Peoples Daily Newspaper, Saturday 03, November, 2012

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VOL. 2 NO. 14 SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

. . . putting the people first

Gunmen kill Gen. Shuwa

COVER:

>> Page 3

>> Pages 12

ZHUL-HAJJ 18 - 19, 1433 AH

What type of license does Suntai have?

N150

Senator Hadi Sirika

Petroleum Revenue Task Force fallout

Drama as Ribadu, Orosanye wash dirty linen in Jonathan’s presence

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Your report flawed - Orosanye You have been compromised - Ribadu

I N S I D E

Feud: Sokoto accuses PHCN of fraud

Page 7

Kannywood: Stage acting has taken back stage Page 3

Ribadu

Orosanye

Meet the man who has lived on the rock for 7 years Page 15

Boko Haram: Buhari yet to be contacted over talks · Page 8

WWW.PEOPLESDAILY-ONLINE.COM

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Special Report Kaduna bombing and matters arising From Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

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s was the case during similar incidents in the recent past, when a suicide bomber attacked the St. Rita's Catholic Church, Anguwan Yero, in Kaduna last Sunday, the recurring question was, why would anybody launch such a devilish onslaught on innocent worshippers?

The answer may be known only to those who conceived and executed the dastardly act and it further goes to confirm that Kaduna may have joined Maiduguri and Kano on the list of terror-prone cities in the country.

"Perhaps, Kaduna lost its innocence and the harmonious and peaceful co-existence hitherto associated with it, in early 2000 when Shariahrelated riots ravaged the old headquarters of the defunct northern region.

Since the beginning of the bomb-throwing phenomenon especially in parts of the north, Kaduna had its first dose of attack on December 7, 2011 when two persons riding on motorcycles threw explosive devices on traders at the Oriakpata area of the metropolis, killing about 17 people with many wounded.

Since then, Kaduna has not known peace with series of bomb attacks occurring in the capital city and Zaria, the most devastating so far being that of last Easter Sunday during which a suicide bomber killed over 45 persons on Sarduana Crescent junction following the explosion of his bomb-laden Toyota Camry.

About two months later on June 17, 2012, the terrorists again unleashed their weapon of destruction on two Churches in Zaria and at the Shalom Pentecostal Church in Kaduna metropolis, a development that sparked off bloody reprisal attacks in parts of the two cities, resulting in further loss of lives.

Apart from the bomb attacks, other forms of security challenges have continued to rock various parts of Kaduna state with reported cases of killings, the latest being the recent gun attack on worshippers in a Mosque at Dogon-Dawa, in Birnin-Gwari local government area.

But beyond the spate of bloodletting, the state of insecurity in Kaduna appears to have degenerated over the past few years with government apparently paying lip service to the issue.

"Government will not be distracted from the path of executing its developmental programmes," Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa said at the wake of the St. Rita's Catholic Church bomb incident, adding as usual that government was determined to

Sympathisers at the St. Rita’s Catholic Church check the security situation.

But there appears to be no concrete moves to back up government's perceived concern. At the height of the religious riots in 2000, the then government of Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi established "strike force bases" in various parts of the town which acted as rapid response to any forms of threat to security in the area where they are located.

Makarfi's successor in office who is now Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo had gone a step further by establishing the Operation Yaki, a security outfit comprising police and military personnel.

Competent Government House sources put Sambo's security expenditure on Operation Yaki and some other security measures at about N80 million monthly, a budget that Yakowa reportedly slashed to N10

million when he assumed office. Today, the security outfit has become a shadow of what it used to be with operational vehicles virtually grounded and the other disused equipment on display at Operation Yaki's office at the Abakpa area and at various mechanic workshops in the city. The ill-motivated security personnel have tended to turn their remaining rag-tag weapon on innocent citizens instead of fighting terrorism. And, in the face of soldiers deployed to the streets since the beginning of terrorism, the police appear to have lost their relevance as they have rather intensified their illegal revenue drive at roadblocks purportedly set up to hunt criminals.

Several weeks before the Dogon-Dawa Mosque massacre, the villagers had petitioned the Kaduna state Police Command complaining

about activities of certain elements in that area. The community had noted that, "if something is not done to arrest the suspects and bring them to book, the whole community will continue to live in perpetual fear of insecurity."

For whatever reasons, the police apparently ignored the warning but the fatal consequence is now history.

Life in Kaduna metropolis and Zaria has virtually become a nightmare as motorists are compelled to stay long hours on the roads as security personnel claim to screen the vehicles while commercial motor-cycle operators walk long distances with their passengers.

Yet, bomb couriers still manage to find their way around with their weapon of mass destruction. There is no record so far, that the terrorists use aircrafts or helicopters to operate. They use vehicles that St. Rita’s Catholic Church

move on land.

According to the President of the Arewa Youth Forum (AYF), Alhaji Gambo Ibrahim Gujungu, the current security challenges appear to have overwhelmed the security agencies to the extent that they are no longer competent handle the matter.

As Gujungu put it, "the roadblocks are useless because to the best of my knowledge, they have not caught any bomb couriers in any of the roadblocks. The security people at these roadblocks are just there to molest and extort money from the people.

But competent security sources in the state believe that Kaduna represents a fundamental target for terrorist groups, in the alleged quest to destabilize the north and the country at large.

"If they succeed in Kaduna as they appear to have done in Borno and Yobe states, then there is going to be a serious problem for all of us because Kaduna remains the hub on which other parts of the north rotate," one of the sources said.

Whatever the motives, the reality, according to the Archbishop of Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Bishop Matthew Man'oso Ndagoso, is that what Nigerians hitherto watched on television and in movies from distant lands now stare everybody in the face.

According to him, "this is an evidence that the devil is at work. But, you know, as the Bible tells us, the sword of the battle is in the hands of God. As long as we live in the hands of God, He knows best.

But as Christian body, we must hold unto our faith in spite of all these challenges. It is just a reality that is staring us in the face, things that we usually watched on CNN, bomb blasts far away from Nigeria, but today the bomb blasts are with us.

If you meet people in both Islam and Christianity, you will know that both religions preach peace but people are being indoctrinated and they are ready to fight the battle, and we have already lost because the fighter is ready to die but we are not ready to die.

In such a situation, we have nothing to do but to offer ourselves to God. He is the author of life, and He knows best.”

As it has become routine, condemnation and outcry trailed the latest Kaduna church bombing but the St. Rita's incident has joined the long list of unsolved attacks and Nigerians have as usual, consigned it to providence while the police and other security agencies continue to entertain citizens with their usual sophistry and rhetoric expression of, "we are on top of the situation," as we await the next round of attacks.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

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News Petroleum Revenue Task Force fallout

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

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resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday watched with rapt attention as the chairman and deputy chairman of the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force, Malam Nuhu Ribadu and Mr Steven Oronsaye respectively exchanged accusations and counter accusations regarding the committee’s modus operandi and the report which was submitted in front of camera at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa to the President.

The atmosphere was still very calm when Ribadu summarised the report and submitted it to Minister of Petroleum, Diezani AlisonMadueke who is supposed to give same to the President. Ribadu noted that the recommendations of the committee contained the stark truth which will require courage on the part of the President to implement.

Ribadu urged Jonathan to take action on companies who fail to pay royalties and enforce the laws on gas flaring.

He called for the reorganisation and repositioning of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to collect all taxes, levies and royalties for the government. He also lamented the prevailing rate of oil theft in the country which he said happens only in Nigeria.

Orosanye however stood up after Ribadu to dissociate himself from the committee’s report that was submitted, accusing Ribadu of refusing to follow due process in compiling the report and advising the President not to honour it.

In an intervention that stunned everyone present in the chambers, Orosanye noted that the committee had not completed its work and should have ignored the President’s order of submission which was fixed for yesterday.

“No matter how good the outcome of an assignment is, if the process is flawed, the whole thing has to be jettisoned.

I say this with all sense of responsibility that the process followed was flawed and the report that has just been submitted is the outcome of Mr President’s directive that the report be submitted today (yesterday).”

Orosanye said he had raised a couple of issues the last time the committee met where he suggested that a draft should be submitted to a committee of the whole before any public presentation of a report.

According to him, this was not done and it makes the committee report faulty.

The former Head of Service further said that Ribadu never gave the committee adequate time to study the report, adding that he personally refused to open his mail when he got a notice with an attached draft

Ribadu, Orosanye wash dirty linen in Jonathan’s presence • Your report flawed – Orosanye • You have been compromised – Ribadu

Steven Orosanye report around 5pm on a Wednesday that a meeting would hold by 12 noon on Thursday.

He therefore advised the President to ignore the report and allow the members go back and do a better job.

“When I came in here today, I asked the secretary for the signature page but was told that the chairman would sign on our behalf. I have not authorised anyone to sign any report on my behalf,” Orosanye said angrily, challenging any committee member to dispute what he said.

In what looked like a premeditated plan of action, another committee member, Bon Oti equally stood up to corroborate Orasanye’s comments.

“This is a system assignment whose report and recommendations are supposed to be strictly backed by facts if they are to be implemented.

I emphasised that we needed to be more thorough, to go through all the transactions again and the agencies in order to be able to arrive at a good finished product. Mr. President, despite the circumstances that have mandated us to be here today, I am not part of what is being submitted.”

The whole thing then degenerated into an epic drama when another committee member, Sumaila Zubairu stood up and discredited the submissions of Orosanye and Oti, revealing that there was indeed a committee that was set up to look at the draft report again.

Nuhu Ribadu Zubairu said the subcommittee sought contributions from all members but everyone except Oti and Orosanye made contributions.

He said the duo had noted during that sittings that the report was too harsh, adding that Orosanye wanted certain amendments to be to the report which the committee refused.

Mr Ignatious Adekunle, another member corroborated Zubairu’s comments, saying it was unfortunate that after all the hard work the committee

did, some persons were trying to discredit the report. He said the reservations raised by the duo had been resolved, adding that it was unnecessary to bring them to the President.

Orosanye however spoke again, insisting that “the committee was not ready to present a proper report and should have the courage to tell the President it wasn’t ready.

The President said we should submit the report today and so what?”

Ribadu responded furiously and announced that the duo of Orosanye and Oti never participated in the committee’s work. He accused them of compromising and making attempts to bully the committee into satisfying their interests.

He said it wasn’t a coincidence that Oti got a job as NNPC Director of Finance while Orosanye was made a board member of the NNPC , both happening at the time the committee started its work.

“The two committee members- Orosanye and Bon Oti that opposed our report were grossly compromised. Orosanye in particular never participated in any of the committee’s work.

While others abandoned their respective businesses to face the national assignment, Orosanye came very late and he alongside Oti attempted to bully other

members into doing the work their own way.”

Ribadu faced Orosanye and pointed at him saying: “And let me tell you, based on the way you spoke today, the President deserve more respect from you.”

Speaking to State House correspondents after the presentation, Ribadu said the report submitted yesterday was the same one that was leaked a few days ago.

Asked to comment on Orosanye’s behaviour, he simply said “I weep for my country.”

While responding to the drama earlier, President Jonathan tried to play down the embarrassing outcome of the ceremony, saying such disagreements were normal in issues at stake.

From what I have listened to, I will advise that any member that has any observations should write it and send to me through the Chief of staff or the Minister (of Petroleum).

If there are errors of calculation from the institutions, they will be filtered out. You don’t need to quarrel about it. Government has no interest in hiding anything. It is not to investigate anybody in government. Becoming board members of NNPC does not disqualify them to be members of the committee; sometimes you need those in establishment to explain certain things and not to influence anybody. I don’t believe anybody can influence Ribadu negatively,” the President.

Gunmen kill Gen Shuwa

From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

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ragedy again befell Borno state yesterday afternoon as unknown gunmen shot and killed a civil war veteran and retired senior military officer, General Muhammad Shuwa.

The incident came barely two days after another group of gunmen killed Alhaji Mustapha Flawama, a close associate of the former Borno state governor, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

Family sources told newsmen that General Shuwa, 79, was killed along with his unidentified visitor, when gunmen raided his residence, in Gwange ward, an area which is volatile due to frequent gun duels between insurgents and operatives of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF).

He was said to have retired from the Nigerian Army in

1977, after the assassination of the former Head of state, late General Murtala Ramat Mohammed. He hailed from Kala-Balge local government area of Borno state and belongs to the Shuwa-Arab ethnic group.

The deceased, who was a chieftain of the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), was seen as the political godfather of Senator Sheriff. He was also among the respected elders of the state.

Spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, who confirmed the incident in a statement issued to newsmen, alleged that the retired military officer was shot dead by the Boko Haram insurgents, while attending to four visitors, preparing for the Juma’at prayers.

“At about 12 noon today (Friday) at General Muhammadu Shuwa’s (rtd)

house in Gwange 1 area of Maiduguri metropolis, while the General was seated in his house with some guests, four men initially thought to be his visitors and guests for the Juma’at prayers entered his house and opened fire on the General and his guests”, the statement said.

According to Sagir, upon arriving the residence of the deceased, the gunmen opened fire on them killing one of the visitors on the spot, while Shuwa died while being conveyed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) for treatment.

The statement further stated that immediately after the incident, the JTF cordoned the area with a view to apprehend the assailants, adding although no arrest has been made, the JTF is working hard to arrest the assailants.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3— SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Photo News L-R: Minister of state for Education, Barr Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, Acting Executive Secretary, Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Professor Charles Onocha and Representative of Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr Sulaiman Ibrahim, during the Minister's inspection of Girl Child Education Special Project, recently in Lafia, Nasarawa state.

Photos: Justin Imo-owo

L-R: Director, Corporate Strategy and Research, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Emeka Ezekwesili, Director General NITDA, Professor Cleopas Angaye and Deputy Director Research Department NITDA, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, during the closing ceremony of ICT youth Empowerment Scheme, organized by NITDA, yesterday in Abuja.

L-R: Methodist Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Chima Iweha, the African Church Missionary of the Diocese of Abuja, Rev. Solomon Ojuma and the Chairperson, women wing, Christian Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Oyin Sowoolu, during Christian Council of Nigeria, Leadership Conference, yesterday in Abuja.

L-R: Director General, Nigerian Building and Roads Research Institute, Engineer Danladi Matawal with the Past President, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engineer Charles Mbanefo, during the '2012 Engr.

Charles Mbanefo Distinguished Lecture", recently in Abuja.

L-R: Director, Human Resources Management, Ministry of Communication Technology, Mr. Sharif Abubakar, Managing Director and Chief Executive, NIGCOM-SAT, Engineer Timasaniyu Ahmed Rufai and Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state, during the Governor's visit to NIGCOM-Sat, yesterday in Abuja.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

News ACF calls for cease fire Fuel scarcity: Transport fares up by 65% in Katsina T

By Abubakar Jimoh

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ransport fares in Katsina state have gone up by over 65 percent due to the lingering fuel scarcity in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fuel scarcity has persisted in the state for months, with only the NNPC Mega station in Katsina dispensing fuel at the official rate of N97 per litre as at Friday.

Long queues have characterised the few other filling stations selling the product at between N135 and N140 per litre in the city.

The situation has jerked up

transport fare from Katsina to Kano, from N500 to between N800 and N1,000 depending on the type of vehicle.

The fare from Malumfashi to Katsina, which was N400 has risen to N700 while Katsina to Kankia now attracts N250 as against N150.

A commercial vehicle driver, Malam Mamman Tukur, said that the increase in fares was a result of the high cost of petroleum products.

Malam Musa Aliyu, a trader, expressed fear that the increase might cause inflation and low patronage by

customers.

He urged the Federal Government to address the issue in the interest of the common man.

The state Controller, Department of Petroleum Resources, Alhaji Muhammad Sani, absolved the organisation of blame, saying it was not responsible for distributing the product.

He, however, assured that its officials would ensure that all petroleum products allocated to the state were offloaded at designated filling stations and sold at the official rate. (NAN)

he Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has expressed concern over the ongoing surge in violent, conflict where many lives are lost across the country.

The forum raised this alarm in a Rapid Committee Meeting held on Thursday to review the security situation in Northern parts of the Nigeria.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Anthony N. Z Sani, the forum lamented the accelerating cases of killings arising from violence and conflict especially in Kaduna, Zamfara, Plateau, Borno and Yobe states in spite of calls by patriotic and public spirited leaders for the stoppage

of violent activities, as a way of addressing perceived grievance.

ACF further observed that the endless congestion and tensions at check points as a result of the activities of security agents who tend to grate the nerves of motorists is capable of posing a fresh security challenge in the country. It therefore urged the security agents to improve the situation in order to ease traffic movement for the common good.

The meeting also noted the severe shortage of petroleum product across the Northern states with dire consequences on economic activities and urged the Federal Government to remove all obstacles standing on the path of making petrol available for motorists in the interest of economic activities.

UCH calls for more patronage NYSC reschedules 2012 batch ‘C’ He said that looking at the Ojelade, Ibadan type of modern services to be orientation camp for Bayelsa, Yobe, Borno From Inumidun he Chief Medical Director rendered at the laboratory and

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he 2012 Batch ‘C’ NYSC orientation programme for prospective corps members deployed to Bayelsa, Yobe and Borno states has been rescheduled to Nov. 28.

The Deputy Director, Publications of the NYSC, Mar Peter Atilola, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.

Atilola said that the Bayelsa orientation was postponed due to the recent flood in the state, and the subsequent accommodation of displaced victims in the NYSC orientation camp in Kaiama.

According to him, the orientation will now commence from Nov. 28 to Dec. 19 at the NYSC orientation camp in Kaiama Grammar School, Kolokoma-Opokuma local government area of Bayelsa state.

He said that the postponement in Borno and Yobe states was for security reasons.

“The corps members posted to Borno state will camp at the Benue orientation camp at Wanune, Tarka local government area.

“Yobe state corps members will camp at the Keffi camp in Nasarawa state, both camps will commence on Nov. 28 and end on Dec. 19”.

He urged the affected corps members to take note of the

D-G,NYSC, Brigadier General Nnamdi Okore-Affia new date and report to the camp unfailingly.

NAN reports that NYSC had slated Nov. 6 to Nov. 27 for the orientation activities for other states in the country.

Atilola assured corps members that the NYSC was collaborating with all states, local government areas and security agencies, to provide adequate security and protection for them and their properties.

“Apart from provision of security tips handbook, corps members are also being trained on martial arts to defend themselves when the need arises.

“The corps members are also given contacts of local government chairmen,

Divisional Police Officers, State Security Service officers and other individuals, in case there is need.

On posting of corps members to education, health, infrastructure and agriculture sectors for primary assignment, the coordinator said ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were excluded.

“The corps members are only posted to frontline services, where they can be utilised effectively and the private sector is completely out”, she said.

On posting to crisis prone areas, Atilola said that there was a procedure in place for those who needed redeployment. (NAN)

Cleric charge prison inmates to be pious From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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cleric and Bauchi state chairman of Youth Preaching Committee of Izala Organisation, Malam Abdullahi Baffa Itas, has charged prison inmates to have the fear of God and consider being in custody as a destiny and a test of their faith.

Itas gave the charge when

the committee visited Bauchi Prisons.

According to him, the prison is a corrective institution where inmates are given a second chance to reflect on their lives and change for the better.

Itas who was represented by the general secretary of the committee, Barrister Abdurrahman Hassan Ningi, also urged the inmates to acquire

skills being taught in the prison so as to become productive members in the society when they finish serving their terms.

In his remark, the Deputy Controller in charge of Bauchi Prisons, Alhaji Uba Mohammed, expressed his delight on the visit and urged other philanthropic organisations and well-to-do people to emulate such gesture.

(CMD) of University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan, Prof. Temitope Alonge, on Thursday, decried low patronage and called on patients within and outside the country to patronise the new computerised laboratory of the hospital.

Speaking while commissioning the N90 million laboratory in Ibadan on Thursday, Alonge said the project was carried out through partnership with Fidelity Bank which facilitated the loan for it.

The CMD said under the public private partnership (PPP), UCH provided the building while the bank provided the fund to equip the laboratory.

According to Alonge, the N90 million loan was to be paid back within a period of three years.

the demand for such within and outside the country, the loan would be paid back within the stipulated period.

Alonge said the project was one of those under the UCH Ventures adding that more PPP projects would soon be undertaken by the hospital.

He said that there had been a general decadence in laboratory services in the hospital over the years due to the fact that the central laboratory was a public one funded with limited government resources.

Alonge added that the new state of the art laboratory which was under PPP arrangement legally permitted by the Federal Government signified an end to decadence and beginning of excellent reliable services.

Police kill armed robber in Kano From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

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he Kano state police command on Thursday, said in a statement through its Public Relations Officer, Mustapha Abubakar, that it shot dead an armed robber after a gun duel with a gang of armed robbers at Ring Road area on the metropolis.

The command said: “Today (Thursday) at about 8:30 in the morning, a gang of armed robbers snatched a KIA Sportage Jeep, 2009 model with registration number BQ181KMC at gun point along Jogana to Tsamiya Babba road in Gezawa local government area. The car belonged to one Aminu Yusuf of Auyo local government area in Jigawa state.

“The hoodlums were pursued by policemen on patrol from Gezawa Police Divisional Headquarters and were intercepted at Ring Road by another set of policemen and they immediately opened fire on them. The police retaliated and shot dead one of the armed robbers who was driving the stolen vehicle”, the statement said.

The police said they found

IGP Mohammed Abubakar three live AK 47 ammunition and some quantities of hard drugs in the vehicle. The corpse has been deposited at the morgue.

The command appealed members of the public to patronise the command’s 24 hours emergency telephone lines in order to report any emergency in the areas. The telephone numbers are 08032419754, 08099831808, 08123821575 and 064977005.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

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News Northern govs hail Obasanjo’s appointment Queen’s Jubilee Trust From Iliya Garba, Minna

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he Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has felicitated with former President Olusegun Obasanjo on his appointment to lead Nigeria’s fundraising efforts for the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.

Chairman of the forum and governor of Niger state, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, expressed the hope that the former president would use his influence and connection across the Commonwealth to ensure that the Trust engenders the resources required to provide charitable projects in the name of Queen Elizabeth.

According to the press statement signed by Governor Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, ”We have no doubt that former President Obasanjo would use his influential networks to ensure that the Trust generates funds to provide an enduring tribute to Her Majesty’s dedication to public life through investing in charitable projects that will make a real and lasting impact on the lives of people throughout the Commonwealth”.

The forum expressed confidence that the appointment of Chief Obasanjo to serve as Nigeria’s Country Representative will help lift the profile of the trust.

Communal clash kills woman in benin From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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communal clash between two ethnic groups at Ekehuan community in Ovia Northeast local government area of Edo state has reportedly claimed the life of a middle-aged woman.

The incident which occurred few days ago, also left scores wounded.

The state police command has deployed policemen to the community in following rising tension over ownership claims to the community by Bini and Ijaw folks.

Police spokesman, Anthony Airhuoyo, yesterday said the report of death and injuries were not before him.

“Policemen have been deployed to the place to maintain law and order. Members of the public are assured of their safety.

Policemen are on top of the situation. The matter is under investigation”, Airhuoyo said yesterday.

Fire razes Barnawa Shopping Complex in Kaduna From Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

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arts of the popular Barnawa Shopping Complex went up in flames in the early hours of yesterday destroying goods estimated at several millions of naira.

Eyewitness accounts said the fire may be connected with electricity surge when the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) restored light to the area.

According to one of the eyewitnesses, Godwin Agbese, “I came around here at about 8 am, and I noticed smoke coming out of the first shop but within 20 minutes, the fire spread to the other shops.

“I do not know what caused the fire but I will not blame the PHCN. I blame the people who normally put on their light even after closing from the shops.

They are supposed to put off the light as soon as they close.

“Nobody was injured except one of the boys who helped us to bring some goods from the fire.

He sustained a minor injury. We also thank commercial motorcycle operators who mobilised themselves to assist in bringing out some of the items from the affected shops”.

A shop owner, Amos Habila, also narrated his experience: “I was called to rush to my shop because the shop was on fire.

“The fire started at about 8 am from the first shop. We are suspecting abnormal power current by PHCN.

“People around had to break every shop here to bring out some of the goods because most of the shop owners had not resumed work as at the time the fire started.

“I managed to save the television and few other items in my shop. We are not keen about the idea of going to complain to officials of PHCN because they will not do anything about it”.

When contacted, the PHCN

Public Relations Manager, Baba Limmy Akhaighe, said “until we investigate, we cannot say high power voltage was responsible for the fire incident.

“However, we want to appeal to landlords and caretakers to always cross check the wiring system of their houses and shops after some years in order to correct faulty cables. It is very important they adopt maintenance culture in this aspect”.

NTDC elevates Ijakadi Offa festival to national status

By Miriam Humbe

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enceforth, the Ijakadi Offa festival in Kwara state will be included in the list of national festivals currently being promoted by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, (NTDC).

The Director-General of the NTDC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, while receiving a delegation from the Offa Descendants Union led by its President, Alhaji Hamzat Adedeji at the tourism village in Abuja, said the Federal Government decided to endorse the festival because of its consistency, rich cultural content and the seriousness of its organisers.

Runsewe said the festival will now enjoy the complementary support of the corporation which will ensure the supply of several promotional materials and secure sponsorship from major multinational private outfits.

Speaking further, Runsewe promised maximum publicity for the festival by amongst other things, inviting top government officials to the event and hosting the festival on the NTDC portal as a way of exposing it to international interests just as he commended Offa people for ensuring continuous peace in their domain.

While speaking, the Offa Descendants Union President, Alhaji Hamzat Adedeji explained that the essence of the festival is to promote entertainment, physical fitness and a spirit of healthy rivalry and valour amongst men hence the name, “Ijakadi L’oro Offa” which translates to wrestling.

L-R: Vice President Namadi Sambo, and Imo state Governor Rochas Okorocha, during the Vice President’s visit to flood victims in Imo state recently.

