Technical College totaling up to the aggregate sum of N1,601,782,810.11, which was requested for release

by Council to enable the execution of the first phase of the entire project for the establishing of nine (9) Technical Colleges in nine (9) LGCAs of the State. Details were presented for consideration by Council.

Council noted, considered and approved the release of the requested aggregate sum of N1,601,782,810.11 to the State Ministry of Education to enable the execution of the first of two (2) phases of projects for the establishment of nine (9) Technical Colleges in nine (9) LGCAs across the State in accordance with policy of the present administration. A contributory formula of 50%:50% basis was approved between the State and the nine (9) concerned LGCAs towards the construction of the schools. d) Request for Funds to Enable the Establishment of ThirtyEight (38) Schools for Islamic Studies:The Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Education substantiated to Council, through the contents of this memorandum that Kano State has the highest number of Islamiyya Primary Schools both public and private in Nigeria with a staggering number of students who need to continue with their Secondary Education. This makes the need for the provision/establishment of Islamiyya Secondary Schools necessary to accommodate products of the Islamiyya Primary Schools paramount.

The Ministry of Education recommended to Council to consider approving the establishment of thirty-eight (38) Schools of Islamic Studies; one (1) each in thirty-eight (38) LGCAs of the State. The estimated cost for the establishment of each School was presented in Contd on Page 9

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013 details for consideration by Council to the sum of N458,517,500.39 to be executed in two phases with an estimated sum of N170,620,264.94 covering the first phase per School. This totals up to the aggregate sum of N6,483,570,072.72 for the execution of the first phase of the project on the establishment of 38 Schools of Islamic Studies in 38 LGCAs in the State, which was requested for release by Council.

Credibility of the request prompted Council to approve the release of the sum of N6,483,570,072.72 to the Ministry of Education to enable the execution of the first of two (2) phases of projects on contributory formula of 50%:50% between the State and the thirty-eight (38) LGCAS concerned to be used in funding the project. e) Presentation of the Need and Request for Funds to Renovate Dilapidated Buildings and Construction of Perimeter Wall Fence at GSS Dambatta, Dambatta LGCA:The contents of this memorandum substantiated the need to renovate the dilapidated buildings at GSS Dambatta caused by age and lack of repairs for years. A perimeter wall fence is required to be constructed so as to enhance the security of students and property in the School.

Details on the scope of works required were presented to Council for consideration at the aggregate cost of the sum of N83,610,239.43, which was requested for release by Council to enable the execution of the projects. Council noted, considered and approved the release of the requested sum of N83,610,239.43 to the Ministry of Education to enable the immediate execution of the projects. f) Request for Funds to Enable the Implementation of Outstanding Promotions, Advancements and Correct Salaries of Teaching and Non – Teaching Staff Serving at the 44 LGCAs Across the State:The Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Education reminded Council of the Executive directive issued to the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and other parastatals of the Ministry of Education during its 72nd Sitting of 3rd December, 2012 to implement all pending cases of promotion via Executive Council Extract NO. SSCA/CA/EX/5/l/87.

Consequently, SUBEB has collated all pending cases of promotions, advancements and correct salary placement of all teaching and non– teaching staff across the 44 LGCAs of the State. A total of 32,806 staff are to benefit from the exercise with a total monetary implication of N274,872,811.43 monthly effective from June,2013.

As such, the Ministry of Education requested Council to approve the release of the sum of N274,872,811.43 monthly effective from June, 2013 to enable implementation of promotions, advancements and correct salary placements of 32,806 teaching and non–teaching Staff serving in the 44 LGCAs of the State. The request was considered credible as Council approved.

3. OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR/HON. COMMISSIONER MINISTRY FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS This Office submitted two (2) memoranda for deliberation by Council. Both were approved for execution as follows: a) Presentation of the Outcome from the Visit of the State Team to Malaysia for the Dual Purposes of Visiting the 501 Kano State Indigenous Kwankwasiyya Postgraduate Students Sponsored for Studies in Malaysian Universities and Recruitment of Expatriate Senior Academic Staff for Northwest University, Kano and Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST), Wudil:The Deputy Governor/Hon. Commissioner for Local Governments, reminded Council of its approval granted for the members of the Implementation Committee for Northwest University, Kano to undertake visit to the 501 Kwankwasiyya Postgraduate students sponsored for studies in eleven (11) countries across the World. The team combined their assignment with the recruitment of expatriate Senior Academic Staff in the fields of Sciences for the two (2) State owned Universities of (Northwest University and KUST) from Egypt, Malaysia and India.

The team that conducted the exercise in Malaysia undertook their trip from 5th – 20th May, 2013 and submitted its report promptly.

Details were presented for consideration by Council indicating that 71 students are pursuing their postgraduate studies in Malaysia. Out of this number 19 students are undergoing various Masters Degree at the University of Technology Malaysia, 13 students are in University of Malaya, 3 students are in International Islamic University, 20 students are in Al-Madinah International University, 6 students are in University Putra Malaysia and 1 student at the University Utara Malaysia.

The team while there interacted with both students and the Management of the six Universities and submitted that: i. The students were all in good health and sound moral condition ii. The students expressed their gratitude to the Governor for this laudable program, and iii. The Nigeria High Commission in Malaysia should be utilized in future while seeking admission for the State students.

Council acknowledged the presentation in appreciation. b) Request for Funds to Enable the Procurement of Tricycles Ambulances For Local Government Hospitals/Comprehensive Health Centers:The matter referred above was presented earlier to Council for consideration and approval on Wednesday 12th June, 2013. Details on the need and credibility of the request were presented on the procurement of the Tricycles Ambulance Vehicles for use at the Local Government Hospitals/Comprehensive Health Centers for the transportation of patients from inaccessible/remote areas. Each Tricycles Ambulance costs the sum of N1,204,500.00.

Council noted, considered and approved the procurement of two (2) Tricycles Ambulance Vehicles for use by each of the 44 LGCAs and instructed the Office of the Deputy Governor/Hon. Commissioner Ministry for Local Governments to handle the issue administratively in view of the significance of the request.

4.

MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES Three (3) memoranda were submitted for deliberation by Council from the Ministry of Water Resources. All were approved for execution as follows: a) Request for Funds to Effect the Replacement of Four (4) 16650 KVA Perkins Electricity Generators with Caterpillar Brand at Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant:The electric power/energy required to power the machinery available and in use at all water treatment plants in the State is only provided epileptically by PHCN attended by incessant outages, which necessitate the usage of standby electricity generators. Various makes of electricity generators are used for the purpose. The contents of this memorandum reminded Council of its approval granted for the purchase and installation of four (4) brand new 1650 KVA Perkins Brand of electricity generators at the new Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant. One more was installed as back up for the earlier four (4) installed.

Nevertheless, these five (5) existing and utilized Perkins brand of 1650 KVA electricity generators were discovered to be not robust enough to provide/withstand the starting power requirement of the high– lift pumps at the New Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant. As such, the State Water Board concluded and recommended for the replacement of the Perkin brand 1650 KVA electricity generators with Caterpillar brand.

The Ministry of Water Resources requested Council to consider and approve the following:

PAGE 9 i.

Change of brand electricity generators to be supplied to Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant under the contract awarded to Messrs. Salfat Limited from 1650 KVA Perkins brand to 3512 B/1500 KVA Caterpillar brand and payment of difference of N11,646,220.00. ii.

Procurement and installation of additional brand new three (3) units of Caterpillar brand electricity generators model 3512/1500 KVA at the new Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant at the total cost of N207,685,800.00. iii. Transfer and installation of two (2) 1500KVA Perkins brand electricity generators from Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant to Wudil Regional Water Scheme by the State Water Board at the cost of N2,600,000.00.

The Ministry of Water Resources requested Council to approve the release of the aggregate sum of N221,932,020.00 to enable the execution of the itemized (i.– iii.) projects mentioned above. Council noted, considered and approved the release of requested sum of N221,932,020.00 to the Ministry of Water Resources to enable the execution of the three (3) projects itemized above in order to restore and improve the electricity requirements at the locations cited for their significance in facilitating steady potable water supply to greater Kano and the Regional Water Supply Scheme cited. b) Request for Funds to Enable the Procurement of 3,850 Lengths of 1000MM Ductile Iron Pipes and Fittings for Tamburawa – Hadejia Road Water Pipeline Project:The contents of this memorandum notified Council that the Water Treatment Plant at Tamburawa was constructed with a capacity to produce up to 180 million litres of water per day, while the average carrying capacity of the existing 1000MM water pipeline is only 90 million litres of water per day. As such, it is impossible for the existing pipeline to carry the current improved water supply especially with the advent of improved generation of electricity at the Tamburawa Water Treatment Plant making the plant to operate at 100% capacity.

To operate at 100% capacity, Kano State Water Board proposed the provision of additional 1000MM Ductile Iron Water Pipeline to run parallel with the existing one up to Zaria Road Interchange at which a new Water Pipeline will be directed to link up with Hadejia Road via the Eastern Bye – Pass. N2,963,865,445.25 is estimated as required for the purpose, which was requested for release by Council to the Ministry of Water Resources to enable execution. Details were presented for consideration.

Approval was granted for the release of the requested sum of N2,963,865,445.25 to the Ministry of Water Resources to enable the procurement of 3,850 Lengths of 1000MM Ductile Iron pipes for the Pipeline project as the project is congruent with the resolution of the present administration to provide potable water supply for the citizens of Kano State. c) Request for Funds to Enable the Procurement of 5600 Lengths 400MM Ductile Iron Pipes and Fittings for Watari – Tsanyawa Water Pipeline Project:The incumbent administration in Kano State is determined to take potable water supply to all nooks and corners of Kano State irrespective of whether such locations are rural/regional or urban/within greater Kano.

To supply potable water to Tsanyawa town and surroundings, 5600 Lengths of 400MM Ductile Iron Pipes and fittings are required at the cost of N1,002,872,773.45, which was requested for release by Council.

Details were presented for consideration.

Council noted, considered and approved the release of the requested sum of N1,002,872,773.45 to the Ministry of Water Resources to enable the procurement of 5600 lengths of 400MM Ductile Iron Pipes and fitting for Watari – Tsanyawa water pipeline project in view of the significance of the project to the provision of potable water supply to Tsanyawa town and its surrounding.

5.

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE The Attorney/Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Justice intimated Council of findings of a Committee set up to verify claims on the embezzled sum of N34,371,271.65, which belonged to over one hundred (100) poor Orphans. The said money was misappropriated by the Accounts Clerk attached to the City Sharia Court in connivance with other highly placed Judicial Officers. With the imprisonment of the culprit and retirement of a Judge, Council was requested to extend its typical magnanimity and grant approval for the release of N34,371,271.65 for disbursement to the legitimate owners who are poor orphans and mostly heirs to deceased parents.

The request was considered credible as Council approved the release of the sum of N34,371,271.65 to the Ministry of Justice for disbursement to the properly established legitimate owners.

6.

MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Request for Funds for the Payment of Registration, Examination and Administrative Charges In Respect of 160 IDITC 132/ADNCS Kano Information Institute Students (Term II – 2013 Only):The Ministry of Science and Technology informed Council through the contents of this memorandum that 160 among the 200 students admitted as the 3rd batch of trainees at the Kano Informatics Institute have emerged successful and qualified to proceed with the International Diploma Segment of the Course (IDITC) while another set of 132 students are already undergoing the International Advanced Diploma Course (ADNCS).

Consequently, the Jigawa State Institute of Information Technology as the main provider of the Courses wrote a letter with reference number JGS/IIT/REC/KNS/Vol.1/71 requesting for the payment of registration, examination and administrative charges in respect of the two (2) sets of students. The charges total up to the aggregate sum of N28,953,800.00, which was requested for release by Council to the State Ministry of Science and Technology to enable effecting the requested payment.

Council noted, considered the details presented and approved the release of the sum of N28,953,800.00 to the Ministry of Science and Technology to effect the requested payments for registration, examination and administration charges to the Jigawa State Informatics Institute in respect of 160 IDITC and 132 IADNCS Kano Informatics Institute Students (Term II – 2013 only) according to the details presented.

7.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH The Kano State Ministry of Health submitted three (3) memoranda for consideration by Council. All were approved for execution. Thus: a) Presentation of the Need and Request for Funds to Facilitate Landscaping/Fortification of the Constructed Sorting/Distribution Shade at Former KASCO Warehouse at Rangaza Yadakunya Road:The Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Health reminded Council of its directive issued during its sitting of Wednesday 15th May, 2013, for the Kano Urban Planning and Development Authority (KNUPDA) to undertake the project of landscaping and provision of burglar proof/ protective device to the existing shade at former KASCO Warehouse in Rangaza to prepare the place for the storing/distribution of Hospital Consumables and equipment to the State Health Centers.

KNUPDA complied and submitted cost implications for the execution of the project to the tune of the sum of N7,273,140.00, which was requested for release by Council to the Ministry of Health to enable KNUPDA execute the Executively directed project stated above.

Considering genesis of the project, Council approved the release of the sum of N7,273,140.00 to the Ministry of Health to enable KNUPDA

execute the project. b) Request for Funds to Facilitate Required General Repairs/ Renovation of Minjibir General Hospital:The General Hospital at Minjibir town has been identified as being among the Healthcare Delivery facilities that suffered neglect for a considerable length of time. This compelled authorities at the State Ministry of Health to request for the release of the sum of N69,063,561.66

by Council to effect the necessary repairs/renovation works required to refurbish the General Hospital at Minjibir Town. Details were presented to Council for consideration.

Council noted, considered and approved the release of the requested sum of N69,063,561.66 to the Ministry of Health to enable execution of the general repairs/renovation project at the Minjibir General Hospital according to the details presented. This will only add to the multitude number of Healthcare Delivery facilities that benefitted the same gesture by the incumbent administration. Examples are Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Muhammad Abdullahi Wase Specialist Hospital, Hasiya Bayero Pediatric Hospital, Gaya General Hospital, etc. c) Presentation of the Need and Request for Funds to Enable the Repairs/Construction of Additional Structures at Kunchi Primary Health Center:Council recalled the commitment of this administration in the provision of improved healthcare delivery services across the State for the general wellbeing of the populace. In so doing, the State Government has renovated/expanded and upgraded numerous health facilities, which were neglected by the previous administrations, with the aim of providing at least one Cottage/General Hospital per Local Government. This explains the contents of this memorandum requesting for the renovation and expansion of Kunchi Primary Health Center to the status of a Cottage Hospital.

Council promptly approved the release of the requested sum of N85,593,957.95 to the State Ministry of Health to enable the execution of the project mentioned above. This was in order to take transformation of the entire Health Sector/System and delivery of services to all nooks and crannies of the State as resolved by the incumbent administration.

Details on the scope of works required for the project were presented for consideration by Council.

8.

MINISTRY OF FINANCE Provision of access to decent and affordable housing/residence for the citizenry in Kano State is among the cardinal and laudable preoccupations of the present administration in Kano State as heralded and celebrated by the execution of the following: • Sale of GP houses to their occupants.

• Construction and distribution of 2 bedroom proto–type housing units at Makoda, Kunchi, Warawa and Kwankwaso to flood victims.

• Construction and development of commercial housing units at Kwankwasiyya, Amana and Bandirawo cities, etc.

Progressively the promoters for the Housing projects at Amana, Bandirawo and Kwankwasiyya cities, which include the Kano State Investment Property (KSIP), and Kano State Housing Corporation were provided with a treasury loan of N5.4Billion to supplement the N2.6Billion lent by the Kano State Pension Fund Trustees.

Further, an additional treasury loan of N2Billion was requested for release to the promoters through the Ministry of Finance under the same profit sharing arrangement of 40% percent to the State and 60% to the promoters pending the receipts of sales inflow from the project.

Council considered the level of progress at the project sites and the general viability of the project and approved granting of additional treasury loan of N2billion to the promoters of the projects at Kwankwasiyya, Bandirawo and Amana cities (i.e. KSIP and Kano State Housing Corporation).

9.

MINISTRY OF LAND AND PHYSICAL PLANNING Request for Funds to Enable Payment for an Acquired House for Expansion of Dalba Islamic School in Dala LGCA:Dalba Islamic School is privately owned. The school serves the needs of the community, but has no space for expansion in response to demand from parents for the admission of their wards. The School sought for intervention by the magnanimous incumbent administration.

Government responded by granting approval for the construction of one (1) Kwankwasiyya type block of classrooms in the School. Nevertheless, the space had to be acquired by purchasing the adjacent houses to the School valued at the cost of N5,000,000.00, which was requested for release by Council to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning.

Council approved the release of the requested sum of N5,000,000.00 to the Ministry of Land and Physical Planning for the purchase of the houses adjacent and donate it to the School for expansion so as to serve the Community better.

UPDATE ON ACTIVITIES OF 104TH EXCO SITTING HONORABLE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE OFFICIAL VISIT TO KANO Council extended its profound gratitude to the Hon. Minister of Agriculture Mr. Akinwumi Adeshina on his official working visit to the State where he commended the State Government’s agricultural transformation strategy as a mirror for other State Governments to copy from. He promised to collaborate and support the State in the establishment and improvement of agricultural facilities, fertilizer and insecticides for improved produce.

RETREAT FOR THE STATE GOVERNMENT TOP POLITICAL OFFICE HOLDERS AND DIRECTORS AT ABUJA Council noted the successful retreat exercise conducted by the Office of the Head of Civil Service for Top Government officials, Political Office Holders, Permanent Secretaries, and Directors of the State Civil Service towards the attainment of the set projects and programs of present administration.

CONVOCATION CEREMONY OF GRADUATE STUDENTS FROM BAYERO UNIVERSITY KANO Council noted the 33rd Bayero University Kano Convocation Ceremony. Council wished the graduates success in their future endeavors.

DEPUTY GOVERNOR’S OFFICIAL VISIT TO REVENUE MOBILIZATION, ALLOCATION AND FISCAL COMMISSION ABUJA Council noted the recent successful official visit by the Deputy Governor Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to the Office of the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Abuja where issues were discussed on how Kano State Government would access the Natural Resources Development Fund for the benefits of the State.

Signed: Hon. Commissioner, Ministry of Information, Internal Affairs, Youth, Sports and Culture, Kano State

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 10

News

Man, 60, begins hunger strike today over high electricity bill From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

F

ounder of the Stable Power Movement,60yearold Abayomi Gbode-OgunDawodu,willtoday embark on hunger strike over high electricity bill being charged by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) Dawodu told Peoples Daily on phone that his hunger strike is to protest and demand that estimated billing must be permanently abolished and prepaid meters given free to electricity consumers in the country.

He said since the electricity tariff was increased to N40 per kilowatt hour, PHCN has kept increasing it, despite unstable supply, insisting that people should be charged for their consumption only.

“I will embark on hunger strike. I will sit at Yaba in the sun, in the rain, in all manner of weather, expose myself to the dangers of the night at the age 60 so that estimated billing, the first cousinofcrazybilling,willbeabolished permanently. I want to use this to prevail on the federal government and top officials in the power sector to abolish estimated billing.”

Just this weekend in Sri Lanka, a 61 year old man suffered a fatal heart attack after being presented with a shocking electricity bill.

11 roast in Ibadan road crash

From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

T

ragedy struck in Ibadan yesterday as 11 people were burnt to death in an accident which occurred at the Macmillan area, few metres before Soka bust stop, Ibadan/Lagos Expressway.

An eyewitness account said the commercial Mazda bus which was coming from Ogijo in Ogun State and heading to Beere in Ibadan to attend a Wolimat programme of a family member. It was also gathered that most of the occupants were dressed in a uniformed Ankara for the occasion.

It was gathered that the propeller of the bus pulled and hit the fuel tank, catching flame in the process and the driver of the bus in an attempt to save the situation veered of the road to hit a trip of sand by the side of the road.

Immediately the bus stopped at a halt, driver of the bus and the two passengers at the front side escaped but others were not so luck as the side door of the bus was locked.

The occupants were reported to have been struggling with one another to escape, and in the process unconsciously disturbed one another from getting out, resulting in the high number of casualty in the bus.

It was learnt that the victims were eight adults and three children while 13 people including the driver that sustained various degree of burn injuries were taken to the Adeoyo Hospital and UCH, Ibadan.

L-R: Niger State Governor, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, state commissioner for environment, parks and gardens, Hon. Umar Mohammed Nasko, and Minister of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Mailafiya, during the National Environmental Sanitation Day, on Saturday in Minna.

JNI would have stamped out insurgency If – Professor Galadanci From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

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ioneer Vice-Chancellor, University of Sokoto, Professor Shehu Ahmad Galadanci yesterday said Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JNI) would have stamped out the insurgency in northern Nigeria before reaching the precarious situation it has now reached if the Ulama had come out with a single united voice on how to address the problem at the beginning of the crisis.

Professor Galadanci stated this while presenting his paper titled “The Role of Muslim Scholars in Fostering Unity, Peace and Security” in Nigeria at a National Conference organized by JNI in Kaduna.

The Professor’s paper was read by Dr Bashir Galadanci, who represented him at the occasion.

“The security challenges in predominant Muslim parts of the country should long have been thrashed out by the JNI before reaching the precarious situation it has now reached and Ulama should have come out with a single united voice on how to address it at the very beginning of the crisis”, Galadanci said.

“It should be restated that the challenges facing our nation including the security problems that some parts of the country are suffering from are the result of a number of root causes which the whole country, especially those at

the helm of political affairs and those that are influential, including the ulama, need to address.

The acute level of poverty of majority of the population, the huge unemployment rate especially amongst youth and the crippling degree of corruption are all contributing factors that Government and other stakeholders must seriously look at,” he said.

The professor further urged JNI to try and certify those preachers to take part in the Ramadan tafseer Lecture.

“JNI should reactivate its role of examining and certifying all scholars wishing to preach, teach or hold tafseer during Ramadan to make sur e th at o nl y th o se

who fulfill all the required qualifications, including knowledge, character and good works are ultimately recognized and certified.

This will ensure the spread of the true teachings of Islam and prevent the p r o l i f e r a t i o n o f d e v i o us teachings amongst people. JNI should endeavor to bring all the different associations of ulama in this country within its umbrella”, he stated.

Galadanci noted that “In every period of time in history, ulama tend to stick themselves to those in authority, misguiding and deceiving them, acting as praise singers to them and wrongly advising them on religious matters that affect particular segments of society or the entire population.”

Lamido Adamawa charges royal fathers on drug abuse From Umar Dankano, Yola

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s the menace of drug addiction eats deeper into the society, royal fathers in Adamawa State have been charged to work in conjunction with the state command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), to fight against the consumption of hard drugs by youths.

The charge was given by the Lamido of Adamawa and the Chairman of Adamawa State Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs, His Royal Highness, Dr. Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Mustapha, in a keynote address to traditional rulers and councilors

at a workshop organized by NDLEA in conjunction with the state Ministry For Local Government Affairs.

According to him, instead of the royal fathers to be involved in drug dealing, they should be exposing drug dealers and their cohorts who are agents of doom and enemies of progress.

He charged the traditional rulers to be part of NDLEA’s coordinated National Drug Control Masterplan and Strategy toward ensuring full implementation as it relates to Drug Supply Reduction and Drug Demand reduction.

The Lamido decried the allegation of the involvement of highly placed individuals in

sponsorship of drug sales in the state, saying that he was “quite amazed by the involvement of some of us, whereby Traditional Rulers are implicated as sponsors of drug dealers and hiding their faces out of shame.”

His words: “It may therefore interest you to note that our meetings at the council have always rejected the involvement of some of us in drug trading and abuse. That is the reason why we have resolved in our respective domains that any district head, village head or ward head, caught in the web of trafficking or abusing Drug would face the full wrath of the law” He advised the stakeholders at the end of the workshop to

communicate to the NDLEA and the emirate council, the outcome of investigations and or punishment accorded any of the title holders as soon as possible.

He obse r v e d t h a t “ t h e issue of drug abuse and illicit trafficking has been ravaging our society for too long and the earlier we all take bold steps in curtailing it, the better”.

Dr Mustapha urged the district heads to listen attentively and acquire knowledge on the basic concepts of drug control mechanism, which they require to support the NDLEA towards ensuring a drug free society. and sensitize the stakeholders in the society.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 11

Money Sense

Are you prepared for the job quit?

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he tendency to quit your job might be borne out of the desire for more challenges, lack of job satisfaction, questionable company policies or the desire to

explore other career opportunities.

Whatever might have compelled you to quit your job, ensure you plan effectively so you do not regret your actions after a short while.

If you are married or do have dependants, you certainly have to consider your spouse, kids or dependant before quitting your job.

Preferably, discuss your decision

with them so that they prepare their mind for the possible implication, especially if you do not have another source of income for the time being.

However if you are single, then it is a much more simple task, as your decision will rarely affect anybody except you.

“Do not plan on dipping into your retirement savings to support yourself while you look for a new job” say Kelly Anderson, personal finance expert.