Feud: Sokoto accuses PHCN of fraud

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he Sokoto state government has accused the Power Holding Company (PHCN) in the state of fraud. The accusation followed the expiration of the ultimatum given to the state government by the PHCN following the contention between PHCN and the state government over an alleged assault on a PHCN staff by the state governor.

A release signed by Sani Umar, Senior Special Asistant on Media to Sokoto State Governor, stated: “Our attention has been drawn to a publication in some national dailies in which some unscrupulous members of the PHCN are taking the law into their hands in the name of unionists representing a distinguished group of workers who are toiling daily to provide services to the citizens of this country.

“In the said publication, purportedly signed by the Secretary General of the National Union of Electricity Workers, Joe Ajaero, the union is announcing the expiration of a phantom ultimatum conceived, hatched, tended and executed all in the minds of the unionists, who apparently are the complainants, judge and executioner in their own case.

“Therein the union announced also in continuation of their extortion which led to the friction in the first place, that they were sending compensation claims to the Government and people of Sokoto state who they defrauded of a whopping N17million ab initio…

“It is our belief therefore that the PHCN gang, which has perfected the art of extortion which it is continuing with in its baseless claim of compensation that they have taken the people of Sokoto State for granted, and

are stretching their luck beyond imaginable limits. Who decided for the PHCN any compensation at which court, on whose behalf and for what injury?...

“Their decision to deny the people of the state electricity after extorting money from the state, if care is not taken, could lead to a breakdown of law and order and may even imperil the lives of people, which it has already done and most probably the security of the workers of the PHCN in the state”, the statement said.

Fire guts Gombe pilgrims residence in Mecca From Ahmed Kaigama, Saudi Arabia

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fire outbreak was recorded at the residence of Gombe pilgrims along Ibrahim AlKhalil Street in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

The fire broke out on the ninth floor of the 12-storey hotel, which is some metres away from the holy mosque and Ka’aba, and was extinguished minutes later by fire fighters.

It was reported that the fire started as a result of the misuse

of an electrical cooker by a guest in the hotel.

At least 200 pilgrims from Gombe state were among the occupants of the hotel, including females, who escaped unhurt.

The Gombe state Amirul Hajj, Grand Khadi Baba Liman, confirmed the incident which resulted from the misuse of a gas cooker by a female pilgrim in the hotel.

According to him, “all the pilgrims are healthy and hearty as they were all unhurt by the incident”.

PAGE 8

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

News Boko Haram: Buhari yet to be contacted over talks ·CPC dissociates party leader from sect

By Jamila Nuhu Musa

G

eneral Buhari has not been contacted by the Boko Haram sect, to mediate with the Federal Government, an aide of the National Leader of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), has said.

The aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity in a telephone interview with the Peoples Daily Weekend, said “though I am not speaking for the General, when I called him, he made it known to me that he was just hearing it from me, for the first time, and that he has not been contacted by anyone on the matter”.

The source, also said that the General said however that as a statesman and patriotic citizen, he will continue to pray for the nation to achieve enduring peace.

Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the CPC, Engr Rotimi Fashakin in a release, has reacted to the statement of the sect in which it wanted Buhari to be a mediator if any talks would hold between it and the Federal government .

The statement read in part: “Our attention, in the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), has been drawn to a widely publicized news that our National Leader, General Muhammadu Buhari (GMB) has been appointed to take part in a Boko Haram/Federal Government parley. As a Party, we are convinced that this is the latest gambit in the desire of this organically corrupt PDP-led Federal Government in diverting the attention of the unsuspecting Nigerian public from the on-going massive looting of their common patrimony.

Without any scintilla of equivocation, General Muhammadu Buhari has never been directly or remotely connected with any insurrection or insurgency against the Nigerian nation and her people.

He remains the quintessential patriot that continues to magnetize the very best across the ethno-religious boundaries within the Nigerian nation-space the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as a corporate entity, is the harbinger of the insecurity

travails of the Nigerian people for the sole reason of ensuring perpetuity in governance.

From recollection of events of the last two years, there are three variants of the Boko Haram: the original Boko Haram that is at daggers drawn with the Nigerian authority for the extra-judicial killing of their leader; the criminal Boko Haram that is involved in all criminality for economic reasons and of course, the most lethal of all, the political Boko Haram-which this PDP-led Federal government represents.”

The statement continued: “The President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan had once alerted the nation of the ubiquitous presence of Boko-Haram in his government- a fact aptly amplified by his erstwhile National Security Adviser, General Andrew Azazi.

Undoubtedly, the latest revelations by the State Security Services (SSS) on the complicity of the top echelon of the PDP leadership in Boko Haram activities aptly bear testimony of the noxious subterfuge to extirpate the essence of our Nationhood.

Airtel Nigeria appoints Segun Ogunsanya as CEO From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

A

Nigerian, Segun Ogunsanya was yesterday appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Bharti Airtel, leading global telecommunications services provider Airtel Networks Ltd, Nigeria (Airtel Nigeria).

The company told reporters Mr. Ogunsanya, who will be responsible for defining and delivering the business strategy and providing overall leadership for Airtel Nigeria, will report to Manoj Kohli, CEO (International) and Joint MD, Bharti Airtel with the appointment taking effect from November 26, 2012.

“He takes over from Rajan Swaroop, who has successfully led operations at Airtel Nigeria for the past two years. Rajan will be appointed as NonExecutive Director on the Board of Airtel Nigeria following the completion of the transition process and will continue to work closely with the Airtel Nigeria leadership team.”

Dr. Oba Otudeko, chairman, Airtel Nigeria, said “I am pleased at the appointment of Mr. Ogunsanya as the Chief Executive Officer and look forward to working with him towards making Airtel the most loved brand in the daily lives of Nigerians.”

“It is our resolve to continue building a robust pipeline of local talents in Nigeria as part of Bharti Airtel’s Africa Leadership Initiative. I have been impressed by the outstanding leadership qualities of Mr. Swaroop who has laid a solid foundation, during his tenure, for the long term growth of our business. I wish him success as he moves on in the Group.” The Royal father said.

Also, Mr. Manoj Kohli, said, “I am delighted to have Segun on board and am confident that his rich and diverse experience will add immense value to our operations in Nigeria. Segun’s appointment underlines Bharti Airtel’s commitment to promoting African talent and building a world-class leadership team. I wish him the very best in his new role and would also thank Rajan for his immense contribution to Airtel Nigeria.”

His last assignment was with The Coca-Cola Company, where he started his career in Finance and gradually transitioned into senior leadership roles with the various bottling operations of The Coca-Cola Company across diverse markets and countries in Africa. In his last stint, as the Managing Director and CEO of Nigerian Bottling Company, he was responsible for over $1bn revenue operations.

JTF bluffs AI report, exterminate 40 in Borno From Mustapha Kwaru with agency reports

B

Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo visit the flood victims in Imo state recently.

FG approves appointment of 12 Justices for Appeal Court

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

P

resident Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has approved the appointment of 12 Justices for the Court of Appeal on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

A statement by the Deputy Director, Information of the NJC, Mr. Soji Oye said the newly appointed Judicial Officers are from the Federal and States High Courts of Justice.

The newly appointed Justices are follows: Justices Ibrahim Shata Bdliya Borno State High Court, Abiriyi James Shehu Kaduna State High Court, Obietonbara Daniel-Kalio Owupele Rivers State High Court and Oyekachi Aja Otisi Abia State High Court.

Others are justices Cordelia Ifeoma Jombo-Ofo Abia State High Court, Stephen Jonah Adah Federal High Court 7, Tinuade Akomolafe Wilson Edo State High Court, Fatima

Omoro Akinbami Edo State High Court, Habeeb Adewale Olumuyiwa Abiru Lagos State High Court, Peter Olabisi Ige Oyo State High Court, Tijjani Abubakar Federal High Court And Justice Emmanuel Akomaye, (Org) Supreme Court Of The Gambia.

The statement further added the judges will be sworn-in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and Chairman, National Judicial Council, Justice Marian Aloma Muktar at 10:00a.m. on Monday, 5th November, 2012 .

arely 24 hours after Amnesty International released a report accusing Nigerian security agencies of human rights abuses which have tended to aggravate the Boko Haram insurgency, operatives of the JTF on Friday, reportedly shot dead at least 30 people during raids in Maiduguri.

Three witnesses told Reuters that soldiers from the Joint Task Force (JTF) raided several neighbourhoods in Maiduguri late on Thursday and arrested or shot dead dozens of young men.

“More than 30 bodies were brought in by the JTF yesterday and most of them were young men,” a nurse at one Maiduguri hospital Yagana Bukar told Reuters. The military spokesman in Maiduguri did not respond to requests for comment.

A resident of the Kalari neighbourhood in Maiduguri, said troops swarmed the area late Thursday and “segregated the young from the old.”

“They asked our children to lie face down on the ground and then asked us to turn away our faces.

All we heard were gunshots,” said the elder resident, who requested

anonymity and clarified that the victims were largely teenagers and those in their early 20s.

“They did the same in three other neighbourhoods. We went to the morgue to collect the bodies and we found 48 in all,” he added.

A resident of the city’s Gwange area told AFP that the alleged massacre was “like a movie scene.”

The troops “picked young men from their homes and were shooting them dead before everyone and took the bodies away to the hospital. I have never seen something like this,” he said, also requesting that his name be withheld.

A morgue attendant at the Maiduguri General Hospital said they “received 39 bodies yesterday which were brought in by soldiers.

They all have fresh gunshot wounds.”

A military source declined to comment on the allegations when contacted by AFP, saying only that if such killings had taken place, they were “unjustified.”

In a report released Thursday, Amnesty International said Nigeria’s military had committed massive rights violations in their campaign against Boko Haram, including summary executions, many of which were reported to have occurred in Maiduguri.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 9

Cover

Suntai: The inside story

By Abubakar Jimoh, Blessing Tunoh, Ayodele Samuel & Yusha'u Alhassan

I

n the last few days, the crash of the Cessna 208, 5N-BMJ on a hill at the NNPC depot near the Yola International Airport in Adamawa state, involving Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba state and four of his aides has apparently triggered a nationwide alarm, and thrown up a plethora of questions even though many of his fellow governors too have private aircrafts which are of no economic value to Nigerians whose leaders cannot even fix roads. The Jalingo-Yola link road in Taraba state for instance is still deplorable. Basic amenities are also lacking in most north east states. Is Suntai a certified pilot? If he is, what kind of license does he have? Was he medically fit to fly a plane? Who certified him?

Governor Suntai was widely rumoured to have died in the crash until the Presidency and the Ministry of Aviation, in separate statements, said he did not.

There have been different versions of the story surrounding the survival of the victims. A statement signed by Joe Obi, the spokesman of the Aviation Minister stated that the Ministry immediately began a search and rescue operation to locate Governor Suntai's crash site, while in contrary, it was

reported that the crash victims were presumed dead for several hours before any search team could reach them. In fact, some sources said that the rescue team did not reach the governor until around about 3 hours after the crash.

An official of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) who participated in the Search and Rescue operations confirmed that Governor Suntai was the last person rescued from the crashed Cessna 208 aircraft he piloted as the governor was stuck on the cockpit at the crash site and required extra carefulness to bring him out.

"Others, who sat behind him, were immediately evacuated, making him the last person to be rescued. He was stuck on the cockpit", he said.

However, fresh facts emerged as to what might have caused the crash.

According to a top official of the aviation ministry, the governor and his entourage allegedly disobeyed the flight rule of Yola Airport, which, at the moment, operates a sunrise to sunset arrangement, as it does not have night operations facilities. Consequently, the airport closes at about 6pm, but the governor and his team radioed Air Traffic Control in Yola that they would be arriving by 6.45pm.

This made the ATCs to await his

arrival. Five minutes to the expected time of arrival, the ATCs lost contact with the Cessna airplane. The control tower people became worried and they alerted the Airport Fire department and immediately, a Search and Rescue operation was initiated using the coordinates of when he last contacted the tower A source from the airport said: "He ought to have come in before 6pm but he radioed that he would arrive by 6.45pm; so the tower was expecting him, but never got here. The airplane went down some minutes to 7pm. By right, the airport ought to have been closed but the officials had to wait for them," the source said. Mr. Suntai had no co-pilot on board and having lost contact with the tower meant he likely had a technical hitch, though he never at any time said he was in distress."

"The airplane took off from an unmanned airstrip in Jalingo, neither navigational equipment of NAMA nor its staffs were present at the place. So, it calls to question how he has been taking off from an unmanned airspace in Jalingo and landing in Yola. Who has been clearing him for takeoff from an airstrip without air traffic services?" he queried.

According to our investigation, the crash of Cessna 208 piloted by Governor Suntai could have been prevented if he

had followed the professional advice of his hired pilot not to fly to Yola airport at sunset. It was revealed that the hired pilot had earlier warned Suntai against flying to the airport when it was obvious that they could not meet with the visual flight mandatory for that type of aircraft which is not in the instrument flight category. Besides, Yola airport is not in the category of airports where flights can be operated for 24 hours because it is not wellequipped unlike that of Lagos, Kano, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

It was learnt that this advice was allegedly dishonoured by His Excellency, Danbaba Suntai who was said to have immediately taken over the cockpit and embarked on the illfated journey with the said pilot refusing to join the flight because of the obvious risk.

Following the incidete, officials of the Accident Investigations Bureau (AIB) were reported to have taken over the investigation and cordoned off the crash site with the hope that the Bureau would reconstruct what might have probably happened and also study the black boxes.

It was gathered that Mr. Suntai is an aviation enthusiast who owns two aircraft and a helicopter. Aviation

Contd on Pg 10

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 10

Cover Contd from Pg 9

sources say he also owns an airstrip which he allegedly built with state funds in his village. A report noted that the Taraba state government spent N804.2 million in fighting poverty to reduce the number of people living below the poverty line in the state in 2007, and yet Taraba is standing 29th out of 36 Nigerian states by GDP, meaning Taraba is one of the poorest states in Nigeria. Yet the governor flies on airplane acquired with the states funds.

In response to the Governor Suntai's mismanagement of the state's treasury, a Consultant Psychiatrist at Federal Medical Centre Owo, Ondo state, Adesokan Adekunle Oladiipo said: "As for Taraba state, we now know where the flood intervention fund will go.

Governor Dambaba Suntai of poverty ridden Taraba state purchased a personal helicopter just few months ago in addition to his two light aircrafts including Cessna 208 aircraft. He enjoys flying himself to private parties and events, he attended a crash programme at the Aviation College Zaria and then went to the United States for a 6-week flying programme, in addition to a two-week course in France.

A pharmacist who became Governor under the ruling PDP Governor Suntai is one of the advocates of more oil revenue to poor states."

A social crusader who didn't want to be named also said: "I would have sent my sympathy to him as a fellow human being, even though I don't know him. However, I have chosen not to because of the following reason: Why would a Governor of one of the poorest state in Nigeria be in possession of a private Jet? The mayor of London (One of the richest cities in the world with a GDP higher than that of Nigeria combined) rides a bicycle to work, and only has maybe two houses and a car to his name. He earns just ÂŁ400,000 annually. Bear in mind that he runs the affairs of a city with an estimated GDP of $600 billion. We then have this Governor owning a Private Jet, with the state's money he has embezzled."

"The Governor flies on an airplane sorry for my beloved country, people need to be awake, these things happen for a reason. Flying up in the sky while your masses are predominantly beggars on the streets, has any one visited Taraba state? Ask people who served in the state."

Mr. Suntai reportedly bought the plane, a Cessna Grand Caravan, from a member of the House of Representatives from Kebbi, Bala Ibn Na'Allah. It was learnt that Governor Suntai recently set up "Taraba Airline" following his purchase of an Embraer ERJ-145 jet.

Na'Allah himself recently bought a Swiss-made Pilatus PC12 with tail number

Suntai: The inside story

N689PE. The technical competence of Mr. Suntai as a licensed pilot has been further questioned by many aviation experts.

Investigation by journalists confirmed that Mr. Suntai allegedly got the admission at Aviation College through the back door, contrary to the age requirement of 18 to 25 years for any applicant.

In order to unravel this, a team of Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) had stormed the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) in Zaria, Kaduna state, to probe Suntai's academic and medical records during his training at the college. Indication emerged that the team may indict the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for allegedly flouting due process in issuing Private Pilot Licence (PPL) to Suntai in 2010.

A source, who did not want his name mentioned, said AIB would investigate Governor Suntai's academic records both at the Aviation College and Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ascertain his competency.

The source said: "Suntai got admission at the college during the administration of the former College's Rector, Captain Adeboye Alaba in 2010. To my knowledge, the governor passed through the process, but you know what our elite can do. When the incumbent rector, Captain Chinyere Kalu came in, she tried to reposition the college through series of reforms."

"The normal age to study at the college is between 18 and 25, if you are above that, you don't have any business in the school except you are already in the Aviation sector, but Governor Suntai's age was above the required age when he applied to the college. The

governor is not a Captain, but he wears a Captain's uniform.

For you to be a Captain, you must be a commercial pilot, which he is not", he said.

He said: "We only train here, we don't issue license. We don't know what happened between Suntai and NCAA in terms of pilot license. "We got information that the AIB team was deployed to the crash site near Yola Airport and others have arrived the college to probe Governor Suntai's academic and medical records.

Suntai's blood sample has already been taken at Abuja National hospital to determine whether it contains alcohol at the time of flight."

Contrary to the above, the former NCAT Rector, Capt.

Alaba, replied in an interview that Suntai's admission to the college was without any irregularities. He said that the Private Pilot License (PPL) issued Suntai in 2010 had no age restriction anywhere in the world. Alaba explained that PPL was open to any intending pilot, adding that learning how to fly for fun was quite different from learning for making a living out of it.

The former rector insisted that age limit only applied to Commercial Pilot License (CPL) category, which Suntai did not belong to. Araba said: "I can tell you authoritatively that the PPL given to Suntai has no age limit and the governor passed through the processes before he was issued the certificate to fly by us.

Anybody can learn to fly under PPL even at age 90. The PPL is open to all. But, for the CPL, there is age restriction of 18 to 22 years. That is all I can say."

Private jets amidst endemic poverty The rising quest for a personal aircrafts by the state

governors is becoming rampant as recently, it was revealed that Rivers state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi recently acquired a brand new Bombardier Global 5000 (N565RS) in Canada for $45.7 million exclusively for his use.

This came at a time when residents of the Garden City were displaced by the worst flood crisis in history.

A Port Harcourt-based human rights campaigner said: "This is an ungodly act.

Why should Governor Amaechi's priority be to acquire a jet at a time the state is experiencing the worst flooding in its history, leaving many Rivers indigenes homeless?" he lamented.

The Rivers state Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, in reaction to the allegation said: "It was paid for two years ago.

The reason is for safety. The new aircraft is a much safer one."

It would seem also that, the attempt to observe safety from road accidents has led Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa state to opt for a private aircraft after the death of his Personal Assistant, Mohammed Zaki Gambo and two others who were killed in an accident involving his convoy at Dogon Dutse, along Toto-Nasarawa road while the Governor was returning from Umaisha where he donated relief materials to victims of flood disaster in Toto Local Government.

A good number of serving governors are also proud owners of private jets even though their people can hardly feed three times daily.

Vacuum in Government House?

As doctors at the Yola Specialist Hospital battled to save the life of Governor Suntai after the plane crash, a band of thugs were said to have invaded Government House, Jalingo and chased out his newly sworn-in Deputy, Alhaji Garba Umar. A report made it clear that the invasion, which is presently being probed by the State Security Service (SSS), is strongly suspected to be part of a plot to stop Alhaji Umar from succeeding Governor Suntai in the event that the governor did not survive, but the state Commissioner for Information Mr. Emmanuel Bello, in an interview with Peoples Daily Weekend said there was no cause for alarm, adding "there is no vacuum in Government House in Taraba state."

Umar, who was only swornin on October 5, was forced out of the Government House by thugs allegedly acting on the orders of a serving Senator. It was established that the senator has been at loggerheads with the governor. The suspect was opposed to how the immediate

past Deputy Governor, Alhaji Sani Abubakar, was impeached by the Taraba state House of Assembly based on 'cooked up' allegations of gross misconduct leveled against him by the state lawmakers.

Questions are now being asked as to who will succeed their hospitalised governor since he is said to be incapacitated to serve the state further.

On this issue, an Abujabased legal practitioner and the Founder/Chairman of the Board of Egalitarian Mission, Africa, a Non-Governmental Organization that is maintaining and promoting the belief that all people are, in principle, equal and should enjoy equal social, political, and economic rights and opportunities, Kayode Ajulo, in an interview with Peoples Daily Weekend, said "What is expected and what should happen is for the Deputy Governor to take over as acting governor. That is his duty that is why we have the deputy governor, when he was being sworn-in, he swore to uphold the constitution and the law of the land. One of the laws of the land is that whenever there is a vacuum, particularly when the governor is indisposed, he should take over as acting governor pending when the governor returns."

On what the constitution says concerning duration of time that a deputy governor stays in the position of acting governor before a substantive governor is elected, Ajulo said, "The only time acting governor can transmit to the full fledge governor is when it is so clear by the constitution that the governor cannot continue, is indisposed and there is presumption of incapacity. As at now, I believe and I take it as a temporal one, by the time it turns into permanent incapacitation, then the acting governor will take over as full governor, like what happened in the case of President Yar'Adua".

From various investigations however, although no specific medical information regarding Mr. Suntai's condition, it was reported that Governor Suntai was transferred from Yola to the National Hospital, Abuja wearing an oxygen mask heavily bandaged, and under tight security. An eye witness said: "He was driven into the hospital premises in a State House Medical Centre Ambulance with registration number SH 576. He was bandaged from head to toe and had an oxygen mask on his face. He sat on a reclining chair in the ambulance. A total of seven vehicles were in the convoy, many of them occupied by security operatives. By then, reporters and photographers had

Contd on Pg 11

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Cover

By Yusua'a Alhassan and Ayodele Samuel, Jalingo

D

uring the yuletide season, the road leading to Suntai village which is four hours drive from Jalingo, the Taraba state capital will be chaotic with a lot of people mostly traders, setting their wares at strategic locations leading to the resident of the Governor, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai who is the son of the soil.

Suntai village, is a village which is not widely known to be a commercial hub by any standard, but during the festive seasons of Christmas and the new year, the village is awash with traders making brisk sales or rendering services to the people during large political and social gatherings, as well as CEOs of cooperate organization who make it a culture of storming the village to pay homage to His Excellency, Governor Danbaba Suntai in his homestead.

Unfortunately, the ill fated plane crash involving Governor Suntai and his aides in the outskirts of Yola in Adamawa state last week became a setback because of the cancellation of the annual homage visit to the Governor.

Our reporter who visited Suntai village in the aftermath of the plane crash observed that the usual traffic congestion especially along Bali -Suntai Road that is usually the norm during these festivities was characterized by silence as everywhere was quiet and the atmosphere calm.

In the village, the faces of Governor Danbaba's kinsmen revealed that even though the Governor survived the crash, his condition was worrisome.

They comforted each other with divine words and praises

A visit to Suntai to God for saving his life.

"Glory be to God", said Alhaji Sule Musa Suntai an elder and very close ally to the Governor.

He expressed gratitude to God for what he called "miraculous deliverance" of the Governor and prayed for his speedy recovery.

A 105 years old man Alhaji Sule Garba Suntai said they were shocked by the news of the plane crash involving the Governor, adding, up till now that the Governor has been flown to Germany for further medical attention, we are yet to recover from the shock.

The District Head of Suntai Mr. Danjuma Auta said he was shocked too when he received the sad news of the plane crash.

He told our correspondent that he was with the Governor in Jalingo on that faithful day adding that he left him after they visited the official residence of the Deputy Governor Alhaji Garba Umar.

"We went to the residence of the Deputy Governor with the Governor; he greeted the Deputy Governor and went back to Government House and told me that he would visit Bali later that day. I returned to Suntai in the evening only for someone to phone me from Bali informing me that the Governor was there but had since left for Jalingo, later in the night the shocking news reached us that the Governor survived a plane crash; Thank God he is alive" explained the District Head.

Also commenting on the ill fated crash, a youth leader in the village Momo Hosea Auta

Children fetching water in delapidated borehole in Suntai JP described the survival of the Governor as "the work of salvation by the almighty God" he added that the whole village was thrown into confusion as nobody could eat or sleep.

It was reported that Suntai relocated the state NYSC Orientation camp to his remote village after about N450 million out of appropriation of N600 million was sunk into constructing the NYSC camp in Jalingo in the 2011 budget, in spite of this huge amount, the Governor moved the NYSC Camp to his village and a budget of N1.2 billion was set aside in the 2012 budget for this project.

The Governor also spent a

•••The inside story Contd from Pg 10 positioned themselves at the entrance of the Accident and Emergency Unit. But as soon as the security operatives sighted the newsmen, they diverted the ambulance to the back of the hospital."

His former Deputy, Alhaji Sani Abubakar, was reportedly stopped from seeing the governor in the hospital by security agents.

The arrival of President Goodluck Jonathan at the hospital to personally assess the governor's condition brought new hope, as he told reporters as he departed that the governor's condition had stabilised.

He said: "First and foremost, we have to thank God for what has happened.

Plane crash is not something you can just wave off. We are quite happy that the Governor is still stable and

PAGE 11

feeling well. The doctors are working very hard on him. I believe that by God's will, he will soon come out of it. But he is still in the hospital. No doubt about that. The professor/ CMD is here. He can just say one or two things. Being a Governor, people are worried.

They want to know his state of health."

Similarly, as it should be expected, the Chief Medical Director of the National Hospital, Prof. Bala Shehu, replied: "Just like the President said he is very stable. Obviously, in the first 24 hours of any injuries, there are worries. So, we will continue to observe him for the first 24 hours. There is no need to do any operation on him. He is very stable. Given what happened, we are actually satisfied with the situation at the moment."