However if that is your only source, it is advisable you save at least three months worth of money needed before quitting the job. This is a total sum of your expenses; debt (if any), fixed, and variable for one month multiplied by three.

However, if you feel you are not financially secure yet, then it is obvious you need to postpone your quit date.

Financial experts advice you evaluate your budget before quitting your job. This enables you know how to switch to a single source of income which likely might be your savings.

Although the goal is to maintain your standard of living,

Money temptation: Spending retaliation

O

ver the course of three weeks, my husband spent quite a lot on Lord of the Rings collectibles. Can we afford it? I guess so. We didn’t need credit cards to pay for any of the stuff, and it didn’t result in us needing to use debt to pay any of our other obligations. But am I happy about it? Not really. There are a number of reasons that I’m not happy about this development, including that fact that I derive more enjoyment from experiences than from things.

To tell the truth, the main temptation I’m having right now is to spend a large chunk of change on something. But, of course, this tit for tat money thinking goes nowhere in the end — and it can be a short road to financial ruin.

Retaliation spending One of the reasons that families start seeing a buildup of debt is due to retaliation spending. It seems only “fair” that one partner get to spend just as much on him or herself as another partner. If your husband splurges on a N2000.00 video game, it seems only fair that you splurge N200 on having a pedicure.

However, this sort of thing can quickly get out of control. If you are always trying to match spending, pretty soon you will overrun your budget in the interest of being “fair.”

Instead of retaliating, it’s probably a good idea to look at your financial

Quote “An enterprising person is one who sees opportunity in all areas of life.” - Jim Rohn: Motivational Speaker

situation, and then lay some ground rules.

Setting an allowance Up until now, the idea of setting aside an “allowance” for myself and my husband hasn’t really crossed my mind. I’ve written about the concept in the past, but never put it into practice in my own finances.

For the most part, our expenditures have been fairly modest. Buying the occasional book or spending a couple hours at the salon for me, or buying the occasional collectible action figure or video game for my husband hasn’t been an issue.

We’re not big on budgets; we prefer to have a spending plan that allows us to meet certain goals (like retirement, charitable giving and student debt pay down), and then just sort of use the rest to enjoy life or sock it away for extra emergency

fund padding. However, those fateful three weeks, in which my husband became overly enthusiastic about eBay, have me thinking that perhaps it’s time for an allowance.

If we each had a discretionary fund — one that could be rolled over month to month to save up for the big things — I might feel a little bit better going forward. There would be fewer questions and disagreements, and less resentment.

Planning ahead When I really think about it, though, I realize that a lot of my resentment comes from the lack of planning. It’s true; my trip to the PF Blogger Conference in October will cost about the same as what my husband spent on eBay in such a short period of time. Really, over time, everything probably evens out. The difference, though, is in the

planning. I basically paid in stages, paying the conference fee a couple weeks before getting the hotel room.

Then I set aside money for the next three months to save up for the plane ticket.

Perhaps my real issue is that this came out of nowhere; I wasn’t expecting to pay such a large amount of money all at once. If he had expressed a desire to buy some of these items ahead of time, we could have planned for expense, and the cash outlay wouldn’t have come as such a big shock. It was an even bigger shock because my husband normally consults me on larger purchases, especially since he has no interest in handling the family finances. Perhaps, because this amounted to several smaller purchases, the large end result just didn’t sink in.

you might have to make some sacrifices when you quit your job these include cutting down your spending drastically and paying more attention to your budget, experts say.

According to Dasko it is important you remember you need to pay your debts (student loans, home, auto) If you have any. If you can not pay your debts then you will get yourself into some serious trouble. You might get forced into bankruptcy or you might get stuck with paying more interest on your debt.

As you plan on quitting your job you need to take your current debt into consideration Depending on your situation, you might need to find a new home for your retirement savings. Figure out the best solution for your retirement savings before you leave your job and be proactive about any rollovers.

However, experts advise do you plan on contributing to your retirement plan while not working.

But, if you planned in advance and saved sufficiently, you may have enough in your retirement account to make up for any time you aren’t contributing.

According to Anderson, voluntarily leaving a job should never be a snap decision. Even if you are very unhappy at work, take the time to carefully plan your finances before your exit. You don’t want to quit your job only to end up finding a new job with less pay, less satisfaction and less challenges than your former.

Money Tip

S

et goals – and achieve them: Doing is a lot more productive if you know what your goals are. The rich know what they want to earn, and they set a plan before they go out to do it. They research what will earn them the money they want, then they set and accomplish goals around it.

Set small financial goals you can easily achieve to help you build your confidence. As you reach your goals, set new ones — so that you always have your sights on a new horizon.

Live simply The self-made rich live lives that are simpler than most, because the more you have, the more you pay. Do you need 100 pairs of shoes? My wife does, but she’s the exception, or so she says. Do you need three laptops in the house? Can you survive with one? You see where this is going.

We’re a consumer society, and it’s reflected in all the “stuff” we buy.

And most of it we don’t truly need.

Go th rou gh you r h ou se, declutter, and get rid of the things you don’t need. Then vow not to replace it with more. Think three times before buying, and always go for simple.

PAGE 12

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

EDITORIAL

he news of the sacking of Professor Mohammed Kolo by the Governing Council of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, over a sexual harassment charge levelled against him is indeed a welcome development and a commendable step. The sacking should hopefully send the right message to sexual predators out there who masquerade as lecturers that such ignoble behaviour would no longer be condoned. The Faculty of Education professor who had earlier been sentenced to two months in prison by a Jigawa court lost his job for demanding sexual favour from a married woman. Kolo was apprehended by the police after he fell into the trap set up by the woman who had reported the matter to her husband.

Cases of sexual harassment have become a daily occurrence in our ivory towers and a sad commentary on the state of the institutions that are expected to mould the nation’s future leaders.

Lecturers who are supposed to take the lead in this have become the villains bent on nudging it on along a dishonourable path. In almost all the nation’s tertiary institutions, reports abound

of lecturers insisting on having sex with their female students in exchange for good grades. There have been reports also of lecturers who have turned into pimps, who give their female students to their rich friends. Our universities have indeed fallen into the depth of immorality and urgent action is

“

T

Stemming sexual harassment on campuses

Our tertiary institutions must be saved from being turned into brothels needed to pull the university system from the abyss.

The general breakdown of morals in our society is partly to blame for the rampant sexual harassment cases on our campuses, hence a way back for us would be national moral regeneration that should start from our leaders at all levels. But before this seemingly tough task begins, authorities in our universities must take the lead by ensuring that a higher ethical and moral standard obtains on campuses. As has been demonstrated by ABU, a zero tolerance approach to this menace

OUR MISSION “To be the market place of ideas and the leading player in the industry by putting the people first, upholding the truth, maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards while delivering value to our stakeholders”

must be entrenched by all tertiary institutions in the country. This will surely succeed especially if female student whistleblowers are protected from being victimised.

Authorities of tertiary institutions should endeavour to enforce an acceptable dress code on our campuses in order to reduce the cases of rape and other sex related offences. It is noteworthy that some institutions have already taken the lead in this regard. Tied to this is the behaviour of some female students which must be checked. Reports abound of female students who neglect their studies and resort to granting sex to lecturers to get pass marks. Our tertiary institutions must be saved from being turned into brothels where sex is the order of the day to the detriment of research and advancement of knowledge.

We at Peoples Daily urge that lecturers, at all times, be mindful of the great responsibility they shoulder and not allow their base instincts get the better of them. They must rise above it to uphold the very lofty standard of university education and high regard that, not only their students, but society as a whole have for them.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 13

Opinion

2015: The end of Buhari’s political travail?

By Kabiru M. Gwangwazo

W

hen will General Muhammadu Buhari’s political travails end?

Reviewing the seesaw of GMB’s political career and looking at current trends, what they could lead to in 2015 was the question I asked myself. We have been pretty well involved with GMB’s politics since 2002. I first met him when I was a stakeholder and governorship aspirant in ANPP in 2002. Others on that historic visit to his Kaduna home included Balarabe Wakili, who was to become a member for Nassarawa federal constituency on ANPP’s ticket. I had asked Wakili to fix the meeting with GMB. We invited Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, who would become a two-term governor of Kano state.

Sabo Tafida, my campaign director, Ibrahim Ungogo, Shekarau’s campaign director and Namama Soron Dinki were with us on that visit. A nephew of GMB’s, Sani Daura, got us the appointment, which we used to bring GMB up to date on Kano ANPP politics that was then under the stranglehold of Muhammad Abacha’s errand boy, Ibrahim Alamin Little.

Would Buhari contest this time around? Would he pick a heir from a list of the possibles on the northern political terrain? Who will it be? Rabiu Kwankwaso? His huge practical and political success in Kano marked him out, in case GMB would choose the path of the least resistance in the ranks of the powerful state governors! If he were to choose from the chattering

classes, Nasir el-Rufai, the very articulate and ambitious public affairs commentator who ran the FCT ministry with firmness and a sense of vision and purpose is a possibility. If still from among the governors GMB decided to be as liberal as he has been since joining ANPP may be Sule Lamido from provincial Jigawa could be of the three finalists. But who will it be?

Who among these would end GMB’s political travail? Who among them has the capacity to win the presidency in 2015 with the slightest push? Who has the broadness of heart of GMB’s type to accommodate all shades of opinion for Nigeria to accept him? Who has the political network? On the other hand will he contest? Will he?

Won’t he? All will be unveiled with time. And all this is substance for an article for another day.

For now let’s look at the General’s politics. Some argue on cyber waves that GMB has been changing parties. Some southerners who know little about him even claim that GMB was in PDP before

“

joining ANPP. This is absolutely not true. Buhari began his civilian political activism with ANPP, just as it was transmuting from APP to ANPP in 2002. He remained in ANPP from 2002 up to late 2009, despite the many betrayals he suffered in ANPP where governors who used his mass appeal to win or return for second terms ditched him for PDP. One ANPP governor, Adamu Aliero of Kebbi, was carpeted by the ANPP NEC for cutting the PDP victory cake with PDP President Obasanjo, Vice President Abubakar and Chief of Staff General Abdullahi Muhammed in 2003 even as the party was yet to take a stand on the massively rigged presidential election in which many of the ANPP governors were compromised. As chairman of Kano State Chapter of the ANPP I was at that party NEC. Many of the Governors had to be smuggled in and out of the venue because of the raging mob baying for the blood of traitors.

Later, Buhari founded CPC and

remained in it to the time of the APC merger now been perfected.

And that is not to say there is anything wrong in changing political parties. It is people and ideas that make parties. Where parties’ ideas contradict the people’s position in the parties why do you expect the people, sold on specific ideas that they see the party derailing from, to remain in such soulless parties? In addition, Buhari is so liberal, some would say naive, as to agree to again work with many of those who betrayed the trust of the people in their respective positions of power and the many more who betrayed him at and after elections he won but which they colluded with PDP to deny him. There is said to be a core North governor who became governor on account of Buhari’s direct support -- political and financial -- who is rumoured to have facilitated the vote that made the difference against Buhari and ANPP at the Supreme Court.

Another ANPP Governor, Dalhatu Bafarawa shouted down

Who among these would end GMB’s political travail? Who among them has the capacity to win the presidency in 2015 with the slightest push? Who has the broadness of heart of GMB’s type to accommodate all shades of opinion for Nigeria to accept him? Who has the political network?

On the other hand will he contest? Will he? Won’t he? All will be unveiled with time. And all this is substance for an article for another day.

and contradicted Buhari shortly after the 2003 presidential elections at the Conference Hall of Nicon Hilton, where he forced Buhari to rescind his decision not to go to court and leave everything to God and Nigerians to decide.I was at that World Press Conference! This decision was forced through the NEC and Buhari made to agree to it, presumably to save Nigeria from anarchy, as it was quite clear the Obasanjo victory was so tenuous!

In 2011 his refusal to go to court to stabilise the PDP “win” -- which all of Buhari’s court cases do -- led to the state of anarchy the PDP manipulated to force its victory on Nigerians using massive deployment of the military to curtail movement and free elections across the states. That was how many governors “won” elections.

And that was how then Jonathan/ Namadi ticket was confirmed and installed. The anarchy let loose in 2011 was surely a victory for PDP. In 2003, Buhari was only saved the embarrassment of being labelled a sell out because he had insisted on entering a court case on his own, rather than jointly with the party. The party leadership -- obviously at the prompting of Bafarawa and other ANPP Governors -- withdrew their own case after a sneaky visit to Obasanjo at the Villa. Yet, Buhari still agreed to work with many of these shady ANPP characters in the APC merger, including Ogbonnaya Onu, a former Abia state governor in Babangida’s diarchy in1993.

Kabir Muhammed Kwangwazo via kamgwangwazo@gmail.com

NSGF crisis: Between greed and need

By Isiaku Halliru

T

he simmering heat fast melting the unity and sense of brotherhood in the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) expresses the opinion of members along interests and affiliation. But the rhetoric is whether the idiosyncrasy is borne out of psychology for greed skewed to negate the whimpering of the needy. While all governors forum in Nigeria including the NSGF are created for peer review with membership based strictly on voluntary and lucid rules in admission and operation, the cardinal motive is brotherhood for service to God and humanity.

Sadly and most challenging is the lugubrious political colour amidst reckless culture of impunity that is fast eating the unity of the forum.

The NGF and NSGF serve as checks against the excesses of the president to balance the system for the growth and development of the country. Asides the scramble for the 2015 presidency, the government at the centre

intends to reduce the critical position of governors to fight for the right of Nigerians.

The struggle by the ‘power that be’ therefore is for the present group of stooges to support the impunity at the center to further plunge Nigeria into despondency and security crisis by killing any voice of reason. Curiously, some Northern governors have allowed themselves be marionette in the hands of their puppeteers.

The likes of Ibrahim Shema, Isa Yuguda, David Jonah Jang and Gabriel Suswam, must realize that politics goes beyond pecuniary gains, beyond self-based interests, beyond religion but the people, posterity and preservation of one North, one Nigeria. It would however interest Nigerians to know that these group of elites now heading factions in the NGF and pulling out of the NSGF are individuals with gluttonous ambition. They have decided not to stand for the truth but to kneel and constantly genuflect to what will bring them personal gains.

It is intrusive to illuminate on the present political miasma that has managed to eat what is

left of decorum, scruple among a handful of governors in the North. Most Nigerians are led to believe the fracas is on account of resultant outcome of the Amaechi/ Jang saga of the NSGF but that was merely the matchstick this self-based elite needs to perpetuate their hunger for power and money.

Prior to the NSGF imbroglio, some of the governors leading what presently reflects backstabbing of the North, have deep-seated political interests.

It all boils down to three major stakes, first the 2015 presidential struggle based on the position of the forum to work strictly for their own regional candidate.

This first interest was tied to the quest for the North to even up the loss of late Musa Ya’adua, who sadly couldn’t complete the quota for the North. The struggle for these interest-laden governors positioning themselves for the coveted position of president started in its great furry with media hype and body languages.

The greed and insatiability of this elite persisted leading to the second reason that has informed

betrayal from some of the governors.

The second reason that has generated ripples among governors in the region is the issue of ‘who to replace Sambo’. Since the rumour that Jonathan is shopping from the ranks of Northern governors a replacement for the incumbent vice president, most of those angling for the position became suddenly domesticated to the whistle of their master Jonathan. The likes of Shema and Yuguda have an appetite to wrench the position of vice president from Architect Namadi Sambo. Suddenly, these governors changed from upholding the pre-election agreement with the president for a single term in office to unrepentant supporter of their new found master – all to grab the position of vice president.

It is interesting that the North still has great leaders like the Niger state governor, Dr. Muazu Babangida Aliyu who is also the Chairman of the NSGF. Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Sule Lamido of Jigawa amongst a

host of other patriots who stood for justice, fairness and equity.

But the afore mentioned have remained vocal for the North and Nigeria.

Sadly, the North reeks from the mortified stench of her dead, violence fast becoming a tradition while hunger has made their population exodus to neighbouring country to scavenge for dregs. Leaders who are expected to hold ranks to peer review and most importantly brainstorm on a possible roadmap for the needy have become so greedy they listen not to the pains and cries of the dying region but glittering cravings of their political and financial desires. The North most certainly will survive even these manmade woes some of their leaders have managed to midwife. The North will however be better if its betraying leaders concentrate more on the plight of the dying region to provide security, food and revive its socio-economic life rather than pursue self based motives.

Isiaku Haliru via Isiakuhaliru@yahoo.com

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Letters & Opinion A mother’s familiar cry

By Rabi Anwar

I

was in transit from Geneva to Lagos. My flight landed a few minutes to 11 p.m. on a Friday and my connection to Lagos was expected to take off around three in the afternoon of Saturday, the following day. A transit period of almost seventeen hours, nothing to worry about l thought to myself, hotel accommodation would be arranged by the Airline, of this I was confident, having experienced overnight transit with Egypt and Ethiopian airlines.

My joy knew no bounds when I was informed of the choice of Turkish airlines for my official trip to Geneva; this is because I have a son who is studying in Istanbul.

In full anticipation of getting to meet a child l have not seen since September last year, I carried with me a few favourites items of his including Nutri C, (my mother had also sent dambun nama from Maiduguri) all the way to Geneva & back. On landing at Istanbul I was busy checking faces, hoping, but knowing very well that I have a few more minutes wait to see him.

At the transfer desk, I was told and shown my abode for the next seventeen hours, a room where there’s no privacy, convenience or regard for gender. To cap it all, I was further informed I would not be allowed to go to the arrival hall, not even escorted by the police (this was my suggestion). I begged, ranted and cried, but the only words they kept repeating were

“not possible”. I and inhospitable now suggested people? he be allowed I cried from to come in and the depth of my Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, see me, also heart, hot silent escorted by tears I have text messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written the police; this not shed for a contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters was also “not while; I cried a - 150 words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your possible”. Issue mother’s inability name and a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be me a transit to see a much addressed to: visa no matter beloved child how short, after months please, I begged of separation, The Editor, in the name I cry for his Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, of Allah. NOT disappointment 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja.

POSSIBLE! after hours of Email: opinion@peoplesdailyng.com How could I waiting at the have aspired airport, but above SMS: 08134607052 to such all I cry at my when I don’t helplessness. For have a subsisting U.K., U.S. or documents. The only response was those that are instrumental, be they SCHENGEN visa? a suggestion that I should get my Nigerian or Turkish, I leave you At this point I gave up on the contact in Turkey make enquiries with God. May He in his wisdom Turks and Turkey. How can a from the national authorities in do with you as He pleases. For a people be so hard, cruel and fail Turkey. country that so revere the West, to to understand or empathize in I asked myself what is special the extent of hinging the issuance such a situation? I was willing to about Turkey. What is it that I can’t of even their transit visa on the forgo all the indignities visited get elsewhere in the world? Why is possession of either a SCHENGEN, on me if only I can get to see my it my choice of a travel destination?

UK or USA visa, I must say they fall son. I can only begin to imagine The only answer is, MY SON! For I woefully short of the standards and his disappointment and pain after know that Turkey is certainly not a norms of a people they try so hard the failure of a much anticipated heaven. With seemingly unending to emulate; that being respect and meeting. Before this trip to Geneva, tears I promise myself never to fly special empathy for the cause of I had applied for a Turkish visa in Turkish Airlines again, insha Allah, women and children; this could not January, indicating my plan to visit besides there are quite a number of have happened in the U.K. or USA. my son during the period of his choice airlines to pick from. I can’t As a woman, a mother and despite two weeks break. As l lay crying, promise never to visit Turkey, this my obvious desperation and pleas, nothing has been heard of my so long as my child is here, but I I was not deemed human enough visa application from the embassy also ponder; where thee Nigeria? to be offered kind words of comfort in Abuja. I wrote a mail to the If not for the near collapse of our nor genteel explanation as to why embassy making enquiries about educational sector and so many what I was desirous of (a simple my application as I have submitted other things beside, why would a meeting with my son) is “not all the necessary and required child of mine be among such hostile possible”. This may have been and

WRITE TO US

I strongly believe not unrelated to the colour of my skin. I may be a black African, but I have not been raised to believe that any human being, no matter how white, is superior to me, not even a Turk! I have a very good sense of my own worth and do not suffer from any inferiority complex.

The failure of leadership in Nigeria is glaring, else why is it not possible for us to own and operate a national carrier a hundred times better than what Turkey has? I begin to wonder why my country should not share in the blame of the humiliation, pain and emotional trauma l was made to go through in Turkey.

Months later, I was told by my Son that leaving the airport that night well past midnight, he had to walk for a few kilometres before he could find a bus back to school as the trains stop operating after midnight. He walked in the rain for two hours and in temperature that was about seven degrees! As is common with most mothers, I am prone to worry over the children and I asked myself; What if he had been mugged? What if he had caught a cold walking in such freezing cold?

What if he had gotten sick? Caught Pneumonia or Asthma? (as it runs in the father’s family). What if?

What if? The questions kept running through my head. Would they then have permitted me entrance into the hallowed chamber? Or would they have allowed me see him only when they bring his body home?

Alhamdulillah! None of my fears materialised. He is hale and hearty, and happy to be home for the holidays!

Rabi A. Anwar resides in Abuja.

What it means to be a Roger

By Akin Adesokan

W

ith his second-round loss to an unknown Ukrainian player in this year’s Wimbledon, tennis great Roger Federer has missed reaching the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam event for the first time since the 2004 French Open. Federer fell to Sergiy Stakhovsky 7-6, 6-7, 5-7, 6-7 on Wednesday June 26, at the famed tennis Championship which he has won seven times, and of which he is the defending champion. It was a stunner.

Here was the one and only Roger Federer, arguably the greatest male player of all time, winner of 17 Grand Slam and 79 tournaments total, with the highest number of weeks at No. 1 in the ATP ranking and many more distinctions, being routed by a 116th-ranked journeyman. The event quickly overshadowed the upset of the previous day, when Rafael Nadal crashed out in the early rounds for the second straight year. One other ominous sign of Federer’s fate: until the previous week when he won the Halle tournament in Germany, he had not reached the finals of any tennis event all year. It is beginning to look like the twilight of the god.

Until Roger broke into the tennis world with his triumph

over Mark Philipoussis at Wimbledon ten years ago, I never cared much for the career of a single tennis superstar. I liked Boris Becker in his prime, but viewed him as distant and ancient. I admired the Williams sisters and liked to see either or both of them win. When they played each other, I often rooted for Venus, who had more grace on-court. There was something insincerely infantile in the way Andre Agassi broke into tears and piled his hands on his head after every win. Martina Hingis came across as a mean-spirited sore loser. It was enough to know that Pete Sampras was a Florida Republican for him not to have my sympathies, win or lose.

For Roger, it is different. I am

“

happy each time he wins a match, and I am sad each time he loses.

The two emotions, of equal depth and degree, are, I have found, more for myself than for the player. Once he is eliminated from any event, my interest wanes. I would still watch the remaining matches, but there is no one left to root for. Watching Roger play has been described as a ‘religious experience,’ by none other than the late American writer David Foster Wallace, himself a tennis player. I have often wondered if my secular devotion to Roger’s fortunes is a way of making up for the lack of religious devotion in my normal life. And it helps to know that Roger’s grace and beauty are not limited to his prowess as a tennis player. He is a dedicated philanthropist, a good part of his

wealth going to his Roger Federer Foundation’s work which builds educational and medical facilities in a number of African countries, including Malawi, South Africa, and Ethiopia. I was intrigued to learn that his mother, Lynette, was born in South Africa which, as he says in an advertorial, makes it natural that he would care about the quality of life of African children.

A true class act, Roger plays fair, and rarely challenges court calls that go against him. He is known to have picked up an opponent (Nadal) from the airport before a schedule of charity matches.Yet Nadal remains his greatest rival, the player who dethroned him at the finals of 2008 Wimbledon, ending his five-year

if my secular devotion to Roger’s fortunes is a way of making up for the lack of religious devotion in my normal life. And it helps to know that Roger’s grace and beauty are not limited to his prowess as a tennis player. He is a dedicated philanthropist, a good part of his wealth going to his Roger Federer Foundation’s work which builds educational and medical facilities in a number of African countries, including Malawi, South Africa, and Ethiopia

reign at the All-England Club.

Since that harrowing defeat in “the greatest tennis match ever played,” Roger has won only five Grand Slams (US Open, 2008; French Open, 2009; Wimbledon 2009, 2012; Australian Open, 2010). He has been beaten at major events by virtually all the top-ranked players, with the exception of David Ferrer and Richard Gasquet.

Not only is he not invincible anymore, he now comes across as very vulnerable, losing matches he should have won, like the quarterfinal duel with Jo-Wilfred Tsonga at the 2011 Wimbledon, and playing as if he means to lose. I can never understand why on crucial points he goes for the backhand slice against a power player like Nadal, who is also faster and can hit a ferocious forehand from anywhere in his own side of the seventy-eight-by-twenty-seven-foot rectangle. But Roger is not done.