However, a source in the hospital said the governor had

suffered neurological disorder from the crash.

It was gathered that there was heavy security presence at the National Hospital at the time of the governor's evacuation, which prevented people from getting close to the ICU; and the governor was stretchered into the Swiss Air ambulance, a Challenger 604 with registration number HB JRC ambulance. His body was covered with a white cloth while being conveyed from the International Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja to Germany. This has resulted to the suspicion that Suntai may still be in a critical condition, contrary to reports that he had stabilized. Also, the fact that the whole area was cordoned off to human and vehicular movements, further raised concerns about the state of the governor's capacity to rule Taraba state again.

District Head of Suntai, Danjuma Auta lot of resources in the construction of the aerodrome basically to enable him fly to his village on his aircraft without going through the rigors of travelling through the bad roads in the state that are begging for attention.

Furthermore, Governor Suntai relocated the Taraba state Polytechnic to his village, despite the fact that a Federal polytechnic exists in Bali, the local government headquarters, which is just 25 km away.

Despite the fact that Suntai is a remote village, one of the new generation Banks - Zenith Bank also opened a branch there.

A comprehensive secondary school was constructed in Suntai; a primary school renovated; street lights provided; boreholes sunk, while friends and political allies of the Governor have considerably

improved status of the state by building houses in the village.

On reaching the village the first thing you will come across is the private mansion owned by the Governor which is currently under construction.

"The Governor provided us with many things, since Governor Suntai, his chief Detail, ADC and chief security officer were delivered miraculously by God from the plane crash, there is need for people irrespective of religion, political and tribal differences to glorify God and pray for their healing.

"I assure you that there is no cause for alarm and call on the Tarabans not to panic over the incident as people who have visited the victims and spoken with them, said that they are recuperating," said Alhaji Babangida Sule Suntai, the village head of Suntai in an interview with our correspondent.

PAGE 12

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Cover Interview

What type of license does Suntai have?

Hadi Sirika is a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; he represents Katsina North Senatorial District. A former pilot, Senator Sirika, who is of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), bares his mind, undisguised, about how not to own a private aircraft through corrupt means. He also spoke about other issues bordering on piloting and the Aviation sector, in this interview with Jamila Nuhu Musa and Augustine Aminu.

W

ho in your opinion is a pilot?

A pilot is someone who is so trained and licensed to fly an aircraft. He is in charge of flying the plane be it an airplane, helicopter, an airship and any object that flies in the air. There are different categories of pilots. There are people that are licensed as private pilots who are allowed to fly planes of certain weight categories and not for hire or commercial purposes and of course, they can fly themselves or friends. What it simply means is that such pilots cannot be allowed to carry passengers or be paid as commercial flights. The other category is the commercial licensed pilot. The commercial pilot is allowed to carry passengers. This kind of pilot can be hired to fly passenger planes. Another category of pilots, apart from being commercial pilot license holders, are also type rated for instruments. They are called instrument pilots. They are pilots that can fly aero planes using the aid of instruments only; not seeing the outside world. They look at all the instruments in the cockpit or dash board, if I want to use the car language; they use those instruments to fly the airplanes from point A to point B safely. They are pilots that are allowed to fly in a weather condition with poor or reduced visibility. There are some that are called multi-engine type rated pilots. They are the pilots that fly multi engine planes; it could be two, three or four engines. Some pilots that have enough experience usually above 1200 hours obtain what is called airline transport license, ATPL. It all has to do with your experience and proficiency.

A pilot from my own description is somebody who is very proficient, current, up to the minutes and is aware of what is happening in the industry, and who is medically fit and well trained. For you to become a pilot one of the basic requirements is to be literate, medically fit, and to have the local requirement of the local flying school that you will attend.

What is the age limitation?

Age limitation depends on the country where you operate.

Basically, it is acceptable that a 75 year old can still fly a

Sen. Hadi Sirika plane. The issue is that the older you grow the more rigorous your medical checkups become. In those days when we were much younger, you can go and do your medical checkup and would not bother until after one year. At older age, the medical checkup becomes every 6 months or every quarterly.

Are you worried about the proliferation of private aircrafts in the country by a few individuals?

It does not add up to me when people buy private aircrafts unlawfully. Planes that are acquired through lawful means are welcome since they would improve professionalism and job creation. The issue is how it affects the economy. It is certainly disturbing when someone suddenly amasses wealth and then goes to buy an aircraft with stolen money instead of improving the lives of the people. This I will fight with the last drop of my blood.

What was the case of Governor Suntai?

In the case of Suntai, his plane is a single engine CESSANA caravan and a nice plane with the capability of landing and taking off at short field or rough terrain. The question we should be asking is “what type of license does Baba Suntai have?” I believe he has a private license.

Can you tell us about the air worthiness of the type of Suntai’s plane?

It is the responsibility of the operator and the regulator, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, (NCAA) it is the professional body that ensures that an airplane is air worthy and that it is fit to fly. One cardinal focal point is that for every airplane to take off, an engineer must have certified the plane airworthy and that it can fly. The pilot is the commander of the plane he is in charge of flying the plane so he is directly responsible for the safety of the passengers and goods on board the airplane.

Before a pilot flies an airplane he ought to make pre flight inspection and checks including walk around checks then he has to look into the cockpit to ensure that the flight controls are working in the correct sense, and that the aircraft documents are also perfect.

As a lawmaker can you tell us about taxation as it affects owning an aircraft?

There are quite a number of taxes to be paid, it depends on the airplane that you bring in or the category of license that you have. They pay royalty or fees and all other charges, there are laws concerning that but the problem is whether those laws are being respected or not. I really can’t say. If I am lawfully rich enough to buy a jet, why not? The question however is, how can you reconcile this?

Someone you know to have nothing just yesterday suddenly becomes a senator or governor and then he steals

money meant for people to by a plane. This is what I frown at and will fight it with last drop of my blood like I said earlier.

But if one is a known entrepreneur and everybody knows that your means of getting money is decent and you buy a plane, so be it. Don’t forget the question; where did you get the money to own an airplane and at whose expense?

Is it at the expense of the state where you are a chief executive or at the expense of the nation where you are a senator or at the expense of the nation, where as political appointees who have stolen people’s money, you go about oppressing people and showing you are big boys? That is why personally I am in the opposition because I don’t believe in this kind of thing.

A very good example is if someone like Captain Idris Wada the Governor of Kogi State, who is a well trained pilot and an owner of an Airline before and an entrepreneur happens to use his own personal money, and not that of his State to buy an Airplane and he finds it more efficient to run the affairs of the State with d airplane, then I will say ok.

The reason is because it is his own money not that of the State.

I know of a Governor whose State has no drinking water and the level of Education is very poor and this could be seen in the rate of failures in exit exams of students. Yet, he indulged in building a Government house of about N15 Billion Naira. Should that same person go to buy an Airplane it is our duty to fight.

What I am saying is we should all fight it out if they are not using their personal money.

What is your opinion about our long rested National Carrier, the Nigeria Airways and how can we revamp the Aviation industry?

The issue of having a National carrier owned by the State of Nigeria, no matter how noble it is, we have to come out with certain adjustment and considerations. If Government will own an Airplane it has to be completely business affairs and for the purposes of growing the industry to a level where people can participate and carry it forward. But if it is business as usual, then I would not subscribe to that. It is a pride to say your flag is being flown all over the world by our

national carriage, I am for that.

If countries like Kenya, Ethiopia for example are living on Aviation, what oil is to Nigeria is what Aviation is to Ethiopia. They are all over the place around the world making their country more popular and making money for their countries. I am not saying they don’t have their own problems but so far they have been able to address the issues as they come and they make headway in the Aviation business.

My interaction with Girma Wake who happens to be CEO of that Company did inform me that he has the support of the Government and free hands to run the business professionally. That was the secret of the success of Ethiopian airline. That is the way it ought to be anyway.

If that is the kind of thing we will have in Nigeria, it will be a good idea. The Nigerian Government should get involved and for me, there is nothing wrong with that. The concept of any kind of business depends on the local issues we have as a country. In some countries it pays that everything goes private and as the saying goes, some people say Government has no business in business. But if you look at your own peculiarity, and if the best way is for the Government to get involved to make it better, I totally agree.

After the September 11, the U.S Government came back and took back all the Airports and reinvested into the Aviation industry and does all sorts of things. The issue at that time was that of security and because they needed to secure their land, the Government needed to participate in what was going on. In Nigeria, most of the Airlines are struggling, not that they are economically buoyant but the Government has tried and has failed woefully. They have injected intervention funds through the Bank of Industry and other Agencies but yet, nothing is working.

The problem is that they are always going the wrong way.

They should bring in people who are knowledgeable in the Aviation Sector to come in and contribute their quota to better that Sector not all those people filling the pages of newspapers and saying rubbish, but like I said, people who have the technical knowhow and can deliver professional vibrancy have to come in to make the Nigerian Aviation work.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 13

Cover Interview Taraba: Denying deputy governor acting position violates constitution, says Kayode Ajulo Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba state who had a plane crash on Thursday October 25, 2012 is now receiving treatment in a hospital in Germany following the injuries he sustained in the accident with the aircraft he personally piloted. Since his departure, government activities are grounded in the state as the deputy governor has not been able to ascend to the position of an acting governor of the state. An Abuja Based legal practitioner and the Founder/Chairman of the Board of Egalitarian Mission, Africa, a NonGovernmental Organization that is maintaining and promoting the belief that all people are, in principle, equal and should enjoy equal social, political, and economic rights and opportunities, Kayode Ajulo bares his mind on the disturbing issue in Taraba state in this interview with Peoples Daily Weekend.

Excerpts

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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overnor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State has been in hospital bed since October 25, 2012 following the crashing of the aircraft he personally piloted and the activities of the state have been grounded since his departure, what did the law say on when a state governor cannot perform his official function due to ailment?

The position of the law is that there will be a chief executive officer of a state, which happens to be the governor. Our constitution, being a supreme constitution envisages a situation like this. That is why the constitution created the office of a deputy governor. The work of the deputy governor is to deputize for the governor, particularly when the governor is indisposed.

That is why you see that, in a situation when a governor is indisposed, the constitution created a situation where the deputy governor will be elevated to the acting governor to act in the capacity for the governor.

This one aptly described what happened in Taraba state, and what is expected by the clear

If you remember very well, the same scenario played itself out during the time when President Yar’Adua was sick, remember that I happen to go to court to file a case, and you know the outcome of that case. We have the doctrine of necessity. I believe and I pray that we don’t need to go to court over this issue again. The right thing should happen. What we have to understand about the constitution is that it is supreme.

It is something that must be followed. We fought for this constitution and we fought for the democracy. It is our ground law that we don’t need to violate. Any attempt to not make the deputy governor acting governor as at this very moment is a violation of that position of the constitution.

As it is now, the deputy governor is not in an acting capacity.

Government activities in the state are grounded owing o the absence of the state governor, what is your take on this?

Kayode Ajulo provision of the constitution is that, particularly when we look at the circumstances that led to the way the governor of Taraba state was out of the country; the governor had an accident, and the accident was so severe that he cannot even communicate with

anybody, it is expected, by the circumstances of that situation that the deputy governor immediately becomes the acting governor of the state to act for the governor, pending when the governor will return back to the country.

My take is that, as expected, if the person that is supposed to lead the government is not allowed to lead, that means that the activities of the government will be in comatose and if care is not taken, it may lead to anarchy. let us be sincere about that one, because whenever there is vacuum, the devil will find a way on how to fill it, and if anything you have to fill the vacuums with is not in accordance with the provision of the constitution, it them means that we are looking for chaos. What is expected and what should happen is for the deputy to take over as acting

governor. That is his duty that is why we have the deputy governor, when he was being sworn-in, he swore to uphold the constitution and the law of the land. One of the laws of the land is that whenever there is a vacuum, particularly when the governor is indisposed, he should take over as acting governor pending when the governor will return. That is what it should be.

It is an automatic issue. We don’t even need anybody to spell it out in black and white to get it right.

I think what I need to do is to write to remind the Taraba House of Assembly, particularly the speaker that it is his duty, he has a big role to play to ensure that this one happen immediately.

The deputy governor has a big role to play because he swore an oath to defend and uphold the position of the constitution to do the needful and assume the position of the acting governor of the state.

What did the constitution say concerning to duration of time that a deputy governor stays in the position of acting governor before a substantive governor is elected?

The only time acting governor can transmit to the full fledge governor is when it is so clear by the constitution that the governor cannot, is indisposed and there is presumption of incapacity. As at now, I believe and I take it as a temporal one, by the time it turns into permanent incapacitation, then the acting governor will take over as full governor, like what happened in the case of President Yar’Adua.

There is no vacuum in Taraba Government House – Emmanuel Bello

W

hat is the state of the health of Governor Suntai following the crash?

The governor is in stable condition. He was first taken to the National Hospital, Abuja.

There, even President Goodluck Jonathan confirmed that the governor was stable. He is now in Germany where he is receiving treatment. We are getting report of his improvement on a daily basis.

But much has not been heard about the Governor’s Aides involved in the crash?

The governor's three aides are equally getting good treatment. They have now been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja.

From there, the doctors will decide if they are to be flown abroad or not. Two of them, that is, the CSO and the chief detail, are practically well already.

The CD even walks about. The CSO only had fracture on the leg.

So they are far better than the ADC. I'm sure doctors would refer the ADC to Germany. The state is ready to fly anyone of them

The Commissioner for Information has reiterated that Taraba state is not in limbo and has assured that the aides of the governor are well taken care of and will be flown to Germany if the doctors give the go-ahead. He confirmed this Ayodele Samuel. out as soon as the doctors say so; it is their decision to make. They were the ones who said the governor should be moved to the National Hospital and afterwards to Germany. As for the ADC who was in a critical condition, they said he shouldn't be moved until he is a bit stable.

So when he is stabilized, they will decide on his movement to Abuja, en route Germany.

Throughout thier stay in Yola, Governor Murtala Nyako and all cabinet members of the Taraba state government, were always at the hospital. On the day they were going to Yola, a full scale convoy went to the airport to see them off. They are being accorded all the necessary concern and care. And even back in the state, everyone is praying for the governor and the affected aides. It is laughable that some people are painting a picture of

Commissioner for Information, Taraba state, Emmanuel Bello neglect. The aides and their family members are even astounded by the show of support and the solidarity.

Government activities (Governors office) in the state has been in limbo since the crash, Has this left political vacuum in

governance of the state?

There is no limbo or vacuum in the state. The Deputy Governor, Alhaji Garba Umar, is on top of the whole affairs of the state. He has since conveyed an EXCO meeting, made a state broadcast, and inspected relief materials to flood victims. He is currently attending the council of state meeting in Abuja. So we are still working. Nothing has changed. He is giving approvals to memos that would help move the state forward. The other arms of government are working. The legislators just sat to assess all of what is happening.

The judiciary is also active. Civil servants are up and doing and going to work as usual. So there is no limbo anywhere.

How true is it that the crashed Aircraft was supplied to the state government by the rejected ministerial nominee from Taraba state, Mr. Obadiah Ando?

I don't understand this question. The plane belongs to the state.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Cover

Pilot Suntai’s tragedy From Blessing Tunoh, Yola

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overnor of Taraba State, Architect Danbaba Suntai Thursday last week survived a plane crash at a bush in Adamawa state during a visit to the state for a mission yet unknown.

The mishap which happened at about dawn in Sangere town just behind NNPC depot fifteen kilometres to the state capital involved three other passengers equally badly injured.

Hospital sources had said the governor broke one of his arms while two others were under intensive care as at the time of filing this report on Thursday night.

Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State on receiving the information had dispatched an ambulance to the scene of the incident with medical experts to take charge and was at the specialist hospital to see to the health of his colleague and neighbour, and those on board with him.

Eyewitnesses returning from their farms when the incidence happened believe the Governor who piloted the jet himself, sensing a disaster flew to the bush in Sangere to avoid destruction in the capital city.

Suntai was stabilized at the German diagnostic centre of the Yola Specialist hospital on the night of the crash before he was moved to the National Hospital Abuja for further treatment.

Peoples Daily Weekend learnt that Suntai who piloted the illfated plane left Jalingo that Thursday evening for Yola but lost contact with the Radar at the Yola international airport which led to a crash until he was later found at the wreckage in the bush after a brief search.

Meanwhile a presidential aide had already sent a condolence message to citizens of Taraba state over the death of their governor; a development which the Commissioner for Information Emmanuel Bello , described as unfortunate and ascribed to misguidance by preliminary media reports.

In the ensuing pandemonium, Peoples Daily Weekend investigations reveal that Fulani herdsmen and villagers at Sangere town where the crash happened took advantage of the incident to cart away valuables of the passengers on board.

Cause of the crash is still unknown as security agents and airport authorities have since cordoned the scene of the crash and Peoples Daily Weekend learnt a team of investigators have arrived the state and have since proceeded to Taraba state for further investigations as to the cause of the mishap.

The remaining three survivors of the Sallah eve plane crash, who appeared quite stable except for the Aide de camp were also moved to Abuja from the state for further treatment. All three survivors who are Suntai’s security aides were moved amidst tight security until they were safely boarded enroute Abuja to the National hospital in a C130 Nigeria Air Force aircraft with the inscription NAF 930 from where they would be proceeding to Germany.

The three survivors were identified as Illiya Dasat who is the governor’s Aide De Camp; Tino Dagana is the Chief Security Officer while Joel Dan is the Chief Detail.

Contrary to widely peddled rumours that lives were lost during the Sallah eve night crash, the three aides were evacuated from the wreckage of the plane alive but with various degrees of injury.

The Federal Medical Centre where they have been on admission since Thursday night when the tragic incidence occurred was filled to capacity with Taraba state government officials, security personnel and well wishers of the survivors.

Adamawa state Governor, Murtala Nyako personally supervised the evacuation alongside the state Brigade

commander John Nwaogu and other state officials.

Similarly the Secretary to the Taraba state Government, Emmanuel Njuwa led members of the state Executive council to witness the exercise.

The Chief security officer and the chief detail appeared to be stable, while the ADC until he departed Yola was on life support machines. Director Medical

‘While Nigerians keep praying for the recovery of the injured governor and his aides, Suntai however had come under heavy criticism for failing to fix the deplorable Jalingo-Yola link road which is about 150 kilometres. The state of the road which has claimed many lives is part of the reason the governor embarks on solo flights anytime he needed to visit the neighbouring Adamawa state’

services of the Taraba State Government House Dr. Ahmed Kara spoke on the health condition of the governor who has been reportedly flown to Germany for treatment, and his injured aides.

“His excellency is very stable and responding positively to treatment which is why I had to stay back and monitor his aides; as you can see they are fine except for the CSO who has an ankle injury, even the ADC has finally come out of coma he opened his eyes this morning and communicated with his wife.”

The delighted Chief Detail told Peoples Daily Weekend that he was thankful to be alive and assured that his health is improving by the day.

“I can only describe the cause of what happened that fateful day as technical problem, we took off like every other normal flight until we had that crash but we thank God for sparing our lives and as you can see I am fine i am only travelling for check up.” Dan stated. Contrary to accusations that the aides were dumped while all attention shifted to the governor, sources say the ADC’s condition was responsible for the delay while the other two injured aides told our reporter that they were stable and were only travelling for check up for formality sake.

While Nigerians keep praying for the recovery of the injured governor and his aides, Suntai however had come under heavy criticism for failing to fix the deplorable Jalingo-Yola link road which is about 150 kilometres.

The state of the road which has claimed many lives is part of the reason the governor embarks on solo flights anytime he needed to visit the neighbouring Adamawa state.

A trip from the Taraba state capital to Yola which should ideally not take more than one and half hours takes close to four hours with a high rate of accidents recorded. With what has happened, travellers are hopeful that the Traba state government in conjunction with the Federal Government would consider fixing the road and put an end to the sufferings of road users.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Peoples Page Meet the man who has lived on the rock for 7 years He has lived on the rock in Suleja, Niger state for seven years now. It is where he cooks, eats, sleeps, prays and even earns his livelihood. Many in the area think he is insane but he says it is his lifestyle. Alhaji Oye Mai Yasin as he is popularly called spoke with Ummukulthum Aliyu. he supposed mad man who lives on a rock opposite Unity bank along Dawaki road in Suleja Niger state was discovered to be perfectly sane. According to him, he has lived on the rock for almost 7years and residents around the place assumed he had a mental problem. Even though he looks shabby and unkempt he speaks English, Hausa, and Yoruba fluently.

He hails from Oyo state of Nigeria but acquired his nursery and primary education in Suleja. He said he has many names but his favourite one is, Alhaji Oye Mai Yasin, but popularly called Ojji by children. According to him, Mai yasin is a title given to him by big men and other top officials in Nigeria. They gave me the name because of my popularity and my business, he said.

His story I was born in the year 1973 in Suleja but presently my parents are in Oyo state.

Am not married, my dad has two wives but one died. My mum has 7 kids including me.

My siblings are in Oyo with my parents. I attended Federal Government College, Niger state. I didn’t gain admission into the university when I finished secondary school.

I didn’t want to suffer myself because I knew I would not be able to make it so I decided to start menial jobs to make ends meet.

I live on the rock because wherever you find yourself that is your home. If you live around the river, then the river becomes your home. If you live close to the road, then the roadside becomes your home. There is no special reason why I stay on the rock, I just happen to like staying on the rock because this is where I found myself.

I make and repair a lot of things but I don’t get customers to buy them because am not close to the market. I am a popular person and everyone knows me here, am a man of the people. Children always come to my place to say hello to me. At times they bring empty containers for me to buy. All the containers you see around here, I bought them from people.

For my convenience I created a bathroom for myself over there (pointing

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Mai Yasin at work under his shade in the rock at the bathroom). I take my bath there and at times, I hide myself there so that children will not disturb me. The bathroom is very important to me. I always cook my food here on the rock but when am busy, I buy food to eat. I use stove, firewood and charcoal to cook my food.

I repair broken things to make a living.

I can repair anything broken or spoilt, whether it is gas cooker, television, satellite, fridge, radio, drums, pots, umbrella etc.

While at work, I wear these glasses to avoid particles from getting into my eyes because I always sharpen iron and such things. I don’t ask for help because I don’t want anyone to insult me. Although I have not had such experience before, people do it to others and I don’t want them to do it to me.

As of now, I don’t have any plans of furthering my education; I just want to get some money to enable me sustain this business.

I don’t have any enemy. I had a girlfriend whom I had known for a very long time but presently she is married to someone

else. Marriage is a blessing to those whom Allah has given the power to do it. You might have a girlfriend but then she might see someone who is better than you are and she would go for the person.

Presently, I don’t have a girlfriend but am still looking for someone of my type. I wish to get a girlfriend who loves me the way I am because, firstly; I am handsome, Mai Yasin’s bathroom, beside the rock where he keeps some of secondly; the way you approach a his wares

Mai Yasin at work in his shade lady will determine whether she will come cannot pray. A traveller can pray in his car to you or not. As for me, if I see someone I if there is no place to pray, I can also pray in like, I know how to approach her that will the Mosque. There is nowhere, where God make her answer me as I wish. I hope to get cannot answer your prayer. Whenever am married because I am a man and I can do sleeping on the rock and it is raining, I come like other men are doing. I want to get more back to my shade but when am under my money for my business and to also attract shade and it is sunny, I climb the rock. I women because women want money and have a house of my own but I don’t usually apart from money; they want somebody sleep there, but when the harmattarn that is their choice. I also want somebody comes, I will move to my personal house. that is my own choice because if I marry All I want is prayers so that my business someone that is not my choice, if I say No! will thrive.

On an issue; she might say Yes!. So I want to Investigations in Suleja showed that Oye marry someone who will say ‘Yes’ when I used to be a young, healthy and vibrant say ‘Yes’. young man. According to a source who I usually sleep here under this shade or pleaded anonymity, there was once a feud on top of the rock without a mattress because as to who would be the next emir of Suleja at I always keep the place clean. I am not scared a particular point in time. Oye then, had when I sleep on the rock at night because it his own candidate, who also had several is God that protects and he has been supporters. Oye led the supporters in a fight protecting me. I also have chairs where I sit during the tussle before the crisis was finally with the children who bring empty settled. After that he resorted to drinking, containers for me to buy on the rock but smoking and taking all sorts of dangerous they have broken some of the chairs. I also drugs which greatly affected him till date. say my prayers on the rock because the According to the source, Oye’s siblings have Mosque is far away from this place and at been worried about his state resulting from times I lead some people in prayers. It is very the hard drugs. The source said, Oye and normal to pray on the rock there is nothing his siblings were born and brought up in wrong with that, there is no where you Hassan Dallatu area of Suleja.

Some of the things Mai Yasin repairs

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Tourism

Gombe’s sacred Bima hill

Bima hill

Rhumsiki Peak

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ombe State, fondly called the Jewel in the Savannah, no doubt is naturally endowed with a lot of tourist attractions that are yet to be tapped into. The Famous Bima Hill is a unique and beautiful sacred hill found at the bank of the Dadin Kowa Dam in Yamaltu Deba Local government area of Gombe state. It is regarded as sacred because of the history surrounding it.

It has a flat top and a pond at the middle harbouring crocodiles and other aquatic animals. Historically, the Shehu Usman Danfodio, the long Muslim leader was said to be camping at the western side of the hill before the coming of the Europeans. A lot of mysteries surround this extraordinary mountain, especially related to the emergence of the Mahdi (Messiah). Legendary stories have it that after the battle of Sokoto the defeated Fulani galloped away in small groups heading north and east.

Before they dispersed, the Sultan, Attahiru absolved his Councillors and closest followers from their allegiance and left to each of them the decision whether to accompany him into exile or return and seek the indulgence of the British. The majority, when they found that the conquerors were behaving magnanimously, went back and made their peace. Among them were the Waziri Buhari, the Marafa Maiturare, and most of the Fulani aristocracy.At Bima, they accorded the former Sultan a respectful greeting and if at that time he had been determined to fight on at all costs he would doubtless have joined them without further ado. As it was,

however, he seemed still to have been of two minds for he passed on to Bima Hill. Bima, a long saddleback, lies east of, and parallel to the Gongola River in the reach where it turns south towards the Benue Valley. Aside the Bima hill, the Rhumsiki peak of Gombe is another tourist wonder.

Gombe State is inhabited by many tribal groups among whom are the Tera, Tangali, Fulani, Balewa, Waja and

Hausa. Hausa is the common language of the people.

Among the tourist sites is the spectacular Rhumsiki Peak with its beak-like top gracefully pointing to the sky.

The people of Gombe State are mainly farmers, amongst its food crops are yam, cassava, maize, tomotoes, groudnut and cotton.

Gombe is a city in north-eastern

Nigeria and it is the capital city of Gombe State with an estimated population of 261,536. Developments in the state include an electrical generation operation forming the basis for the Dadin Kowa water project and the opening of the new Gombe Lawanti International Airport.

Gombe city is also served by a station on the eastern mainline of the national railway network.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Weekend

PAGE 17

Cocktail

HOLLYWOOD

Disney acquires Lucasfilm: Star wars episode 7 slated For 2015 >> Page 26

>> Page 24

CUISINE

>> Page 28

Cassava delicacies you can’t ignore

KIDDIES Anansi and the Alligator

>> Page 22

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 18

Relationship If you have any relationship story you want to share with our esteem readers, please send to the above address. Let's share your love story.

Reasons men blow hot and cold

By Elaine AmDee

I

get a lot of emails from confused women asking me why men go from hot to cold, back and forth, so this article is to explain the three main reasons why men will go hot and cold, confusing you in the process by such inconsistent behavior.

The number one reason men will blow hot and cold is that the woman herself starts acting too pushy too early on and pushes him away. When a man you are dating hasn’t decided yet he is ready to commit to a more serious relationship with you, and you already hear the wedding bells in your head, the emotions you project during your dates and the things you say to him make it transparent that you are looking for a relationship that is more serious than what he is currently offering you.

In this situation you need to re-assess your own behavior and how you come off. If you are finding that after a heartfelt confession on how much you like him he is pulling away, you’ve just scared him off. Take the time for his feelings for you to develop with the same intensity before he makes a commitment to a serious relationship.

The most important thing to remember is that it has to come from him.

Reason number 2 men blow hot and cold is that they often need time to process their emotions and need a little readjustment before taking a plunge to make a more serious commitment to the woman in his life.

You may find that after spending a fabulous weekend together he doesn’t call you for three days or immerses into his

Heart Matterz With A'isha Biola Raji E-mail: rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com Phone: 08082071393

I can't just understand him!

H

work.

Don’t worry and give him time. Sometimes after smelling roses for a couple of days a man will want to get back to pursuing his goals. He may get scared that spending romantic time on the beach will take over his life and leave nothing else, so he will want to jump into work just to feel like nothing has changed and he is still the man he was before he met you.

Lastly, reason number three why men blow hot and cold is that he wants to keep you in his life but doesn’t want to commit to you completely. He starts pursuing you when you pull back out of fear to lose you entirely, but when he feels that he is back in the comfort zone

ello, I’m Sofia P. and I would want to ask for your help. There has been a man in my life for more than 7 year;we never had the chance to go on a date since last January. Until then I used to have a phone or eye contact whenever he was around. In the past few years i found out that he was married but that didn’t stop me or him. I was always careful because until then my feelings for him had grown.Last January we went out for dinner and ended up in bed. The problem is that from January till now we have met for about 5-6 times and the thing is that I see him every day and we just say hello and he keeps on staring at me, blowing hot and cold; he will call me as soon as he realises that he’s losing me and then disappears for a time although we meet every day in the street.

I really don’t know what to do.

I really care for this man but the problem is that although he seems to care and is attracted to me he just keeps on pushing me away. I know that it might sound crazy but I respect his

in which there is no threat that you will leave him, he goes back to the cold mode.

Astonishingly, in studies done on unmarried couples, majority of men currently living with their girlfriends said they did not want to marry their girlfriends because they didn’t see them as their soul mates.

Those men also identified what they’d consider their soul mates and the kind of woman they’d commit.

Re – I had my doubts and they turned out to be true

A

hmed, I read your experience and it was touching but life must continue, you already doubted her sincerity so that should have prepared you for the disappointment. There are many fishes in the river. Just

Why is she using innocent children to break us up?

M

family. Although he’s just married “in papers” meaning that his marriage doesn’t stop him from having other affairs.

I can feel that he cares but I really don’t know how to handle this situation. I’m not the type of woman who will call him every day 24/7 and press him.

On the contrary, I’m very careful when we are in public together or with other friends or people around in order not to attract attention.There have been many times that I’ve wanted to call him and ask him to meet me in order to clear things up but I’m afraid of losing him. I would appreciate if other readers can help advice me on what to do… yours sincerely, Sofia P.

y name is Matilda; I’m seriously in love with a guy. We have been together for the past seven months, he was married before and he has two children. We live together but he thinks we are moving too fast in the relationship.

He works out of town for weeks at a time.His children are against our relationship despite how I take care of them. The last time, it was his 11 year old, he refused to talk to his father for a few weeks because of our relationship I absolutely love his kids but his ex-wife and their mother is using them against my relationship with their father. This woman is another story; I have not met her and really don’t want to.When we broke up the last time, he told his children and the son told his mother and also resumed talking to his father. I think this ex is using these children but why does he fall for her tricks?I don’t know what I should do.

Of course, my emotions are out of control. I am not speaking to him at this point. Tell me what to do.

make sure you catch a reliable one next time. Don’t get discouraged, move on with your life – Rita

Re – I’m in love with my cousin but my culture forbids it

Y

our story sounded funny to me because what is forbidden in your culture is very accepted in mine.

However, you did not mention if you are a Christian or Muslim. If you are a Muslim, you should know there is nothing wrong in marrying your cousin, is even encouraged where I come from in the North. If your culture is so important to you, just try and forget about her but if you are a Muslim, being cousins should not be a barrier – Adama

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 19

Beauty Tips How to have a beautiful no make-up look T here are hundreds of tutorials on the internet explaining how to use makeup to create a no-makeup look. Of course, all of these tutorials makes a person wonder why the writers and experts don’t just skip the make-up altogether, instead of providing a long list of products that make your skin look dewy or sun-kissed.

So rather than wear makeup that creates the illusion of not having make-up on, maybe you should read about the benefits of staying away from the make-up aisle and keeping a naked face.

Who has the time?

Not all women have money to buy a truckload of make-up products, nor do they have the time. We can’t all dedicate 30 minutes in front of a mirror before work or school just to apply makeup because let’s face it: it takes us 30 minutes just to roll out of bed in the morning. And don’t forget that at the end of each day, you’ll need to spend even more time trying to get the products off of your face, which will cost more money as you’ll have to buy make-up remover to get the job

Youthful looking face Women who choose to go out with no make-up on tend to appear more youthful, compared to women who take the time to apply make-up. You

done right.

Misleading labels Although the makeup models you see on boxes are beautiful with thick eyelashes, flush cheeks, and perfect eyebrows, there’s no way you’ll be able to look like their picture even if you spend all day in front of the mirror. Oftentimes, product labels will claim to improve skin tone and texture, but unfortunately, they fail at delivering on those promises.

So if you’re expecting perfect outcomes with mascara, you’re going to be disappointed because most of the brushes that are labeled “no clump” will leave you with clumps that have to be worked out with an eyelash brush.

could be adding years to your face by wearing make-up if you’re not using the right foundation formula or shade.

After all, some foundations fall into the smallest of creases on your face, which draws attention to the wrong areas.

You’ll get noticed The term associated with women who don’t wear makeup is low maintenance, and it’s a compliment. You’ll find that being able to feel confident with no make-up will get you noticed because men like women who are comfortable with the face they were born with. In fact, a lot of men prefer women who aren’t fussing with lipsticks and blushes every time they need to go to the grocery store.

Touching your face When you don’t wear makeup, you’re able to rub your eye as often as you’d like (although it’s not recommended), and you don’t

have to visit the restroom for touch-ups. Plus your face can become oily with make-up, and this requires oil blotting sheets.

For some make-up looks to be complete, you’ll even need fake eyelashes, and when you have an eyelash in your eye, this can become extremely troublesome.

Looking beautiful without make-up Whatever your reason for not wearing make-up is, it’s important to still look your best, and be confident with your natural beauty.

•Beauty rest: Be sure that you are getting plenty of rest every night; the required amount is said to be 6-8 hours of sleep every night. Along with 8 hours of sleep, be sure to drink plenty of water and avoid sodas. These two things can greatly improve your skin’s complexion, and help heal the circles around your eyes.

•Wash your face: If your goal is to clear skin without using make-up, then washing your face twice a day should become part of your daily routine. You’ll spend a fraction of the time washing your face as you would apply and removing make-up each day.

Choose facial cleansers and exfoliates according to your specific skin type for best results.

•Maintain your eyebrows: Your eyebrows are the easiest feature to manipulate on your face. You can change the shape and size easily by visiting a salon, or by learning to wax and pluck eyebrows yourself. When you keep your eyebrows maintained, your face looks clean and put-together without using make-up, while also framing your face and drawing attention to your eyes.

But always be cautious as to not over-pluck, because this can

create more problems for you in the future.

•Moisturize your face and body: Apply a moisturizer every day to your face and body. For your face, you’ll want to apply a moisturizer that includes an SPF – even on days that aren’t sunny. After all, the sun’s harmful rays can get to you even on overcast days. At night, you can use a nighttime moisturizer after you cleanse your skin; this will improve your moisture, and make your skin soft and smooth.

•Diet: The food you eat is very important for staying healthy and youthful. This being said, you’ll want to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables to make your skin glow.

A trick is to eat one cup of fresh fruit or vegetables before every meal in order to get your full servings of important nutrients.

•Hairstyle: Before you decide on a hairstyle, be sure it will suit your face shape and hair type. Not every haircut will look good on every girl, and it’s very important not to have the wrong hairstyle since this distracts from your face, and can cause you to look unappealing.

•Create healthy hair: Only shampoo (how to choose hair shampoo and conditioner) your hair when it is needed; for the average woman, this is every other day, unless your hair frequently becomes oily.

You’ll want to only apply conditioner to the ends, and pony-tail a section of your hair before rinsing well with cool water to boost your hair’s shine, softness and smoothness.

Assuming you can closely follow the aforementioned seven points, you’ll be on your way to looking good with no make-up required. www.beautytips.net

PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Learning Book Review

With Augustine Aminu 07038749120 julius2001_a@yahoo.com

When Dreams Fail: A Review of Sola Osofisan’s ‘Blood Will Call’

S

ola Osofisan made a name for himself in Nigeria during the 1990s as a multiple awardwinning writer, screenwriter and film director. In those early days it was already evident he was cut out for impressive things. But about two decades ago, he became a beneficiary of the United States green card lottery programme and relocated to New Jersey.

Blood Will Call (2012) is his first major collection of stories since his emigration.

The volume displays all Osofisan’s known hallmarks as an author: economy, acuity of vision, a sense of the bizarre, an interrogation of the borderlands between the living and the dead, and between light and shade.

However, this new collection of macabre tales has an added dimension. Here, Osofisan explores the costs of Africans relocating to the United States. Many of the accounts in the book question the ultimate gains of such drastic cultural uprooting. In “Don’t come to America, Emeka”, the protagonist advises a medical doctor friend through a barrage of emails and text messages to stay back notwithstanding, the church bombings, the impending air of chaos, doom and the general societal dysfunctionality plaguing the Nigerian nation. This protagonist argues that America is not for everyone. In short, Osofisan’s character analyses the pluses and minuses of cultural transplantation with the precision of an auditor in which America becomes a place of psychic disconnect and dereliction. But his wife thinks otherwise as she has managed to qualify as a nurse and hence become the main breadwinner of the family. He, on the other hand, has repeatedly failed to earn the almighty United States Medical License and is stuck at the bottom of the social and economic ladder as a sourly abused gas station attendant.

Eventually, he his compelled by his wife to quit in order to become a stayat-home dad looking after the kids and preparing their meals thereby saving on day care costs. As his kids become acculturated in America his anger mounts as well as his jolting sense of alienation. In a fit of anger, he strikes his wife who

refuses to press charges but cuts him off emotionally.

Instead, she hurls him off into a mental prison his casual sexism cannot help him understand.

Other stories debunk the dreams-come-true-inAmerica syndrome.

“Fallen” portrays the slippages of identity of a Nigerian trying without much success to pass for an African-American.”Maka Knows” relates the ordeal of an African woman who encounters psychopathic killer when a child under her care disappears. But law enforcement agents let go of the killer and in a travesty focus instead on the stigma of otherness that is conferred on her. The moral of the tale is clear; beneath the carapace of American civility often lie dread and terror. “Fire is an African god” continues the interrogation of African lives in the United States.

This story is a humorous depiction of AfricanAmerican ignorance concerning Africa as Tarzan-type mythologies of the ancestral continent prevail such as it is possible to travel from Africa to the U.S. by canoe in three years, or that lions, elephants and other wild animals roam around freely within domestic human settlements. These stories about African dreams in the U.S. are particularly poignant.

Other tales such as, “A Mother Screaming”, “Blood will call” and “See (maker

of images)” explore preoccupations with myth and the intimacies and dangers that lie between (wo)man and nature. In “A mother Screaming”, a child is sent off by her heavily pregnant mother to fetch help for the task of child birth. In the mindless flight through the woods, she encounters terrifying aspects of nature. On a somewhat smaller scale, the oppressions of patriarchy, sexism and racism (via allusions to the slave trade) are unveiled.

Osofisan explores the urban/rural divide and postcolonial disorder in stories such as “Shifting sand” and “Black maria”.

“Shifting sand” is set in the Niger Delta where inhabitants have to deal with severe ecological devastation, poverty and neglect. The pervasive nature of the social neglect seems to breed wanton criminality on a broader scale. In this story, the protagonist ends up in jail as he wades through the bitter struggle for survival.

“Black maria” tells the story of a pregnant middle-class woman who is being rushed in an ambulance though chaotic traffic to a hospital delivery room. As a motorcade of authority cuts through the traffic, the ambulance is demobilised by bullets. The pregnant woman in the vehicle is killed, another highly poignant ending. In the rush to bring forth life, death results.

Blind Love – by Seotsa ‘Soh’ Manyeli (short story)

I

t is a long and tedious journey to walk through the heart and find the meaning behind those strange and profound feelings we have at times.

But the memory of a better life after the discovery of such a heart is worth the try – sometimes not, but we nonetheless continue to sail through those wanted fields of life.

I have heard when growing up that men do not cry, they would rather die and somehow I find that I cannot cope with this state of my life where I do not fully understand what is going on.

I don’t want to die, but still I consider myself a man. I still am afraid of something I do not understand. It is a feeling of love that seems to be engulfing my life and like a hurricane taking me to places I do not know. But I find that I am still here and will stay for as long as there is something in me that wants to see the dawn of tomorrow, the beauty of rain, the tears of joy.

However, I must admit that I am not as confident as I may appear on the outside. Life is hard and choices are difficult, yes, solutions are tentative and the cold of tomorrow, yet to show more of itself.

I wish it could be easy to go back to yesterday and do things without the judgement of others with consequences out of your mind for the end is always justified by the means. As we face away from tomorrow I find that I do understand life and its expectation of us for the values that have shaped us do say we should not cross that line that has made us better people in the past, but this hurricane that has masqueraded like a river says different. And as I keep asking for the answers from this long silence of time that looks like a river down a hill I hear only one sentence that claims that love is not true if one cannot risk having it. I want to risk and find happiness; but on the same I do not want to disappoint those who depend and trust in me. But I still remember that I also was born from a woman and I still learnt from the same heart that I was born to be touched – and loved.

As we look away from tomorrow we remember that at some time we were very much in love and now we look for something that will attest different to the sensations of those days that have been swallowed by the hurricane of time. So much has happened in our lives, we find ourselves now mature, wise and

apparently convalescent with the lessons of life; and I discover that I have not learnt as much as I would like to. Wisdom is knowledge applied and through the lessons that we have encountered, the people we have kissed, the hearts we have broken, we should have learnt significant lessons that were supposed to carry us through this stream of choice and – of love. Let us not forget that we were born to be touched – and loved; if we still remember that then we have no reason to doubt the feeling that is carrying us through this passage of want. And yes, probably we are soul mates and maybe, just maybe God wants us to know what we feel and probably It has opened our eyes to see the road to it, but we are blinded by the hurricane of time that says different.

I am growing into a person who believes he is talented enough to come up with a story from an illusion into a live one. Through this turn of events I find that I am indeed as I have always hoped, to write for tomorrow and not for today. This digs a memory still in my mind and heart that my purpose of being here is to be touched – and loved, sometimes by the same words that I have written. It is excellence and

top of my mountains. I believe God loved me enough to make me a part of this mirage with diffident ends of a promise that refuses to unfold. I think I am in love. I have heard that love seeks naught for itself, only for others that it seeks to share its light with. But I do not understand why I still look away from tomorrow even though I remember that I was born to be touched – and loved.

As I sit here and listen to my heart begging my mind to give it only one chance of happiness; even if it will only be a moment I find that my happiness does not lie in the hearts of my dear friends, but in mine. To know that you are alive and this present feeling of acceptance to me is enough to make me a better individual. Love seeks that you share your completeness with another, which is what I want to do.

Yes, sometimes the questions are just too damn difficult and the words from these frail hands that have written enough words in one lifetime do not have a spell to conclude. But I still remember why I am here; and why my heart seeks to share its light with yours.

Yes, we were born to be touched – and loved by the same hands that today say different. But I find that my

genius running away from me like a mad man and I am still running after him and seeking to touch him. I know that I have sought you, for ages through open fields, throughout snowy mountains, wide rivers with no indication of where you were, what you were doing.

I had nothing to carry me except my silent heart seeking something that will show it the beauty of life when love is the partner. I have found you and my heart is in joy now that you are in its life. It may be that you are in another part of the planet and I, alone here with memories that I will eventually be one with you when writing poetry or carrying a camera to the blue waters and wet rocks at the

mind says, no, not now. Why would you want to hurt those you love? My heart tells me that the greatest fountain that made everything possible was the truth from the mind that created everything possible. It never sought to be anything except what it was. Love seeks to see itself as what it is. And the irony is that it was the same mind and the same heart that were seeking the same thing when they created the physical universe; and yes, you and me. It was from the heart that It made us on the image and the command that we are born to be touched – and loved. And it was from the song of the mind that we should always seek to be touched – and loved by the same…

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 21

Healthy Living

Eating salmon could prevent a stroke E

ating two portions of oily fish a week could help ward off a stroke, research suggests.

Scientists have found that eating two helpings of oily fish, such as salmon, trout or mackerel every week could moderately reduce risk of a stroke.

However, fish oil supplements do not have the same beneficial effect as oily fish such as kippers, sardines, fresh tuna or whitebait, the study found.

An international team of researchers, including Cambridge-based academic Dr. Rajiv Chowdhury, examined the association between oily fish, which are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, and the risk of strokes or mini-strokes.

They looked at 38 studies involving almost 800,000 people across 15 countries and examined participants’ fish and long chain omega 3 fatty acid consumption,during the study, a total of 34,817 strokes and mini strokes were recorded.

After adjusting for several risk factors, participants eating two to four servings a week had a 6 per cent lower risk of stroke

W

e i g h t - l o s s programmes can really help obese youngsters shed the pounds but only if started early enough, new research suggests.

Overweight children under 10 had much slower weight gain than teenagers who received similar interventions such as a change in diet and exercise habits, say scientists from the KarolinskaInstitutet in Stockholm.

"The results are indeed alarming for severely obese adolescents, who run a serious risk of disease,' said Claude Marcus, professor of paediatrics at the Institute.

"New treatment methods must be developed and for some young people, surgery must even be considered an option."

Excessive pounds in childhood often stay on into adulthood, where they have been linked to heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.

The Swedish report was published alongside Dutch research in the journal the Archives of Paediatricsand Adolescent Medicine.

The Dutch scientists found that heavy three- to five-yearolds saw continued benefits from a weight-loss intervention at least several months after it ended.

Commenting in the journal on both studies, Dr. Elsie Taveras, a paediatrician at Harvard Medical School and

Scientists have found that eating two helpings of oily fish - such as salmon, trout or mackerel every week could moderately reduce risk of a stroke

compared with those who consumed one portion or less every week, the study found.

Fish oil supplements were not significantly associated with a similar reduced risk, according

to the paper published on bmj.com.

Eating oily fish has already been linked to other health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease.

The Food Standards Agency recommends that everyone should eat at least two 140g portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish.

‘From past research we know that eating plenty of fish is good for our general health,’ said Dr. Peter Coleman, deputy director of research at the Stroke Association.

“This research shows that it could also help to protect us against stroke. However, it’s interesting to see that taking fish oil supplements doesn’t have the same beneficial effect.

“People who eat lots of fish may have healthier diets in general which could go some way to explain the results.

However, a lot more research is needed in this area before we decide to eat fish every day of the week.

“You can reduce your risk of stroke by exercising regularly, consuming a healthy, balanced diet and getting your blood pressure checked.”

Breastfeeding can offset the effect of overweight in children - Experts

C

hildren born to overweight mothers face a higher risk of being fat themselves but breastfeeding can help offset the effect, a study has shown.

Being overweight and smoking during pregnancy both increase the chances of a child being obese, along with being heavy at birth and rapid weight gain as a baby.

But breastfeeding and the late introduction of solid foods can reduce a baby's risk of becoming overweight by about 15 per cent, claim the researchers.

They say it should help new mothers make healthier choices for their babies.

Stephen Weng, who undertook the study, led by Dr. Sarah Redsell, of Nottingham University's School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy, said complex influences affected child development, ranging from genetics to parents' lifestyle.

He added: 'We can speculate about how breastfeeding mitigates the risk of obesity in childhood could be mixed feeding, reduced calories from breast milk, parental attitudes, or a combination of things.

The research shows that breastfeeding your baby compared with never breastfeeding does have a modest benefit.

In the UK a quarter of children aged four to five and a third of ten

and 11-year-olds are overweight.

Evidence suggests that children who are overweight by five are more likely to become obese - so overweight it threatens their health - in adulthood.

The findings come from a systematic review and analysis of data from 30 previous studies involving 200,000 people.

The studies investigated factors affecting babies during their first 12 months and their potential link with childhood obesity.

The study, published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, discovered that children who were breastfed and introduced to solid food later had a slightly reduced chance of becoming overweight.

Children whose mothers were overweight before pregnancy were 1.37 times more likely to be overweight at the age of three; 4.25 times more likely to be overweight at seven; and 2.36 times more likely to be overweight between nine and 14 years.

Six out of seven studies looking at infant birth weight showed a significant link between babies who were heavy at birth and obesity in later childhood.

Similarly, rapid weight gain in a baby's first year often led to obesity, with one study showing those who gained the most weight were almost four times more likely to be overweight at four.

Childhood obesity can be tackled, before10 – Experts

• Children under 10 had much slower weight gain than teenagers on diet and exercise regimens • For some young people, surgery must even be considered an option', say Swedish scientists Boston Children's Hospital, said: 'What [these studies] are showing is a pretty consistent trend that if we intervene early, we could really have an effect on changing the trajectory of weight gain in

children.

She added there is mounting evidence that paying attention to young children may be a promising way to stem the global obesity epidemic.

In 2008, more than a third of U.S. children were either overweight or obese, according to official figures.

The numbers have also been on the rise in Europe, although they are still lower

Excessive pounds in childhood often stay on into adulthood, where they have been linked to heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.

than in the U.S. The Dutch researchers, led

by Dr. Gianni Bocca of Beatrix Children's Hospital in Groningen, studied 75 heavy children who had been randomly assigned to get either usual care or an intensive weight-loss program.

The program lasted four months and involved 25 sessions with dietary advice, exercise and, for the parents only, behavioural counselling.

A year after the study began; children in the weight intervention group had lost one unit of their body mass index, while the others saw no change.

"The magnitude of the effect, especially initially after the intervention, wasn't very large, but what needs to be taken into account was that these children were growing,' Dr.Taveras told Reuters Health.

"What these interventions are showing is that you can have an effect, and hopefully these interventions are changing the trajectory the children were headed towards."

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

With Aunty A'isha

Sights and sounds

PAGE 23

rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

SHOR T ST OR Y SHORT STOR ORY

Mansa Musa the Muslim King of Mali (I)

J

Say the truth but don’t hurt anyone’s feelings

upiter, the chief of gods, was getting married. He decided to celebrate the event by hosting a reception. He invited all the animals living on land and in water to attend the banquet.

All the animals came to attend the feast but the tortoise didn’t come. Jupiter was surprised at his absence.

After few days, Jupiter came across the tortoise and asked him, “Why didn’t you attend the banquet held in honour of my marriage? Were you all right?”

The tortoise retorted, “I am a stay-athome type of an animal and never care to attend petty affairs. Why should I trouble myself when there is no place like home?”

Though, the tortoise said something very true, but the way he said it was very hurting. Jupiter felt pinched and cursed the tortoise, “Now, you will always carry your home on your back and never be able to unload it.”

Till today, every tortoise carries his home with him.

HIS AND HERS CORNER

T

o the people in the African kingdoms, the word "mansa" means king or leader. Because the Empire of Mali was so big, the king of Mali, Mansa Musa could not possibly hear the complaint or concern of each citizen or village.

Under Mansa Musa, the empire was broken into provinces, each ruled by a governor. Each province was composed of many villages. Each village had a mayor. This allowed for controlled but swift management of local problems, leaving Mansa Musa and his advisors free to handle the management of the empire.