Losing to Stakhovsky, he admits that some losses hurt more than others, but that he will continue to compete, a statement reminiscent of his 2010 declaration to The New Yorker’s Calvin Tomkins: “I’d like to stay in the game as long as I can… The moment I feel I can’t do it anymore, I’ll stop, but I hope that’s a long time off.” I hope so too.

Akin Adesokan is on LinkedIn.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 15

Comment

Still on Jonathan, opposition and 2015

By Chido Onumah

have watched Goodluck Jonathan closely since I first met him in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, in 2006 during a continental environmental conference that looked at the impacts and implications of renewed mining boom on communities in Africa, and it is difficult to put performance and Goodluck Jonathan in the same sentence, yet he won a presidential election “convincingly” in the South-west, even with the level of education and exposure of voters in that geopolitical zone. We need to know what made that victory possible in an opposition stronghold.

Obviously, Nigerians notice the imperative of performance in winning election as Joe Igbokwe rightly noted, but whether this imperative is overriding every time is another matter.

I did not tie the future of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to one man, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), as Igbokwe erroneously implied. I was clear in my assertion. As an aside, the former head of state will be 73 in 2015. I personally do not support gerontocracy in an era in which the world is electing young and visionary presidents in their 40s.

Talking about the presidency in 2015, the APC, undoubtedly, is a party of immense potentials.

But it remains just that, a party of great potentials. We would need to translate that potential to reality and time is of the essence. I stand by my assertion that “If elections

were held today, Buhari is perhaps the only person with the pedigree, name recognition and national appeal who can give President Jonathan and the PDP a run for their money”.

“Is Chido saying that if anything happens to Buhari today, APC will not fill a presidential candidate in 2015?” Don’t we have more than 50 presidential candidates who can do better than Buhari if we search for them?” Igbokwe queried.

The answer is that the issue goes beyond fielding a presidential candidate. You want to field one with the pedigree, integrity, national appeal and acceptability that stands a chance. Now is the time to make that decision no matter how difficult it is; not tomorrow, not next year. As a cardcarrying member of ACN, and now by extension a member of APC, I would love to have the debate about the 50 potential presidential candidates in the party.

I appreciate what herefers to as “mines and bombs PDP

By Philemon Adjekuko

secondary schools. We also had Federal polytechnics that absorbed students from the network of technical colleges. The likes of Yaba and Auchi polytechnics were considered elite schools due to their strong technical education reputation.

Now the technical education system has collapsed due to neglect. Whatever is left of it is right now been decapitated. For over four months, polytechnic students have been at home due to a strike action by their lecturers.

Painfully, the Federal Government does not know what to do about the ranking of polytechnic graduates and lecturers in the employment market. Somebody with HND in accounting who became chartered and went on to do an MBA in a University is considered inferior to the person that has a Bsc in accounting, is chartered and has an MBA. Even within the postsecondary system, HND holders are sometimes asked to compete with A-Level certificate holders for direct entry into universities.

Under Professor Rufai nothing has been done to address this injustice and the accompanying harm to the country’s economic development.

Rather, the education ministry is lowering the cut off mark into polytechnics as a means of

I

“

mercenaries have been sowing on APC’s highway to reclaim Nigeria”. We must add to this the fact that APC is contesting against an incumbent president (whom some have described as the most powerful in the world) who has made corruption the directive principle of state policy.

I hope this resonates with Igbokwe. Let’s assume elections are in April 2015. There are 36 states and 774 local governments in the country. If a candidate (but not just a candidate) emerged today, that means he or she has 22 months (or about 675 days) to make an impression. This is not an attempt to pull down the APC, but in all seriousness to show the urgency of the task at hand. I agree with Igbokwe that it is not “easy for ACN, ANPP, CPC and APGA to come together in today’s Nigeria to challenge PDP”. In my appraisal of the APC a few months ago, I noted, “If the APC succeeds, and I hope and pray it does, it will be “a marginal improvement

over where we are coming from”.

I ended the appraisal by quoting Edwin Madunagu who noted in his piece “Reflections on Party Combinations”, The Guardian, March 7 & 14, 2013, “Someone has referred to the newly-formed APC as the ‘new’ SDP. Yes, there are a couple of elements in common.

But there is at least one more requirement for the APC: It has to show that not only is the statusquo totally bankrupt (which is the case), but also that the APC is a historically progressive way forward at this moment, and that it is the only one”.

“Now, if the question is, ‘Is the opposition ready to compete in 2015?’ please take notice that the answer is yes and this is final”, Igbowke concluded. Quite reassuring! I am currently teaching a summer course for young journalists from around the world on media and information literacy at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain. There are many students and academics from Egypt

Talking about the presidency in 2015, the APC, undoubtedly, is a party of immense potentials. But it remains just that, a party of great potentials. We would need to translate that potential to reality and time is of the essence. I stand by my assertion that “If elections were held today, Buhari is perhaps the only person with the pedigree, name recognition and national appeal who can give President Jonathan and the PDP a run for their money”.

– some of them active participants in the “Egyptian Uprising”.

Very often our debates veer toward the situation in Egypt which bears an uncanny resemblance to what we have in Nigeria. After one year in office, Egyptians are tired and angry with Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood/ Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and they are eager to end their reign. Egypt is known as a nation where people, no matter their religion or culture, leave together in peace. But that is no longer the case under Morsi who, late last year, granted himself unlimited powers to “protect the nation and to legislate without judicial oversight”.

My students say he is destroying Egypt, undermining its constitution and using religion to divide the country.

I asked a group of students.

They were unanimous in saying Morsi would “win”. I then asked why. The response was that the opposition had not been able to unite around a nationally acceptable candidate that could articulate the feelings of Egyptians.

But beyond that, one perceptive student noted, “many Egyptians are illiterate; they are easily swayed by religious arguments – which the Muslim Brotherhood is manipulating. The Muslim Brotherhood is well funded, getting support from some of the very rich countries in the Middle East. During election they will buy people with bags of rice, cloth and oil”. Does this sound familiar?

Chido Onumah via conumah@hotmail.com

Rufai and the political wailers O

rdinarily, Professor Ruqqayatu Rufai should be considered a round peg in a round hole. She is a professor of education heading the Ministry of Education. But her work at the Education Ministry, makes me wonder whether she understands what is expected of her. Why is the minister always using every opportunity she has to lament the education sector? At the mid-term ministerial briefing she did not only wail but blamed the failure of our education on state governments.

According to her, the federal government’s preoccupation is with responsibility curriculum development. If we accept that to be true, we must also ask just what the FG has done with school curricula over the years. The curricula have been changed several times without any meaningful achievement.For instance, when the 6-3-3-4 system was introduced a few years ago, it was expected to boost technical education. Today, students are spending an additional year in school without getting any technical training. In the 70s we had technical colleges that were envied by students of regular

attracting more students into that segment. However, the mere fact that the cut off mark for polytechnics is lower than that of universities re-enforces the perceived superiority of university education. I find it difficult to understand the Ministry’s policy to lower the cut of marks into tertiary institutions. What is it meant to achieve? The admission capacities of tertiary institutions are relatively inelastic. Therefore lowering cut off marks does not in any way increase the number of students to be admitted. The only thing it does, which however, is not the advertised intention of the education ministry, is to offer a level playing field during the post UMTE exams between those who cheated to score high in JAMB exams and some of those who did not. Otherwise, a student who scored very high in JAMB should not score lower in the post UMTE exam.

Logically then, lowering cut of marks should be of zero effect.

Before now carrying capacities and expected number of applicants to a particular institution determined cut of marks. It was the inability of the Education Ministry to protect the integrity of JAMB exams that led to the current inefficient and costly two-layer process into

tertiary institutions. According to one education enthusiast, “everything the education ministry does further lowers the quality of education in the country.

Rather than tell Nigerians how her ministry is tackling the more serious issues plaguing our education system, Professor Rufai spent a bigger part of her time at the ministerial briefing showing us slides of classrooms constructed across the country and in between, wailed some more about the level of rot this administration inherited and how state governments are not doing enough.

A classic case is the tragedy called University of Abuja.

Government report says the university is a mockery of higher education. The school is in total mess. Some departments have not been accredited and students have been there for years not knowing when they will graduate. Lecturers have turned their students into ATM machines from whom they forcefully demand money, recharge cards and God knows what else.

Lecturers take money from students and either award them scores for exams they never sat for or boost their low scores when they actually sit for such exams.

Lecturers routinely lose marked scripts and make students to retake

exams. Students routinely sit for exams for other students. Students wait indefinitely for their results with some in 400 level yet to know what they scored in courses they took at 100 level.

Yet at the ministerial briefing, Professor Rufai jokingly said, “ I know you people are going to ask me about University of Abuja.”

And everybody, including the Minister laughed. They laughed over a situation that is heart breaking. They laughed over the lives of hundreds of students being ruined at a University that should be the centre of excellence.

The university is in so much mess that reports of students’ unrest are almost daily. The committee that investigated the University made very strong recommendations.

Yet, Professor Rufai who, when not wailing about the state of our education, sings the irritating song of Mr President’s transformation agenda does not appear to be in a hurry to correct the situation at the University.

Let be known that without transformation in the education sector, any talk about transformation is empty and a waste of everybody’s time.

Philemon Adjekuko’s professional profile is on LinkedIn.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 17

Metro Woman jailed one month for forgery

A

Fulani cultural troupe entertaining guests at a public function, on Saturday, in Garki, Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Applicant in court for impersonating army

T

he Police have arraigned a 24-year-old applicant, Godstine Achili, in a Karu Upper Area Court in the FCT, for allegedly parading himself as an army officer.

Achili, of Lungi Barrack, Abuja, is facing a two-count charge of impersonation and unlawful possession of military uniform with the intention to commit an offence.

The accused however denied the

allegation brought against him by the police.

The Prosecutor, Mr Samuel Bulus, told the court that the accused was arrested by men of the Nigerian Army on May 16 at Gwagwalada.

He said that Achili was seen fully-dressed in Nigeria Military camouflage uniform parading himself as a serving military officer.

He said that Achili left his

residence in Lungi Barrack for Gwagwalada with the intention of committing an offence and was arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution.

Bulus said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 132 and 95 of Penal Code.

Section 132 of the penal code stipulates that whoever pretends to hold any public office knowing

that he does not hold such, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years.

The Presiding Judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko, granted the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000 and a surety in like sum who must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

He adjourned the case to Aug. 26 for hearing. (NAN)

Four men bag 5 months imprisonment for car theft

F

our men were each sentenced to five months in prison by a Karu Upper Area Court Judge, for snatching a Toyota Camry car belonging to one Inalegu Ulok.

The Presiding Judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko, passed the judgment on Friday after they all pleaded guilty to the charges brought against them by the police.

Kagarko said, “In view of their admission to the offences and the

submission by the prosecutor for summary trial, I hereby try you summarily.

“I hereby find you guilty of criminal conspiracy and robbery, and sentence each of you to five months imprisonment with the option of N70,000 each as fine,’’ he said.

The convicts are Chika Valentine, Kingsley Nathan, Ibrahim Mohammed and George Hawandu, all of Gwagwalada.

The convicts were arraigned on a two-count charge of criminal conspiracy and robbery.

The Prosecutor, Mr Umoh Inah, had earlier told the court that the accused persons committed the offence on May 28 at Dagiri, Gwagwalada.

He said the accused conspired and robbed Ulok of his car with registration number AG 3976 GU and three laptops with their chargers.

Other items stolen by the accused include six different brands of mobile phones and the sum of N39,520.

Inah told the court that during police interrogation, the accused confessed to have committed the offence and that the stolen items, which are still in police custody, were recovered from them.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened sections 97 and 298 of the Penal Code. (NAN)

Self acclaimed militant charged with cheating, intimidation

O

ne Hauwa Sunday, 38, who claimed to be member of Boko Haram insurgent group, was arraigned at a Grade 1 Area Court, Mararaba, for alleged cheating and criminal intimidation.

Prosecutor Cpl. Inuwa Maigida, told the court that the matter was reported at ‘A’ Division Police Station on June 26, by one Merciful Pius of Merciful Charity Resources, Mararaba.

He said that Sunday, who resides at Mararaba, collected N50,000 from Pius as loan and promised to pay back N5,000 monthly as interest for 10 months.

Maigida said that Sunday later refused to repay N45,000 part of the capital to Pius Allege Boko Haram member in court over failure to pay back loan.

“When she was asked about the money, the accused intimidated Pius

and one Victoria Adah who stood as her surety. ``The accused, who claimed to be a member of Boko Haram from Maiduguri, threatened to deal with Pius and Adah,” Maigida said.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 312, 322 and 397 of the Penal Code.

If convicted, the accused is liable to 12 years imprisonment, fine or both.

Sunday pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The presiding judge, Mr Albert Maga, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Maga said that one of the sureties must be a traditional title holder, possess a landed property and reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

He adjourned the case to July 11 for further hearing. (NAN)

Gwagwalada Upper Area Court in the FCT has sentenced one Chioma Ibrahim of Kaswua Deri in Gwagwalada to one month imprisonment for signature forgery.

The Police Prosecutor, Insp.

Martha Paul, told the court that the 20-year-old woman, who was charged with forgery and theft, was arrested at Diamond Bank Plc in Gwagwalada on June 24.

Paul said that Ibrahim walked into the bank and forged the signature of one Longdak Kung, who resides in Lagos and attempted to withdraw six thousand naira from his account.

The prosecutor said that the matter was reported at the Gwagwalada Police Station by one Austin Oche of Diamond Bank, Gwagwalada.

The convict pleaded guilty to the charges and begged for forgiveness.

She explained that she committed the offence because her three months old baby was hungry and she had no job or money to care for him.

The Presiding Judge, Mr Babangida Hassan, sentenced Ibrahim to one month imprisonment after listening to her plea with an option of one thousand naira fine.

Hassan advised the convict to visit the church where she worshipped and seek assistance, instead of resorting crime. (NAN)

Student accused of stealing phones, cards regains freedom

A

student, Sunday Isuwa, 21,of New Nyanya, who pleaded not guilty to a two-count charge before a Mararaba Grade1 Area Court, for allegedly stealing eight mobile phones and N8,000 worth of recharge cards and N750,000 cash was granted bail by the court.

The presiding judge, Mr Albert Maga, granted the accused bail in the sum of N150,000 and a surety in like sum.

Maga said the surety must be a responsible person with a landed property, and who must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

He adjourned the case to July 11 for further hearing.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the police prosecutor, Cpl. Inuwa Maigida, had on June 20, told the court that Atiku Ibrahim of Aso Pada, Mararaba, Nasarawa State, reported the matter at the Aso Police Station on Jan. 12.

He said that on Jan. 11 at about 11.45 p.m. while Ibrahim was sleeping, some persons criminally trespassed into his room with dangerous weapons and stole some items.

The prosecutor said that the value of the eight mobile phones had yet to be ascertained, while the recharge cards were worth N8,000 He noted that Ankpai had admitted in his statement at the police station that he had conspired with Isuwa to steal the items and that they had shared the items long before their arrest.

The prosecutor said the offences contravened the provisions of sections 97, 348 and 288 of the Penal Code.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 16

Firm to showcase tourism potentials of Abuja

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tourism firm, Seven Wonders of Nigeria, is planning a tourism fair to showcase the travel potentials of Abuja.

The Project Coordinator, Mr Ikechi Uko, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the fair would be tagged “Abuja Bantaba’’ He said that it would take place in Abuja with the theme`` ``What Does

the Nigerian Travellers Want?`` ``The fair is aimed at bringing travel business to Abuja, as most companies concentrate in Lagos, neglecting the huge tourism potential of Abuja and the North. ``Abuja is the tranquil capital of Nigeria and an architectural masterpiece, `` Uko said.

He said that the Sheraton Hotel

and Towers, Abuja, Mouka Ltd. and La Campagne Tropicana had supported the hosting of the fair.

The tourism expert said that there would be awards for the best hotel, best airline, best restaurant, best travel agent, best tourism operator, best journalist and best state government, at the fair to hold on July 5.

Young man pushing a cart loaded with cartons , yesterday at Garki, in Abuja.

He said that the award would be given based on votes by stakeholders.

Uko said that the fair would be organised in partnership with the Federal Capital Territory Tourism Department, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, National Association of Nigerian Travel Agents and Hotel Owners Forum, Abuja. (NAN)

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

AEPB to build occasional markets for hawkers

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

cting Director, Abuja Environmental Protection Board, (AEPB) Mrs. Aishat Adebayo, has reveal plan to build occasional markets across the city centres, for street hawkers to trade on, as part of efforts to rid the city of the reoccurring menace of street trading.

She said the FCT minister Senator Bala Mohammed has approved the development of the occasional markets, which the board is still working on, and will report back to the minister, when it is ready to roll out the initiative.

Adebayo, who made the disclosure over the weekend, while fielding questions from newsmen, during the fourth special sanitation exercise, said the board initiated the excise, in order to complement the efforts of its contractors as well as the residents in ensuring that the city remains clean.

According to her, given the provision of first class infrastructures in the city, the government won’t want a situation where street hawkers continue unabatedly engaged in degrading the designated green areas, hence the decision to creating alternative platforms for them to sell

their wares.

In her words:“The minister has graciously approved the development of occasional markets for street hawkers; so we are working on that, and we will tell him when we are ready to roll them out, so that we create a platform for these people to trade on, in line with global practice, instead of chasing after them.

“With this initiative in place, I believe that the issue of street hawking in Abuja, would be significantly reduced” “Because people really want to survive, the resistance to the current approach against street trading is much; that’s why we are providing the occasional market arrangement as avenue people carry out their activities; may be it holds in Garki on a Tuesday, and holds in another location on another day, and so on.

Adebayo, who also disclosed that AEPB has so far caught and prosecuted over a thousand –plus street hawkers, however warned those involved in the act to desist from it, as the board is still chasing after them.

Explaining the challenges of the current approach, she pointed out that over time there are places the AEPB

enforcement officers had gone and chased hawkers and illegal traders in motors parks and markets in the city, but they returned almost immediately the team left the areas.

On waste collection, litter control and street cleaning, she said, “in line with the policy of the FCTA, we want to ensure that all forms waste do not constitute any nuisance capable of degrading the environment.

“And we decided to have special days where as an organisation we can work in areas that are challenging with the help of equipment from construction firms like Julius Berger, Salini, Dantata and Sawoe, and so on as part of their corporate responsibilities,

and the initiative is already yielding positive results.”

While appealing to the residents support for the board, so as to sustain the efforts at keeping the city clean, she hinted that by July 6, the board is reinvigorating its FCT Residents Sanitation Forum, in order to provide them with the necessary support to address challenges in the neighborhoods, and ensure that these places are clean.

She however reiterated that AEPB as a regulating agency, in collaboration with stakeholders and other relevant authorities in the area of waste management in the FCT, will not relent in its effort to ensure the right is done.

Council appoints ten village heads

By Usman Shuaibu

C

hairman of Gwagwalada area council, Abubakar Jibrin Giri, has appointed ten village heads across the ten wards in the area.

According to the chairman, all the ten village heads had been served with the appointment letters for the

smooth running of administration in their respective wards or villages.

While charging the appointees to carry their subjects along irrespective of their political inclinations, Giri advised the monarchs to shun any act capable of generating crisis in their areas and urged them to maintain peace with their people always.

Youth urged to be security, time conscious

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

he importance of sensitizing youth to be security and time conscious as critical factors in societal peace formed the crux of discussions when the Lutheran Youth Fellowship (LYF) convention over the weekend, held in Abuja.

Speaking on the topic: “Security Tips”, Pastor Solomon Nuhu, of Garki district of the church, noted that given the place of youth in the society, it was paramount to be sensitized them on security issues, to understand and relate better with their immediate and distant environment.

According to the cleric: “We want our youth to have it at back of their minds that they are leaders of today and tomorrow; and being security conscious will help them preserve the environment and make the society safer for all.

“As youth, one of the many ways to be security conscious is to be informed and alert about your surroundings, which starts with a conscious effort by individually and collectively to try.”

Similarly, Evangelist Pandir Dimas, who described security as one of the paramount things in life, said in addition to being informed about how to be aware of the environment, the youth should actively be involved in making it more safe to live in.

Also, Dimas who was a Guest speaker, speaking on theme of the convention:” I Must Do The Work of Him That Send Me”, emphasised that given the perilous times now, it was high time the youth take –up the task of preaching the gospel of Jesus anywhere they may go.

He said, “In as much as we believe that security comes from God, but He uses men to affect it, hence the need to sensitize the youth on issues of security of lives and property in the land.”

In a remark, the LYF divisional president, Dominic John-Dama, explained that aim of the convection is to bring the youth closer to their maker, so as to enlighten their minds to understanding God’s purpose for their lives and how to develop capacities to fulfill it.

John-Dama, who delivered a talk on “Managing Time”, stressed the need for youth to be time conscious in whatever they do, as proper management of time would help them in evaluating things, with view to building on them or making necessary adjustment more efficiently.

“It is paramount to educate ourselves on how to be time conscious, so as to be focused towards achieving our set goals in life as leaders of today and tomorrow”, he said.

Peoples Daily reports that the convection which provided an avenue for serious prayer, bible study, inspirational and motivational messages, also served as a place of mutual youth interaction.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 19

INSIDE

Tax system to be automated October-FIRS

- Pg 20

NSE records losses - Pg 21 L-R: Commissioner, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Mrs Mary Awolokun, representative of Oyo state governor, Mr. Gbenga Opatunde, and Commissioner, Government and Consumer Affairs Division, NERC, Dr. Abba Armiyau, during the inauguration of Ibadan forum office of Consumer Electricity Complaints recently in Ibadan.

Photo: NAN

Abuja, Kano, P/Harcourt come alive today with CBN cashless policy

By Abdulwahab Isa

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) cashless policy initiative makes its debut today in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and five other commercial cities of Kano, PortHarcourt, Anambra , Abia and Ogun state.

The lunch of the policy in the five states comes almost a year after its introduction in Lagos

state. The Lagos pilot scheme is tagged “project cashless Lagos” and is designed to de-emphasise heavy use of cash for transactions.

Speaking with Peoples Daily on phone yesterday on the level of preparation for the scheme take off, CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Ugochukwu Okarafor expressed optimism that banks in the five cities where the policy is taking off today, are ready

for the scheme rollout.

Though Ugochuckwu said there are inherent challenges such as power failure and connectivity problem, he said “the scheme continues today as planned because the world is not waiting for Nigeria on financial development”.

Asked whether CBN contemplated calling it off to enable it tackle some perceived challenges like connectivity problem,

•••It’ll curb terrorism financing, says Fashola From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

G

overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state has said that the cash-less policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, will help to check the increasing menace of terrorism in Nigeria.

According to Fashola, through cash-less transactions, it would be easy to account for all transactions and eliminate the possibility of terrorism financing.

The governor who spoke at a conference to chart the way forward for the cash-less transition, said, “there is nothing that attracts crime more than cash and this transition to cashless transactions would help to address these crimes especially the increasing wave of terrorism.

“The transition involves everyone having a part to play as it will ensure safety and also reduce the cost of cash management.

“About 65 per cent of circulating cash in Nigeria are not in the banking system, this results to

about N900billion that remains unaccounted for and nobody knows whether this money is being used to fund terrorism, drug peddling and other vices, which are huge risks to all of us.”

Fashola, who was represented by the Accountant General of the state, Mr. David Sunmoni, argued that cash-less transactions eliminated fraudulent practices and ensured that money was retained for development purposes.

Speaking, CBN’s Deputy Governor, Operations, Mr. Tunde Lemo, said the cash=less policy was an initiative aimed at reforming the banking payment system in Nigeria, noting that “the cash-less economy policy is designed to promote financial intermediation, financial inclusion, minimise revenue leakages and thus increase Internally Generated Revenue, reduce incidences of robbery and also reduce the amount of cash payment while encouraging

electronic payments.

Sanusi laments high level of medical tourism from Nigeria The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has lamented the high level of medical tourism which according to him “has been a major source of leakage in Nigeria’s growing economy”.

Lamido, who was speaking at a town hall meeting with Nigerian physicians working in the United States, said India issues about 35,000 medical visas to Nigerians annually while the UK issues about 40,000 which raise concerns over the amount of resources leaving the country for medical treatment.

The town hall meeting was an opportunity for Nigerian physicians in the US to vent their frustrations and demand explanations from top government officials and private sector players present over the lingering issues of decay in Nigeria’s healthcare system.

inadequate POS; Ugochukwu dismissed such option saying Nigeria gave herself the target of vision 2020 and everything was being done in that line.