The Kingdom of Mali was rich. The army guarded the gold mines. They also guarded the section of the Trans-Sahara Trade Route that passed by Mali. Legend says there were usually 90,000 warriors on foot, 10,000 warriors on camels, and few on Arabian horses, who worked together to keep the trade route safe for travel. Traders always stopped at Mali. They knew they would find safety, culture, and richly rewarding trade.

Although most village people could not read or write, they received education and training orally. They were free to choose their religion as well as their occupation. Most villages followed the traditional religions of Africa. The people believed in many gods, in witchdoctors, and in magic charms.

Education was encouraged and choice of religious belief was a freedom. The people were happy.

Although Mansa Musa allowed his people religious freedom, he was a devout Muslim. Mansa Musa worshiped one God - Allah. He was the one who actually ordered an impressive university to be built at Timbuktu. He wanted scholars to come to Mali and they did.

The Muslim scholars who came to Mali were somewhat started at the appearance of the people who called themselves Muslims. The climate was very hot. Rather than being heavily veiled in black garments, the woman were unveiled and wore cool, colorful clothing. This was not the look to which they were accustomed. But Mansa Musa was such a good host and such a devout Muslim, that the scholars who came to the kingdom brought with them not only learning but also understanding.

Mansa Musa did things his people expected a very rich king to do. When he left his palace, 300 guards and his special musicians who played music wherever they went always accompanied him. His people would gather along the road and chant: "Hail Mansa Musa, King of Mali!" There was evidence that the people were happy.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 22

With Aunty A'isha

rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

AFRICAN TALES

MODEL OF THE WEEK

Anansi and the Alligator

O

ne day a long time ago, Anansi, called upon big Alligator. “I’m out late, brother,” Anansi spider told him, “and I need a place to sleep.”

Alligator says, “All right then, come into my house and stay the night.”

Anansi tells Alligator back, “I don’t want to bother you. I don’t need to sleep in your house. I can sleep in your kitchen.”

(In those days, there was a stone-built kitchen off in the yard. Anansi was thinking about getting by himself into the kitchen outside of Big Alligator’s house.)

“All right, brother,” Alligator tells Anansi. “You sleep in the kitchen.”

Of course, Anansi was up to something, big Alligator’s daughter, Ama, knew. She’d been listening behind the door.

Ama heard every word between Anansi and her father.

At once, Ama went out to catch many scorpions, very carefully, and then she put them in empty kitchen pots in the kitchen. Ama knew that Anansi loved looking in food pots.

Big Alligator says good night and everything became quiet as everybody went to sleep. Even the palm trees were swaying a soft rustling.

Anansi went to bed. He laid down until he thought everybody was asleep. Then he got up, skittered across the floor, and found the pots.

He put his hand into a pot, thinking that he was going to get something tasty. And he did find it. He knew which pots were the scorpion pots, and he did not dare go near those. He ate and ate, and had himself a good time.

After he was full, he started hollering and yelling and

sucking his hand. Big Alligator hears him and comes crawling fast. “What is the matter?” Big Alligator asked.

“Brother, I am eaten alive!” yells Anansi. “The flease here are biting me so bad! Your kitchen is full of fleas! I have to go!” And with that, Anansi the trickster scurried out of there.

Of course, Anansi knew that there were no fleas, but that there were scorpions.

Ama went into the kitchen and saw that all the eggs that were in the other pots were gone. She knew who did it.

“Daddy, help!” she cried out.

“Anansi has eaten all of our eggs!”

So Big Alligator ran out after Anansi. Anansi was by the sea, but he could hear Big Alligator coming and shouting

at him.

At this time, a boatman was sailing by in his boat. Anansi told him “If you take me across the water, I will give you half of my land.”

The boatman agreed, and Anansi got in the boat. Big Alligator tried to follow them by going into the water, but he could not catch the boat.

When the boat reached the other side, Anansi told the boatman “I’ll go tell my father you have come for the land.”

The boatman waits.

Anansi found his father, and told him about Big Alligator and about the boatman. Anansi told his father that if either of them came looking for him, to say that he did not know where Anansi had gone. And with that, Anansi climbed a tree.

A few minutes later, the boatman came asking for Anansi. “I don’t know where Anansi is.”

After the boatman left, Anansi climbed another tree, and he saw Big Alligator coming.

Big Alligator slid under the tree. Anansi called out to him asking if Big Alligator could see him.

Big Alligator looked and looked, and said “If I can’t find you, I’ll never live in a house again. I’ll go live in the water.”

He kept looking...did he find Anansi?

(Where does an Alligator live now?)

CREA TIVITY CREATIVITY How to make your own personalized notebook

A

shley Nunn shares directions for creating a personalized notebook using leaves or dried flowers.

Age Guideline: 5 Years and Up ·Time Required: 20 minutes (Does not include drying time) What you need: ·Notebook ·Dried leaves and/or Dried Flowers ·White glue ·Paint brush or foam brush What to do: Use colorful hamattan leaves for this craft or some lovely dried flowers.

Spread a thin layer of glue on the back of your leaf/flower or on the spot on the notebook where you want to stick your leaf or flower.

Place as many or as few leaves/flowers on your notebook in this fashion. Let the glue dry completely.

Seal in your leaves/ flowers by using the paint or foam brush to add a couple of thin layers of white glue covering the entire notebook cover. Let dry.

OBANSA ANDRE UHUNENE

ACTIVITIES Name and paint the image below with any colour of your choice, where does it live, inside water or on land? Confirm answer from your teacher.

PAGE 24

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Kannywood

Bashir Yusuf Daura is a stage actor with over 20 years of experience. He has taken part in a lot of dramas on the stage, in this interview he talks of how the activity has taken backstage due to the emergence of film making in the north.

I

Bashir Yusuf Daura character I’m playing and then mold my role to fit that person, like an old man on our street in those days.

Have you made much money from acting?

Yes, but unfortunately not all of us make money from acting because we don’t have the required knowledge to achieve the best results. Most of the people who make money from stage acting are usually educated and it’s from acting English dramas that they make their money. For the Hausa actors, lack of knowledge is the major hindrance to making a lot of money.

Why do you think Hausa stage drama has declined to the level it is now, when in

the past it used to be very popular?

I think the problem is from the actors who after one or two performances feel they have all the necessary knowledge to start their own drama club.

Invariably, this attitude led to a lot of drama clubs being created all over the place which hindered the development of the field.

There are a lot of stage actors that won’t do film because the money they make is more than a film producer can pay.

As an actor how do you cope with female fans and your wife?

I have a very good understanding with my wife, she knows the kind of work I do. I also took time before our marriage to

Nollywood

Entertainment

Stage acting has taken back stage How did you start acting? started in school. We had a drama club and I got interested in its activities.

When I was in boarding school a day was specifically devoted for the drama club, so I started going to watch students act and realised that I liked what they were doing.

After school I joined one of the self help clubs in my town and we used drama to pass our messages across to our people.

Which one are you better at, stage or film acting?

Right now its stage, I started acting for films recently, not up to 2yrs now.

Do you create your dramas or do you work with somebody else’s script or published plays?

We do both. Sometimes we create our own stories, other times we adapt other people’s stories and we also perform published plays. We also create plays based on people’s stories; it might be that one of our actors hears a story of someone and if it is an interesting one, so we will develop it so as to act it out.

Between acting on stage and acting in films which is more difficult?

Acting on stage in my opinion is more difficult, because in a film you can make mistakes and they’ll just have another take to correct the mistake, but on stage that can’t happen because your audience is right in front of you. Stage performances do not give room for corrections during performance, and it also requires a lot of rehearsals to be able to memorise your lines or dialogue. During a film shoot, the actors don’t have to memorise all their dialogue because it can be shot as a dialogue at a time.

What sort of roles do you usually play?

I am usually cast as a troublesome old man.

Do you research your characters based on real life people?

Any professional actor is supposed to be able to interpret characters based on real life examples. The troublesome old man role I play is not the only role I play and for such role I think about the kind of people I know when I was growing up who have the traits of the

PAGE 25

explain to her the kind of work I do and also explained that it requires me to work with a lot of single ladies. I explained to her that she might hear stories of me being seen with women and might construe it to be more than it is. So far we’ve had no major issues about it.

What is the major challenge of stage acting?

The biggest problem is the fact that most people that practice don’t have the knowledge. Let’s not forget that this is a field you can study in school but most of us have either not bothered to go to school or are just doing it based on experience gathered.

A lot of times, the public perception of actors is that of a “a group of wayward people

just having fun”, is this view correct?

In my view the reason for that perception is tied to the venue where these drama groups perform their dramas.

Usually the performances are done in places where you’ll find a lot of prostitutes because it is one of the few places where you can gather people and charge them for gate fee and because of that most people think that all of us are like that, and also when you are seen frequently in a particular place, most people will associate you with that place and I think that is where the perception lies. You will never find those that are educated in the field in such places.

Do you receive any funding for your stage performances from anyone?

No we don’t, in the case of Hausa stage drama I have never seen any funding from either a corporate entity or government in all my years of performing but I have seen funding support for dance troupes. Individuals that watch our performances help sometimes, especially when we tell them about our problems, apart from that we source for everything ourselves.

Is there any major difference between acting on stage and acting in films?

Most definitely. Acting on stage is more tasking and harder but also you get immediate feedback from your audience because they are right there watching you and if you mess up they’ll let you know. Acting for TV is much easier and also has a wider reach and popularity because people can be in any part of the world and still watch you, unlike stage where it is only those that attend will remember you. It is one of the reasons you’ll find film actors being recognized everywhere than stage artists.

What is your advice to those still interested in stage acting?

My advice to all those interested is to go study it in school because most of our higher institutions offer it as a course for study. With knowledge about stage dramas you’ll go further and be more successful than people like me who only have the experience but not enough knowledge about the field.

Peter and Paul Okoye of P-Square deny killing their mother for fame Our journey into the music world t started like a dream but today, we thank God for all the glory because it has become a reality.

When we started, we had late Michael Jackson as our mentor. That was why in one of our songs titled, Busy Body which we released about 12 years ago, we tried to copy Michael Jackson’s dance steps.

We said to ourselves, if Michael Jackson could do all of these, we could equally do better. So, we tried our best and by the grace of God, and our fans, we have realised our dreams.

Dealing with Konvict music The only thing we can say, is that we have been signed under Konvict.

And to prove this new deal which most people still doubt, we featured Akon in our “Chop my Money” remix.

Your private life!

You call it private and that’s why, most times we don’t like to discuss it for personal reasons.

Handling your female fans!

My dear, it is not easy. However, we handle everybody with love and care for. One thing is to be a celebrity, and another is knowing how to handle all that comes with it. Sometimes, they will call on us just to hear our voices and to wish us well.

What do you do during your leisure time?

Sometimes we swim or play

I

P Square

basketball with our friends.

Challenges in the industry so far….

A lot of challenges, sometimes after

releasing an album our marketers will want to give us condition that we go 50/50. Sometimes, if you enter the studio to record your song, they will

compel you to do what you wouldn’t want to do.

The craziest thing you have ever done!

That was when we went for a night party some years ago. Some desperate girls were all over us and before we knew what was happening, they were kissing and romancing us openly. We had to run for our dear lives.

How do you feel about your mum’s death?

We feel so bad to know that our mum is no more. But who are we to question the Almighty God. Traditionally, we are supposed to bury her and not the other way round. It is just that it happened so soon. Indeed, her death was a big blow to us.

It was rumoured that you people knew what happened to her?

It is bad to hear that people are accusing us of being responsible for our mum’s death. We are not blaming anybody. People are free to say what they want to say. We wonder whether there is anything that will ever make us go for the life of our beloved mother. We only blame the death that snatched her away from us if not so, people won’t be pointing accusing fingers at us.

She died after a brief illness.

Aside your mum’s death, there was another rumour that you guys have joined the Illuminati?

We are short of words. Why would anybody say such things about us? Well, the fact remains that we do not belong to any secret cult, whether Illuminati or anything you call it. We owe our achievements and everything that is happening to us to Almighty God.

Unveiling 5 hot new Nollywood Actresses T

hese fresh faces are not only young but also very hot, pretty, sexy and talented.

With their daring and uncanny roles in reigning movies, they are gradually and stylishly occupying the front rows in Nollywood flicks.

Check their names out below and comment on how well they have been performing in the make-believe world.

Angel Ufuoma Since her arrival barely a year ago in the highly competitive Nollywood, the sexy starlet from Delta State, is also becoming the darling of leading filmmakers. The pretty Cambridge trained lawyer, has featured in a number of blockbusters including the already wave making and yet to be released movie-Dr. Bello. With a knack for flawless roles interpretations, the soft-spoken Ufuoma will indeed go far.

Beverly Naya In 2010 when Beverly carted home the award of ‘Most Promising Talent’ at the Best of Nollywood Awards, movie buffs began to see her as one who has come to stay. As if proving her admirers right, she further emerged as ‘Fast Rising Actress’ at the City People’s Awards 2011, after which her career has remained on a steady rise.

With this feat, the UK returnee young actress who embraced Nollywood in 2008 with her first amazing role in a hit movie entitled Home In Exile, is no doubt among the latest sensations in the industry. Other

Angel

movies where she has displayed her acting prowess include, The Stripped, Weekend Getaway, Up Creek Without A Paddle, Alan Poza, Make Me a Heart’ and numerous others.

Annabel Zwyndila When she hugged the klieg light with her daring and very challenging lead role in a hit flick entitled Samantha, her impressively scintillating roles interpretation immediately stood her out in the league of fast rising actresses in Nollywood.

Having starred in so many movies including Common Ground, Twisted Union, Beauty, Painful Sin, and

Motive for Murder, among others, the Adamawa state-born actress is currently the toast of many producers, as she is currently shuttling between different states and countries with filmmakers, who see her as the next biggest thing in Nollywood.

Despite her recent giant strides, the sexy and humble actress who came fifth in the third edition of AMBO is not resting on her oars. “I still have a long way to go. My eyes have always been on the top because I dream big. I believe I have the potentials to storm Hollywood and act with the best in the industry”, she declares.

Amazingly, the Master’s Degree holder in Human Resources Management from the London Metropolitan University has been nominated as ‘Best Upcoming Actress’ in the forthcoming ZAFAA Awards billed to hold in London soon, at the prestigious Hilton Park Lane Hotel, London.

Chelsea Eze She proved herself to the world as an actress to reckon with in her first movie entitled, Silent Scandals.

Surprisingly, her amazing performance earned her an AMAA (Africa Movie Academy Awards) nomination in the same year, 2009.

Expectedly, she went on to win the award the following year as the ‘Most Promising Actress’, AMAA 2010. She also won ‘Best Upcoming Actress’, ZAFAA Awards 2010. In the same year, she bagged the ‘Revelation of the

Beverly

Year’, from the Best of Nollywood Awards.

With an aura of self-confidence and maturity around her, Eze who easily strikes one as someone ready to take on the world was born in Kano, grew up in Kano, and had her Primary and Secondary Education in Kano. Among other hit movies to her credit, the English Language graduate of University Maiduguri featured in Two Brides and a Baby, Twist, Timeless Passions, Hood Rush and others.

Chika Agatha Beautiful Agatha is unarguably one of the hottest starlets tantalizing Nollywood with abundant skills and endowments. Apart from her sexy eyes and endearing physique, the star actress of Dream Walker, Transformer, Akpati, among others belongs to the school of thought that says: “If you have it, flaunt it!”

The Anambra State-born

Management Science graduate of University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus, has always been a fantasy to most men. Besides, she has a smile that can soften the hardest heart.

With this hard-todisguise beauty, sound education, marvelous roles interpretation ability and her obvious humble

nature, many believe she will soon become the hottest item on screen, as she is gradually riding on the back of respected Nollywood producerIfeanyi Ezekwe-to fame.

Chelsea

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Hollywood

Disney acquires Lucasfilm: Star wars episode 7 slated For 2015

K

athleen Kennedy, current co-chair of Lucasfilm, will become its president, reporting to Walt Disney Studios chair Alan Horn. Disney is paying about half the purchase price in cash and will issue 40 million shares of stock, the company said in a statement Tuesday.

Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars features, with the franchise’s creator and Lucasfilm founder George Lucas, 68, serving as creative consultant. There are plans to release a new Star Wars film every two or three years.

“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said Lucas, chairman and CEO of Lucasfilm, in a statement. “It’s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers.

I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney’s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment and consumer products.”

The deal comes on the heels of Disney’s 2009 acquisition of Marvel Entertainment and its 2006 purchase of Pixar Animation Studios, two potent entertainment brands that appeal to families. The Disney board has approved the Lucasfilm acquisition, but it is subject to antitrust scrutiny by the U.S. government.

However, the Stars Wars movies have been distributed through 20th Century Fox, which will now be cut out of future Star Wars and other related business. (Although Fox already has been set to release 3D versions of the past Star Wars movies, it is unclear whether that relationship will be affected by the sale.

The acquisition also raises questions about the future of Stars Wars: The Clone Wars, a highly popular series on Cartoon Network, which is owned by a Disney competitor, Turner Broadcasting, a division of Time Warner.)

“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. “This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney’s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.”

In a call with investors, Iger said the first new Star Wars movie is targeted for 2015 and that the company planned for another movie every two to three years after that.

Disney releases eight to 10 pictures per year, including one from Pixar and one or two from Marvel Studios.

The plan is for a Star Wars movie in one of those tentpole slots.

In addition, while Star Wars merchandise has been big business for decades, that business mostly has been domestic, Iger said.

Using Marvel as a model, Disney plans to grow international marketing of Star Wars products by increasing the brand’s presence in their stores, with more toys and with other products.

JeremeyWilliam

Five Must-Watch New Television Shows Of The Fall 2012 Season The new television season is fast approaching and just in time Access Hollywood has named our Five Must-Watch new television shows of the fall.

Here are our picks, and the reasons you should tune in…

“Nashville” Premieres: October 10 at 10/9c on ABC What’s It All About? Country music will be king this fall on ABC when the network’s

Arrow new drama “Nashville” makes its big impression. The primetime soap-tinged series stars Connie Britton, fresh off her Emmy nomination for “American Horror Story,” as a fading country star (Rayna Jaymes) being strong-armed into touring with a hot new chart sensation (Juliette Barnes), played to catty perfection by Hayden Panettiere. Both ladies do their own singing in the show, with a little help from T-Bone Burnett, who’s “Nashville’s” executive music producer.

“Last Resort” Premieres: September 27 at 8/7c on ABC What’s It All About? Full of high octane thrills, the military-themed drama “Last Resort,” starring Andre Braugher (Captain

Marcus Chaplin) and Scott Speedman (XO Sam Kendal), is a sure bet. In the vein of “Crimson Tide,” the crew of a U.S. Navy submarine is abandoned by their own country and declared an enemy of the state when the Capt. defies a direct order to launch a nuclear attack. Taking refuge on a tropical island, there will be plenty to deal with from a variety of enemies both afar and in close proximity.

But that’s Not All: Autumn Reeser’s character, Kylie Sinclair, dives in the drama in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile, over on the island, watch out for a subplot around Australian newcomer Daniel Lissing (as James King) and his group of Navy SEALs just back from a mysterious – and seemingly disastrous — mission.

“Revolution” Premiere: September 17 at 10/9c on ABC What’s It All About? From J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions and “Supernatural’s” Eric Kripke comes this post- apocalyptic set action-packed drama.

Taking place 15 years after the power – as in all the power in the world — has gone out, a militia’s kidnapping of her asthmatic younger brother prompts Charlie Matheson (played by fresh face Tracy Spiridakos) to head out on a search for her elusive uncle Miles (“The Twilight Saga’s” Billy Burke).

But that’s Not All: “Iron Man 1 & 2” director Jon Favreau (also a co-executive producer on “Revolution”) went behind the camera for the pilot, which fans can watch ahead of its network premiere on Hulu.

Easy-on-the-eyes J.D. Pardo swings in as the crossbow wielding Nate.

“Arrow” Premieres: October 10 at 8/7c on the CW What’s It All About? He may not be able to fly, but “Arrow,” as in DC Comics character Green Arrow, is about to take off for The CW. Combining action, adventure and the abs of star Stephen Amell, we’re calling it Bourne meets Batman.

The powerful premiere sets things up nicely from the opening sequence, as former blond-highlighted playboy Oliver Queen gets rescued following five soul-searching and skill-learning years on a deserted island.

Back home, he’s focused on righting wrongs with insanely athletic feats and his trusty bow and arrow.

But that’s Not All: A brunette Kate Cassidy stars as Laurel Lance, Oliver’s exgirlfriend, who is a pro-bono lawyer. Look out for some twists (not in the comics) involving Oliver’s troubled little sister – Thea Queen (Willa Holland) and his mother Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson).

“Vegas” Premieres: September 25 at 10/9c on CBS What’s It All About? Dennis Quaid – in his first television series – stars as Ralph Lamb, a fourth-generation rancher who becomes the sheriff of Las Vegas in the 1960s. It’s also a strong role for fellow star Michael Chiklis as the other side of the coin – casino mob boss Vincent Savino, who is doing everything he can to usher in a big wave of crime and corruption.

But That’s Not All: Having put “Terra Nova” behind him, Irish hunk Jason O’Mara, amps up the drama as Frank Lamb (Ralph’s deputy and brother), and Carrie-Ann Moss fights the good fight as Assistant District Attorney Katherine O’Connell. Sarah Jones, the blond crime fighter with a pixie cut from FOX’s illfated “Alcatraz” recently joined the cast as Mia Rizzo, the daughter of a Chicago mobster.

PAGE 29

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 6 — SUNDAY 7, NOVEMBER, 2012

Womanhood When will violence against Women stop?

By Miriam Humbe with Agency

T

he issue of violence against women with its unacceptable consequences is one that is regrettably gathering momentum. This is even as the society tries to move into modernisation in other spheres of life. Unfortunately however, violence perpetrated against women seems to be on the rise with the least provocation. With such frequent occurrences without the right of the women being adequately protected and enforced with commensurate punishment meted out on perpetrators, the offenders appear to become more defiant in their doings. The recent case of late Miss Cynthia Osokogu and other victims of rape and acid baths come to mind.

The National Action Committee on Aids and other related diseases, NACA, in its 2011 Facts sheet, attributed the prevalence of HIV/AIDS epidemic in women and girls to violence against Women and Gender Inequality and Women & Girls Vulnerability to HIV in Nigeria as a Key Driver of HIV. Worldwide, according to NACA Facts Sheet, up to 70% of women experience violence in their lifetimes. The statistics is alarming and calls for urgent legislation to curb the unwholesome trend.

Violence against women can be psychological as well as physical. Acts such as unruly behavior to women, acid attack, domestic violence which may take the form of assault and battery and deliberate inflicting of physical injury, female genital mutilation, human trafficking, sexual slavery and widow inheritance, rape, dating violence, and honor killing among others.

Most often than not, these acts are perpetrated by family and supposedly trusted friends.

At some other times, it may be done by total strangers who tend to take undue advantage of the woman because of her perceived vulnerability. Some men who lack self-worth have also been

guilty of carrying out acts of violence against innocent women they may have had cause to meet in vehicles, as co-tenants and as colleagues all in a bid to make up for their dilapidated ego.

Article 1 of the United Nations Declaration of the elimination of Violence against women defines “violence against women” to mean any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.

The UN declaration on the above subject matter in 1993 states that “violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women, and that violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men.”

Article 2 of the Declaration states among other things, that violence against women shall be understood to encompass, but not be limited to, the following: ( a ) Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering,

sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation; (b) Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women and forced prostitution; (c) Physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs.

Article 3 while spelling out the rights of women says women are entitled to the equal enjoyment and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.

These include among other things: (a) The right to life; (b) The right to equality; (c) The right to liberty and security of person; (d) The right to equal protection under the law; (e) The right to be free from all forms of discrimination; (f) The right to the highest standard attainable of physical and mental health; (g) The right to just and favourable conditions of work; (h) The right not to be subjected to torture, or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 4 makes it mandatory for states to condemn violence against women and not invoke any custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination. States should pursue by all appropriate means and without delay a policy of eliminating violence against women and, to this end, should: (a) Consider, where they have not yet done so, ratifying or acceding to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women or withdrawing reservations to that Convention; (b) Refrain from engaging in violence against women; (c) Exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons;

Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina (d) Develop penal, civil, labour and administrative sanctions in domestic legislation to punish and redress the wrongs caused to women who are subjected to violence; women who are subjected to violence should be provided with access to the mechanisms of justice and, as provided for by national legislation, to just and effective remedies for the harm that they have suffered; States should also inform women of their rights in seeking redress through such mechanisms; ( e ) Consider the possibility of developing national plans of action to promote the protection of women against any form of violence, or to include provisions for that purpose in plans already existing, taking into account, as appropriate, such cooperation as can be provided by nongovernmental organizations, particularly those concerned with the issue of violence against women; (f) Develop, in a comprehensive way, preventive approaches and all those measures of a legal, political, administrative and cultural nature that promote the

protection of women against any form of violence, and ensure that the re-victimization of women does not occur because of laws insensitive to gender considerations, enforcement practices or other interventions; (g) Work to ensure, to the maximum extent feasible in the light of their available resources and, where needed, within the framework of international cooperation, that women subjected to violence and, where appropriate, their children have specialized assistance, such as rehabilitation, assistance in child care and maintenance, treatment, counselling, and health and social services, facilities and programmes, as well as support structures, and should take all other appropriate measures to promote their safety and physical and psychological rehabilitation; (h) Include in government budgets adequate resources for their activities related to the elimination of violence against women; (i) Take measures to ensure that law enforcement officers and public officials responsible for implementing policies to prevent, investigate and punish violence against women receive training to sensitize them to the needs of women.