Speaking after the Bankers Committee meeting recently in Abuja, Acting Director, Banking Supervision of CBN, Mr. Benjamin Fakunle had said five states were billed for roll out in the next phase of cashless policy. ”In addition to the one that is being operated in Lagos, five states and the Federal Capital Territory would also go cashless. This is an attempt to make sure that the use of cash in transactions is discouraged”, he had said.

Mr. Fakunle therefore enjoined Nigerians to use more of electronic channels and less cash in performing their financial transactions.

CBN

Exchange Rates

as at 27th June, 2013 Buying Selling

$

154.75

155.75

€

235.99

237.51

£

202.42

203.73

Riyal

41.26

41.52

Parallel Rates Buying

Selling

$

157.50

158.40

€

250

253.00

£

206.00

210.00

Riyal

43.00

45.00

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY

I

Make your marketing fast

n an age when consumers decide within seconds whether or not to abandon a website, marketers need to maneuver and adapt in real-time. Here are three ways to pick up the pace: Test and learn. Set up experiments that help you learn about your customers and constantly adjust your approach as you get new insights. Start assessing the campaign even before it ends. If it’s clear you’re not influencing 18 to 25 year olds the way you wanted, alter it in real time.

Know when to stop. Some marketers spend weeks chasing the “perfect” solution when “good enough” will do. Prioritize speed over quality.

Simplify your results.

Don’t get bogged down by reviewing outcomes for weeks.

Rather than reporting dozens of metrics, focus on the handful that tell you whether your campaign is working and what you might do differently next time.

Source: Business Review

Harvard

Money Market

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 20

Company News

Bharti Airtel

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harti Airtel, a global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, is emerging as one of the most preferred financial services providers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, helping to further widen the country’s financial sector.

‘Airtel Money’, the company’s mobile money platform, is already making a revolutionary mark in the country with the government embracing it to make seamless largescale salary payments from December last year.

Now, civil servants including the military, the police force, pensioners and other civil servants can receive payments on their mobile phones.

Transcorp

T

ransnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc (Transcorp), a diversified conglomerate with strategic interests in the energy, hospitality and agriculture sectors, held its seventh yearly general meeting last week in Abuja.

The company presented its audited financial statements prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Transcorp’s shareholders overwhelmingly approved the company’s audited accounts for the financial year ended 2012 and re-elected Elumelu as Chairman.

CIIN

C

hartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) has called on insurance firms to ensure that the Industry should be in the vanguard of promoting medium and small scale enterprises in line with the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

It said this during the institutes 2013 International Education Conference, held in Lagos, with the theme “The Nation in Transformation: Repositioning the insurance industry” It said that operators should take their human capital development more seriously with a view to entrenching an enduring succession plan.

Insurance sector grows by 10.24% Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

T

he Nigeria Insurers Association (NIA), an umbrella body of underwriting firms in the country, said the volume of business written by the insurance market for the 2012 financial year stood at N240 billion, an increase of 10.24 per cent over 2011 figures of N217 billion.

With this level of growth, the sector is yet to get to its expected level, as contribution to the nation’s GDP still remained at less one per cent. ‘’The abundant resources in the economy and demographic indicate that there is plenty of rooms for growth. However

… Contribution to GDP still less than 1 % the current performance of the sector has not been sufficient for it to reach the critical mass necessary to make the desired impact on the economy.

“The contribution to the nation’s GDP remained less than one per cent in 2012’’, said the Chairman of NIA Mr. Remi Oluwude, at the association’s yearly general meeting held in Lagos.

Oluwude, who was represented by the association’s Deputy Chairman, Mr. GUS Wiggle while addressing the member companies of the association however attributed this setback to some challenges ranging from

poor infrastructural facilities to natural hazard among others. ‘’In spite of the moderate growth and a robust future outlook, insurance sector continues to grapple with the problem of inadequate national facility and vicissitudes of the weather which exposed many of insurance assets to flood and other hazards’’, regretted.

He further stated that the sector within the period under review was hit by difficulties in the operating environment occasioned by effects of subsidy removal which also adversely affected other sectors of the economy.

ran a feature suggesting it could be the new model for Africa’s development.

“Africa’s economic history has been characterised by extractive industries and rent seeking practices that have not created development in any meaningful way. Africapitalism is simply saying there is a better and more ethical way to invest in Africa for a sustainable future.

“I would like to see both African and international investors review their strategies for Africa.

Yes, we are open for business but not at any cost. Our rules of engagement have changed,” said Elumelu.

It is anticipated Elumelu will be part of a major announcement the US government will make about the power sector. Through Transcorp, one of Heirs Holdings investee companies, the group

recently invested USD300 million in Nigeria’s largest power plant, located in Ughelli, Delta State during the Nigerian government’s recent power privatization process.

Commenting on the motivation behind the power investment, he said, “Unlimited access to affordable power in any country is a game changer and will move the needle on the country’s development exponentially.”

Elumelu continued, “It’s not just the fact that children will be able to do their homework, or that computers and phones can be powered in rural villages; it is also the impact that access to affordable power will have on the economic ecosystem. Prices will come down, entrepreneurs will expand and innovate, and jobs will be created as a result. This is Africapitalism at work.”

Elumelu says Africa open for business, but not at any cost

O

n the eve of his departure to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as part of a delegation of high profile African business leaders handpicked by the White House to meet with President Obama, Tony O. Elumelu, chairman of one of the most diversified investment groups in Africa, reiterated his message for the United States and international investors to engage proactively with Africa’s private sector to develop the continent.

In a wide ranging interview, Elumelu talked about the rules of engagement for Africa having changed and that those looking to invest on the continent should consider aligning with an economic philosophy he called Africapitalism.

The concept seems to be gaining momentum on the continent and beyond - the UK Guardian newspaper yesterday

Earnings Report for Banks

On IFRS, Sunday stated that it has been a source worry for the association going by little number of them that have submitted their annual account for 2012 to the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM).

Tax system to be automated October-FIRS

By Abdulwahab Isa

F

ederal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) said the entire tax system will be fully automated

by October, thus making tax evasion impossible for tax culprits.

To this effect, it said its system had been fully configured to ensure once an account is opened, it will alert the system and it will be appropriately taxed.

Acting Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Alhaji Kabir Mashi, made the disclosures over the weekend in Abuja at a Public Presentation and Review of Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) White Papers Volume 2.

Speaking through the Co-ordinating Director for Modernisation, Mallam Abdullahi Attah , Mashi said by September, this year, oil and gas industry will fully be automated, adding that tax registeration of all tax-paying adults has almost been concluded.

He sought for the support of the National Assembly to make it effective.

According to him, this is part of the reforms in the sector which was initiated by the immediate past Chairman of the service, Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okaru while observing that the new system will not be devoid of some challenges at the beginning.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Ahmed Makarfi condemned the withdrawal of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) adding that what was returned was clearly different from what the legislators had spent time to debate.

“Nobody is denying the oilproducing communities their benefits. But what kind of benefits?” he asked.

The senator, however, stated that the senate has covered some ground in the new bill and will soon be passed.

On tax reform, he warned that the reform process should not be abused and that the implementers of the reform should do a thorough job.

In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of NLI, Mr. Yinka Oyinlola, alerted that Nigeria should rfocus on other sources of income such as taxfrom oil resource to tax because in another 10 years, about 10 to 15 African countries will begin to produce oil which will lower the demand for Nigerian oil.

He explained that in about 2045, Nigeria’s population is projected to be over 400 million and that taxation is the only alternative resource.

“The time to act is today because what we do today determines our preparation for the future” he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 21

Capital Market

TOP GAINERS

Investors Newsbit

ASHON

Source: NSE/Proshare

TOP LOSERS

S

tockbrokers and shareholders in the Nigerian capital market have been encouraged to maintain the current tempo in the stock market as bulls continue to overwhelm the bears in the equities market.

They were also tasked to brace up for the challenges ahead in order to sustain the recovery being experienced in the market.

The Chairman of Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), Mr. Emeka Madubuike, who made this call, said a lot of hard work, integrity, transparency and collaborative efforts to confront the obvious changes lie ahead.

BlackBerry

B

lackBerry’s total market value plunged by more than onefourth on Friday after the Smartphone maker reported dismal quarterly results, prompting ever-deeper skepticism about a longpromised turnaround.

BlackBerry, which has struggled to claw back market share from the likes of Apple Inc’s iPhone, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd’s Galaxy phones and other devices powered

by Google Inc’s Android operating system, reported a loss in the fiscal first quarter ended June 1, and sales of its make-or-break new line of devices were softer than expected, Reuters reports.

The company also said it will not make an operating profit in the current quarter.

FCMB

F

irst City Monument Bank (FCMB) Group Plc was last week listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) as a holding company after completing all regulatory and legal processes required for the setting up of a holding company to manage the bank and its subsidiaries.

Under the holding company structure, shareholding in the bank were exchanged in the ratio of one for one for the FCMB Group, effectively making the shareholders the owners of the group in the same ratio as previous holding in the bank.

Through the ownership of FCMB Group, the shareholders will continue to own all the subsidiaries 100 per cent including the bank and its subsidiaries - FCMB Capital Markets, CSL Stockbrokers Limited, Credit Direct Limited, FCMB (UK) Limited, Arab Gambia Islamic Bank Limited and First City Asset Management Limited.

NSE records losses

Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

D

riven by bearish trend in the shares of the blue chips resulting in depreciations upon loss of investors’ wealth on the floor of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE) as the twin market indicators, the All Share index (ASI) and the market capitalization declined beyond expectation.

NSE All-Share Index depreciated by 0.82% to close on Friday at 36,164.31 while the market capitalization of the listed equities on the main board declined by 2.46% to close at N11.426 trillion while the NSE 30 Index sheds 2.43% to close at 1,701.93.

All the NSE indices depreciated: NSE Consumer Goods (1.38%), NSE Banking (2.28%), NSE Insurance (3.96%), NSE Oil/Gas (3.65%), NSELotus II (3.60%), NSE Industrial Goods (5.60%) and NSE-ASeM (0.05%).

Similarly a total of 0.825 billion shares was lost on the market as a turnover of 2.456 billion shares worth of N24.230 billion in 33,402 deals were traded by investors in contrast to a total of 1.631 billion shares valued at N21.680 billion that exchanged hands

in 30,952 deals the previous week.

Analysis of dealings in the market revealed that the Financial Services sector (measured by volume) led the activity chart with a turnover of 1.434 billion shares valued at N14.740 billion traded in 19,063 deals. The Financial Services sector represented 58.39%, 60.83% and 57.07% of the total traded volume, value and deals respectively.

The Conglomerates sector followed with a turnover volume of 453.830 million shares worth N806.109 million in

1,242 deals contributing 18.48%, 3.33% and 3.72% of the total equity turnover volume, value and deals respectively.

The Industrial Goods sector came third with a turnover volume of 235.872 million shares worth N2.160 billion in 1,539 deals.

Trading in the top three equities namely Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc, UBA Plc and Portland Paints & Products Nigeria Plc (measured by turnover volume) accounted for 940.729 million shares worth

N3.854 billion in 2,668 deals contributing 38.30%, 15.90% and 7.99% to the total equity turnover volume, value and deals respectively.

Other stocks that recorded price depreciation were PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc 11.56 per cent, Wapic Insurance Plc 11 per cent, CutixPlc 10.62 per cent, Mobile Oil Nigeria Plc 10.00 per cent, CAP Plc 9.98 per cent, Academy Press Plc 9.73 per cent and A.G . Leventis Nigeria Plc 9.68 per cent Also traded during the week were 45 units of NewGold Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) valued at N85, 845 executed in 2 deals compared with a total of 80 units valued at N165, 960 transacted last week in 3 deals.

In addition, 4,160 units of FGN bonds valued at N450, 053 were traded during the week in 20 deals in contrast to 2,740 units valued at N303, 805 transacted last week in 22 deals.

Report on the OTC market for FGN bonds equally showed a turnover of 252.739 million units valued at N291.489 billion in 1,070 deals were recorded this week in contrast to 272.822 million units worth N310.619 billion in 1,903 deals recorded in the preceding week ended June 21, 2013.

Elumelu’s Heirs Holdings invests in new NASD trading platform

T

ony Elumelu’s Heirs Holdings, the pan-African investment company announced that it has taken a strategic stake in the new National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) trading platform which will commence operations today, July 1.

Following the group’s recent investment in Africa Commodity Exchange Limited (AFEX), which Heirs Holdings co-founded with the US-based Berggruen Holdings, this announcement represents another significant move to develop equity and commodity trading in Africa.

The NASD is an alternative trading platform created by the NASD to bring more liquidity to Nigeria’s capital markets. It has been licensed by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to trade a broad range of instruments over-the-counter including unlisted equities and bonds in Nigeria.

NASD will join the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), as well as the recently created Alternative Securities Market (ASEM) designed for unlisted stocks and fast-growing

SMEs to bring more choice and transparency to thousands of companies looking to trade their shares on an open, regulated market.

Heirs Holdings Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu said, “The NASD offers investors an alternative way of accessing capital for growth in an efficient manner. We have invested in the platform because Heirs Holdings is committed to financing projects that contribute strategically to the growth of entrepreneurs across Africa.”

The CEO of NASD, Mr. Bola Ajomale said, “It is thanks to share-

holders like Heirs Holdings who appreciate the importance and farreaching impact of the exchange, that the NASD will commence trading shortly. Their ambition to build commodity exchanges across Africa has meant they intrinsically understand what the NASD wants to achieve. Heirs Holdings is the sort of partner we need to ensure that the NASD is supported in its mission to deliver a world-class alternative trading platform for unlisted entities in Nigeria.”

The NASD investment will be added to Heirs Holdings’ finan-

cial services investment portfolio, which includes the pan-African United Bank for Africa; UBA Capital, the group’s listed investment banking and asset management arm; Africa Prudential Registrars Plc, the only listed share registrar company in Nigeria; and Heirs Insurance Brokers.

Heirs Holdings also has investments in the oil and gas, power, real estate & hospitality, agribusiness and healthcare sectors through a growing number of investee companies in which it takes a significant shareholding.

CSCS pays shareholders N750m dividend

T

he Central Securities and Clearing System Plc have declared a dividend of N750m to its shareholders for the 2012 financial year.

This amount, which translates to 15 kobo per share, represents an increase by 50 per cent compared to N500m paid to shareholders at the end of the 2011 financial year.

CSCS is the financial market infrastructure responsible for the

clearing and settlement of all traded securities in the Nigerian capital market, A statement quoted the Chairman, CSCS, Mr. Oscar Onyema, as saying that the increase in its dividend arose from the improved performance recorded by the company in the year under consideration.

He added that the company posted a total revenue of N5.17bn

in 2012, up by19 per cent from the N4.19bn in 2011.

Profit before tax witnessed a higher growth of 77 per cent from N1.73bn to N3.06bn in 2012.

Onyema added that during the year under review, CSCS included the provision of Over-the-Counter services to its service offerings in respect of secondary market on shares of unquoted companies.

PAGE 22

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Economy

Electricity: committee calls for speedy completion of work on transmission lines

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Technical Investigative Panel on power system collapses, at the weekend, called for speedy completion of work on transmission lines.

In a statement by the SA Media and Communication to the Minister of Power, Kande Daniel, the Panel in its findings, established that most of the 15 collapses looked into were attributable to; “Inadequate infrastructure for system disturbance management, Obsolete transmission equipment requiring urgent replacement or upgrade, “Manpower and skill gaps due to long period of non-recruitment and aging workforce, Vegetation challenges along the lines in swampy and difficult terrain with security issues, And Vandalism of transmission

Minister of Power, Prof.

Chinedu Nebo infrastructure and gas pipelines leading to substantial loss of generation and system instability.

T h e r e f o r e recommended among other things, the Commissioning within two months of the completed Ajaokuta – Lokoja – Gwagwalada – Katampe 330kV line, Fast tracking the completion of Alaoji –

Ikot Ekpene – Ugwuaji – Makurdi – Jos and Alaoji – Onitsha 330kV lines.

Programmed equipment replacement and upgrade starting with those of high impact and achievable within a few weeks, Robust intervention to clear offensive vegetation in all parts of the network enlisting the support of host communities and appropriate security agencies, Review of deployment of existing technical manpower for optimal impact, Fast track the recruitment and training of new staff to fill critical manpower gaps in TCN. It would be recalled that the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo set up and inaugurated a high level technical panel to critically look into the issue of system collapses which became frequent in recent times, threatening to frustrate government’s efforts at increasing

power generation and transmission.

The 13-member Panel, headed by Engineer Fatai Olapade, a former Director Electrical Inspectorate Services in the Ministry, presented its report to the Honourable Minister on Monday June 24, 2013, exactly two weeks after its inauguration.

Others members of

the panel include Engr.

Sanusi Garba, Director Power; Dr. Sam Amadi, Chairman NERC; Engr.

Becks Dagogo Jack, Chairman PTFP; Engr.

Jonathan Ogbonna, former CEO Egbin Power Station; Engr. Kingsley Achiefe, former Executive Director PHCN; Engr. Imo Ekpo Vice President, International Commission of Large

Dams; Mr. James Olotu, CEO NDPHC; Engr. Mike Uzoigwe, CEO Egbin Power Station; Engr. Chris Akamnonu, CEO Ikeja DISCO; Mr. Don Priestman, CEO Transmission Company of Nigeria; Mr. Kunle Olubiyi, President, Network for Energy Reform; and Engr.

Abayomi Adebisi, Ag. Director EIS.

By Etuka Sunday

In a statement issued by the it’s Director of Communications, Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, NEITI said “the judgment is also a vindication of the findings of the NEITI 2006 -2008 independent audit of the Oil and Gas sector. In that audit NEITI clearly revealed that Mobil owed $83.28 million Education Tax for 2008.

However, before this litigation and landmark judgment by the Tax Appeal Tribunal, Mobil had insisted that it had no Education Tax liability to the Federation.”

“It is on record that NEITI has consistently alerted the nation that out of $9.8 billion uncovered by its audit reports as the difference between what was paid and what government received, only $2 billion has been recovered through NEITI efforts, leaving a balance of $7.8 in the hands of companies.

“The judgment by the Appeal Tribunal is therefore a wake-

up call for government agencies to rise up to the challenge and engage companies to remit outstanding revenues due to government.

“With this judgment by the Tax Appeal Tribunal, NEITI hereby renews its appeal to all relevant government agencies that are responsible for collection and management of oil, gas and mining revenues to engage companies on issues of payments of all outstanding debt owed to the Federation as already identified by NEITI independent audit reports now in the public domain.

“At this time that the Federal Government is in search of funds to finance budget deficits and rebuilding of the Country’s social infrastructure, the need to use NEITI independent audit reports to recover funds arising from underpayments and underassessment of taxes, rents and royalties has become a national priority.

NEITI hails tribunal judgment on $83.4m mobil tax

T

he Nigeria Extractive I n d u s t r i e s Transparency Initiative (NEITI) yesterday commended the bold decision taken

by Tax Appeal Tribunal which has ordered Mobil oil to pay 83.4 million dollars to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The judgment by the Tax Appeal Tribunal represented Education Tax liability of the company to the Federation during the year 2008.

NEITI said it saw the courageous judgment by the Tribunal as a fundamental positive development in its efforts to draw national attention to the findings and recommendations on the issues of underpayment and underassessment in royalties, taxes, signature bonuses, rents, clearly exposed by its independent audit reports of the oil and gas sector, over the years.

Sokoto spends N950m on 150 tractors, says commissioner

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lhaji Arzika Tureta, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, said on Saturday that government spent N950 million to buy 150 tractors in 2012.

Tureta told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto that all the tractors had since been distributed to both large and small scale farmers on loan basis.

He said this was done to ensure a massive production of food in the state.

The commissioner said that the exercise was aimed at modernising farming methods through the employment of modern agriculture technology.

He said government would continue to use the available land at its disposal to boost dry season farming in the state.

Tureta said the establishment of the College of Agriculture, Wurno, was also aimed at preparing youths for modern farming

techniques.

He said it was also aimed at training highly skilled manpower for the state’s agricultural sector.

“We are blessed with vast land needed to produce various crops and we will use all the available technologies in the farming sector to meet the set objectives,” he said.

Tureta also called on farmers not to hesitate to report any outbreak of epidemics during and after the rainy season for necessary action. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 23

Stock Watch

Report as at Friday, June 28, 2013

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

Special Report

Nigeria leads in number of children contracting HIV, says UN

By Tobore Ovuorie

N

igeria has the highest number of children contracting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, in the world, the latest report by the United Nations has shown.

The report says nearly 60,000 Nigerian children were infected with the virus in 2012, a figure higher than that of any other country in the world, and is a source of worry for experts with one describing it as “alarming.”

The report titled “2013 PROGRESS REPORT ON THE GLOBAL PLAN: towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive” is the most recent on the global plan which seeks an elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015, as well as keep their mothers alive. The programme was launched in July 2011 at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).

Also, despite the efforts of the federal and state governments to check the spread of HIV, the report shows that the prevalence rate of HIV among Nigerian children has remained relatively stagnant with no significant improvement; while that of several other countries was improving with fewer prevalence rates than before.

“In several countries, the pace of decline in the numbers of children newly infected has been slow and the numbers have actually risen in Angola. Nigeria has the largest number of children acquiring HIV infection- nearly 60, 000 in 2012, a number that has

Orphans and vulnerable children and their care givers in Kaduna. remained largely unchanged since 2009,” the report stated.

Nigeria affects the world The UN said it is worried

Minister for Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu

about the prevalence rate of HIV among Nigerian children.

The global body warned that if Nigeria doesn’t sit up in curbing HIV in children, the global target, part of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, will not be realised by 2015.

“Without urgent action in Nigeria, the global target for 2015 is unlikely to be reached,” the report stated.

Also, while Nigeria witnessed stagnancy, since 2009, in the prevalence of HIV among children, several other Sub Saharan African countries, witnessed a massive reduction in the prevalence rate of the condition.

Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia all witnessed a 50 per cent decline in new HIV infections in children, while two more countries- the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabweare very close to achieving this

target; prompting the UN to warn Nigeria to sit up in the fight against HIV in children.

Nigeria’s comparatively poor performance in combating HIV transmission to children also reflected among the 21 countries under the Global Plan watch of the UN. “Nigeria accounts for one third of all new HIV infections among children in the 21 priority countries in subSaharan Africa: the largest number of any country.

Progress here is therefore critical to eliminating new HIV infections among children globally.

“Nearly all indicators assessed show stagnation and suggest that Nigeria is facing significant hurdles,” the report stated.

The report stated that “the 21 countries (those under the Global Plan watch) had 210,000 newly infected children in 2012.

This represents a reduction of 130,000 new infections annually or a 38 percent drop from 2009 when these countries had 340,000 new HIV infections among children”.

It was however, not all sad tales, as the report commended some of the efforts of the government in checking the spread of HIV. “However, the government has already taken a bold step to focus on the 12+1 states

with the highest burden of HIV, which account for about 70% of new HIV infections.

“In addition, it is rapidly scaling up service delivery to stop new HIV infections among children and has embarked on an intensive state-focused data-driven decentralization initiative,” the report stated.

Experts identify problems, proffer solution This latest report by the

“

Nigeria accounts for one third of all new HIV infections among children in the 21 priority countries in sub-Saharan Africa: the largest number of any country.

Progress here is therefore critical to eliminating new HIV infections among children globally

UN is already a source of concern for experts in the health sector.

The Executive Director, Centre For Women’s Health And Adolescents’ Development, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Helen Odega, described the report as alarming. “it is an alarming report which means more effort has to be put in place to curb this embarrassing menace,” she said in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES. “I still find it hard to believe since we have and are still pumping much into campaigns against this socioeconomic and demographic cankerworm ravaging our tomorrow leaders.”

Ms. Odega, however, admitted that the authorities in the health sector have been lagging in the implementation of the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, PMTCT, policy.

“Sincerely speaking, I think (PMTCT) implementation is really zero and the country is not taking responsibility and ownership. We have policies which are not being implemented and the problem lies with the government which ought to channel the resources and claim ownership and do the right thing. A lot of work indeed needs to be done in PMTCT,” she said.

She advocated for PMTCT awareness campaigns saying a lot of women are ignorant about HIV. “Emphasis should be placed on women attending antenatal sessions and give birth there and not go to faith based organisations,” she said.

According to Ms. Odega, the faith based organisations or traditional birth attendants, TBAs, make women living with HIV give birth through the vagina since they are unaware of the women’s history. This, she said, causes the mother to infect her baby.

“Healthcare providers should ensure that pregnant women return to the hospital to give birth and not just attend antenatal sessions in hospitals alone,” she added.

For the head of the Nigerian doctors’ union, more efforts need to be put in by the government.

Osahon Enabulele, the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, said there is a huge gap in the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, PMTCT, and added that more strategic policies in the area of PMTCT need to be implemented.

According to Mr. Enabulele, access to antiretroviral drugs and awareness about the virus has helped reduce the prevalence of HIV in Nigeria, but the country is still offtrack in combating mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. “There’s no doubt that efforts have been made by NACA, (National Agency for the Control of AIDs) but we also recognise that the gap in PMTCT is huge. More strategic policies that will boost PMTCT needs to be done,” he said.

PMTCT is an intervention that aims at reducing to less than two percent the risk of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV through the use of antiretroviral (ARVs) as either prophylaxis or therapy given to women in pregnancy, labour and during breastfeeding. In situations where a mother is not receiving ARVs during the breastfeeding period, the breastfed infant is placed on ARV prophylaxis until

one week after cessation of all breastfeeding.

Where breastfeeding is not possible, the use of commercial infant formula is usually advised as alternative.

Mr. Enabulele said there is a need for Nigeria to place priority on the mother to child transmission of HIV. “More focus on PMTCT strategy needs to be put in place and ensure mothers have more awareness to go for test and commence treatment on time if HIV positive.

Breastfeeding practices still need to be addressed while drugs should be made available to mothers as well as pregnant women who are HIV positive.

“Education, enlightenment and access to drugs especially women in rural areas must be upgraded as many of them still believe that HIV is a myth,” he added.

Government official disputes report In what now appears a general characteristic with Nigerian public officials to dispute global statistics not favourable to the government, a health ministry official said Nigeria may have official figures different from that of the UN. The Deputy Director, Department of Family Health, Federal Ministry of Health, Chris Isokpunwu, told PREMIUM TIMES that he is sure that the Nigeria agency with the responsibility of curbing HIV/ AIDS, NACA, has figures that debunk the UN’s claim.

“I’m very sure NACA will have a different figure on that and I don’t think the global target will be missed because of Nigeria,” he said.

Mr. Isokpunwu, however,

said Nigeria’s seemingly poor performance was caused by both political and economic factors.

“The political aspect has to do with the leadership though I still very much believe that Nigeria is making progress,” he said.

Nigeria’s figures Records from the Federal Ministry of Health show that in 2011, only 15.89 percent of HIV positive pregnant women received ARVs to reduce the risk of MTCT (mother to child transmission) just as only 2.3 percent of infants born to HIV infected women (HIV exposed infants) received ARV prophylaxis to reduce the risk of early MTCT in Nigeria.

Globally, HIV is a leading cause of death in women of reproductive age and since nearly all HIV infections in children are acquired from their mothers, the global epidemiology of HIV in children reflects that of HIV in women.

Over 90 per cent of infections in children are acquired through MTCT. MTCT is the term used for vertical transmission of HIV from an infected mother to her newborn.

With over 60 per cent of adults living with HIV being women, the number of infected children has been growing. This, experts say occur during pregnancy, labour and delivery or during breast-feeding. In the absence of interventions, the risk of such transmission is worse45perecnt.

A member on the National Task Team on PMTCT, Emmanuel Enabulele, revealed that MTCT is fast becoming a burden in Nigeria compared to the rest

of the world due to higher prevalence of HIV in women of reproductive age, high total fertility rate, characteristically prolonged breastfeeding culture, stigmatization by healthcare givers, and poor access to PMTCT interventions as a result of the Federal Government not living up to its promises among others.

The federal government had, in 2010, committed to reducing by at least 50 percent HIV incidents among 1549 year old women by 2015.

The FG had also promised to ensure that at least 90 percent of all pregnant women have access to quality HIV counselling and testing by 2015.

That year, it also said that by 2015, at least 90 percent of all HIV positive women and breast feeding infant-mother pairs would receive antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis, while at least 90 percent of all HIV exposed infants would have access to early infant diagnosis services and at least another 90 percent of pregnant women requiring antiretroviral therapy (ART) for their own health, would receive life-long ART. Unfortunately, two years to the expiration of the deadline, Nigeria is still far away from achieving the set goals, while reports such as the latest UN scorecard means more needs to be done.

Mr. Enabulele reiterated the need for the Nigerian government at all levels to increase funding and strengthen capacity building, improving co-ordination and integral Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) programmes.

Source: Premium Times

Health experts say government must do more to stop the trend.

LAW

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

2015: Battle to stop Jonathan shifts to Appeal Court Stories by Sunday Ejike Benjamin

A

chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Cyriacus Njoku has appealed the judgement of an Abuja High Court which held that President Goodluck Jonathan is qualified to contest for Presidency in 2015,if he so wish.

The appeal is against the judgement the trial court which held that going by the express provision of section 137 (b) of the 1999 constitution (as amended), President Jonathan is eligible to run for the highest political office in the country.

Dissatisfied with the judgement of the trial court, the appellant, Njoku through his legal representatives, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla and Ugochukwu Osuagwu are seeking an order of the Court of Appeal setting it aside and granting all their reliefs.

The appeal premised on five grounds is specifically asking the appellate court to stop Jonathan from further contesting or attempting to vie for the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after May 29, 2015 when his tenure shall end.

The appellant further asked the court to restrain the PDP from further sponsoring or attempting to sponsor Jonathan as candidate for election to the office of the President in the 2015 presidential election after the expiration of his two terms on May 29, 2015.

In addition, he prayed the court to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from accepting Jonathan’s

name as the presidential candidate of the PDP for the 2015 polls.

It the submissions of the appellant lawyers that Justice Oniyangi erred in law by holding that their client did not possess the requisite locus standi to institute the case when there were incontrovertible affidavit evidence that he is a card carrying member of the PDP and interested in contesting for the Presidency.

The lawyers further submitted that the trial judge erred in law when he held that the provision of Section 37 (1) (b) of the constitution which provides that a person shall not be qualified for election to be elected to such office at any two previous elections does not apply to the case of their client.

Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi in the said judgment now on appeal held that President Jonathan is currently on his first term of four years, stressing that, “if he so wishes, he can seek from his political party or any other party, the sponsorship to contest in the 2015 presidential election”.

The court further held that in the eyes of the law, Jonathan’s tenure commenced on May 29, 2011, saying he only assumed the presidential seat in 2010 following the demise of his boss, late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who it said duly contested and won the 2007 presidential election.

Justice Oniyangi further maintained that after the election of Yar’Adua, there was no election or bye-election upon which Jonathan became president and that he was merely asked to assume the position.

“He was not elected into the po-

President Goodluck Jonathan sition but was asked to assume the position. Having exhausted that tenure, he sought and obtained the ticket of the party to contest for presidency in 2011.

“Consequently, it is my considered view that the first defendant is on his first tenure of four years.

It therefore follows that if he so wishes, he can seek from his party to contest for presidential election in 2015. Let me put it on record in order to guide against any mischief; this court is not saying that he is the automatic candidate of the PDP or any party, but that he could seek for the sponsorship of his political party or any other party of his choice to vie for the

position.

“He is running his first tenure and can aspire to seek for nomination like any other Nigerian to contest in 2015. I do not see how such right can affect the plaintiff in anyway. When that time comes the plaintiff can also seek alongside other aspirants to vie for presidency subject to nomination by his party,” he added.

The court equally held that Section 137 applies only when someone is elected and not when such person assumes the office like in the instant case, saying that, “In the case of Jonathan, the section applies to when he was elected as president, by implication, when

he took oath of office on May 29, 2011.

“I therefore hold that the tenure of office of the first defendant did not begin on May 6, 2010 but May 29, 2011. The constitution was clear that no person shall take oath of allegiance and oath of office prescribed in the seventh schedule of the constitution more than twice except on special circumstance as witnessed in the demise of Yar’Adua.

Thus, the order of injunction against the first defendant contesting in 2015 is refused”, the Judge held.

No date has been fixed for hearing of the appeal.

Capital Territory.

The trial Judge said parties in suit brought before the court by the former FCT CJ, challenging the legality of the probe panel, should respect the principle of les pendis (pending matter before the court), as anything or decision reached during the pendency of the suit can be reversed or quashed as it will amount to subjudice.

“I remind parties in this suit to respect the principles of les pendis, as the court has powers to reverse and quash any decision taken during the pendency of the case”, the Judge held.

Justice Bello’s pronouncement followed a complaint by counsel representing the Former Chief Chief

Judge, Okunade Olorundare (SAN) with Sam Ologunorisa (SAN) that Justice Gummi, now the Emir of Gummi in Zamfara State was still being summoned to appear before NJC probe panel, in spite of his pending court action against the council.

Olorundare had sought to move a motion for interlocutory injunction to restrain the probe panel from taking further actions on the matter, but was opposed by counsel to the NJC and other defendants who maintained that the motion for interlocutory injunction was not ripe for hearing.

Chief Jimoh Lasisi (SAN), lead counsel to the NJC, while opposing moving of the motion, specifically

said that he had just been briefed and had just filed his memorandum of appearance, adding that he needed time to file counter motion.

He also told the court that the motion in question was not ripe for hearing.

Justice Bello, in his brief ruling agreed that the motion was not ripe for hearing, having not been filed along with the Originating Summons.

He said he cannot give injunction on a motion that has not been heard.

The Judge however cautioned parties in the suit to take cognisance of the fact that the matter is before the court and that they should not take further steps in the probe.

Court to hear Gummi’s suit against NJC A Federal High Court, Abuja sitting before Justice Adamu Bello will tomorrow hear the interlocutory motion in a suit brought before him by immediate past Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Justice Lawal Hassan Gummi, challenging the competence of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to subject him to probe, having seized to be a serving judicial officer by reason of his voluntary retirement on May 13, 2013 and the payment of three months’ salary in lieu of notice.

Joined as Defendants in the suit, along with the NJC are, Justice Pius Olayiwola Aderemi (Chairman of the probe panel), Justice V. N Nebo, Justice Olatokunbo Olapade, Nestello Gateway group, and Secretary of the NJC. Gummi wants court to declare that the NJC lacked the power or jurisdiction to probe him since the subject matter of the case was pending before an Abuja High Court.

He also sought an order of the court, setting aside anything done or purported to be done by the NJC and the probe panel on the ground that he was no longer a judicial officer.

It would be recalled, at the last hearing in the matter that the court cautioned NJC against taking further steps on the probe of the imme-

Former FCT Chief Judge, Justice Lawal Hassan Gummi diate past Chief Judge of the Federal

Joe Musa knows fate today in suit challenging suspension

A

federal high court in Abuja will today deliver judgment in a suit brought before it by the suspended director general of the National Gallery of Art, Joe Musa matter, challenging his suspension.

Joe Musa joined the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the minister of culture and Mr. Abdullahi Muku in the suit.

The trial Judge, Justice Elvin S. Chukwu adjourned the matter for judgment after both parties in the suit had adopted their written ad-

dresses at the last hearing of the matter.

Musa is asking the court to determine whether by his suspension, in a letter dated 10th September, 2009, his four-year tenure as the DG became suspended until the determination of charge No. FCT/HC/ CR/49/09 and as such, his position was not vacant and could not be filled until that suspension ceased by the determination of that charge.

The suspended DG also wants the court to determine whether by

the determination of that charge by judgment delivered on 6th December, 2011 in which he was discharged on a no-case-submission, he (Musa) was not entitled to be reinstated whether or not an appeal against that discharge and acquittal is filed or is pending.

The plaintiff is asking for a court declaration that he remained the DG during the pendency of charge No. FCT/HC/CR/49/09 but was on suspension until the determination of that charge at the high court, as well

as a declaration that the purported appointment of the 3rd defendant (Mr. Muku) by president Jonathan through the 2nd defendant (minister of culture) is ineffectual, invalid, null, void, and of no effect whatsoever.

The plaintiff therefore asked for and order of court directing Muku to vacate the office of the DG of Gallery of art immediately, as well as an order of court directing that him (Musa) be reinstated as the DG notwithstanding the pendency of the criminal appeal.

PAGE 28

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Advertorial

Almakura: The messiah of our time

W

hat instigated the zeal of Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura to contest the governorship of Nasarawa state in 2011 was as a result of infrastructural decay bedeviling the state, a situation that has continued to stagnate meaningful development in the state despite twelve years of PDP democratic rule in the state. As a result people lost confidence in governance.

Lafia the state capital, remains as a glorified local government after the twelve years. There was no single alphast road in anywhere within the state. All water board within the state were grounded, epileptic power supply continued to grow worse than ever, poverty sets in as farmers lack inputs to grow farm produce.

The government at that time lost focus and the people were yearning for change. Then comes the messiah Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura who having identified the basic needs of the people of Nasarawa state swung into action to better the lots of the people who suffered agony and betrayal for good twelve years.

Even though the task of providing the basic needs to the people of Nasarawa State was not an easy, one however, Almakura has taken people by surprise as he has within two years of his administration not only provided the basic needs required by the people but also initiated revenue generation avenues for the state.

Apart from the construction of 50km of alphast road in Lafia with provision of traffic and street light the governor also constructed 3-4km of alphast road in all the local government headquarters as well as 236 km of rural roads.

The governor also initiated and completed the Nasarawa State Geographical Information System with sole aim of mapping the entire state to improve the standard of land administration with a special interest to border towns to Abuja.

This has no doubt equated the standard of land transaction to that of the FCT for maximum revenue generation. Already the state has started benefiting from that initiative as over 400 million was generated with projection of generating 1 billion Naira monthly from ground rent and other land administration.

The restructuring of Karu international market with over 5000 shops as well as completion of Lafia modern market is another deliberate effort at improving the revenue base of the state.

What more the primary education which is the bedrock of every educational development also got the magic touch of Governor Almakura with construction of over one hundred and thirteen blocks of three class room each, forty five blocks of three class rooms story- building as well as provision of assorted school desk and instructional materials.

What more can a leader achieve within two years if not what Almakura did achieve, even if the opposition parties are not happy that they were being exposed but courtesy demands that they should appreciate the good work of the messiah.

The common man in Nasarawa state today is breathing a fresh air including the opposition party members who enjoy the good roads provided by Almakura, drink potable water and improved power supply. Haba our opposition elite in Nasarawa state kindly bury your grievances and tell yourselves the truth. If you can't achieve this in twelve years and someone has done it within two years just pray for him to achieve more so that Nasarawa state can compete favorably with other states in the federation.

And not to be celebrating crises that has engulfed the state because when there is no Nasarawa state the opposition may not have anybody to govern so let's join hands and support Governor Almakura who is bent on taking Nasarawa state to the next level.

Iliyasu Ali Yakubu wrote from Lafia

The deceit of ethnic strength in Nasarawa state

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asarawa state is obviously blessed with diverse ethnic groups which in turn promote its rich cultural heritage.

The state has more than twenty five major ethnic groups aside from other smaller ethnic groups.

The ethnic groups in the state have been interacting peacefully in promoting their cultural values even though it is not without some pockets of disagreement which is usually managed. Statistics have shown that no single ethnic group in the state can single handedly win the governorship election in the state without the support of other ethnic groups as widely claimed by the Eggon tribal group.

No wonder the Eggon people have gone ahead to attack other major tribal groups in the state not minding its strength politically, The Eggon people must be reminded that it does not have the capacity to produce the governor of the state without the support of other tribes.

They have been parading themselves as the majority tribe in the state with over 80 percent of the population which my statistics show that they are not up to twenty percent of the entire population in the state.

Let me also examine the claim by the Eggon people that they single-handedly delivered Governor Almakura which the governorship election result is contrary to this claim. For the avoidance of doubt and also to put the record straight the 2011 governorship election result shows clearly that the Eggons did not massively vote for governor Almakura as provided by the election result.

In Nasarawa Eggon CPC got 32,464 while PDP had 20,817 votes which is the large settlement of the Eggon people, in Lafia the CPC had 92,976 PDP got 33,105, Akwanga CPC 15,171 PDP 16,906 in Awe local government the CPC got 15,539 and PDP had 17493 in Doma CPC pulled 6,561 while PDP got 47,248.

In Keana CPC had 9,327 and PDP 11,907. Karu local government the CPC had 21,524 and PDP 25,432, in Keffi the CPC pulled 26,414 and PDP 9,742 while in Wamba the CPC got 11,353 and PDP 8134.

Nasarawa local government the CPC 29,176 and PDP 49,233. In Toto local government the CPC polled 19,500 and PDP 23,234 while in obi the CPC got 25,313 and PDP had 30,288. So where has the hundred percent vote to Almakura come from the Eggon people.

The general public should not be deceive by the Eggon claim of majority tribe in the state. From the election result the Eggons cannot even boast of ten percent of the state population.

Zinatu Yakubu wrote from Karu local government

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

T

he National Council on Education (NCE), has approved the incorporation of one-year pre-primary education into the existing 6-3-3-4 to become 1-6-3-3-4.

This was contain in a Communiqué issued at the end of the 59th Annual Meeting of the Council on Friday in Abuja.

The meeting was presided over by the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, from 24th to 28th of June, 2013 with the theme; “Strengthening the Institutional Management of Education for Quality Service Delivery”.

The council also approved the

National Policy on Albinism and its Implementation Guidelines and the implementation of the revised 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum with effect from 2014 beginning with Primary 1 and Junior Secondary School.

It also approved that every student in Federal and state Science and Technical Colleges must offer a Technical subject, the re-activation of Teacher Vacation Course (TVC)

by Federal Ministry of Education, states and FCT in collaboration with professional associations and subject specialists.

It also gave a nod that the ministry’s Permanent Secretaries, Directors of Planning, Research and Statistics (DPRS) State Ministries of Education take

ownership of the process of data collection for credibility, reliability and timeliness as enshrined in National EMIS Policy and its implementation Guidelines.

It lamented that only 10 per cent of teachers in Basic Education schools in the country were computer literate and also decried the low enrolment of female students in Science and Technology Education (STE) programmes compared with their male counterparts.

According to the decision of the council, there is the need to meet the literacy needs of out-of-school youths and adults by building model Adult and Non-Formal Education (ANFE) Centres in Markets.

It expressed concern about the

dearth of Non-Formal Education (NFE) facilitators in the integrated Qur’anic School/Centres.

According to the Communiqué these decisions were reached after extensive deliberations on various issues affecting the sector adding that in realization of the fact that the contemporary social, economic and political pressures are making the formulation and implementation of credible education policies imperative.

The meeting however agreed that the achievements of Education for All (EFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Vision 20:2020 would be a mirage without strengthening institutional management in the education sector for effective service delivery.

. . . Orders NECO to release certificates

By Abbas Aminu Bamalli

T

he National Council on Education (NCE), has directed the National Examination Council (NECO) to produce and release all outstanding Certificates before its next meeting in 2014.

The directive was part of the many decisions and recommendations reached at the end of the NCE’s 59th annual general meeting in Abuja between June 24 and June 28, 2013.

In a Communiqué issued at the weekend, the highest decision making body for the education sector in the country said NECO must also ensure the release of certificates before the conduct of similar examinations.

The Council also ordered the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) and NBTE to ensure that all lecturers in tertiary institutions possess teaching qualifications in conformity with the provision of the National Policy on Education.

It added that the NUC is also to sanction Universities that charge above the approved Post-UTME fee of N2,000.

NCE had also in the Communiqué recognised the need for inclusive education in the Almajiri Education

Programme to cater for children with special needs and ordered public examination bodies to emulate JAMB in allocating extra time to people with Albinism in their examinations,” it stated.

It call on states and FCT to give due attention to Special Education by carrying out more sensitisation and capacity building programmes for teachers on inclusive education.

The Council therefore, directed all relevant regulatory agencies and institutions to recognise and accept Senior Arabic and Islamic School Certificate (SAISSC) for admission into Tertiary Institutions.

It however expressed delight that NBTE had directed all Polytechnics to give recognition to the certificates awarded to graduates of Vocational Enterprise Institutions (VEI’s) for admission into National Diploma (ND) programmes and accepted NBTE’s recommendation that holders of ND from Innovation Enterprise Institutions (IEIs) should be considered for admission into HND programmes.

Federal Government, States and FCT are to appoint people with relevant educational qualifications/experience when constituting membership of Boards/Commissions of educational institutions and agencies to head such entities, the Communiqué said.

PAGE 27

Education

NCE includes 1 year pre-primary education in 6-3-3-4

By Maryam Garba Hassan

AUN summer begins July 2

T

he American University of Nigeria (AUN) is set to commence summer II session July 2, following the successful completion of the phase I summer which ended on June 25, this year.

Dr. Fidelis Ndeh-Che, Chief of Staff to AUN President, who made the announcement said, summer II will end on August 6, paving the way for the fall semester.

AUN’s summer sessions provide a unique opportunity for students and faculties to learn in a closely-knit environment and a measure of flexibility to the academic offerings, he said.

Professor Ndeh-Che added that summer I was successful in spite of the current State of Emergency imposed on Adamawa and two other states in Nigeria’s northeast, saying “The AUN campus was a calm oasis that proved conducive to learning and teaching, in addition to classroom attendance, a number of students committed themselves to independent study.”

According to the University Registrar, Monique Davis, summer learning appeals to students and faculty. “Every person has been focused on their tasks. The emergency rule with the ensuing curfew has been handled well by the AUN community and our supportive parents across the country.”

Paul Onwura, a software engineering major, said that his parents believe it is “beautiful and safe” within the AUN environment. Another student, Murna Mamman, is joining the Summer II program as a new like to “explore the American system of education.

Education Minister, Prof. Ruqayyatu A. Rufa’i

NMEC wants inclusion of out of school youth, adults in education plan

T

he Executive Secretary of the National Mass Education Commission (NMEC) Alhaji Jibrin Paiko, has called for the inclusion of out –of- school youths and adults in the current education plan by government.

Following the report by UNESCO that Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children, Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i said the Ministry had set in motion plans to reduce significantly the number

of out-of-school children between now and 2014.

Paiko told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja that Federal Government’s plan to tackle the issue of those out of school was “a right step in the right direction”.

He, however, said these plans should be all inclusive as there were many adults and youths who needed to be encouraged to enroll in schools and that NMEC on its part had embarked on a series of

programmes to encourage adult and youths enrolment.

“We are presently collaborating with UNESCO for the Revitalisation of Adult and Youth Literacy (RAYL) project to educate millions in this group who also need to be literate.

We are scaling up our facilitators’ training and have developed a manual to that effect.

“We will start the training of 111 facilitators from each state, including FCT from middle of next month,” he said.

On the issue of Almajiri education, the Executive Secretary called on government to do more in terms of carrying capacity adding that the schools built were not adequate to cater for the millions of Almajiris that were roaming the streets.

If the federal government wants to succeed, then it needs to do more in terms of marrying together the various models of the Almajiri system of education.

“There is the Arewa House

model, the Bauchi model, the UNICEF model, the USAID model, the Sokoto model and of course, the NMEC model among others.

Paiko said if these models were incorporated into each other, there would be combined action to tackle the Almajiri issue once and for all.

He said the Commission had also developed a post literacy primus to ensure that adults and youths who graduate from these schools would keep improving on the knowledge acquired. (NAN)

PAGE 30

Health

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Diabetes: Pandemic health challenge in Africa

By A’isha Biola Raji

M

edical dictionary describes Diabetes as a chronic condition that arises when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin produced.

It also describes Insulin as a hormone made by the pancreas that helps ‘sugar’ (glucose) to leave the blood and enter the cells of the body to be used as ‘fuel’.

Diabetes Mellitus is generally categorized into two types, namely, Type 1: When the pancreas of a sufferer does not produce the insulin they need or Type 2: When the body of a sufferer cannot make effective use of the insulin they produce.

Medical experts have described diabetes as the fourth leading cause of death in most d e ve l op e d countries, w ith statistics showing over three million deaths worldwide to diabetes-related causes. No doubt the scourge of diabetes has reached epidemic proportions going by available statistics.

In 2011, the International Diabetes Federation estimated that approximately 366 million people around the world had diabetes. By 2025, this figure is expected to rise to 450 million, amounting to 6.3% of the world’s population living with diabetes.

Available statistics also indicate that, type 2 diabetes is rising at an alarming rate throughout the world, due to increases in life expectancy, obesity and sedentary lifestyles, with children and adolescents mostly at the receiving end of this scourge.

China and India have been noted to have witnessed dramatic spike in the rise in diabetes prevalence, with India host to the largest diabetes population in the world with an estimated 35 million people, amounting to 8% of the adult population, while in China, where 2.7% of the adult population is affected by type 2 diabetes, the number of people with this condition is likely to exceed 50 million within the next 25 years.

Diabetes in Africa Medical experts have recently drawn attention to the rising cases of diabetes mellitus in Africa, with concerns that the already worsening health index, fuelled by corruption, decayed health infrastructure among other ills afflicting the healthy sector could further decimate African adult population, already grappling with the consequences of various epidemics.

Available statistics are clearly alarming with recent figures released by the International Diabetes Federation, Africa Region, indicating that a whopping 13.6 million people suffering from diabetes, while

Dr. Kiran Kumar

sub –Saharan Africa, including Nigeria accounts for 7 million people with diabetes, worst still estimates for the region for 2025 are likely to double and reach 15 million.