In view of these provisions, this is calling on the National Assembly and all state assemblies to enact and ensure the enforcement of laws that carry punitive measures against perpetrators of violence against women in whatever form it might take as is done in other parts of the world. This, it is hoped, will finally bring an end to the perennial problem of violence against women. en.wikipedia.org

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Archives

1960s: Governor General of Nigeria, Dr. and Mrs. Azikiwe inspecting a scale model of the proposed University of Sussex at Stanmer House, London. On the left is John Fulton, Vice chancellor of the University from 1960-67.

Do you have old pictures for memories?

Send them to julius2001_a@yahoo.com

General Ojukwu being warmly welcomed during a tour of the villages in the late 60s

Amalgamation Day, on Tinubu Street, 1914, Lagos.

Ferrying the first engine across the River Oyan, Nigeria, early 1900s A House of Assembly in the early 1960s

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 31

Leisure WORD SEARCH

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

With Augustine Aminu

A Real Lagos Child

Find the words about seafood in the seafood word search grid. Circle each letter separately but remember that letters on the word search grid may be used in more than one seafood related word.

Seafood Word Search Puzzle S

S

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D R A S

U S

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A J

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ANCHOVIES CARP CATFISH CRAB HADDOCK HALIBUT HERRING LOBSTER MACKEREL MUSSELS

PRAWNS SALMON SARDINES SCALLOPS SHRIMP SNAPPER SOLE SQUID TROUT TUNA

QUOTES Every politician, when he leaves office, ought to go straight to jail and serve his time.

Wherever the relevance of speech is at stake, matters become political by definition, for speech is what makes man a political being.

Vote for the man who promises least; he'll be the least disappointing.

Alliance: In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply into each other's pocket that they cannot separately plunder a third.

In politics, merit is rewarded by the possessor being raised, like a target, to a position to be fired at.

Government is too big and important to be left to the politicians.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

NIGERIAN PROVERBS “Love is like seaweed; even if you have pushed it away, you will not prevent it from coming back.”

“A woman is like a horse: He who can drive her is her master” “When the mouse laughs at the cat there is a hole nearby” “No matter how long the night may be, the day is sure to come” “When the mice laugh at the cat, there is a hole nearby” “The one being carried does not realize how far away the town is”

CARTOON

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 32

F Ex-beauties still making waves

By Miriam Humbe

T

here are some women who have worn the crown at a time in their youthful years either as former most beautiful girl at the national level or at the global stage. They have the looks, poise and carriage, in addition to their inherent intelligence which earned them their precious crowns. Years after they walked the red carpet in celebration of their victories, they are as amazingly beautiful as ever. The likes of Agbani Darego, Omowunmi Akinfesi, Helen Prest-Ajayi and Nike Oshinowo-Soleye and their contemporaries are still examples of

beautifully well dressed African women in a class of their own. We present to you their fashion styles as they step out in style at a gathering of the crème de la crème.

Agbani Darego, Miss World 2001

Omowunmi Akinfesi

Nike Oshinowo-Soleye

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 33

Business NESREA embarks on sensitisation campaign in Plateau

T

L-R: Group Managing Director (NNPC), Dr. Andrew Yakubu, Chairman Governing and Control Special Task Force Dr. Dotun Suleiman, Chairman Petroleum Special Task Force and former EFCC Chairman Malam Nuhu Ribadu, Minister of Petroleum Mrs. Deziani AlisonMadueke and former ANPP National Chairman Alhaji Yusuf Ali, during the presentation of Reports ceremony held at the State House Abuja yesterday.

Photo: Joe Oroye.

CAC to register business within 24 hours

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

T

he Minister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga has launched the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)’s “start to finish 24-hour incorporation service.”

The minister, who also commissioned the Alausa, Lagos office of the agency, said that the step was part of government’s efforts to improve investment climate in the country.

Aganga, while lauding the achievement of 24-hour business registration said that the business registration target in the country

was for two hours.

“The target is to ensure that companies are registered within two hours; that is where we are going and to institute vibrant and transparent companies’ registry where services will be userfriendly.”

He said that the aim was also to make it easier for anyone who wanted to set up business in Nigeria to go online and register anywhere in the world.

“What we have delivered is to make the business registration possible for any potential investors online from anywhere across the world.

“The step will definitely attract foreign investors and to attract foreign investors into the country involves making business registration a lot easier for any potential investor to register online.”

Aganga, however, ordered complaint registers to be opened for customers to make the 24hour business registration effective, adding that he would receive complaint registers on the quarterly basis from the commission.

“To show that we mean business and care about our stakeholders and customers I’m

going to direct today that this office and the other ones open a complaint register for anyone who is unable to get his business registered within 24 hours.”

“It means that we are ready to be open, transparent and accountable to the Nigerian people. If there is any reason we can’t do that we will explain and look into it.”

The Registrar General of CAC, Alhaji Bello Mahmud, said that in its efforts to actualise its ICT thrust, the commission embarked on a total upgrade of its WAN from VSAT-based network to a more reliable fibre-based system.

Youths embrace fishing for a living in Kebbi

By Augustine Aminu with agency report

N

o fewer than 1,000 youths in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi State have embraced fishing as a means of livelihood in the past six months.

The Head of Fish Farmers in the area, Alhaji Bello Labaran, Labaran told reporters on Thursday in Yauri that the youths embraced the business to end over dependency on others.

He noted that fishing in the area as lucrative, adding that the

activity had ready market within and outside the country.

According to him, some of the youths resorted to fishing, having discovered to the economic potential of the business.

“Some of the youths initially felt shy but economic benefits enjoyed by the few who embraced the trade attracted many others.”

Labaran said that the demand for fish was more than the supply, leading to significant profit.

According to him, fishermen augment the supply by buying smoked fish from Niger and Benin Republics

as well as Burkina Faso.

In a separate interview, the acting Leader of the Fresh Fish Marketers, Malam Zaki Zaria, said membership of the group had increased to 170.

Zaria said that the members employed between three and four assistants for a fee of between N700 and N1,000 daily.

In the same development, the Lagos State Government says it is set to stimulate sea food industries to achieve one million tonnes of fish production annually.

Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, the state

Commissioner for Agriculture and Cooperatives, said this at a news briefing in Lagos organised to unveil the “First Lagos Sea Food Festival’’.

Lawal said that the state currently produced 125,000 tonnes of fish while 780,000 tonnes were being imported.

“At present we produce about 125,000 tonnes of fish, and we are importing about 780,000 tonnes.

“Lagos State is working towards improving the production of fish to one million tonnes on a yearly basis, “Lawal said.

he National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) says it has embarked on a sensitisation campaign in Plateau as part of proactive measures against future flood disasters in the state.

The NESREA Zonal Director, Dr. William Lappi, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Jos that the exercise was imperative in view of the recent floods experienced in some parts of the state.

Lappi blamed the floods on “careless human activities’’ such as the erection of structures along waterways, building of houses close to river banks, dumping of waste into drainage systems, and the lack of drains in some areas.

He urged the people to desist from such practice to avoid danger.

“Plateau is blessed with good topography which allows easy passage of water; water always finds its way; but people have always blocked the waterways.

“Water catchment areas are blocked with structures and farms, while some drainage systems are blocked with waste.’’

Due to heavy downpours witnessed generally in the country, the floods had to find their way which unfortunately resulted in flooding and loss of lives and property, the director noted.

According to the director, the agency embarked on the sensitisation campaign to enlighten people on the ills of such negative activities that are very detrimental to the environment and the people.

He advised rural dwellers to desist from building their houses on waterways and close to river banks and dump their waste at designated disposal sites.

“We also try to tell them that it was very wrong to assume that waste dumped in the drains would be washed away by rain.

“All waste should be dumped at the designated waste disposal sites; dumping of waste in drainages with the belief that it would be washed away by the rain is false, and this act is responsible for most of the flash floods experienced,’’ he explained.

Lappi underscored the need for environmental impact assessments studies before structures were constructed, saying that such studies would help to ascertain soil type, terrain and the suitability of such structures.

NAN recalls that floods swept through most parts of Plateau this year, leading to loss of lives, property, farmlands, bridges and roads. (NAN )

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

The Entrepreneur Arewa Customs: How video game helped youths develop customising ideas

By Nasir Mu'azu Isa

C

ars have always been a mode of transport for most people in the world until the advent of customized luxury vehicles also popularly known as pimped up rides. In Nigeria, cars serve not just as a means of transportation but also as a status symbol, the more flashy and expensive the car the more you are perceived as well to do and very rich.

Though pimped up rides are usually associated with celebrities and youths, it is gradually cutting across to older group of car owners who are willing to spend up to half a million naira or more to customize their cars.

Mukhtar Hamza Makarfi and Muftahu Adamu Abdussalam have carved a niche for themselves in the business of pimping up rides for their customers. Though they are not the first to venture into this kind of business as there have been pioneers like Mahmood Zayyad, but these young men have taken it to a new level of entrepreneurship with the naming of their own company as the Arewa Customz Autos.

As students of Architecture from the Kadpoly, they believe they have the necessary skills set to be able to create, design, build and pimp out rides. Their motivation apart from the love of cars and design sprang from their conviction of being able to provide quality service in a field that is still untapped.

Arewa Customz Autos started off in 2009 when the duo made up their minds to create their first design based on a video game they both called "need for speed".

In their words, "Our first design came from a video game called

Passat with Lambarghiri doors

"need for speed", we had the pictures and saw the designs and decided to do it. We decided to go buy the materials and make the designs ourselves rather than go and buy readymade designs. As architects we create designs for people so why not go into designing for cars, we thought so we set the ball rolling?"

On the choice of Arewa Customz Autos as their brand name, Mukhtar explains, "Because we are from the north, Arewa and you have to be proud of where you are from. We sat down and thought of what name to give the company, and we just thought why not just name it "Arewa". If Sardauna is alive today I'm sure he will give us his support because we want to keep the Arewa flag flying."

Even though the company has been operating for almost 4yrs now, it still faces the challenges of any new business, finance being the most. Mukhtar explained that finance has been a major challenge for them because most of the parts that are being used are very expensive.

Another challenge they have identified is in getting the right car parts they want within a short time frame. Muftahu explained that most of the parts they use have to be ordered and considering that it will take nothing less than a month for the parts to arrive it is a serious problem. According to him "if you have to buy the hinges of a Lamborghini door for instance, it costs N350, 000, where do you get such money from?"

Muftahu explains further, "There are a lot of people out there who have the money but don't share our passion. We have people who pioneered this kind of thing like Mahmood Zayyad, we see him as our godfather and we

Muftahu and Mukhtar in their workshop go to him for support and advice.

While he does it for fun in our case we can only build one car at a time for commercial purposes while Mahmood can start building 5 cars at the same time, he owns them all and can stop working on them any time he wishes."

Though Arewa Customz Autos has a large following with young and old people, it also faces the challenge of trust.

Sometimes due to their relative youthfulness people are weary of handing over their vehicles but upon inspecting their archive of work done so far, you can't but help being impressed with the amount of vehicles they have

Pimped-out Honda

worked on, which has over 70 cars and satisfied clients.

Being from parents who themselves are Engineers; and who gives them 100% support and their blessings the sky seems to be the limit for the boys who tried to be self employed rather than remain idle. They disclosed that even their mothers have shown interest in their work as they took time to inspect their workshop, and finished works and also gave their blessing.

Like any newly established business the customizers have made mistakes. They shared one of their most difficult experiences. Muftahu said, "it was a big car, BMW convertible 2010

model and we needed to fix Lamborghini doors on the car and in the process we tampered with the electrical system due to our inexperience we ended up spending seven times the money we charged to fix the car. Though we succeeded in fixing the car, we had sleepless nights worrying about it but the client was very understanding".

Despite all these they have a dream, the dream of establishing more workshops across the country, to be able to provide not just pimping of cars but also pioneering the game of motor sports, establishing a driving school and also organizing major car sporting events in the country. During the recent Sallah they organized a mini motor sports in Kaduna where all their clients showed off their pimped cars and also had a small drag race.

They called on parents to identify the talents inherent in their children and support them accordingly. In Muftahu's words, "as a parent you should be able to identify the passions of your child and support them, to excel in life is about interest and ability.

Sometimes parents think that some things are not relevant but it is the support from them that will make that passion relevant.

Even if their child loves to drive rough maybe he could be a race car driver earning millions of dollars. In our case too it is the support of our parents that has taken us this far."

Mukhtar called on young people who are interested in starting their own business to persevere and be patient while calling on them not to be discouraged by negative comments they asked youths to focus on achieving their set goals.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3— SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 35

Interview

‘Our democracy is against the interest of the common man’, says Al-makura Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa state recently took time out to speak with some journalists on the issue of governance, particularly as it affects the youths as well as the common man. Our Lafia correspondent, Ali Abare Abubakar, was there for Peoples Daily Weekend. Excerpts:

W

hat is your stand on calls for a review of the pension scheme now in operation and replacing it with the contributory pension scheme?

This has become necessary because salaries, staff wages, never goes down. The demand increases all the time because of the emoluments we have to pay.

There is nobody who has reached the normal time for retirement, who retire but does not get his salary paid every month. I don't understand this. Where will government get all the money to employ new people? The people that we are talking about, providing them with skills, empowerment, they are not animals. When we talk about empowering them, we should give them jobs, permanent and pensionable jobs. Not just to regard a graduate or somebody with diploma like an animal who should be taken to the farm. This is a salient but national issue and unless this is redressed from Sokoto to Cross-River, from Oyo to Borno, youths will suffer this bad policy.

People who have worked, earned a living, helped government to reach certain standards, but who have also benefitted from employment over time, should contend with their gratuities. And people should plan for many years. So the new pension scheme is what is the best thing rather than for the state to commit its resources in the payment of pension for people who have left service. Now, in my state, there is somebody who had left service for more than 15 years and at the point he left service, the same salary was still being paid to him.

What about one that has just graduated and wants to start a life, one who wants to contribute his quota to the society, move the country forward by what he has learnt but he has no job? And government has nowhere to get the money to give him the job.

That is the futility of that government policy and until that is redressed the issue of unemployment will be with us for a long time to come. I hope you understand the point Iam making? I am not against people getting their entitlements, Iam not. I am the first state governor to implement the minimum wage. In fact, surreptitiously, that has even been turned by some of the people who are supposed to implement it into salary increase.

But this is a matter for another day. So Iam worker compliant, labour compliant and a lover of service and what it takes but at the same time, Iam a lover of even

and holistic development. That is my stand.

You initiated a staff audit, with the view to getting the actual size of the workforce in the state. But why is the ghost worker syndrome still prevailing? Again, during your campaign you promised to empower the youths but its two years now yet the youths largely remain unemployed.

Why is this so?

As far as I am concerned, we have empowered the youths as much as we are capable of doing.

We have in the pipe line another more fundamental empowerment of the youths that will be total and permanent. I have empowered the youths by paying school fees and examination fees for every child in Nasarawa state who is in secondary school. That is youths empowerment. I have been able to pay scholarship of professional bodies like those in law school, studying medicine and other categories of profession. We have also provided certain vacant positions by making sure that we brought the youths. Look at my political appointees on board, from the commissioners up to the special assistants or even personal assistants, they are people that are within the bracket of 50 and 16 years.

You can see, that is youths empowerment. The fundamental thing we want to do now is to provide employment for thirty youths in every of the one hundred and forty-seven wards in the state. When you calculate that that it is about 4380 youths.

We want a very realistic approach to youth empowerment.

In fact, before we go on this skills acquisition, we are going to quarantine them for one month in an orientation camp so that we will be able to mould and educate their psyche and mind to comply with the vision of ethics, values and discipline that this

administration takes more seriously. So the issue of youth empowerment is a very serious problem and is not the way people are taking it. It is not just getting 200 youths to become carpenters, when such youths don't want to be carpenters or farmers. Let me be frank with you, they want to be like you and me. So they should be able find a job that will be youth compliant.

That is what my administration is doing. But we have a very big wedge before us, we have the mandate of the people, the ordinary, the common man who is very close to my heart.

For sake of the common man, I can forgo this office, if what I am presiding over cannot serve him better. In fact the administration we have now in the country is against the common man. Our democracy now in the country is against the common man because if you look at the empowerment and the money utilized, it is only to a small category of people. The ordinary and common man has no place. Take for instance, Nasarawa. We receive 2.6 billion, out of this about N2.3 billion goes on servicing the emoluments and benefits to only public officers and civil servants. And if you put all these things all these people together, they are not more than fifty thousand. For these people to amass 95 percent of the amount that is sent to the state and leave only 5 percent to more than 2 million people, where is the democracy? Where is the justice, where is the rights and privileges? And until something is done, the common man is doomed.

What is your own focus My administration, and the party I profess, which is the CPC, has the common man as its centre- piece and I have looked round and seen the reason why the common man is not developing. That is why I have no regret and no explanation to

“

Nasarawa state Governor, Umaru Tanko Al-makura anybody for the kind of project I am promoting. I am doing physical infrastructure because that is the only thing the common man will benefit from government for the time being.

Perhaps that is the only dividends of democracy we are providing, the transformers, the water scheme.

Other than that the common man has nothing to depend on and that is why this administration is trying to see what are those things? Apart from infrastructure, we are going to embark on robust rehabilitation of schools and hospitals because these are basic things that the common man can get.

Before I came to this office, Nasarawa state is an apology, it is in a total state of mess, more than anybody can ever imagine. Apart from the luxury of squander mania by the past administrations, there is the

Is this the bad dividends of democracy I want to give to the people? They want me to go and take loans, billions only to service emoluments and benefits. I will not do that. If Iam taking any loan, since I came into office I have not taken a single kobo as loan and I will not take any. I don't take the luxury to buy all kind of cars and building mansions for myself, no.

preponderance of ghost workers virtually in all places. In one class room there are five dedicated teachers where only one supposed to serve. So since I started this auditing and biometric analysis, it has been a continuous activity because once you don't do it before paying salaries, ghost workers will resurface.

It is a very obstinate issue and some of the civil servants, some of the people at the head of affairs are not patriotic. There is a lot of mischief, treachery and connivance by some very few people, we are trying to identify them, and by the time we find them out, we will fish them out and drive them completely out of service. They are now making life uncomfortable for the government, for the common man and for everybody.

Is this the bad dividends of democracy I want to give to the people? They want me to go and take loans, billions only to service emoluments and benefits. I will not do that. If Iam taking any loan, since I came into office I have not taken a single kobo as loan and I will not take any. I don't take the luxury to buy all kind of cars and building mansions for myself, no.

I am adhering to maintenance culture because that is part of what will sustain this state. That is why we must lead by example.

So, once we get these people fished out, and re-sanitize the employment system and the wages, you will see how many projects this government will be able to churn out for the benefit of the people.

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

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Potiskum, Danbaba, and Berlusconi in Nigeria Re: Sovereign wealth fund

To criticize one’s country is to do it a service and pay it a compliment.

It is a service because it may spur the country to do better than it is doing; it is a compliment because it evidences a belief that the country can do better than it is doing. Criticism, in short, is more than a right; it is an act of patriotism.

~ J. William Fulbright, The Arrogance of Power (1966).

T

his week my admonition is more than criticism at Jonathan, PDP or leadership, its criticism at my beloved Nigeria, it is criticism directed at you, yes...you reading this essay and the author.

I have chosen to do us a service, as I penned this, a suicide bomber let go his baggage in Kaduna, and a night earlier a car bomb went off in Bauchi, meanwhile glancing through the morning headlines...Robberies and kidnaps down South and just for full effects in Delta due to the flood, which sacked a hospital, morgue attendants had to put dead bodies on the rooftop.

Welcome to Nigerianstan as it is in many parts. Very little to cheer about, but some of us won’t give up...even in the face of increasing threats and despair.

I have a wonderful and loving family from Potiskum, they can’t go home, stuck in Kaduna, earlier this year, it wasn’t bad. We all were home for a wedding, but these days we can’t go home even for funerals of loved ones.

They are called Jama’atu Ahlil sunnah Lidda’awati wal Jihad, also known as Boko Haram, but these days the popular term is gunmen, infact ‘unidentified and unknown’.

Indeed it is only in an unknown society that unidentified gunmen simply kill citizenry who are equally at the mercy of unknown soldiers.

In Potiskum, our sister was dragged out of the house, her husband was away, the house was razed down as she watched with her daughter.

Three Islamic Schools, King Abdulazeez Model Islamic School Iqra and Al-Furqan and seven public schools set ablaze.

Like Kano, house to house searches little success, the gunmen remain unidentified and in cases confirmed by

WRITE TO US

Peoples Daily Weekend welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed to: The Editor, Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja.

Email: letters@peoplesdaily-online.com this writer, the houses were arms are found and with links...”Orders are given from above to stay action”.

Nothing happens in Yobe, nay Potiskum, subvention collected and I dare add, stolen in the name of security, no business, schools shut, banks closed, and worship restricted.

Everyone suspects the other. Alhaji and his medical doctor son were killed, even the elder son was advised to stay away from the funeral.

And while many turn the other face because its not your business, Pharm Danbaba Suntai, governor of Taraba, act of self-piloting a little aircraft to crash brings home more realities.

First, I wish him recovery, and while not courting controversy but criticizing us for our collective failure, I ask: 1. When did he get his license to fly, how long has he been flying...how did he get time for flying classes and with all the ‘supposed fatigue’ of governance, should he be exercising this hobby?

2. Very importantly, where is our information management channel, I was informed of the crash some 15minutes after it occurred by a source in USA. While Taraba and Yola and Nigeria

tagged with rumours including the presidency. The likes of NAN, NTA, FRCN were awol?

3. As I write this, Fulanis say they found the crash victims, Airforce say no, and claim credit.

4. The Commissioner of police who should just shut up in Yola says “if Danbaba was an ordinary citizen he would have been discharged”. Thank the Almighty ordinary citizens can’t buy motor spirit ‘talkless’ of aviation fuel. Does he think its an Okada accident?

In the same vein the CMD of the National Hospital lied through his teeth, “There is no need to do any operation on him. He is very stable.

Given what happened, we are actually satisfied with the situation at the moment.

What is the essence of a National Hospital that lacks the capacity to tackle the condition of an improving, stable crash victim, needing no surgery. Must it be Germany, India, UK and Cape Verde?

Finally, the governor’s condition was stabilized when he was flown out from the Yola international airport to Abuja, and he was ‘very stable’ when

“

What is the essence of a National Hospital that lacks the capacity to tackle the condition of an improving, stable crash victim, needing no surgery. Must it be Germany, India, UK and Cape Verde?

he was flown to Germany.

But Aide de Camp (ADC) to the governor, Dasat Iliya is still lying unconscious in a hospital bed...apart from being in a coma, has a leg fracture.

The Chief Security Officer (CSO), Timo Dangana, has two fractures on both legs, while the Chief Detail to the governor, Joel Dan has a fractured arm.

They are responding to treatment at the Specialist Hospital Yola but may be transferred to Jalingo once the ADC regains consciousness, not to Germany?

We are treated like rags, what can we do, we were told Dame Patience was resting. She swore she has never been to hospital in Germany but she thanked God for giving her a second chance...do the comprehension please.

And I end this conversation, as former Italian Prime Minister and President, AC Milan, a world class football club, Silvio Berlusconi was sentenced to 4 years in jail for tax evasion. Though I hear he would serve out 12 months.

Just tax evasion! It is a big deal, a jail warranted crime. What matters crime is crime and if jail is deserved, jail must be served.

Here the likes of Silvio Berlusconi and others are above the law.

While the usual suspects, shared the PHCN loot, to themselves. To control how much you pay for electricity, how to have it and when to have it. We remain mute...

You and I, are in the South or some comfort zone, you think its a Potiskum problem, Aluu is just Port Harcourt, kidnap on high scale would soon start in the North too...we don’t need a soothsayer to tell the effect of Fashola’s motorbike fight, unemployment in East and more.

The Berlusconis in our midst are known, I am talking/writing, its done at risk to personal life, but one would rather die standing for a cause than murmuring on your knees for no cause.

Until we are no longer Nigeria, Potiskum is part of us, there are gunmen everywhere too, the next target could be me or you. Time will tell.

Prince Charles Dickson wrote from Abuja

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 37

Opinion

By Ahmed Balarabe Hamzah

I

t is no longer news that the 2013 budget of N4.92 trillion has been presented to the joint session of the National Assembly.

The fact that both leaders of the chambers said they won’t ‘robotically’ pass the estimates did not give most Nigerians, including this writer, any hope that things will be done differently this time.

The common man in Nigeria does not even have any idea of how huge or small that money is and have no idea of whether the money will be used the purpose it is meant for. This is a typical scenario of hopelessness and despair by the people of a nation richly endowed but mismanaged by few.

Worse still, the security situation that remains a mirage to the country and particularly the North is taking the elephant share as usual with N 3.48.2 going to defense and another N 319.65 allocated to the police, (maybe that of the Police will be changed to 419 billion instead of 319 billion and that will be surely better understood by many people).

The truth of the matter is that “robot or nor “robots” as emphatically stated by the Senate President, David Mark, the leadership and indeed all members of the two “supposedly” powerful chambers have a lot to do to

What next after budget presentation? convince the electorate that they really have the interest of the common Nigeria at heart.

The President was reported to have personally collected Speaker Tambuwal’s speech and handed it over to one of his aides because in it he (the speaker) had accused Jonathan of ‘refusing to implement various resolutions of the National Assembly which he described as disrespect to the rule of law.”

It appears the President is not happy with that and had to respond through Doyin Okupe who accused the President of grandstanding and attempting to discredit the President .

It baffles me and many other Nigerians that the Presidency is coming up with such a defense which in all honesty came from their party members. If it were any other person they could have said it was the “opposition” who never sees anything good with the PDP or rather Jonathan’s government no matter how constructive and how true the argument is. Mind you the information minister, Labaran Maku has not said anything on the issue yet. By the time he opens up in defense of his boss hell will be let loose for the assembly members. Even though they have

started zipping his mouth recently.