A further country by country break down also indicates that, Nigeria has the highest number of people with diabetes (with approximately 1,218,000 people

affected); Reunion has the highest diabetes prevalence in the African Region (13.1%).

Nigeria also has the highest number of people with impaired glucose tolerance with an estimated 3, 85 million people.

Further studies indicate that, Tanzania and Cameroun has urban/rural ratio of 5:1 and 2:1 respectively, with both studies

“ Nigeria also has the

highest number of people with impaired glucose tolerance with an estimated 3, 85 million people.

confirming the marked urban/ rural discrepancy in diabetes prevalence.

It is also estimated that undiagnosed diabetes accounts for 60% of those with the disease in Cameroon, 70% in Ghana and over 80% in Tanzania.

Speaking on the prevalence and treatment of diabetes mellitus, Consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine at Primus International Super Specialty Hospital, Karu, Abuja , Dr. Kiran Kumar shed more light on the two types of diabetes.

According to him, “Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that prevents the body from producing insulin.

Type 1 diabetes occurs most often in children and young adults. Approximately 5 to 10 per cent of people with diabetes have type 1.

“Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that results from the body’s inability to make effective use of the insulin produced.

Genetics, obesity, and lack of appropriate diet and physical activity are factors that appear to play a role in the development of

type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes occurs most often in adults over the age of 40 and accounts for up to 95 percent of all diabetes cases.

However, as a consequence of increased obesity and inactivity among the young, type 2 diabetes is now affecting children and young adults,” he added.

On available treatment therapy for diabetes, he said, “The treatment of diabetes focuses on keeping blood glucose at nearnormal levels. Treatment of type 1 diabetes typically includes a carefully calculated diet, physical activity, blood glucose testing and daily insulin injections.

Treatment of type 2 diabetes typically includes appropriate diet, exercise, home glucose testing, oral medication and/or insulin.

Speaking further on common symptoms of diabetes, Dr. Kumar, with extensive research on Hematological Abnormalities in HIV/AIDS in India under his belt identified the following as the most common symptoms of Diabetes; excessive thirst, frequent urination, weight loss ,extreme tiredness, blurred vision.

He warned that in Nigeria, as in other climes with low access to healthcare, “Almost 50% of people with type 2 diabetes are not aware that they have the condition.

Dr. Kumar further spoke on the most common long term complications of diabetes, including, “Cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and blood vessels and may cause fatal complications such as coronary heart disease , leading to a heart attack and stroke , a common cause of disability and death in people with diabetes.

People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, than people without diabetes.

Other health implications of diabetes according to Kumar include, Diabetic neuropathy(nerve disease), resulting in damage to the nerve fibres, which primarily affect the legs and feet.; Diabetic nephropathy (kidney) a leading cause of kidney failure in the developed world and accounts for approximately 35 to 40 per cent of new cases of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) each year: and Diabetic retinopathy(eye disease).

He dismissed as incorrect, the notion that diabetes can only be managed success fully outside the shores of Nigeria.

Kumar insisted that, “At Primus for instance, we run a wellcoordinated Diabetes Clinic for caring for patients with Diabetes Mellitus. The approach towards treatment is multidimensional and involves the following; Simple Lifestyle Changes, Dietary Modification, Medications (Tablets and Insulin), Counseling and follow up.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 29

Health

NAFDAC DG bags US congressional award

By A’isha Biola Raji

T

he Director General of NAFDAC (National Food and Drug Administration and Control) Dr. Paul Orhii has bagged another international award as he received the US Special Congressional Recognition for global front role in the fight against drug counterfeiting.

The US Special Congressional Recognition took place at a ceremony in the Madison Hall of Prestigious Library of Congress, Capitol Hill, Washington DC, In a statement signed

by Abubakar Jimoh, Acting Director, Special Duties, Dr. Orhii’s recognition was endorsed

by Congress Member, Jalice Hahn and was an initiative of the National Association for

Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) headed by Dr. Shelton Hilary.

Before now, the US Council on Foreign Relations had last year invited the DG,about four times to make presentations on Nigeria’s successes in the fight against drug counterfeiting through the use ofmodern cutting-edge technology. The presentation according to the statement formed part of the report submitted to the White House for consideration at the last G8 Summit hosted by President Barak Obama United States of America.

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Orhii drew global attention to the growing menace of drug resistance strains caused by counterfeit medicines. “Counterfeit drugs currently have international market value of $200 billion

annually according to the World Custom Organization,” the statement read.

NAFDAC boss explained that, the resistance strains caused by counterfeit medicines are worse than the treatment failure. He said, “There is the loss of integrity of medicine supply chain and other dangerous public health effects of spurious pharmaceutical products.”

He remarked that counterfeiting of medicines is a global menace that requires no visa to cross inter-regional borders and thus call for collective action among nations.

It will be recalled that Dr. Orhii has so far received more than 40 National and International awards for his works since assumption of office as Director General of NAFDAC.

Your baby’s first tooth Your baby’s first tiny tooth may show up as early as 3 months and as late as a year. The timing may be influenced by genetics, so if you or your partner sprouted teeth at 4 months, your baby may do the same.

On average, baby teeth, also called primary teeth usually pop up in a specific order: The two bottom front teeth show up

first, followed by the four upper teeth then the rest of the teeth start filling in until your baby has a full set around 2 years of age.

What to watch for: Your baby may show signs of teething for several weeks, or even months, before the first tooth shows up. Teething symptoms occur more often about four days

before and three days after a new tooth emerges. Your baby may experience: • Excessive drooling: All babies drool, but it may really increase when your baby starts teething. Keep a clean cloth handy, because all that drool may cause a rash around your baby’s mouth.

•

Fussiness:This is as a

Dr. Paul Orhii DG NAFDAC receiving man of the year award from USCR

result of achy and inflamed gums.

Your baby will be most upset right before the tooth emerges. This can happen any time of the day, so if your baby usually sleeps through the night that may change once teething begins.

• Tender gums: Teeth breaking through may cause sensitive gums to become inflamed, which may cause discomfort.

Some babies aren’t bothered by the pain, but if they are, they’ll let you know. The first couple of teeth will probably be the most uncomfortable for your baby.

Things should get better after that.

• Low-grade temperature: There’s debate about whether teething causes a low-grade fever or if it’s caused by an infection unrelated to teething. Be sure to rule out other causes for a fever before attributing it to teething.

If your baby is fussy or has a fever higher than 101° F, you should call your pediatrician.

Feeding your teething baby During teething, your baby may reject the breast or bottle because the sucking action can add to her pain. Once your baby starts eating solid foods, she may refuse to eat when her gums hurt. This should only be temporary. If your baby has missed several feedings, talk with her doctor.

Home remedies for teething baby When babies begin teething, the experience can be stressful for both them and their families. If you want to try all-natural home remedies before reaching for the medicine cabinet, there are many options to choose from. Applying cold or pressure can help bring relief to your baby. There are also several herbal remedies that can help ease the pain.

Cold Cold things help numb the pain of teething and reduce swelling.

You can wrap some ice in a dishtowel and let your baby put it in her mouth. You can also fill a bottle with water and store it upside-down in the freezer.

When the water is frozen, give it to your baby to suck on to help ease the pain. There are also teething rings and teething toys that are filled with water. These can be placed in the refrigerator to cool the water. At meal time, cold baby food straight from the refrigerator may be soothing.

Pressure Pressure helps relieve the pain of teething; give your baby lots of toys to chew on. There are toys with raised bumps that apply pressure to a baby's gums when a baby chews on them. Teething biscuits also accomplish this purpose, and have the added benefit of tasting good to babies.

These can be given as long as your baby has started solid foods (at about 6 months.) Massaging your baby's gums with your fingers and applying gentle pressure to them can help. There are also mesh bags that can be filled with cold, hard fruit slices such as apples. Babies can chew on the bag, and the mesh prevents them from biting off too much of the fruit.

Herbal remedies Clove oil, (kanafari/star) when rubbed on a baby's gums, can help numb the pain. They produce a cooling sensation. Tea is soothing, and can be frozen into an ice pop or used to soak a small towel for baby to suck on. The towel can be frozen if you want. Make the chamomile tea strong to concentrate the benefits.

Other Tips Keep your baby's gums or teeth clean by rubbing gauze or a soft-bristled toothbrush over them. Finally, a nice walk outside for a change of pace and some fresh air may take your baby's attention off the pain and discomfort for a while.

PAGE 31

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

International

ANALYSIS

By Patrick Bond

P

resident Barack Obama’s trip to South Africa this weekend may have the desired effect of slowing the geopolitical realignment of Pretoria to the Brazil-IndiaRussia-China-SA (BRICS) axis.

That shift did not necessarily mean a deviation from the local leaders’ political philosophy, best understood as “Talk Left, Walk Right,” which mixes antiimperialist rhetoric with hardnosed pro-corporate economic policies.

But it did reflect concerns expressed on Tuesday by Ben Rhodes, a White House deputy national security adviser: “What we hear from our businesses is that they want to get in the game in Africa. There are other countries getting in the game in Africa - China, Brazil, Turkey. And if the US is not leading in Africa, we’re going to fall behind in a very important region of the world.”

President Jacob Zuma’s government, like that of his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, has presented South Africa as the “gateway” to the continent. Two major political victories - hosting the BRICS summit in Durban three months ago and ensuring that a Pretoria diplomat, Zuma’s former wife NkozozanaDlaminiZuma, won the leadership of the African Union last year - were accompanied by Johannesburg’srenewed status as Africa’s largest foreign investor within the continent.

Is Pretoria ready to ditch its traditional sub-imperial “deputy sheriff” role to Washington’s imperial sheriff, and instead to look east? Obama knows well that some of Pretoria’s neoliberal coordination activities have been fumbled.

For example, George W Bush’s State Department labelled Mbeki’s 2001 New Partnership for Africa’s Development “philosophically spot-on”, and yet there was precious little to show for the subsequent dozen years of appeals for Western foreign investment and increased aid.

Even funding for AIDS medicines was chopped in austerity budgets, such as Obama’s recent $200m cut to Bush’s PEPFAR programme, which closed the three main hospital-based AIDS programmes here in Durban, the city with the world’s highest number of HIV+ residents.

Obama also reportedly intensified Bush’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) military support to the continent’s dictators, and Edward Snowden’s whistle-blowing regarding internet snooping recalled WikiLe aks re ve l ations from state department cables during Hillary Clinton’s reign. In 2009, while helping prepare Obama’s speech about good governance in Accra, Clinton asked eleven of Washington’s embassies in Africa to collect fingerprints, DNA, iris scans, email passwords, credit card account numbers, frequent flyer account numbers and work schedules of local political,

US President Barack Obama is on a three-nation tour of Africa [EPA]

Obama’s visit provides an opportunity for South Africans

military, business and religious leaders, including United Nations officials.

Since then, Obama has been criticised for military intervention in oil-soaked Libya and AFRICOM’s fight against teh al-Shabaab armed group in Somalia, for alleged mercenary support and reported torturerendition activities in several African countries, and for deployment of drones and US troops in authoritarian Uganda.

Zuma may be too diplomatic to have raised these matters in Pretoria on Saturday morning, because he needs to project strength after his own foreignpolicy failings came to light. In the Central African Republic in March, just three days before the BRICS gathered, a firefight with the Chad-backed Seleka rebel movement left 13 South African army troops dead. They were defending not only the person dubbed by many the resident tyrant, François Bozizé, but also Johannesburg businesses, including some with crucial links to leaders of the ruling African

National Congress (ANC).

With the hero of most South Africans, Nelson Mandela, near death, the degenerate state of the ANC is an enormous tragedy.

Zuma’s own family and close friends have gained countless crony-capitalist benefits from a patronage-obsessed state apparatus. Mentioning “Number One” [Zuma] reportedly gave his pals, the Gupta family, sufficient clout to use the Waterkloofairforce base for a wedding party’s jet landing from India last month, to society’s great shame.

The president’s notorious nephew Khulubuse Zuma recently wrecked a major Johannesburg mining house, Aurora, with vast collateral damage to thousands of workers and the natural environment. He thenshifted to the oil business in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where another 1,350 South African troops were recently deployed.

Their mission was to “babysit”, according to Defence Minister NosiviweMapisa-Nqakula last month - a description that belies

“

the danger should it eventually be revealed that their deployment was to run interference for corporate mining houses against the allegedly Rwandan-backed M23 guerrillas.

Since the DRC is within the Southern African Development Community, Zuma probably fe e ls th a t thi s m i n e ra l -ri ch terrain is Pretoria’s “backyard” - certainly moreso than it could be US, French or Belgian neocolonial territory. That means tensions will inexorably rise between the competing mineral extraction strategies of Western multinational mining houses and oil companies, Chinese state firms, Zuma’s crony-capitalists and the formerly Johannesburg-based corporates such as Anglo American - now financially headquartered in London - which have the most extraction experience.

Terrible conflagrations will probably continue in Central Africa; in the resource-cursed Great Lakes region a conservatively estimated five million people have died as a result of conflict and disease since the mid-1990s.

President Jacob Zuma’s government, like that of his predecessor Thabo Mbeki, has presented South Africa as the “gateway” to the continent.

Responding appropriately will require mobilisation of anti-war consciousness and activism in South Africa just as much as it will in other source-sites of African conflict, including within the US. Encouragingly, a small antiimperialist movement has emerged here, announcing three protests against Barack Obama - in Pretoria on Friday, Soweto on Saturday and Cape Town on Sunday - especially because of ongoing US meddling in the Middle East, what with Palestinians under the thumb of an Israeli occupation largely approved and subsidised by Washington.

Several other grievances were expressed by hundreds who marched to the US embassy in Pretoria, and hundreds more who objected to an honorary doctorate granted to Obama by the University of Johannesburg. Issues raised included the Cuban Five’s imprisonment in Miami and the US blockade of Cuba, the torture chamber of Guantanamo Bay, warmongering in Syria, AFRICOM, support for Israeli apartheid, the kangaroo court trial of Bradley Manning, email and phone call snooping, AIDS medicine cutbacks, Obama’s reported close ties with African dictators, Washington’s ongoing structural adjustment philosophy and the neoliberal “Africa Growth and Opportunity Act” conditions.

With both Obama and Zuma on the back foot, this is an ideal moment for a new solidarity movement to make its case.

Source: Aljazeera

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 32

International

Thousands storm Tahrir square, demand Mursi’s resignation

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi shout slogans on a banner with pictures of Muslim Brotherhood’s members during a protest in front of El-Thadiya presidential palace.

T

housands of people have converged on Tahrir Square, the focal point of the Egyptian revolution to demand the resignation of Egypt’s first democratically-elected leader, Mohamed Morsi.

The scene on Sunday was a far cry from a year ago today, when supporters packed the square to celebrate Morsi’s inauguration as Egypt’s first democratic president.

Now many are back to blame him for a stagnant economy, worsening security and an ongoing lack of basic services.

Demonstrators waved red cards and chanted “irhal” - “leave”, and promised to camp in the square until Morsi resigns.

“It’s the same politics as Mubarak but we are in a worse situation,” said Sameh al-Masri, one of the organisers on the main stage. “Poverty is increasing, inflation is increasing. It’s much worse than Mubarak.”

Uganda tanker fire kills 29 people

A

t least 29 people have been killed in the Ugandan capital after a car crashed into a fuel tanker, police say.

Many of those who died had rushed to the scene on a main road in Kampala to siphon off the fuel, they say.

Around 20 motorbikes were burnt - eyewitnesses say they were used to take people to collect the petrol.

Kampala is a key transit point for tankers taking fuel to landlocked Rwanda, Burundi and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

More than 20 people are said to be critically ill in hospital.

Many of the victims ran to a nearby papyrus swamp to try and douse the flames, reports say.

Several bodies were found in the water.

Morsi came to power last year following the revolution against dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Protesters directed their anger not just at Morsi but the ruling Muslim Brotherhood, which in two years has gone from a banned movement to the rulers.

“Mosques should be for religion, not for politics,” said Ahmed Sultan, a student.

The anti-Morsi protests have been organised by a grassroots campaign calling itself Tamarod, meaning “rebellion”or“insubordination”,which claims to have collected the signatures

of 22 millionEgyptians demanding the president leaves office.

The petition has no legal standing, but it has nonetheless tapped into widespread public anger towards Morsi. The president has made a number of controversial decisions since taking office, most notably a November decree which shielded his decisions from judicial review.

Egypt’s economy is in free-fall: The pound has dropped in value by nearly 20 percent since he took office, foreign investment has withered, and businessesareparalysedbywidespread fuel and electricity shortages.

“He’s borrowed money from everyone in the world,” said Said Ahmed, referring to $11 billion in loans Egypt has received from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to prop up the economy. “Who’s going to pay for that? Our children.”

Human rights abuses are widespread, rights groups say, with Morsi’s administration doing little to rein in the notorious security services.

“We gave him the confidence to ... correct what Mubarak had done to Egypt, but he didn’t. So we have the right to withdraw the confidence that the Egyptian people gave him,” said Eman el-Mahdy, a spokesperson for Tamarod.

Morsi’s supporters liken the calls for his resignation to a coup, arguing that the only way to remove him is through new elections. They carried signs at Friday’s rally insisting that the president’s “legitimacy is a red line”.

“If we are saying that we have a majority, and the opposition are saying that they have a majority, how can they decide?” asked Nader Omran,aspokesmanfortheFreedom and Justice Party - the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood.

“What is the other solution for this dilemma, except the ballot box?”

It remains to be seen if Tamarod’s campaign can sustain their momentum after Sunday.

Even if the protests draw large crowds, the calendar might work in Morsi’s favour: Brutally hot Cairo days could stifle protests, and the dawn-till-dusk Ramadan fast, which begins around July 8, will discourage public demonstrations.

Obama visits Mandela prison in Cape Town

U

S President Barack Obama has arrived at Robben Island where he will visit the cell where former South African President Nelson Mandela spent years as a political prisoner to pay homage to the critically ill anti-apartheid hero.

Sunday’s trip is part of the US leader’s three-nation Africa tour, which a day earlier saw him meet with South Africa President Jacob Zuma and members of Mandela’s family.

Obama will also build the keynote speech of his tour at the University of Cape Town around Mandela, and will cite his unifying legacy of a blueprint for a new generation in emerging Africa.

A visit to an AIDS clinic with Desmond Tutu, the retired Archbishop of Cape Town who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, is also on the agenda.

Elsewhere, the Reuters news agency reported that Sunday will see the announcement of a $7bn initiative over five years to double access to power in sub-Saharan Africa.

“We see this as the next phase in our development strategy and a real focal point in the president’s agenda going forward,” Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser, told reporters.

Speaking a day earlier in Pretoria, just a few miles away from the hospital

Obama inside the prison

where Mandela is being treated, Obama said:”For me to be able to bring my daughters there and teach them the history of that place [Robben Island] and this country ... that’s a great privilege and a great honour.”

Mandela’s illness has placed Obama in a tricky political spot, forcing him to balance his desire to push for a new economic relationship with Africa, with the need to properly honour his hero as the world braces for his passing.

On Saturday, Obama and his wife Michelle phoned Mandela’s wife GracaMachel.

“I expressed my hope that Madiba draws peace and comfort from the time that he is spending with loved

ones,” Obama said in a statement using the 94-year-old Mandela’s clan name.

Machel said she drew “strength from the support” from the Obama family.

The example of Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, drew Obama into politics for the first time in the 1970s, putting him on a path that would make his own piece of history as America’s first black president.

“The struggle here against apartheid, for freedom, Madiba’s moral courage, his country’s historic transition to a free and democratic nation, has been a personal inspiration to me,” Obama said.

Al-Shabab fighters killed in factional feud

S

omalia’s armed group al-Shabab has killed two of its own top commanders, one with a US bounty on his head, fighters belonging to the al-Qaeda-affiliated outfit said.

A third commander, Sheikh Hassan DahirAweys, was said to be arrested while fleeing the in-fighting and flown to the capital, Mogadishu, on Saturday.

Aweys, who is on the UN’s terrorism sanctions list, has apparently agreed to talks with the internationallybacked government.

“We have informed their widows of their deaths, as they must now wear the clothes of mourning,” al-Shabab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab told AFP news agency.

The pair killed are two cofounders of the al-Qaeda-linked group, including US-wanted Ibrahim Haji Jama Mead, better known by his nickname “AlAfghani” (the Afghan) due to his training and fighting there.

Washington offered a $5m bounty for Afghani, who opposed the command of top al-Shabab leader Ahmed AbdiGodane.

Godane, who the US have offered $7m for, earlier this month ordered the arrest of Afghani and at least a dozen other leaders, according to security sources.

Shabab gunmen also killed Abul Hamid HashiOlhayi, named as another senior commander and cofounder of the group.

The deaths show the splits in the long-running fighting to topple the internationally-backed government, but also signal Godane’s efforts to sweep away opposition to his command and cement his leadership.

Family members - including Afghani’s sister - said they were arrested and then executed, but the Shabab said they were killed during a gun battle.

Aweys, one of Al-Shabab’s most prominentcommanders,hasagreedto hold talks with the federal government about his fate, Somali officials said.

Aweys was brought to the city of AdadoafterhisarrestincentralSomalia.

His capture is a boost to Mogadishu in its battle against armed fighters.

“If he renounces violence, then we can start the discussion about the options available,” government spokesmanAbdirahmanOmarOsman told Reuters news agency, without describing the options.

Speakingbeforeboardingtheplane atAdado,thespokesmanfortheHiman and Heeb regional administration, Mohamed Omar Hagafey, said Aweys had agreed to meet top government officials “after much discussion” that had lasted several days.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

PAGE 33

International Asia & Kerry plans return to Middle Middle East East after visit yields no deal

S

ecretary of State John Kerry ended a shuttle diplomacy mission on Sunday without an agreement on resuming IsraeliPalestinian peace talks but said gaps had been narrowed and he would return to the region soon.

“I’m pleased to tell you that we have made real progress on this trip. And I believe that with a little more work, the start of final status negotiations could be within reach,” he told a news conference before his departure from Tel Aviv’s airport.

“We started out with very wide gaps and we have narrowed those considerably,” he said, without elaborating. “We are making progress.

That’s what’s important and that’s what will bring me back here.”

Over four busy days, Kerry met Israeli and Palestinian leaders repeatedly and separately to try to find a formula for reviving direct negotiations stalled since late 2010 in a dispute over Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Kerry said both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had asked him “to return to the area soon”. “(That is) a sign that they share my cautious optimism,”

he added.

Palestinian chief negotiator SaebErekat said there had been some progress, “but we can’t say there’s been a breakthrough”.

Erekat said he would hold further meetings with U.S. representatives to follow up on some issues raised during the Kerry visit, the secretary’s fifth since taking office.

Netanyahu has repeatedly called on Abbas to return to negotiations. But he has balked at Abbas’s demand that Israel first halt settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, areas it captured in a 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians want for a future state.

An Israeli official, who asked not to be identified, said Abbas was also

seeking the release by Israel of scores of long-serving Palestinian security prisoners as a goodwill gesture.

But Netanyahu believed the issue should be addressed only after talks resume, the official added.

“Israel is prepared to enter into negotiations without delay, without preconditions, and we are not placing any barriers on the resumption of final-status talks on a permanent peace agreement between the Palestinians and us,” Netanyahu told his cabinet after six hours of overnight talks with Kerry.

For new talks to be held, Abbas has said Netanyahu must also recognize the West Bank’s boundary before its capture by Israel as the basis for the border of a future Palestinian state.

Israel, seeking to keep major settlements under any peace accord, has rejected those terms, deeming them preconditions, and has said its security forces would not be able to defend the pre-1967 frontiers.

A U.S. State Department official said Kerry’s discussions with Netanyahu and advisers in a Jerusalem hotel suite ended shortly before 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Sunday.

reported that Hussain, who is based in London and has led the party since its foundation in 1978, withdrew his resignation after MQM workers gathered at the party’s headquarters in Karachi’s Azizabad area and called for him to reconsider.

Earlier, Hussain said British police Scotland Yard had raided his house in the UK in connection with the murder of politician Imran Farooq, and he felt he should step down on moral grounds.

Farooq, who was also a founding member of the MQM,

was stabbed to death outside his home in north London in 2010.

He had been living in London since 1992.

Farooq’s widow told Pakistan’s Geo News that she urged Hussain to take back his decision to voluntarily relinquish the party leadership.

Islamabad since Sharif took office in June after winning landmark elections in May, also met with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

Farhatullah Babar, a presidential

spokesman, said Zardari “emphasised that Pakistan all along has maintained a constructive approach and believes that dialogue and reconciliation was theonly war forward towardsensuring durable peace in Afghanistan”.

John Kerry

Pakistan’s MQM chief withdraws resignation

A

ltafHussain, founder and leader of Pakistan’s MuttahidaQaumi Movement (MQM), has taken back his decision to resign a few hours after he made the announcement, local news agencies said.

Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper

British PM discusses Afghan peace in Pakistan

H

elping to bring stability to Afghanistan would be in Pakistan’s interest, British Prime Minister David Cameron told his counterpart during a two-day visit in Islamabad.

“I profoundly believe that a stable, prosperous, peaceful, democratic Afghanistan is in Pakistan’s interest just as a strong, stable, peaceful, prosperous and democratic Pakistan is in Afghanistan’s interest,” Cameron said on Sunday. “And I know that you [Nawaz Sharif] and President Karzai will work together towards those ends.”

Cameron arrived in Pakistan for talks with newly-elected Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday, focusing on the Afghan peace process.

The British leader had come from Afghanistan, backing talks with the Taliban after his top general said the West missed a chance to strike a peace deal 10 years ago.

For his part, Sharif agreed, adding that the peace process should be “inclusive, Afghan-owned and Afghan-led.”

He also used the opportunity to “assure” Cameron “of our firm resolve to promote the shared objective of a

David Cameron (2nd Left).

peaceful and stable Afghanistan, to which the 3 million Afghan refugees currently living in Pakistan can return with honour and dignity,” Cameron, the first foreign government leader to visit

Russia to hold nuclear talks with North Korea

North Korea’s First Deputy Foreign Minister, Kim Kye-gwan

R

ussian officials in Moscow will meet North Korea’s chief nuclear negotiator next week in a bid to get Pyongyang to re-join protracted talks over ending its atomic programme, Russia’s state news agency reported.

Kim Kye-gwan, North Korea’s First Deputy Foreign Minister, would meet Russia’s deputy foreign ministers Vladimir Titov and Igor Morgulov on Thursday “as part of efforts to resume the six-party talks”, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The isolated Asian state recently warned that hostility by the United States could lead to war with South Korea at any moment, and vowed not to give up its nuclear power in the face of mounting UN and international sanctions following recent tests.

North Korea had also walked out of the discussions with South Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and its main ally China in 2009 in reaction to UN sanctions.

But in a flurry of statements and visits this month, North Korea has offered to hold talks with the United States to ease tensions.

During a trip to Beijing last week to discuss restarting the six-party talks with China, Kim Kye-gwan said the denuclearisation of the peninsula was the “dying wish” of North Korea’s founder.

The US government has said any talks must involve action by the North to show it is moving toward disarmament.

Washington has been sceptical of Pyongyang’s move towards dialogue in the past, saying it has repeatedly backtracked on deals.

The Obama administration kept up the pressure on North Korea this week by saying it was imposing sanctions on the country’s Daedong Credit Bank for its role in supporting what Washington calls “Pyongyang’s weapons of mass destruction programme”.

The UN Security Council has also imposed a variety of sanctions on North Korea for Pyongyang’s three nuclear tests and numerous missile launches, including an embargo on the import and export of nuclear and missile technology and a ban on all arms exports.

Russia is one of the few countries maintaining diplomatic relations with Pyongyang. The late leader Kim Jong-Il made a train trip to Siberia in 2011 shortly before his death, calling for a resumption of the talks “without preconditions”.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

International

Biden asks Ecuador to refuse Snowden asylum T

he United States has politely asked Ecuador to refuse whistleblower Edward Snowden’s application for asylum, its president Rafael Correa has said.

Correa said US vicepres i d e nt J oe B i d en m ade the request on Saturday in a “cordial” telephone conversation.

“He communicated a very courteous request from the United States that we reject the asylum request,” Correa said during his weekly television broadcast, praising Biden’s good manners in contrast to the “brats” of Congress who had threatened to cut trade benefits over the Snowden issue.

Biden initiated the phone call, Correa said, and added that he promised to respect Washington’s opinion in evaluating the request.

“When he [Snowden] arrives on Ecuadorean soil, if he arrives ... of course the first opinions we will seek are those of the United States,” Correa said.

It is the first high-level discussion between Ecuador and the US since Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor, leaked how the spying programme Prism trawled the details of millions of private conversations a day.

Snowden has since applied

C

Croatia set to become 28th European Union member

C

President Rafael Correa

for asylum in Ecuador.

The phone call came hours after Ecuador’s foreign minister, Ricardo Patino, called on the US to tell the world why it was spying on so many people.

“The United States should be giving a clear and thorough explanation to the citizens of the world regarding this issue,” Patino said.

“Instead the entire world is focused on what happens

to Edward Snowden and everyone is focused on whether or not the so-called fugitive is captured and that’s not the problem.”

The US has charged Snowden with espionage for leaking secret information.

The whistleblower, currently said to be in transit at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, is being assisted by the anti-secrecy organisation WikiLeaks to secure asylum

in Ecuador.

Ecuador, whose embassy in London has given WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange asylum as he fights extradition to Sweden where he is wanted on sex assault charges, said earlier this week it was still “analysing” the application.

Snowden has not been seen since he arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong on Sunday, but Russian officials said he is still in transit.

partners and the International Monetary Fund. This included a tax on large deposits and thorough banking reform, which will raise 13bn euros.

An early proposal to raise money through a levy on all Cypriot bank deposits including those below 100,000 euros - caused panic in financial markets and was quickly

withdrawn.

Cyprus’s rescue followed bailouts of Greece - twice - as well as Ireland, Portugal and Spain’s banks.

After the bond swap, due on Monday, S&P said its debt rating was expected to rise back to CCC+. That still means the country’s debt is considered speculative and “currently

vulnerable and dependent on favourable business, financial and economic conditions to meet financial commitments”.

But it added that the “government will still need to deal with” with 950m euros worth of short-term debt that is due soon.

That is the equivalent of 5% of the country’s whole economy.

were killed.

Violence has marred the election campaign, the first since President Enrique Pena Nieto came to power last December.

He has promised to review Mexico’s “war on drugs” policy.

More than 70,000 people are estimated to have died in drug-related violence under the presidency of Felipe Calderon between 2006 and

2012.

Saturday’s attack comes two days after the leader of the leftwing Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) in Oaxaca, Nicolas Estrada, was found dead with gunshot wounds.

On Friday, two candidates in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa dropped out of the race after a member of their coalition was killed.

Cyprus debt in default over bond swap

yprus’s debt ratings have been downgraded to “default” after it announced it would delay paying back 1bn euros ($1.3bn; £860m) of bonds.

Standard & Poor’s lowered the island’s credit ratings to “selective default” from CCC/C. Cyprus will swap government bonds maturing in 2013 through to the first quarter of 2016 with new debt that matures at between five and 10 years.

The EU country has to do the bond swap to meet the terms of its bailout.

S&P said on Friday that the “exchange materially changes the terms of the affected debt and constitutes what we consider a distressed exchange”.

“We view the extension of maturities without what we find to be adequate offsetting compensation as the exchange of new debt on less favourable terms to the existing debt.”

Earlier this year, Cyprus secured a loan package worth 10bn euros from its EU

Europe and Americas

Mexico candidate wounded in attack A

candidate in next week’s regional elections in Mexico has been c ritic ally in jured in a gu n attack in the south of the country.

Rosalia Palma, a candidate of the governing PRI party for the Oaxaca state assembly, was hit when her vehicle was fired on, officials said.

Her husband and an aide

roatiaisgearinguptobecomethe 28th member of the European Union, with celebrations planned in Zagreb.

The milestone will occur at midnight, capping an extraordinary journey for the republic from the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

But after years in the economic doldrums, correspondents say few Croatians are in the mood to party.

The country of 4.4m is also joining a bloc deeply troubled and divided over its existing economic problems.

There will be addresses by officials including President Ivo Josipovic and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso - though German Chancellor Angela Merkel has pulled out of attending, saying she is busy, and the leaders of the UK and France will also be absent.

The only other former Yugoslav republic to have joined the EU since the break-up of the federation into seven is Slovenia.

But with one in five unemployed and Croatia’s national debt officially classed as junk, many Croatians feel joining an economic bloc with its own profound troubles will do little to improve their prospects.

“Just look what’s happening in Greece and Spain! Is this where we’re headed?” asked pensioner PavaoBrkanovic in a Zagreb market.

“You need illusions to be joyful, but the illusions have long gone,” he told Reuters news agency.

Concerns about Croatian corruption and organised crime remain in some EU capitals, and Croatia will not yet join the single currency nor the visa-free Schengen zone.

But advocates of EU membership say despite this, their case remains a persuasive one.

Two-thirds of Croatians voted in favour of accession last year - and the governmentpointsoutitdoesn’thavea banking black hole like certain current EU members.

“It’s important for us primarily for the long term guarantees of political stability and then everything else - the single market too,” Croatia’s First Deputy Prime Minister, VesnaPusic, told the BBC. “But for us it’s also the political stability and actually maybe that might sound a little over the top, but the fact that there was no war since it was formed and we actually know that there is an alternative to that which we’ve seen in our lifetimes,” she said.

Croatia President, Ivo Josipovic

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Strange World Indonesian tribe believes chiselled teeth make women beautiful

I

f tattooed black gums are considered a thing of beauty in West Africa, it’s chiseled, pointy-sharp teeth that’s the ‘in thing’ for some Indonesian tribes. I do wonder though, why it’s always the women who have to subject themselves to bizarre beauty rituals.

Well, we may not be able to answer that question any time soon, but we can tell you about Indonesian tooth-filing, a beauty regimen that involves the sawing of teeth until they achieve a sharp, narrow and pointed shape.

Women in some Indonesian rural communities are considered extremely beautiful after they’ve undergone such a treatment.

Mantawaian is one such village, where the wife of the village chief, Pilongi, had to go through with it a couple of years ago. She had managed to avoid the ritual when she was a young teenager, but as the wife of a powerful man in the village, she had to oblige him by becoming more beautiful.

Located on a remote Sumatran

archipelago, the ideals of beauty for the Mantawaian people go far beyond the skin. According to a National Geographic documentary, they go through a number of rituals such as teeth chiseling in order to maintain a balance between the body and the soul. They believe that at the dawn of time, the Mantawaians had split into spirits and humans.

But the humans are always under the threat of re-joining the spirit world if their own souls aren’t kept happy or aren’t pleased with their bodies. So permanent decorations like tattoos are made on the body to make the souls happy, and to avoid death for as long as possible.

Tooth-filing is an extremely painful practice, which thanks to the progression of time has become optional for many young women. Pilongi had to go through with it however, because her husband needed a beautiful wife in keeping with his status in the village. “I asked her to do it and I assured (her)

Photo: Brommel

that she would be more beautiful afterwards,” said her husband.

Pilongi herself did not know what to expect. “But when they do it, I will just let them sharpen

my teeth,” she said. The toothfiling ceremony took place in the village communal house, and several villagers had gathered to witness it. Excited and nervous,

Pilongi made her way over there as well. “I am not worried about the pain. If I think about that, I won’t get more beauty.” The sawman sharpened his tools in preparation for the event – a sharp chisel causes less pain and gets the job done faster as well.

The surgery was performed without any anesthetics, as is the general practice. It was over rather quickly, and Pilongi was given a raw green banana to chew on and dull the pain.

She was visibly relieved and happy after the ritual was over.

“Now that my teeth are sharp, I look more beautiful for my husband,” she said. “So he won’t leave me.” Her husband, however, had a different story to tell. “Maybe when she is tired of me, she will get a new husband, now that she’s beautiful,” he joked. But what matters most to Pilongi and the other Mantawaians is that her soul is finally back in balance.

Now, if she could only avoid biting her tongue.

Taiwan’s carton restaurant, where everything except the food is made from cardboard older paper mills in Taiwan that dominated the market for craft and handmade paper, so he decided to give paper and cardboard packaging a try. This was also a very competitive sector, so he decided to focus on unique packaging items. ”Those who had been in the trade a long time said to me that they had seen more paper items than the number of grains of rice I had eaten,” Huang says.

“They told me paper products were only good for printing, drawing and wiping up messes.

I wanted to use paper in the same way as plastic or wood is used to create dimensional packaging, but to them it was pretty much a joke.” But while it took him longer to create his special kind of packaging than conventional ones, the ambitious entrepreneur made his customers happy and slowly built a reputation for his small business. With

Photo: Brian’s Taiwan

L

ocated inside the Carton King Creativity Park, in Taichung City, Taiwan, the Carton Restaurant is a unique eatery where everything from the furnishings, to the decorations and even the plates are made from corrugated cardboard.

Unless you’ve actually been to Taichung, I assure you haven’t seen anything like the Carton King Restaurant before. Except for the food, the waiters and some cutlery, everything inside this place is made from cardboard and paper. It seems almost impossible, but you actually sit

on cardboard chairs, sip drinks from cardboard cans, and eat your food out of cardboard bowls at a cardboard table.

The food is pretty average, according to the reviews I’ve read, a bit on the pricey side, but that’s to be expected considering the amazing venue it’s served in. What’s great about this place is the recycling potential. In case anything breaks or becomes damaged, it’s simply recycled. That was actually the point of the whole Carton King Creativity Park, to show the real power of paper and cardboard, and convince people it can be used for a lot

more than generic packaging.

The brain behind this amazing Taiwan attraction is Huang Fang-liang, founder and general manager of Chin Tang Paperware. After graduating from high school in Taichung County, he spent a few years working for paper and printing companies in around Taiwan to learn about industry. In 1984, he returned to his hometown of Taichung to set up his own workshop.

Huang knew a small startup would be no match for the large companies manufacturing commercial and industrial paper products or for the

Photo: Xinhua/Zhu Jiagen

his creative outside the box thinking, Huang Fang-liang became the go-to man in the packaging trade, and Chin Tang Paperware one of the most respected companies in Taiwan. In 2007 he built the Carton King Creativity Park just to show the world what could be done with underrated materials like cardboard and paper.

And just in case you’re afraid those carton chairs are to frail for your Rubensian physique, here’s what Xue Sheng-yi, deputy general manager of Chin Tang Paperware, has to say about that: ”People often wonder if the tables or chairs are going to fall apart. We bring out our chef, who weighs more than 100 kilograms, to sit on a chair. Then one of the waiters sits on his lap. After that, there aren’t any more questions about how strong they are.”

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Digest

Worrying about being stressed can make you ill

By Emma Innes

J

ust thinking about being stressed can make you seriously ill, a study has revealed.

The increased perception of stress almost doubles the risk of suffering a heart attack, researchers found.

It is the first time a link has been discovered between heart disease and people’s own view on how stress is affecting their health.

The research suggests doctors should take a patients’ perspective into account when managing stress-related complaints.

It could also mean that helping patients to unwind can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The study followed more than 7,000 civil servants over a period of up to 18 years.

Participants, who had an average age of 49.5, were asked to what extent they felt day-to-day stress had affected their health.

They were also asked about lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, and exercise, and their medical background was taken into account.

NHS records were monitored to see how many fatal or non-fatal heart attacks occurred.

Participants who felt stress was harming their health ‘a lot or extremely’ – 8 per cent of the group – were found to have double the risk of a heart attack compared with those who said it had no significant effects.

After taking account of other factors that could have affected

The researchers are urging doctors to consider their patients’ subjective perceptions and to take them into account when managing stress-related complaints

Experiencing stress can increase the likelihood of a heart attack by almost 50 per cent

the result, the team still found a 49 per cent greater risk if a person worried about stress.

Lead author Dr Hermann Nabi, from the Inserm medical research institute in Villejuif, France, said: ‘We found that the association we observed between an individual’s perception of the impact of stress on their health and their risk of a heart attack was independent of biological factors, unhealthy behaviours and other psychological factors.

‘One of the important messages from our findings is that people’s perceptions about the impact of stress on their health are likely to be correct.’

Dr Nabi added: ‘This current analysis allows us to take account of individual differences in response to stress.

‘Our findings show that responses to stress or abilities to cope with stress differ greatly between individuals, depending on the resources available to them, such as social support, social activities and previous experiences of stress.’

The report, published in the European Heart Journal, concluded: ‘Although, stress, anxiety, and worry are thought to have increased in recent years, we found only participants who reported stress to have affected their health “a lot or extremely” had an increased risk of coronary heart disease.

‘In the future, randomised controlled trials are needed to determine whether disease risk can be reduced by increasing clinical attention to those who

complain that stress greatly affects their health.’

Thembi Nkala, of the British Heart Foundation which partfunded the study, said: ‘The effect of stress on your body and heart is an extremely complex issue and it’s something we don’t yet fully understand.

‘These findings raise the possibility that the mere perception of stress can impact on heart health – but they also leave more questions than answers.

‘We’ll need more research to unpick this complicated relationship further but in the meantime it’s vital everyone finds ways to unwind and decrease their daily stress levels.

‘Stress can make you smoke, eat and drink alcohol excessively so a healthy lifestyle, relaxation techniques and physical activity can be helpful.’

Dr Tim Chico, honorary consultant cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, argued that the link between stress and heart disease was not yet proven.

‘Stress isn’t the major cause of heart disease if it happens so often in non-stressed people and only a little more in very stressed people,’ he said.

‘I must confess to feeling stressed myself some of the time, but this research doesn’t make me worry that I’m increasing my risk of heart disease.

‘But it’s a good reminder that measures that reduce the risk of heart disease, such as exercise and a healthy lifestyle, also reduce stress.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Eating contaminated honey can cause heart disorder

E

ating honey made from the pollen of rhododendrons can trigger heart arrhythmias, warn experts.

Cardiologists told a European meeting about an unusual case of what is called “mad honey poisoning” in two patients they had treated.

The father and son from Turkey developed heart-related symptoms after eating honey from the Black Sea region.

Although very rare, experts say people should be aware of this possible risk.

‘Mad honey poisoning’ Mad honey poisoning occurs after people consume honey contaminated with grayanotoxin, a chemical contained in nectar from the species Rhododendron ponticum and luteum.

Grayanotoxin interferes with chemical messages in the body - in this case, the heart.

Both father and son were admitted to the Izmir emergency department at the same time with symptoms of vomiting and dizziness.

Heart traces known as ECGs revealed they had potentially dangerous heart rhythm disturbances.

The men made a full recovery and were discharged from hospital after a few days.

Dr Ugur Turk, who treated them, said wide distribution of honey around the world meant that physicians anywhere could potentially be faced with honey poisoning - although it was rare.

He said anyone buying honey from Turkey - and particularly the Black Sea area where bees feed on rhododendrons - might want to first consume a small amount and leave it a few days before eating any more to check that they do not experience

strange side effects.

There are more common causes of arrhythmia, such as stress, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol and certain medications, including some diet pills and cough and cold medicines.

Not all arrhythmias are dangerous but if you think you have one , you s hould ge t it checked by a doctor.

Symptoms include palpitations or awareness of your heartbeat, tiredness, dizziness and fainting.

Doctors attending the European Society of Cardiology meeting heard how people who drink too much cola risk arrhythmias.

One case described was that of a 31-year-old woman from Monaco who, since the age of 15, had stopped drinking water and drunk only cola.

Source: BBCNews.com

Honey made from the pollen of rhododenrons can contain a chemical called grayanotoxin

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Gianluigi Buffon, (c), being mobbed by teammates after he saved three Uruguay penalties to partially banish Italy’s Fortaleza shootout nightmare and earn them third place.

Pillars to lose two to Ajax Cape Town

N

igeria Professional Football League (NPFL) defending champions, Kano Pillars, are close to losing two of their reliable defenders, Kenneth Ehis and Ikechukwu Gabriel to Ajax Cape Town of South Africa.

The players, who have been instrumental to the excellent performance of Pillars, have finalised arrangements to travel to South Africa on trials with Ajax Cape Town.

According to Goal, all arrangements for the trip had not only been concluded but is said to have the consent of the officials of the kano team.

It was learnt that the duo are likely to be signed-on by the South African team who are seeking to tighten their defence as they prepare for the Castle league shield.

A source close to the two players revealed that they are ready to show the stuff they are made of when they start the trials this week.

“Scouts from the club in South Africa saw them play and made contact with Kano Pillars.

And everything is falling into place for the players to travel to South Africa,” said the source.

“It is going to be a good platform for the players to show that we have a good league in Nigeria.

I am sure they will finally be given contracts after they impress officials of Ajax Cape Town.”

FIVB U-20: Nigeria finish last in championship

N

igeria yesterday placed last at the FIVB Women’s U20 Championship in Brno, the Czech Republic after a 0-3 loss to Thailand in their final classification round match.

The Nigerian under-20 women volleyball side lost 16-25, 9-25, 11-25 at the Vodova Sports Hall on the final day of the June 21-June 30 competition held among 20 teams.

The loss made it their seventh loss in seven matches at the world championship, after four losses in the first round’s Pool D and three losses in the classification round.

The Asians were dominant

from start to finish in the game, booking their second win in the 17-20 classification round.

The Nigerian players fought back gamely, but could not deal with the power game and experience of the Thais and lost their seventh straight match.

Team captain Kuttika Kaewpin led Thailand with 15 points, including 13 in attack, while teammate Kaewkalaya Kamulthala chipped in with 12 points.

As usual, team captain Mercy Promise scored eight points for Nigeria, who committed 18 errors to Thailand’s 14.

Thus, Thailand finished 18th on the rank while Nigeria end-

ed their Women’s U20 World Championship campaign in 20th place.

In the end, Nigeria’s coach Sergey Ovechkin admitted his team made many mistakes again, and blamed it on psychological problems. ``My team again made many mistakes today (Sunday), but it is a psychological issue for the players. We did not have constant serve and reception, which are basics for volleyball,’’ he said.

On her part, Promise said the loss was another learning curve for the team in spite of their final positioning. ``We lost the match and fin-

ished last, but we learned a lot during the tournament. It means a lot for us as we were playing for the first time at such a tournament,’’ she said.

Nigeria had earlier lost 0-3 to each of Turkey, Egypt and Italy and 2-3 to Algeria in the first round Pool D. After finishing last in the pool, they were condemned to the classification round where they played three matches in a round-robin battle for positions 17 to 20 at the championship.

They, however, lost 0-3 to each of Puerto Rico, the U.S and Thailand to finish in 20th place.

NSC, NFF, Keshi mourn Super Eagles midfielder, Oliha

T

he Minister of Sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi, yesterday condoled with the family of former Super Eagles midfielder, Thompson Oliha, who died yesterday in Ilorin Abdullahi in a statement signed by Julius Ogunro, the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media, described Oliha as a ``dedicated and thoroughbred professional’’. ``He always put the nation first and he was a member of the golden generation of Nigerian football history. He was a true patriot, motivated by the desire to don the Nigerian jersey than by

pecuniary interests. ``He would be deeply missed by the sporting community in Nigeria and the world at large,’’ the statement said.

In a related development, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has described Oliha death as ``shocking’’.

Musa Amadu, the General Secretary of the NFF, said the player’s sudden demise on Sunday was a tragedy of `huge’ proportions. ``Oliha was one of the best midfielders to have played for Nigeria. His comments and analyses on Nigeria football over the years have been quite informed and useful. The Nigeria Football

Federation and the entire Nigeria football family mourn Oliha’s sudden death. ``Now, we have lost another member of the Golden Generation, after the deaths of Uche Okafor and Rashidi Yekini,” Amadu said.

Also Keshi expressed shock over the death of his former teammate and member of the Eagles squad that won the 1994 Nations Cup in Tunisia.

“I call him ‘The General’ in our playing days because he was simply fantastic and very dedicated, very versatile too. I know we’ll all go some day but I think we lost Oliha too early and I pray God will

grant his soul eternal rest and his family the fortitude to bear the loss,” said Keshi.

Late Oliha, the coach of Kwara Football Academy, died in a private hospital in Ilorin on Sunday.

The late former Super Eagles midfielder played for Iwuanyanwu Nationale FC and Bendel Insurance FC and Africa Sports of Cote d’Ivoire, in his playing days.

He also played for Ironi Ashdod FC in Israel and later Antalyaspor FC in Turkey.

The late footballer first played for the senior national team in a 1988 Olympic Games qualifying match against Algeria in Annaba in January 1988.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Sports

Niger govt offers Triple jump on automatic employment progressive path, to 2012 festival medallists says coach

T

he Niger State Government has offered employment to its athletes who won medals at the 12th National Sports Festival (NSF) held in Lagos in 2012.

Daniel Shashere, the Commissioner for Sports Development, disclosed this during a reception in honour of the athletes and officials held on Saturday in Minna.

Shashere, who did not disclose the number of the athletes offered employment, said that the athletes were given automatic employment in the state civil service. ``The state government also rewarded the sports men and women, including officials, with over N13 million for their contributions to sports development in the state. ``Gold medallists were rewarded with N350,000 each, silver medallists N250,000 each and N150,000 for each bronze medallists. ``Every coach and other officials got between N100, 000 and

N150,000 each, while athletes who did not win medals at the festival received N10, 000 each,’’ he said.

According to him, the state government will continue to reward excellence in the field of sports, in order to develop its potential in grassroots sports. ``I want you to also know that you are not just rendering service to the state through sports excellence; you are equally helping yourselves to grow and develop your potential. ``This is because what you have won will go a long way in enhancing your fortunes. ``Sports have gone beyond mere play and exercise, but also as a means for economic emancipation. ``I urge you to put more effort personally and ensure that you win more medals at the 19th edition of the festival next year in Calabar,’’ he added.

Shashere assured that government would continue to support

all the existing sports associations.

According to him, it is the only genuine means of getting the youth engaged and making them more useful to their immediate society.

S

ule Oladimeji, a triple jump coach, said yesterday that the sport was on the progressive path because several talented triple jump athletes were being discovered after the 2012 London Olympics Oladimeji said in Lagos that most of the newly-discovered athletes featured at the recently-concluded 67th All Nigeria Track and Field Championship in Calabar. ``The sport has been on a progressive path since the London 2012 Olympics, in terms of talent discovery. Young and promising talents have been discovered since the London Games, in spite of the challenges faced in the sport. ``This is because priority was given in identifying talents from the junior cadre, which has now made it possible to discover more young talents. In fact, we had to go back to the basics in order to achieve that,” he said.

He said that although the main focus was to discover young and promising talents in the sport, it does not mean that elite jumpers were ignored. ``We are still managing the experienced and elite jumpers with us because they are still vital to our medals hopes at the forthcoming Commonwealth and the Olympics Games,” he said.

Oladimeji expressed optimism that with an enabling training environment and other logistics now in place, the country could boast of good triple jumpers soon.

Gov. Babangida Aliyu

James Toney's light still shining at 45yrs A t 45 years of age, James Toney is not only still fighting, but winning as well.

This was evident at the weekend when he fought his 86th professional bout in Ignacio, Colorado, USA. Toney, who held “world” title in several divisions, beat Kenny Lemos on points – 7775 on two cards and 79-73 – to take his record to 75-8, with three draws and 45 victories inside the distance. Lemos came into the fight at 132 kg.

Toney won titles at middleweight, supermiddleweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight and once stopped Evander Holyfield in the ninth round. He also drew with Hasim Rahman, who was then the WBC heavyweight champion.

Nicknamed “Lights Out”, he has been a professional since about 1989 and became known for his excellent defence.

But in Kissimmee, Florida, another veteran failed to turn back the clock. Cosme Rivera (35-17-3; 24) did not come out at the bell for the seventh round of his junior welterweight fight against Vicente Mosquera, who improved to 33-2-1; 18. Mosquera is at No 5 on the WBA list.

Super-bantamweight Christopher Martin improved to 27-2-3, including 9 knockouts, when he stopped Raul Hidalgo (20-9; 16) in the fifth round of a bout scheduled for eight in Ontario, California.

In Jacksonville, Florida, former WBC junior middleweight champion Sergio Mora moved to 24-3-2, including 7 knockouts, when he beat Grzegorz Proska (29-4; 21) on points over ten rounds. The scores were 9694 on two cards and 98-92.

Middleweight Patrick Teixeira remained undefeated at 20-0; 17 when he beat Marcus Willis (13-3-2; 3) by 98-92, 96-94 and 97-93.

Cuban Olympic bronze medallist Yordenis Ugas improved to 14-1; 7 when he stopped Adan Hernandez (15-8; 6) in 40 seconds of what was scheduled as a ten-round welterweight bout in Essington, Pennsylvania.

And in Thackerville, Oklahoma, super-

featherweight Daniel Diaz won on a split decision (96-92 twice against 93-95) over ten rounds against Roberto Marriquin. Diaz improved to 20-5-1; 15 and Marroquin dropped to 23-3; 16.

Welterweight Brad Solomon (20-0; 8) knocked out Henry Auraad (14-8-1; 11) in the fifth round.

In Liverpool, Frankie Gavin beat Denton Vassell in a clash of unbeaten welterweights.

The fight ended in the seventh round when Vassell was unable to continue after suffering a broken jaw.

The technical knockout moved Gavin, the British champion, to 16-0, with 12 wins inside the distance. Vassell, the Commonwealth champion, has dropped to 20-1; 10.

Commonwealth super-flyweight champion Paul Butler (12-0; 7) knocked out Najah Ali (5-4-1; 1) in the fourth round.

In Bolton, Anthony Crolla improved to 26-4-1; 9 when he beat Gavin Rees (37-31; 18) on a majority decision over twelve rounds to win the vacant WBO intercontinental lightweight title. The scores were 115113, 116-113 and 115-115.

In a rematch, super-middleweight Paul Smith (33-3; 19) stopped Tony Dodson (298-1; 14) in the sixth round to reclaim the vacant British title. Dodson, who also took a count in the third round, was beaten 2 minutes 31 seconds into the sixth.

Scott Quigg, the WBA interim super-bantamweight champion, then improved to 260-1; 19 when he knocked out William Prado (21-4-1; 14) in third round. And junior middleweight Brian Rose (24-1-1; 7) outpointed Alexey Ribchev (14-7-1; 6) over ten rounds.

In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Charles Manyuchi stopped African Boxing Union welterweight champion Patrice Sou Toke in the fifth round.

Alexis Kabore, the ABU super-bantamweight champion, retained his title on a split decision against Prosper Ankrah. The scores were 115-113 and 115-111 for Kabore and 115James ‘Light out’ Toney, stilling exploding at 45 years 113 for Ankrah.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Sports

Del Bosque: Winning Confederations Cup a significant symbolic feat In person, Vicente del Bosque emits a sense of wisdom and calm, two qualities that could also be used to describe the Spain side he has coached with such aplomb since summer 2008.

A victor at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ and UEFA EURO 2012 in his time at the helm so far, under Del Bosque La Roja have also won almost universal acclaim thanks to their characteristic style of play – which has come to be seen as an example to follow by lovers of the beautiful game across the globe.

Just hours ahead of taking on host nation Brazil in the Estadio do Maracana in the final of this year’s FIFA Confederations Cup, a trophy that eluded him and La Selección at South Africa 2009, the FIFA World Coach of the Year for 2012 made time for an exclusive interview with FIFA. com.

L

ooking at the way the game went rather than the final result, what positives and negatives can you draw from the semi-final against Italy?

We had to go through some very difficult moments. Italy caused us more problems than any other team, above all thanks to their strengths but also due to the odd flaw of ours.

For instance, we were much too open, which was an error that we’d foreseen but were unable to rectify until the second half.

What’s more, we didn’t control the play: normally we have 60 or 70 per cent of possession but the other day it was more even.

It was a surprise to hear that you did not have a pre-written list of penalty takers for the shoot-out.

It’s not a big deal. We’ve got quite a few players who are capable of taking penalties and the order wasn’t important. The same thing happens when there are penalties to be taken during games. Whoever’s feeling most confident out of the three or four main takers should step up.

Even so, it does give an insight into the way you and your coaching staff work.

How would you describe the process?

A coach can’t be lost in his own thoughts the whole time, but nor can he be leaping off the bench and thinking he’s going to fix everything himself.

Eight eyes see more than two and my colleagues always help me get a better perspective on things. Working on your own, you sometimes can’t see where your team’s going wrong.

In that tactical context,

it was also interesting to see Javi Martinez, normally a defensive midfielder, brought on up front. Is that a ploy you’ve worked on

before or was it purely to do with your reading of the game?

It wasn’t something we’d planned, it was a reaction to what was going on out on the pitch.

The match needed someone with vitality, strength and continuous graft in an area of the field where Xavi and [Andres] Iniesta had already put in a huge amount of work.

But we also needed someone capable of making space for themselves and who was good in the air. There were several things needed and Javi Martinez was able to give us them all.

Do you feel like Spain are being put to the test more and more?

We’ve got a burden of responsibility which is the result of everything we’ve achieved. Before we were just contenders and now we’re the reigning champions, so it’s to be expected that people know more about us and we’re less able to spring a surprise. It’s not easy finding new ways to surprise teams, so everything we do we have to do really well.

One of the team’s strong

Coach Vicente del Bosque

points remains the backline, despite having a relatively new central-defensive pairing. Do you think Spain get enough credit for that?

We’re not a team that can be tagged as ‘defensive’, nobody could use that to sum us up. It’s clear that there’s a relationship between the amount of time we have the ball and how that impacts on which team has the initiative.

This isn’t a team that needs to spend much time looking over its shoulder, and a large chunk of the credit for that must go to [Sergio] Busquets and Xavi, who give us balance.

Before we ask you what you make of Brazil, it was interesting to see your comment about how excited your players are about the whole package of the final, the Maracana and taking on the hosts…

They’re all still young guys with hopes and dreams, and it’d be a bad day if they stopped having them.

While a lot of people dream about things that are unachievable, these lads have managed to make several dreams come true,

“ Javi Martinez

Gerard Pique

We’re the reigning champions, so it’s to be expected that people know more about us and we’re less able to spring a surprise.

It’s not easy finding new ways to surprise teams, so everything we do we have to do really well

so it’s nice to know this game’s given them something new to strive for. Without emotion and excitement, you can’t do anything.

So, now can you tell us what you make of this Brazil side?

They’re not a team that are easy to dominate. All their wide players have good control and get into goalscoring positions, while their central core gives them balance – both their centre-backs and their holding midfielders.

They’re a young, complete and very vibrant team. It’ll be important to make sure that they don’t overwhelm us early on.

Are you surprised by how much Luiz Felipe Scolari has achieved in just six months?

Scolari has a great knowledge of Brazilian football and he’s gone searching for the essence of that, but with the same level of organisation as a European team. They don’t have star names but they’ve got a lot about them, and he’s built them into a team in every sense of the word. This has been a big test for them and they’ve achieved their objective of reaching the final.

Is there a favourite in the final?

I’m stating the obvious, but what’s happened in the past doesn’t count in a game like this.

In terms of titles, they are the ‘fathers’ of football and we’re still getting started, but the game will still begin 0-0.

How much would this title mean to this generation of Spain players?

Beating Brazil in their own backyard would represent a significant symbolic feat. We’ve been given a lot of recognition for what we’ve achieved so far, but recognition goes hand-in-hand with keeping on winning. We’re hoping to live up to the responsibility.

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

Sports

Okani upbeat ahead of clash with Uruguay

G

oalkeeper Samuel Okani has declared that Nigeria are capable of beating Uruguay in tomorrow’s last 16 final and go all the way to win the U20 World Cup in Turkey.

The Enyimba goalkeeper was excited to have kept a clean sheet against Korea Republic in a last group match on Thursday and hopes for a repeat performance against the South American team tomorrow.

“We could be contenders for the trophy. I’m really happy we’ve made the next round, and I kept a second clean sheet in a row,” said Okani.

He appeared bewildered by the attention focused on him, remaining true to his innate modesty and even appearing a little timid. He had no reason to be, because although he is the shortest goalkeeper at the tournament, he has laid down impressive credentials so far.

“I’ve always played in goal, and right from the start I only ever wanted to play between the sticks, even as a little boy,” he said.

He is motivated by the desire to emulate his biggest idol. “I’m amazed by Iker Casillas,” he freely admitted.

Obuh regards Okani as one of the cornerstones of his team, the kind of player he rates as irreplaceable.

“Chukwunenye is a terrific lad and he was top class again today.

My players look up to him. What makes him special is his extraordinary leaping ability, and his skill and composure with the ball at his Samuel Okani, Flying Eagles goalkeeper who has been terrific between the sticks for the team in Turkey feet,” he coach said.

NBBF opens ‘Afrobasket women 2013’ camp opens

F

ollowing the endorsement of the proposal for an open a trial camp to select home-based players for the national women’s team by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), the camp formally began yesterday in Lagos.

Already, the 15 players, who were noticed at the recently concluded 2013 Zenith Bank Women League, began the camp and would be screened for a week, according to the head of media of the basketball federation. ``The trials will take place at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium in Lagos from June 30 to July 6,’’ it said.

A team that would represent Nigeria at the ``Afrobasket Women 2013’’ to be held in Maputo, Mozambique from Sept. 20 to Sept. 29, is to be selected from the bunch.

The Nigerian team is drawn in Group B with Angola, Mali, Cameroon, Kenya and Cape Verde.

The shortlisted players are from seven Zenith Bank League clubs, namely First Deepwater, Dolphins, First Bank, Sunshine Angels, FCT Angels, Plateau Rocks and Nigeria Customs, according to the statement.

It further said national women team head coach Scott Nnaji would run the camp with the assistance of coaches Lateef Erinfolami, Aderemi Adewunmi and Emmanue Odah. ``At the end of the exercise, the players who will join the foreign-based players to be invited will be selected. We will then have a closed camp for this team of home based and foreign based players in Abuja later in July,’’ the statement added. ``The short-listed players are from seven league teams: First Deep water, Dolphins, First Bank, Sunshine Angels, FCT Angels, Plateau Rocks and Nigeria Customs. ``The camp will be run by the Head Coach, Scott Nnaji, who would be assisted by Lateef Erinfolami, Aderemi Adewunmi and Emmanuel Odah,’’ the statement read.

The invited players are: Nkechi Akashili, Magdalene Ukato, Amaka Nwakamma, Atosu Upe, Grace Okonkwo, Evelyn Akhator, Nkem Akarawe and Nkoyo George.

The others are: Theresa Samuel, Lillian Okwadi, Nana Sule, Regina Lornumbe, Lina Ubol Dong, Funmi Ojelabi and Chioma Udeaja.

Handball tourney: Safety Shooters retain trophy

T

he Federal Roads Safety Commission male handball team, Safety Shooters, on Friday won the FCT Handball Challenge Cup back-to-back, after beating Civil Riders, 20-17 to retain the trophy.

The tournament, which took place in Abuja, had six male teams and three female teams participating, Earlier, Edo Dynamous defeated Prison Keyboys, 27-35 to take the third place and in the female category, Safety Babes beat Civil Babes, 24-17 to remain the champions.

Awards were given to the best male player, Osawonye Olaiye and Nnema Peters, the best female player.

The best behaved male team award went to Idah Pillars, while Kada Babes got the award for the female team.

Coach Aminu Mohammed of Safety Shooters said he was happy that his team retained the trophy.

Mohammed said his team would work hard to triumph when the team represents the country in Morocco later in the year.

Ex-Eagles, Thompson Oliha, is dead

F

ormer Nigeria Super Eagles’ mid fielder, Thompson Oliha died in the early hours of yesterday in Ilorin, the kwara state capital.

The midfield maestro, who was among the 1994 victorious Super Eagles’ squad that won the Nations cup in Tunisia, died at exact 4.05 am on Sunday after he slumped in the toilet.

He was subsequently brought to Yusjib Industrial Medicare Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State, but by then he had already given up the ghost.

Confirming his death in Ilorin, Doctor Yusuf Addulraheem revealed that Oliha was brought to the hospital at the time when there was nothing he could do to resuscitate him.

“I feel so sad to confirm to you that Thompson Oliha is dead and by the time his wife brought him here, he body was completely lifeless.

“His wife Irish Oliha told me that he slumped in the toilet before rushing him to hospital and there was nothing we could do to save him,” Addulraheem told a wire service.

Thompson Oliha was born

on October 4 1968 in Benin City and he is a retired Nigerian professional football star who played for clubs in Africa and Europe during an injury shortened career.

Until his death, Oliha was the head coach of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA) in Ilorin, Kwara State.

He was even in charge of KFA’s 3-0 friendly win over a team who came from Mali on Saturday evening at the Academy premises.

Oliha

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

T

Some Interesting Facts

he ‘v’ in the name of a court case does not stand for ‘versus’, but for ‘and’ (in civil proceedings] or ‘against’ (in criminal proceedings] Men’s shirts have the buttons on the right, but women’s shirts have the buttons on the left The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it’s already been digested by a bee Roosters cannot crow if they cannot extend their necks The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart The verb “cleave” is the only English word with two synonymswhich are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red When Hippos are upset, their sweat turns red The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903, and used a tomato can for a carburetor The lion that roars in the MGM logo is named Volney Google is actually the common name for a number with a

Leisure million zeros Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying jagof Flapan, instead of flag of Japan It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it The attachment of the human skin to muscles is what causes dimples There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting Human hair and fingernails continue to grow after death It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body

The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets Most soccer players run 7 miles in a game The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the air Every day 200 million couples make love, 400,000 babies are born, and 140,000 people die In most watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch (and make it look like it is smiling.)

Colgate faced big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanishspeaking countries.

Colgate translates into the command “go hang yourself.”

The only 2 animals that can see behind it without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The average person laughs 13 times a day Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys?

They are: Mizaru(See no evil), Mikazaru(Hear no evil), and Mazaru(Speak no evil) Women blink nearly twice as much as men German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dog Large kangaroos cover more than 30 feet with each jump.

Say what?

SUDODKU

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A 25ft-high tidal wave of rubbish: The Philippines financial capital banned disposable plastic shopping bags and styrofoam food containers as part of escalating efforts across the nation’s capital to curb rubbish that exacerbates deadly flooding.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdailyng.com

MONDAY, JULY 1, 2013

SPORTS LATEST

Confederations Cup: Buffon stars as Italy win bronze

G

ianluigi Buffon saved three Uruguay penalties to partially banish Italy’s Fortaleza shootout nightmare and earn them third place.

An entertaining game had finished level after extra time, with two brilliant free-kicks the highlight of the 120 minutes.

Edinson Cavani twice equalised for La Celeste in normal time after first Davide Astori and then Alessandro Diamanti had put Cesare Prandelli’s men ahead.

The teams began fairly tentatively, with both registering only speculative efforts in the opening stages. Giorgio Chiellini flicked a header wide after a fine Alessandro Diamanti delivery and Diego Forlan drilled a low freekick at Gianluigi Buffon.

The deadlock was broken before the half-hour mark with a slightly fortuitous goal for Italy.

Diamanti whipped in a left-footed delivery and the ball hit the post before bouncing off the unsighted Muslera.

It dropped perfectly for Astori to tap home on the line to score on his FIFA Confederations Cup debut.

Cavani then headed home after a whipped free-kick, but he was denied by the offside flag. Luis Suarez and Maximiliano Pereira saw efforts saved by Buffon, but Uruguay could not draw level before the interval.

Buffon then pulled off a magnificent double save to deny Forlan, before Italy regained the lead following another Diamanti set-piece.

Italy’s No23 was felled by Walter Gargano and the winger curled a wonderful left-footed effort beyond Muslera.

Within five minutes, Cavani had an opportunity to match Diamanti’s strike, and he did so with aplomb. From around 30 yards out he curled a fantastic dead ball beyond Buffon, who got a touch to the free-kick but could not keep it out.

The teams seemed tired after an energy-sapping and entertaining 90 minutes, and extra time offered little in the way of clear opportunities. The tournament had its second shootout in two games.

ADVERT: 0803 BUSINESS: 0805 NEWS: 0814 LAGOS: 0805 0803

. . . putting the people first

QUOTABLE QUOTE Suddenly they are talking of gay rights. We must stand by our own customs and traditions. If they want gay rights, fine, but we must follow our own Constitution — Mr. Olugbenga Ashiru, Minister of Foreign Affairs, reacting to the West’s condemnation of Nigeria for lifting death penalty moratorium

Do Nigerians still read?

I

have heard it said countless number of times that Nigerians don’t read.

I have always wondered where this assertion comes from and sought to gather sufficient evidence to either confute or confirm it. Whilst the jury is still out on this assertion, one indisputable fact is that, Nigerians have indeed, lost the reading culture. The sad thing is that it was never like this. Growing up, even in my little world as a student in Ilesa in the 70s, we had our own book club. We boys were into exchanging James Hadley Chase books and the girls went for Mills and Boon (M&B). We all could describe the streets of New York as though it was real in our imagination. We had a few African writers on our list, Elechi Amadi’s The Concubine; Chinua Achebe’s A man of the People; No Longer at Ease and the globally acclaimed Things Fall Apart, Ayi Kwei Amah’s The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born, Wole Soyinka’s Ake: the years of childhood and Francis Imbuga’s Betrayal in The City. With eight of us in my unofficial book club, each member buys a book every other month and one is then able to read eight books ravenously within that period.

How times have changed! Our warped education system and twisted values have put paid to such creative ways of developing our youths’ cognitive abilities and generally building social capital.

There is a pull-push relationship between reading and writing.

The culture of reading creates the hunger for knowledge – especially historical knowledge which in turn acts as the engine on which creative writing runs. The effect of this lack of demand for books is the lack of motivation by Nigerian writers and publishers. No wonder Georg Hegel (1830-31 Lectures) concluded that “Africa has no history, and that the history of Africa is the history of Europeans living in Africa”. Whilst Hegel is guilty of both cultural

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GUEST COLUMNIST Akin Olukiran olukiran@yahoo.co.uk

Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai myopism and benightedness, we Nigerians - especially Nigerians of today are guilty of a greater crime of unchecked intellectual languorousness of unpardonable proportion.

Ever wondered why pictorial magazines such as Ovation do so well in Nigeria?

This is no doubt a symptom of our laziness when it comes to reading and our government’s sickening indifference to the glaring disconnect between our flawed education system and literacy drive within the country (this is a subject for another day). I also wonder why we have to have television sets in most government offices and even if we must have them, am I the only one that find it rather odd that they are mostly permanently on African Magic channel showing one Nollywood film or another.

The Association of Nigerian Writers has a role to play in stimulating the reading culture amongst Nigerian youths. They would do well to

go into partnership with some national dailies to support and promote innovative and stimulating schemes such as that spearheaded by the ‘Tunde and ‘Yetunde Olojo Charitable Foundation, promoting and sponsoring inter-school quiz and debate competitions to boost interest in reading for general knowledge amongst the youths of the participating schools. The efforts of writers like Lola Shoneyin who started Ake Book Festival and reading in schools should be lauded and supported. It is also encouraging to see the wife of the Kwara State governor, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed launch the Leah Charity Foundation with a focus on inculcating the reading culture in every child in the state. We need more of these noble selfless initiatives!

Most of our newspaper journalistic outputs are so egregious that one questions the claims of many a journalist’s qualification. To many people’s frustration, newspaper editors and reporters are happy to just publish whatever is written and presented to them unedited, no matter their prolixity. They cannot be bothered to even read the whole document, let alone edit it. Most actually prefer press statements or written interviews to oral interviews just to avoid having to write. No wonder most news stories are paid news and articles. It is sad! The whole climate has engendered a discouraging atmosphere of creative asphyxiation for our writers (particularly the budding ones) who struggle to see their books read

Reading is both a source of pleasure and a source of power – equipping one with the ability to be a critical thinker. Reading allows us to explore different ideas and opinions that are different from our own, opening up our power of imagination to bring alive into subconscious reality, events and places we have never experienced or been to. The idea that a book can cause a person to question what he or she knows or simply to gain a new perspective is very powerful. The basis of a reading culture is an understanding and appreciation of reading, which has not been on the priority list of successive governments in Nigeria.

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or held by any of our youths. It is almost akin to a musician playing to an empty stadium. It is dispiriting and drains one of energy!

It is also both worrisome and disheartening to see our churches and mosques full of imperious clergymen/women and brainwashed ignoramuses who refuse to act like the famed Berean believers who after listening to the preachers, would go home and examine the sermon against what the scripture says. In other words, they were not stupid, passive recipients of the Word of God, but they tested the veracity of what they were being taught.

Reading is both a source of pleasure and a source of power – equipping one with the ability to be a critical thinker. Reading allows us to explore different ideas and opinions that are different from our own, opening up our power of imagination to bring alive into subconscious reality, events and places we have never experienced or been to. The idea that a book can cause a person to question what he or she knows or simply to gain a new perspective is very powerful. The basis of a reading culture is an understanding and appreciation of reading, which has not been on the priority list of successive governments in Nigeria.

Unfortunately, creating a reading culture in Nigeria requires more than a monolithic edifice in the form of a Presidential Library - an attitudinal change has to take place.

Reading is essential to a person’s capacity to fulfill his/her citizenship role in a true and infant democracy like our. It improves the well being and happiness of an individual, hence promoting a reading culture to all Nigerians is essential to the general good of our society.

It is time we reignited the passion for reading in our youth.

There is enough room and time for the new age toys of BBM, Smartphones and other handheld games consoles that seem to engage the attention of our youths in an unfettered way, and for mind-enriching and stimulating reading culture to be harmoniously imbibed by the same youths. Let our writers write and let’s have more biographies out there that capture how we live today – for the sake of posterity. Let us begin to trace our family histories and seek to document our lineage! This should not be a special preserve of the politically powerful and wealthy but an unwritten obligation of every Nigerian to know his/her family history. Very few Nigerians can trace their family line beyond their grandparents! Nigeria will be a better place as we start reading again!

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +234 814 292 9046. Cell: +234 802 443 2099; 803 7007 759. e-mail: contact@peoplesdailyng.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141