Will these people ever accept a very candid and realistic observation or comment on the way and, manner they rule this country from anybody. Why is it that they always feel that anything they do whether right or wrong must be accepted and swallowed by everyone without raising an eye brow?

For God’s sake both the Senate President and the Speaker are top PDP members and the number three and four citizens of the country. For once God opened their mouths to say we are not doing the right thing to the people who might have voted us into these offices and all it takes is for the president to accept it and ask for the way forward but alas he fired back. So who else will tell the President the truth. The danger which this development posits for this country is that “the Jonathan administration” which is different from the “National Assembly” as described by Dr. Okupe is so “fragile” and looks like one “hatchet out of an egg” to the extent that criticizing any of their actions or policies becomes a taboo in the country.

No matter what he does and what anybody will say the field marshals are ready with their armory to defend and say it is either because he is a Christian

or because he is from the South – South” especially if the comments are coming from Northerners like Mark and Tambuwal who incidentally are part of the cabal that masterminded his election against their party agreement.

Going back to the budget, for the Nigerian common man, it looks like “business as usual”. It only translates to more foreign trips, more Makkah and Jerusalem “Excursions” with large entourage, more first ladies “excesses” with public funds under the guise of “pet projects, “that could have been done well by relevant constituted ministries, agencies or boards, more accumulation of wealth in readiness for the 2015 general “selection” and all that.

For me and other common Nigerian people, the N4.92 trillion budgeted for 2013 is just another “ABRACADABRA”, meaning the more we look or try to understand what it means the less we understand.

Promises upon promises typical of those made by the three witches in the famous Shakespeare tragedy Macbeth that ended up in “hover through the fog and filthy air” and just as they vanish so will this budget in the hands of its implementers.

- Ahmed Balarabe Hamzah wrote from Bauchi

No where else to run to

By Farouk Martins Aresa

I

ndividual African countries are usually patronized to be the next world power in 100 years but economic realities is to weaken the purchasing power for western or eastern finished manufactured products and buy the raw materials cheaply. African countries still trade more with countries thousands of miles away than they do within bordering countries. The lack of taste and demand depress our economies and throw money out.

It is easier for non-Africans as partners of politicians to make it in Nigeria than for most Africans to make it outside. In that case, someone asked if Africans were not making as much money outside, they should leave and come back home. The fact is the amount of money made by one non-African in Nigeria can pay ten Africans in America or Europe. The reason is the quality of life, which comparatively less money can buy overseas.

Our infrastructure money is laundered by politicians and their wives, caught daily and without grim consequences. Those under the agba tree, cannot not get enough to eat. So they are not sharing their oil farm income locally. They share it overseas.

Kenny Tone had a song in those days: there is nothing wrong with Nigeria but with its people. Even in cities where we traditionally get along, tolerance has run thin and the balance has tilted to lack of accommodation because there is not enough mutual respect for culture.

Oil has divided us in Nigeria than any other natural resources for the simple reason that no other natural

resources have ever been so commandeered by the Federal. Indeed, the same oil was the most ignored cause of the civil war. It did not belong to either parties fighting for its control. This is why we have agitation these days, that the area that has the oil can become a country independent of Nigeria.

The problem with that assertion is the area itself is made up of Nigerians found in other parts of the Country.

Their relatives in those states would rather affiliate with their kin than remain minorities under the caprices of a larger group. The same animosity is found in the whole Country. No matter how we slice it, the only united force is the elites that share the income and travel out to foreign banks. So, whala dey O! The dire situation has led to creation of different militant youths that called themselves freedom fighters trying to wrestle their fair share from the Federal. They have gone about it by joining terrorist camps in Libya, Pakistan and Arab countries. Others have used God as their excuse but in reality no different from those using freedom as front. What they all have in common is how to source money and power from elite looters.

Unfortunately, as they gain power, they become the oppressors of the masses. Any country that discourages its law abiding and educated youths from playing by the rule only elevates the ignoramus youth to power. Hard work, dedication, efficiency suffer. No matter how much resources a country has, those countries that encourage research will innovate products that will disenfranchise those that depend on

natural resources.

It is so dishonest of those elites that stand to gain from the chaos in Nigeria to claim that the cause is lack of fair sharing of natural resources that do not grow in their backyards. If they want part of the income from that natural resource, they should create means of attracting the income into their economy, such as trade, tourism or finished products. Not by hostility and intolerance that make it impossible to live within them.

In other words, Nigeria’s oil is not used as energy to fuel manufacturing base like China, Japan or United States but sold as raw material for income. The only way to employ our law abiding and educated youth is to engage them in productive innovation conducive to our environment and expand our manufacturing base to boost employment instead of seeking greener pasture in countries that provide for its own youths.

As economic situations get tougher, we blamed other Africans in our midst and deport them. Nigerians were thrown out of every country and we have thrown other Africans out. We are now left with one another. We wonder where else we can claim rights as the son of the soil if we cannot claim it at home. So whenever we are disillusioned because of the self-centered interest of some elites, we want to breakup into pieces.

Honestly, we have to stop fooling ourselves that other African countries, Europe and Americas can tolerate us as much as at home. Though, we were not as gracious as we were during the time of our founding fathers when Africans

could come to Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya, make it big and stay or return home. Blame that on the irony we find ourselves since the national cake got bigger and is only shared between smaller elites.

Since Nigerians cannot find other Africans to blame again, we have turned on ourselves. We have massacred lives incessantly across the Country, more frequent these days in the North than the South. But the South still squabble about the past war. Spite against one another can be so ferocious, the fear of another civil war beacons. If we cannot get along, it is better to live apart in peace than live together in pieces. Well, so be it?

Even within the Country, the numbers of places indigenes can live peacefully are getting smaller and many people have to leave their hometowns to live peacefully in another part of the Country where we must assimilate or face hostility. There are kidnapping for ransom, crime within families, amongst universities students.

If people can’t live where they were born and cannot live in other parts of the Country; where else can they live?

The problem is, there is no country willing to take us without being overwhelmed as refugee haven for a fraction of our 160 million people.

Looking at the long lines at many embassies of countries with 30 to 250 million people, many Nigerians prefer humiliation of migration as the way out, than submit to abusive hosts at home. Even China and India with more population, control their borders by strict immigration policy. Anywhere but! -faroukomartins@aim.com

PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3— SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

International US Election battle shifts to key states B

arack Obama and Mitt Romney will arrive in t h e key electoral state of Ohio today ahead of the muchanticipated release of new unemployment figures.

Both presidential candidates have been waiting anxiously to discover whether the fresh jobless data will provide a boost to their campaign.

Last month, the jobless rate fell from 8.1% to 7.8% and the figures were used by the Obama campaign as evidence that the fragile US economy was finally on the mend.

But, if the figure rises again just four days before the election, it will be seized upon by the Republicans as proof the economy would be safer in the hands of businessman Mr Romney.

Ohio is a key state in determining the outcome of the election.

No Republican candidate for the White House has ever won

President Obama greets a young supporter on the campaign trail in Denver the election without capturing Ohio.

Mr Obama is thought to be slightly ahead in the state,

which delivers 18 electoral college votes.

As the battleground shifts to Ohio, Mr Obama's campaign

Mr. Romney campaigns at Virginia Beach on Thursday

Mitt Rommey holding a baby

Crowd during campaign

has received a boost by scoring the endorsement of New York City's popular mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Both candidates had eagerly sought the backing of Mr Bloomberg, who did not endorse a presidential candidate in 2008.

Mr Bloomberg, whose city was hard hit by Superstorm Sandy, said the storm had made the stakes of the election even clearer.

The billionaire businessman and former Republican said the climate is changing and that Mr Obama has taken major steps in the right direction.

Climate change has barely been mentioned as an issue during the past few months, but the storm which battered the eastern seaboard has reawakened the debate.

Sandy has dominated the news agenda in the past few days, and Mr Obama's calm and determined response to cut red tape and provide

emergency relief has earned praise.

Pictures of him meeting victims and community leaders have also been a welcome break from repetitive stump speeches.

Speaking at his first campaign outing since the disaster struck, Mr Obama praised Americans on Thursday for coming together in the wake of the storm.

He said Sandy was a reminder that political leaders can put aside partisanship to address the country's needs.

"As long as there's a single American who wants a job but can't find one, our work isn't done. As long as there are families who are working harder but falling behind, our work isn't done," he said.

"Our fight goes on because America has always done its best when everybody gets a fair shot."

Meanwhile, at Mr Romney's rally in Virginia Beach on Thursday, a heckler brandishing a climate change placard interrupted the candidate's speech.

The heckler was ignored by Mr Romney and drowned out

by Republican supporters.

Mr Romney made three stops in the key battleground of Virginia on Thursday, having returned to the campaign trail in earnest following the storm.

"I know the Obama folks are chanting 'four more years, four more years'," Mr Romney told supporters at a rally in Roanoke, Virginia.

"But our chant is this, 'Five more days.'"

Speaking about Superstorm Sandy, Mr Romney added: "A lot of people lost their lives, a lot of families have been devastated, a lot of homes have been lost, and our hearts go out to the people who are suffering."

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3— SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

International Shocking images showing the trail of destruction by Hurricane Sandy S

ea water bursts from an elevator shaft, submerged cars float along a flooded street, and residents brave the storm on the streets.

These stunning images show the extent of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy as it tore along the east coast of America.

The super storm has battered the western Atlantic with 80mph winds and 13ft high waves of sea water, forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and left millions without power or transport.

President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in New York and Long Island, making

federal funding available to residents of the area.

Remnants of the former Category 1 hurricane were forecast to head across Pennsylvania before taking another sharp turn into western New York State.

Hurricane Sandy killed 69 people in the Caribbean before making its way up the Atlantic coast.

Officials blamed at least 16 deaths in the US on the stormfive in New York, three each in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, two in Connecticut, and one each in Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.

PAGE 39

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Interview

Polio eradication is continuous battle —Umar C

an you share with us the efforts your agency is putting in place to tackle polio virus in the state?

Bauchi state observed the 7th round of immunization this month and it was a four day activity which was conducted in 323 wards across the 20 local government areas of the state.

We conducted some pre implementation activities before the exercise and we trained our personnel at the state level, we also trained our monitors at the state level and the local government level. All the resources and finance needed were disbursed and we also procured and distributed 2 million and 22 units of detergents to all nooks and corners of the state which means that every child that was targeted to be immunized was given a nut of detergent as an encouragement for his or her participation in the exercise.

On the last IPD exercise which was conducted in July, we didn’t have August IPD because it was in the middle of the rainy season, and there were places that we felt were inaccessible because of the rain falls and alteration in our micro plans because of flooding and displaced communities.

Some of the local movements in the state did very well in the last IPDs but unfortunately there were some that performed below our expectation. Let me also use this opportunity to highlight the local governments in the state that are of highest risk of the virus, they are Gamawa , Bauchi, Ningi, Katagum, Itas Gadau, Shura, Misau.

They are the highest risk LGs based on CDC scores and CDC scores which looked into the presence of polio cases in the local governments.

The local government with moderate level of risk are Tafawa Balewa, Alkaleri, Warji, Giade, Danbam, Ganjuwa, Toro and Darazo while the local ones with relatively less risk are Kirfi, Bogoro, Jamare, Zakinthos, and Dass.

The fight for the eradication of polio anywhere in the world does not lie in campaign, it lies in routine immunization.

Campaigns are supplementary activities used to reach people that are not utilizing the routine immunization.

We have also provided some incentives which we disbursed in about 567 primary health care centers across the state each month, each facility is going to be given N3600 and what is going to be used is N200 as refreshment to conduct outreach

Dr Nisser Umar is the Executive Chairman of Bauchi state Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA). In this interview with a group of journalists, he ex-rays the progress his agency is making in the eradication of polio. Ahmed Kaigama was there.

Dr Nisser Umar activities from their facility to the traditional institution, I mean the ward head and create a fixed post in the community to be delivering the routine immunization twice in a month.

So what we are now given is N200 to each personnel and three personnel in each facility twice a month and we are giving them one thousand to hire a bike to take them to their facility to the house of the ward head and we are also given them five hundred for town crier.

What challenges do you face in discharging your responsibilities?

Sure, we face a lot of challenges in IPDs and most of the challenges have to do with the rejection we get from some communities for various reasons.

There were sporadic cases of rejections that we recorded because some mothers claimed their husbands left home without giving them the instruction to immunise the children.

Though each time we come across this situation, the ward head of the particular community always step in.

Following the recent flood disaster in the state, how have you been able to get those at the rural areas immunized particularly the displaced victims?

Yes, I agree that there is problem of flooding and displacement of some communities but these are things that we can't really change, they are natural disasters, but then we have to adjust to ensure that we mitigate the negative effects of that reality and in that line we went back to drawing board, brought out the micro plans for those communities and made some adjustments. These adjustments we made then with the communities because the communities know the places better than anybody, so we sought advice from the communities and made some temporary adjustment to the micro plans, the community know exactly where people moved to, that was why we shifted the plans from the original communities to the temporary settlements.

What criteria do you use in selecting the vaccinators?

We don't select the vaccinators, we have the vaccination select committee at the ward head level and the ward head is supposed to be the chairman of that committee and the condition is the vaccinators ought to be from that same community so it's like people vaccinating their neighborhood.

How much did you spend in the last IPD? Lots of resources have been invested at the state level, we have spent over N66m for procurement of pluses, we spent over N29m for procurement and distribution of pluses, that is 2.2 million units, even though we know the doses, we are targeting is 2.2 million. We

have created 10 percent margin in case if we are going to lose some along the way, so we procured that and we have also supported supervisors, we have over 36 supervisors that we trained to go round the state, we have paid them their logistics allowances and we've also supported some pre implementation training.

We have also supported the instruction mobilization activities in all the local movement task force with 500 million naira cash to all the local government for the distribution of additional logistics after 9 million which we have given for the local immunization officers.

We have also added almost one million for the local immunization officers to ensure that there is no problem of logistics, so if you add all that, we have spent over 66 million at the state level to see the success of this exercise and as I said our budget is very clear, our retirement process is very clear each and every person that collects, we ensure that he gives receipt and we have the receipt, so where there is a problem , we are in a position to get where that problem is coming from, the pluses were distributed, we gave money for the logistics of the distribution. We gave money for the social mobilization, we observed the conduct of the training and we also refresh the vaccinators because the vaccination exercise was extended by a week.

How do you supervise the exercise?

We use the chairmen of the local movement for social mobilization for pluses, logistics and we used the local immunization officers so that they are all aware that we have given this amount and if we have problem of supervision, then we know is the local government chairmen that we will ask that.

And if we have problem of supervision, or if we have problem with the traditional institution, we will know exactly who to ask and if it is a problem of logistics and pluses, we know who exactly to hold accountable because we have given it directly to the local immunization officer of that local government.

“

There were sporadic cases of rejections that we recorded because some mothers claimed their husbands left home without giving them the instruction to immunise the children.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 41

Weekend

Serena and Venus Williams arriving at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club for their exhibition match which was won by the older of the siblings

Venus, Serena thrill Lagos tennis fans, end visit

Peter Odemwingie dumps Super Eagles V

By Patrick Andrew

S

uper Eagles head coach, Stephen Keshi, has revealed that West Bromwich Albion player, Osaze Odemwingie, may no longer be keen to play for Nigeria.

Odemwingie last played for Nigeria in a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda on February 29 in Kigali.

Keshi has now revealed that he spoke to the WBA forward a week before Nigeria’s second leg final round 2013 Afcon qualifying game against Liberia on October 13 and that Odemwingie told him that he had decided not to play for Nigeria again.

“I spoke to Osaze before the Liberia game and he told me that he had decided not to play for Nigeria anymore,” Keshi was quoted by a wire service.

The former Togo and Mali national team coach said Odemwingie took the time to explain the reasons for his decision not to play for the Super Eagles again.

“Osaze told me that he has no problems with me as a person and that he took his decision even before I assumed position as national team coach.

“He said he was unhappy at how he was treated in the past in the national team. He explained that prior to Nigeria’s participation at the 2010 Fifa World Cup, he played in all the qualifying games but was dropped at the finals.

“He said he was angry at the treatment meted out to him but did not discuss it with anyone. I told him that was not the best way to handle issues and that if he had already decided not to play for the national team, he should have opened up to me when I invited him to play,” Keshi said.

‘The Big Boss’ went on to reveal that he had an extensive discussion with the striker and tried to explain why things may have gone awry for him at the 2010 mundial.

“I told him that if the (Nigeria) coach (at the 2010 World Cup) benched him, he must have a reason for doing so and that things should have been handled differently.

“I told him that he should have spoken up and let me know.

The coach has a reason and you can’t play in every game,” he said.

On Odemwingie’s future at the international stage, Keshi said he was still ready to accommodate the player in his squad while explaining that the final decision would still lie with the 31-year-old.

“I told him that he has to give me the room to work with him; for us to work together and if he does not like the way I work and the atmosphere in the camp, then he can decide to stop playing.

“Deciding that you don’t want to play for Nigeria because of what happened in the past is not the best.

“I understand his feelings. I think he might change his mind but I really don’t know. The ball is in his court,” Keshi concluded.

Peter Osaze Odemwingie, who Keshi says is may have opted to pay attention to club football at the expense of international career for Nigeria

enus and Serena Williams treated tennis fans to some spectacular display at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club yesterday in an exhibition game that was watched by hundreds of fans.

The game, which was highly contested, was surprisingly won by the older sibling Venus by two straight sets of 6-4, 7-5.

It was obvious from the from the back slapping after the match that the sisters had lived up to expectation as they left fans on the edge of their seats with breathtaking entertaining match.

The match, part of events marking their 3-day visit to the country, was organised by Connect Marketing Service with a theme: “Breaking the Mould” (BTM).

The BTM programme was an initiative aimed at empowering the youths, especially young girls, to hang on to their dreams and aspirations.

The sisters expressed delight at the overwhelming support from spectators, who said the experience and friendship shared was worthwhile.

Serena, 31, said: “being in Nigeria has been an exciting and worthwhile experience. I am delighted to have been here and excited to know we have such a huge support here”.

Also, Venus, 32, expressed delight at the tour, said she was hopeful that the 3-day tour would impact positively on the lives of many young Nigerians.

“Being here is one of the most exciting moments I have ever had and I believe that our visit would “break the mould”, and inspire young Nigerians.

“This has been my first experience with Africa and what a wonderful experience it has been for me since I came here,” she said.

The match was watched by dignitaries such as former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF), Sani Ndanusa and Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Musliu Obanikoro.

Others are: the Asoju Oba of Lagos, Chief Molade Okoya Thomas, and President of Nigeria Football and other Supporters Club, Rafiu Ladipo.

Prior to the match by the Williams sisters, Nigeria’s Women number one, Fatima Abinu had beaten her compatriot, the number three, 16-year-old Sarah Adegoke 4-3 in an exhibition match. The sisters later returned to the States yesterday.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 42

Evander asks court to auction of his boxing memorabilia L E

Safarova, Ivanovic to open Fed Cup final today

vander Holyfield is asking a federal judge to stop an auction of some of his boxing memorabilia.

An Olympic bronze medal and gloves Holyfield wore in a fight against Mike Tyson are among the items.

The former heavyweight champion’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles on Thursday, seeks an order blocking the sale of 20 out of almost 450 items that Julien’s Auctions plan to sell in November.

Chief executive Darren Julien says his company has worked for months to organise a world-class auction of Holyfield’s memorabilia and other items.

He says the company had approval from Holyfield to list the items for sale and has already advanced him hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Holyfield wants a judge to block the sale of the disputed items, including the gloves he used against Tyson in 1996.

He claims he must consent to the auction of all the items and that the disputed items should be returned.

Julien said his company had approval from Holyfield to list the items for sale in a press release announcing the auction earlier this year.

He said his company has worked for months to organise a world-class auction of Holyfield’s memorabilia and other items that had to be hastily collected when the former boxer had to vacate his Georgia home due to foreclosure.

Julien said Holyfield Holyfield had

Evander-Holyfield already selected items he wanted to keep, although the lawsuit claims the ex-boxer was often distracted while items were being catalogued and sorted.

Holyfield wants a judge to block the

sale of the disputed items, including gloves used in the 1996 bout with Tyson, robes he wore in the Olympics, a Father of the Year award and championship belts he won in 1993.

The lawsuit claims holding back those items from sale would “not suffer anything other than a dip in income.”

“If, on the other hand, Holyfield is forced to sell those few items of personal property that have the very most sentimental value to him as he looks back over his career, and which he wants to pass down to future generations of his family, the hardship is overwhelming and irreparable,” the lawsuit states.

The auction will still include numerous items from Holyfield’s career, including gloves he wore during the infamous fight with Tyson in

which part of Holyfield’s ear was bitten off.

Numerous fight robes and trunks are also slated for sale, as well as Holyfield’s 1992 WBA Boxer of the Year award.

Kwambai returns to defend Seoul title Sunday

A

large field of 15,346 runners, including 160 foreigners, is expected to be at the start line of JoongAng Seoul Marathon this Sunday at IAAF Silver Label Road Race.

But James Kipsang Kwambai will be the cynosure of all eyes on account of his being the men’s defending champion.

The men’s international elite field is composed of 16 athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco Tanzania and Eritrea who will be battling for the $114,500 international elite prize purse, while 77 men and 28 women will compete for $34,400 up for grabs in the men’s and women’s domestic division, as in previous years.

Kwambai returns to Seoul not only to defend his title but to improve 2:08:13 course record set by his countryman Jason Mbote in 2006.

Kwambai clocked a 2:04:27 personal best at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2009, won the JoongAng Marathon 2011 clocking 2:08:50, and finished second in the Seoul International Marathon this year in 2:06:03.

Kwambai will compete with four countrymen. Among them is Benjamin Kiptoo, 33 who set his 2:06:31 PB at the 2011 Paris Marathon but has just a modest 2:14:32 season’s best, also from Paris. Kenneth Mungara, 39, has 2:07:36 credentials from Prague 2011,

also well shy of his 2:15:59 season’s best, also set in Paris.

Boniface Kirui, 25, has a 1:01:07 Half Marathon personal best from 2011 and more recently clocked 1:13:18 over 25km in Berlin. Rounding out the Kenyan contingent is William Chebon Chebor, 29, who set his 2:08:21 career best in Turin in 2011. He has a 1:00:49 Half Marathon PB from Udine 2010 and clocked 2:10:27 for the Marathon this season at the Seoul International.

They will be opposed by some of their traditional rivals from Ethiopian.

Dereje Tesfaye, 27, has a 2:08:36 PB set in Fukuoka 2009 and a 2:12:34 season’s best from Dubai; Gebreselassie Tsegay with a 2:09:44 PB set in 2009’s Eindhoven Marathon and a 2:15:46 season’s best from Ottawa; and 20-yearold Marathon debutant Andualem Belay, who set a 1:00:10 Half Marathon PB at the Lille Half Marathon, and a 1:00:20 performance, also this year, from the ABN Amro Hague Half Marathon.

Leading the Eritrean charge is Tewelde Estifanos, 31, with a 1:01:39 Half Marathon PB from 2011, who more recently clocked 1:02:10 for ninth at the World Half Marathon Championships.

Others to watch include Tanzania’s Marathon debutant Ezekiel Jafari, 22, with a 1:00:41 Half Marathon PB from 2009, along with a trio from Morocco: Khalid El Boumlili (2:10:35 PB, Boston

2008), Abderrahim El Asri (PBs 1:02:16, 2011/2:14:30, 2011); and Hafid Chani (1:02:23, 2011).

The pack will be led by two pacemakers: 20-year-old Afewerk Mesfin from Ethiopia and 26-year-old Kenyan Stephen Kosgei Kibet who clocked a PB 2:08:05 this year at Rotterdam.

James Kipsang Kwambai

ucie Safarova of holders Czech Republic will take on Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in the first singles rubber of the Fed Cup final today.

Safarova, the world number 17 and Czech No 2, will face world number 12 Ivanovic, who is Serbia’s No 1, in Prague’s O2 Arena today.

Ivanovic face a tough challenge as the left-handed Safarova has beaten her in their last three encounters, the most recent being this year in Sydney.

In the second rubber same day, Czech No 1 Petra Kvitova, who is recovering from a cold that forced her to pull out of the WTA Championship last week, will face Serbia’s No 2 Jelena Jankovic.

Jankovic, a former world No 1 who is now 22nd in the WTA rankings, would return lots of balls owing to her physical style. On Sunday, Kvitova will face Ivanovic, before Safarova plays Jankovic in the final singles tie.

The Czech Republic’s Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka are then due to face Serbia’s Bojana Jovanovic and Aleksandra Krunic in the closing doubles rubber.

But the doubles teams may change, with Serbia potentially deciding to use a stronger duo against the Czechs, who are 3rd and 4th in the doubles rankings after reaching the finals at Wimbledon, the US Open, the WTA Championship and the London Olympics.

The Czech Republic are defending the trophy after they beat Russia in Moscow 3-2 in 2011.

Former Czechoslovakia, which split peacefully into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993, lifted the Fed Cup five times between 1975 and 1988. Serbia are playing their first Fed Cup final.

Onyedinma lauds Super Falcons

T

he Chairperson of the Nigeria Women League, Mrs. Dilichukwu Onyedinma, has praised the Super Falcons for their resilience so far in the Africa Women Championship holding in Equatorial Guinea.

Already, the Falcons have sealed a semifinals place after defeating Cameroon and Ethiopia and will this weekend complete their group stage game against the Cote d’ Ivoriean women.

“The Super Falcons deserve all the commendations. Their performances so far, have shown that they are in the championship to retain the trophy they won two years ago in South Africa,” she said noting that their defeat of the Lionesses of Cameroon was no mean achievement.

“I have all the confidence that the girls would overrun the Ivoiriens when they meet later next week. I implore them to remain focused and determined as ever so as to retain the trophy,” Onyedinma the member of of the Board of the NFF said.

She hopes that the team would retain the trophy and thus be able to participate at the FIFA senior Women World Cup in Canada next year.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 43

Inter to test Juve’s title defence claims

C

hampions Juventus face a test of their titledefending credentials today when a resurgent Inter Milan travel to Turin with a real chance of reducing their four-point defecit to the leaders.

Juventus extended their unbeaten streak to 49 matches after a late Paul Pogba header helped secure a 2-1 win away to Bologna on Wednesday as Napoli slipped up at Atalanta and Inter moved up to second with a 3-1 win at home to Sampdoria.

A 50th match without defeat – Juve’s last reverse came against Parma in May 2011 – will be

expected by fans of the Old Lady, but Inter’s resurgence has slashed the odds.

Inter’s sixth win on the trot came in convincing and timely fashion ahead of a fixture billed as the ‘Derby d’Italia’.

Indeed, Inter have peaked so well for this game conspiracy theorists might suggest that canny 36-year-old coach Andrea Stramaccioni, who recently waved off comparisons with Jose ‘The Special One’ Mourinho, had timed it deliberately.

Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiasso admits Juve’s “good run” deserved applause, but said

Inter’s good form is a reflection of their high expectations.

While Inter seem to be relishing the challenge, Juve could be suspected of feeling the pinch ahead of a possible 50th match without defeat.

Juve defender Andrea Barzagli was not scared to admit Stramaccioni’s Inter, boasting the attacking talents of Diego Milito, Antonio Cassano and Rodrigo Palacio, have made them sit up and take notice.

While AC Milan’s Stephan El Shaarawy became the league’s top scorer on Tuesday, Juventus (along with Roma on 22 goals) and

Inter (19) have the best scoring records in the league.

Juventus’s defence has leaked only five goals, the meanest in the league, in 10 games, to Inter’s nine. On Saturday Milan, 12th at 17 points adrift of Juve, host Chievo at the San Siro with only one thing on their minds: “We have to beat Chievo if we are to start climbing up the table,” said midfielder Kevin Constant.

Napoli, who dropped to third at six points behind Juve, could yet be without top striker Edinson Cavani when Torino visit on Sunday, the Uruguayan having missed the trip to Bergamo due to

Manchester United face Gunners today

By Albert Akota with agency report

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anchester United will try to return to winning ways when they face Arsenal in the Premier League at Old Trafford today.

Victory for Alex Ferguson’s men in the day’s early kick-off LOGS Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Team Barcelona Atletico Madrid Malaga Real Madrid Real Betis Levante Sevilla Getafe Real Zaragoza Valladolid Valencia Mallorca Celta Vigo Real Sociedad Rayo Vallecano Athletic Bilbao Granada Deportivo La Coruna Espanyol Osasuna

match will see them replace leaders Chelsea, if only for a few hours, at the top of the table and provide their fans with an upbeat end to a week that saw them knocked out of the League Cup. An unfamiliar looking United side, with several senior players rested, were just seconds away

P 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

W 8 8 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 1 1 1

D 1 1 3 2 1 1 2 1 0 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 4 3 2

L 0 0 1 2 3 3 3 4 5 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 6

from beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and advancing into the quarterfinals when they conceded a last minute penalty to leave the match all square at 3-3.

Today’s match will be the first time United striker Robin van Persie has faced Arsenal since being sold by the Gunners for £24

GF 29 22 13 21 13 12 12 10 9 14 11 10 10 10 11 12 8 14 11 8

GA 11 9 5 7 13 14 11 12 11 11 12 14 11 14 22 19 15 20 15 14

GD 18 13 8 14 0 -2 1 -2 -2 3 -1 -4 -1 -4 -11 -7 -7 -6 -4 -6

Pts 25 25 18 17 16 16 14 13 12 11 11 11 10 10 10 8 8 7 6 5

Real Madrid battle Zaragoza for title contention

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fter a slow start to the defence of their La Liga crown Real Madrid have clicked into gear and while they face a relentless Barcelona who continue to churn out victories, defender Sergio Ramos says they will keep chasing their arch-rivals to the end.

With Cristiano Ronaldo once again firing on all cylinders and the rest of the team having rediscovered their form, Madrid have won four of their last five league games with the only dropped points coming in a draw at the Camp Nou against Barcelona.

Madrid take on Zaragoza having beaten Mallorca 5-0 with Ronaldo grabbing two which matched Barca’s 5-0 win over Rayo Vallecano where Lionel Messi also hit a brace and he continues the lead the way

in the league with 13 goals.

Barca now faces Celta Vigo.

The Argentine was quick to laugh off rumours, that spread following an on-field spat with David Villa against Granada, that his teammates felt he had become too cocky in the dressing room.

Radamel Falcao has taken some of the protagonism away from Messi and Ronaldo with his prowess in front of goal as he scored in his tenth consecutive game for Atletico Madrid who beat Osasuna to keep them level on points with Barca at the top.

They now play Valencia and although it is still early days in the championship race Atletico do have the quality and strength in depth to push the top two this season.

Malaga has also started well with their only defeat so far

coming against Atletico and they now entertain Rayo Vallecano.

Real Betis, who travel to Getafe, have compromised some of their attacking flair for a more solid defence which has paid dividends so far as they sit in fifth, level on points with Levante, who have a tricky away match against Sevilla.

Athletic Bilbao remain a shadow of the side which received rave reviews for their open attacking football which took them to the final of the Europa League and the King’s Cup and they will be hoping for an improvement against Granada while Deportivo la Coruna play Mallorca.

At the bottom of the table Osasuna are up against Valladolid and Espanyol visit Real Sociedad.

million ($39 million) following the end of last season.

The Dutch striker’s exit was seen as further proof by some observers of the inability of Arsenal, without a major trophy for seven years, to mount a realistic challenge for the title.

Van Persie has scored seven goals in nine league appearances for United but Arsenal, seven points adrift of United in sixth place, will have additional motivation to put in a good performance following their 8-2 thrashing in last season’s corresponding fixture.

Arsenal though have kept just one clean sheet in their last 11 games and conceded five, having been 4-0 behind, in an astonishing 7-5 League Cup win over Reading on Tuesday.

Chelsea, who suffered their first league defeat of the season in an incident-packed clash against United last weekend, will hope for both three points and a match free of controversy when they travel to Swansea today.

The fall-out from the United match saw Chelsea lodge a formal complaint with the FA over allegations referee Mark Clattenburg used inappropriate language against midfielder John Obi Mikel. The incident came just two weeks after Chelsea captain John Terry started a four-match ban for racially abusing QPR defender in October last year.

Reigning champions Manchester City, level on points with United and just a point behind Chelsea, travel to West Ham with fit-again defender Pablo Zabaleta urging his teammates not to get caught up in any title hype.

Fourth-placed Tottenham are at home to Wigan with high-flyers Everton facing Fulham following last week’s Merseyside derby draw.

Tony Pulis will look to mark his 10th anniversary since first being appointed Stoke manager with victory at Norwich as Sunderland take on strugglers Aston Villa.

Reading, currently in the relegation zone, have a chance to put their Arsenal shock behind them away to bottom of the table QPR on Sunday when Liverpool welcome Newcastle to Anfield.

an injury niggle.

After a sluggish start to the season Fiorentina are enjoying a purple patch and moved up to fifth thanks to a 1-0 win away to Genoa Thursday, three days ahead of hosting Cagliria.

Zdenek Zeman’s Roma, meanwhile, host Palermo in Sunday’s late match hoping to put their recent setbacks behind them.

Two consecutive 3-2 defeats, to Udinese then Parma on Wednesday, have left the Giallorossi seventh, 14 points adrift of Juve and for many their defence is to blame.

While Roma, along with Juventus, have scored a leaguetopping 22 goals they have conceded the most goals, at 19.

Weekend fixtures EPL Man Utd v Arsenal Fulham v Everton Norwich v Stoke Sunderland v Aston Villa Swansea v Chelsea Tottenham v Wigan West Ham v Man City Sunday QPR v Reading Liverpool v Newcastle French Ligue 1 PSG v St Etienne Troyes v Montpellier Evian TG v Lille Nice v AS Nancy Rennes v Reims Valenciennes v Sochaux Sunday AC Ajaccio v Marseille Lyon v Bastia Bordeaux v Toulouse German Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund v VfB Stuttgart Borussia M'gladbach v SC Freiburg Hannover 96 v Augsburg Nurnberg v Wolfsburg TSG Hoffenheim v Schalke 04 Hamburg v Bayern Munich Sunday Bayer Leverkusen v Fortuna Dusseldorf Werder Bremen v Mainz Italy Serie A AC Milan v Chievo Juventus v Inter Milan Sunday Pescara v Parma Bologna v Udinese Catania v Lazio Fiorentina v Cagliari Napoli v Torino Sampdoria v Atalanta Siena v Genoa Roma v Palermo Spanish Primera Liga Malaga v Rayo Vallecano Barcelona v Celta Vigo Real Madrid v Real Zaragoza Valencia v Atletico Madrid Sunday Real Sociedad v Espanyol Deportivo La Coruna v Mallorca Osasuna v Valladolid Granada v Athletic Bilbao Sevilla v Levante CAF Champions League Al Ahly v Esperance CAF Confederation Cup AC Leopards v Al Merreikh Dolisie

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 44

P.I.C.T.O.R.I.A.L

Petra Kvitova hopes to end a frustrating year with Fed Cup victory for the Czech Republic

Sri Lanka’s bowlers stifle Pakistan to give the hosts a 16-run win and a place in the final of the World Twenty20

Frankie Gavin wins the British welterweight title with a unanimous point's decision over veteran Junior Witter

Esperance travel to Egypt to take on Al Ahly in the first leg of the CAF Champions League final without young star Youssef Msakni, in what is expected to be an emotional contest in Alexandria.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists revenge will not be on his mind as he prepares to revisit Old Trafford, the scene of the most humiliating massacre of his career

England's preparations for the first Test in India face disruption following concerns over Jonny Bairstow's fitness

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

PAGE 45

Understanding the rules of golf: Close up on IBB Golf Resort

A beautiful veiw: Combination of sport and beauty Compiled by Augustine Aminu with Wikipedia report

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any people see golf as the game of the rich and perhaps so it is. Due to its distance from the common folks, little or nothing is known about the game, except perhaps that it is played by the rich.

Some golf clubs charge as much as $15,000 (N1million), for membership admission in addition to huge annual membership fees.

Golf as a game has very simple rules and can be played by anyone. Golf is played by striking a ball using a club on an area called “teeing ground.” Once the ball is hit, it typically travels fairways across and onto a next prepared area. A hole could be found in this area that is called a “putting green.”

The objective of the game of golf is that one should be able to complete a hole by means of hitting a ball from a

IBB Golf course has a lot of serene and beautiful sights

teeing ground and place it inside the hole of the putting green in as few strokes as possible. What is usually referred to as a round of golf generally consists of 18 holes to be played in.

In golf, there are mainly two kinds of play to pick from. The winner in one kind of play is determined by the holes that are lost and won, this is referred to as a match play. The other kind of play is determined by the number of strokes one has taken to complete a round. This is called a stroke play.

When playing golf, there are two relevant rules to remember: as you find the course, go play it. As the ball lies, it should also be played as such.

Golf ball are heavy and require some physical strength and focus to get the ball on the desired direction.

Before playing that all important round of golf, the first thing you should do is to read the local rules stated on the score card you are holding. Players try not to forget to place an identifying mark on the ball they are going to use. Some golfers use the same type and brand of golf ball, if in case your ball is placed among these bunch, you will have difficulty finding which is which.

Make sure that you get to count your clubs before actual play. You should have a maximum of fourteen clubs. When

beginning actual play, you tee off in front of the tee markers.

When you tee outside this specified area and you are playing a match play, your opponent may have to ask you to repeat the stroke you just did. The good thing when one does this in a match play, you get to incur no penalty.

However, if in a stroke play, you then are given a penalty of two-stroke.

If while you are playing and your golf ball happens to lie in a bunker or a water hazard, you should not in any way touch the ground of the bunker or the water before you do your down swing. The ball must as much as possible be struck fairly and should neither be spooned or pushed.

You could take your ball, clean it and place it on the exact place where it was.

In Nigeria, the IBB International Golf and Country Club ranks as one of the best in Africa. It is located along Aso Drive near, the Presidential Villa and the National Assembly complex where it occupies a land area of about 101 hectares and the playing distance of 6,098 metres. It is bisected by a number of streams, ponds and lakes with about 25 bridges and is reputed to be one of the most beautiful parkland courses in sub-saharan Africa.

Facilities at the IBB International Golf Course Abuja include Club house, Club bar, Restaurants, Changing rooms, Buggy hire, Trolley Hire and Driving Range.

Prior to construction, the area was a very thick forest, compartmentalized by many small meandering river flows, and housing assorted wild animals and birds. Today it is about the only place in the bustling and heavily developed part of Abuja, or indeed anywhere in Nigeria, where animals such as crocodiles, monkeys and pythons are found in their natural habitat, harmlessly sharing nature with golfers and their visitors. As part of the golf course development, the rivers have been dredged to create lakes and enhance aquatic life and beauty.

The Golf Course is a beautiful place

Ready for tee-off

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

It is self interest here; BUSY the rest is for the dogs BODY '

No permanent friend only permanent interest' is a clichĂŠ universally associated with diplomacy. But in Nigeria, the clichĂŠ seems perfect match for politics. Politics, it would seem, has displaced the art in which those adept can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you may not be averse to the idea, as a good advertisement for selfservice. Take the case of an embattled high profile lawmaker from one of the north Eastern states. In August 2010, this lawmaker, then in another chamber of the Federal legislature representing a different political party, made the following statement in an interview, "the PDP in the last 11 years has vandalized Nigeria; they have only introduced kidnapping,

assassination, militancy, armed robbery, power degeneration and widespread religious crisis". But four months later in December, sensing that he might not get his party's ticket to contest the 2011 Senatorial election owing to a disagreement with the governor of his state and fellow party man, he switched parties and jumped to the no-good doing PDP. This gist is not about him, though. It is about an even bigger fish and fellow lawmaker and erstwhile party man who, not long ago, swore that, damned rumours of his planned defection, he is married to his party till death do them part. In any clime but ours, he would have been given the benefit of the doubt. You do not put your shirt on the

promise of politicians, especially the Nigerian variety. And with the rumour mill still putting a question mark on the fidelity of this politician to his party, it may not be long before the union goes asunder.

The rumour making the round, and has been around for sometime, is that the central ruling party is courting this physically imposing one, who shot to fame courtesy of championing a sentimental trend that caught up in some other states in the North, transient, as it turned out, during his stint as governor of his backwater of a state. The jury is still out on the motive of advocacy for the trend. The dominant party's fear is that, short of unilaterally declaring

itself winner in 2015 without the benefit of elections, retaining its hold at the center and in most state would not come easy. In fact, may not even come altogether, some fear, given the harvest of woes the nation is, and has been, reaping under its watch from 2009 to date. The calculation is that if the party could land an acceptable politician from the North to team up with President Goodluck Jonathan, then the opposition will have to look beyond 2015 to rule the center.

And they believe that the bearded one has the acceptability to sell the party

and, in the process earn himself the number two spot on the ruling party's ticket at the expense of the incumbent 2 I C, who, in the estimation of the strategists in the party, is a political light weight in his region who may weigh the party down in 2015. The strategists' strategies do not seem to factor in other interests in the party, as the last has definitely not been heard about the presidential aspiration of some of the people who keep the ruling party ticking and finding its way into the Villa and the various government houses in the states anyhow.

Issues

By Isah Ibrahim

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overty has been one of the key causes of the upsurge of malnutrition in most states of northern Nigeria.

Many Nutritionists experts have posited that poverty is a main underlying cause of malnutrition. Children are malnourished not simply there is no nutritious food available, but because their families cannot afford to buy it. According to research conducted by Save the Children International [SCI], significant proportion of families in selected communities could not afford to feed their families a nutritious diet even if they spent all of their income on food.

The 2010 reports released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), showed that 112, 519 million Nigerians live in relative poverty conditions, out of an estimated population of 163 million.

Consequently, the absolute poverty measure puts the country's poverty rate at 99.284 million or 60.9%; the dollar per day measure puts poverty rate at 61.2% and subjective poverty level at 93.9%. Significantly, the North-West and North-East, recorded the highest poverty rates in the country in 2010, with 77.7% and 76.3% respectively. NBS StatisticianGeneral, Dr. Yemi Kale said "using the absolute poverty measure, 54.7% of Nigerians were living in poverty in 2004 but this increased to 60.9% or 99.284 million Nigerians in 2010".

Recent reports indicate that, the prevalence of malnutrition is high in the north than the other part of the country. According to a recent survey conducted by DFID Consortiums [ACF, UNICEF and Save the Children], North West records 53% of stunting and 20% of wasting, North West 49% of stunting with 22% of wasting, North Central records

Poverty as cause of Malnutrition in Northern Nigeria

44%stunting and 9% of wasting while South West had 31%of stunting with 9%of wasting, South South 31%of stunting and 7.5%, South East 22% stunting and 8.6% wasting.

Malnutrition has been identified as the underlying cause of more than 2.6 million child deaths every year, a third of the total of the child deaths.

According to the experts, many malnourished children die because they are vulnerable to repeated bouts of disease and infection.

Others become malnourished while suffering from infectious diseases and are unable to recover.

But malnutrition is recorded on death certificates, not prioritized by any government ministry, and, as a result, not effectively addressed.

At the most immediate level, malnutrition is caused by inadequate diet and by infection.

These primary causes of malnutrition are influenced by food access and availability, healthcare, water and sanitation, and the way a child is cared for [for example, whether the infant is breastfed and whether basic hygiene practices are used, such as hand-washing]. Underlying all of these primary and intermediate causes of malnutrition are poverty, lack of resources [example financial and human resources], and social, economic and political factors.

Global progress on reducing stunting has been extremely slow.

According to a book titled 'A LIFE FREE FROM HUNGER- Tackling child Malnutrition, launched by the Save the Children; the proportion of stunted children fell from 39.7% in 2010- only 13 percentage points in 20 years or

0.65 percentage points per year.

This equates to a reduction from 253 million stunted children in 1990 to 171 million in 2010. The report further observed that, progress is even slower in Africa, which has seen an overall reduction of just 2% in 20 years from 40.3% to 38.2% in 2010.

Despite being one of the largest oil producers in the world, nearly one out of five [11 million] chronically malnourished children in Africa live in Nigeria, while over40% of children under the age of five in Nigeria suffer from chronic malnutrition, a condition which increases children's exposure to infections, susceptibility to illness, contributes to preventable child mortality by 53% and cognitive growth of children.

From the forgoing, it can be asserted that, Nigeria may not meet the MDGs 1, 4, and 5 unless governments, at federal, state and local levels, take immediate steps to address hunger and malnutrition, especially in children and pregnant women.

Of all preventive health and nutrition interventions, 'infant and young child feeding'- an umbrella term for the different activities involved in feeding a child from birth to the age of two - has the single greatest potential impact on child survival.

The globally endorsed definition of optimal infant and young child feeding from the World Health Organization and UNICEF states: 'Infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health. Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional needs, infants should receive

safe and nutritionally adequate complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond.''

However, it is important to note that, benefits to children's nutrition can be achieved by encouraging households to grow more nutritious crops through agriculture including fruits and vegetables, or to rear animals for meat, eggs or milk, in addition to the staple crops they tend to rely on. Increased production also means they can sell more, generate more income and afford to pay for foods that will make up a more nutritious and diverse diet.

There should among other things, establishment of state Primary Healthcare Development Agencies, which will address the nutritional challenges faced in the most malnourished states of the north. It was also observed that, most of the northern states don't have an independent budgetary provision for improving the nutrition status of their citizens; neither do they have nutritional policy at their respective states.

It is equally important to know that solving the nutrition crisis is great responsibility that rests on the shoulders of many; governments, development partners, community, and media. It needs concerted and coordinate global action as well as strong leadership at all levels.

Governments should prioritize nutrition as a way to reduce stunting, significantly improve health, and enhance country's prospects for economic growth.

Developing a government's action plan on nutrition, with

support from donors, State and local governments should ensure that nutrition and health are integrated, and the role of frontline health workers is central to the state nutritional plan.

There should be an action on the six steps to achieve the transformation needed in nutrition; Making malnutrition visible, investing in direct interventions, filling the health worker gap, protecting families from poverty, harnessing agriculture to help tackle malnutrition and galvanizing political leadership.

Governments and Civil Society Organizations in the region should find means to Improve appropriate knowledge, attitude, behavior and practices to nutrition, such as exclusive breastfeeding , complementary feeding.

Coordination and collaboration with other partners will enhance the impact of the programme in northern Nigeria.

Leadership and commitment by government are vital to the success of the programme in order to improve the nutritional status of children under five in northern Nigeria High velocity of poverty have forced many Patients [malnourished] refer to the facilities where they are given lumpy-nuts and other medication find it difficult to attend, base on concern most patients referred - refuse transfer because of their inability to cater for themselves while in the facilities created by some Nongovernmental organizations in the region.

Ibrahim wrote from Zamfara, isahmaru77@yahoo.com

From the Pulpit PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Living for Eternity

H

u m a n beings don't like to talk or hear about death but whatever your attitude to it is, it will come one day. But my focus in this message is not the reality of death. There is life before death, and there is life after death - eternity. Many times what many peopleprepareforislifebeforedeath.They labourtosavemoney,buildhouses,make investmentthattheycanliveonandmake lifereasonablycomfortableforthemselves after retirement before death eventually comes. And there is nothing bad about that.Forsomepeople,deathcomesearlier than they expect while some live longer than they expect. But surely death will come whether you prepare for it or not.

You must not prepare for life before death alone, you must prepare for life after death today not because you expect to die soon but because this moment is the only time you're sure of. I'm sure, you're aware of those who're close to you or those you know who died suddenly whennobodyexpected.Myprayeristhat you will live long but you must live ready for eternity. Death can come and the rapture can take place too. (1 Thess 4:1317) Life is short You cannot afford to postpone preparation for eternity. No matter how long you live here on earth in this dispensation, it will be infinitesimally small compared to eternity. Life here on earth is temporary; it is transient and fleeting. David understood the transient nature of life when he prayed: "Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered - how fleeting my life is." (Ps 39:4 New Living Translation) It doesn't Nehemiah 1:1-11 In the world of athletics, science, politics, education, etc., people always look for champions and experts.

Individuals and organizations are in search of people with extra-ordinary gifts and talents. The church is also looking for champions who can accomplish great tasks for the Lord.

God is looking for people like Nehemiah who can champion the worthy cause of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In our community, local government, province, state or nation, we should think on how to become champions for the Lord. Nehemiah never thought that God could make a champion out of him. But with the right principles, he was able to get the work done. With little resources and lack of experience, he accomplished a great task for the Lord and his people. He was a servant who became the governor and ruler of the nation of Israel. Family background, limited knowledge, lack of experience etc., should not make us shy away from God’s work. Nehemiah was an ordinary child of God who became an extraordinary champion for God. The work he did got him national, international and eternal recognition. In his days, the nation of Israel was in desperate need which he responded to. There is a desperate need in our society today and we need to respond promptly. Like Nehemiah, we must rise up to the challenge of rebuilding the wall of integrity, family, spirituality, morality, righteousness and holiness. By rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, Nehemiah changed the course of his life and that of his people.

Though he had a good job as a cupbearer in the king’s palace, he left his secular engagement for something

matter whether it is 80 or 1,000 years, your time on earth is brief. David said again in Ps 144:3-4: "O LORD, what are mortals that you should notice us, mere humans that you should care for us? For we are like a breath of air; our days are like a passing shadow." (NLT) How long does a breath of air or shadow last? Very brief! Hear David again: "I am gone like ashadowwhenitlengthens;Iamshaken off like a locust." (Ps 109:23 NKJV) Job 8:9 also talks about human life being like a shadow: "For we were born yesterday, and know nothing, because our days on earthareashadow."(NKJV)Lifeisshort; even ifyoulive for120years,itis stillshort compared to eternity. Ps 119:19 says, "I am here on earth for just a little while" (Today's English Version) Eternity is endless. Where will you spend your eternity? Are you preparing for life after death?

It would have been a different thing if death is the end of everything.

Unfortunately, it is not. There is life after death.Thatiswhyitisnotwisetoprepare for life before death while neglecting preparation for life after death. Are you preparing for eternity? The right time to prepareforlifeafterdeathisnownotafter youhavefinishedpreparingforlifebefore death. I hope you're not one of those who willsaytheydon'tcarewhateverhappens after death - they only care about here and now. But that won't be a wise way to live. You may wish to learn from the regret of that man in Luke 16:19-31.

Eternity in Hell InLuke16:19-31,theBibletellsusthe story of a man who lived but didn't prepare for eternity. He lived such a comfortable life, lived in great wealth

probably thinking it would continue like that forever. He never believed that there was life after death, and he therefore did not prepare for it. "Jesus said, 'There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed and who lived each day in luxury.

At his door lay a diseased beggar named Lazarus. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man's table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.

Finally, the beggar died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead.

There, in torment, he saw Lazarus in the fardistancewithAbraham.Therichman shouted, 'Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in these flames.' 'But Abraham said to him, 'Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. Anyone who wanted to cross over to you from here is stopped at its edge, and no one there can cross over to us.' 'Then the rich man said, 'Please, Father Abraham, send him to my father's home.

For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them about this place of torment so they won't have to come here when they die.' 'But Abraham said, 'Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read their writings anytime they want to.' 'The rich man replied, 'No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent tothemfromthedead,thentheywillturn from their sins.' But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the

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GREEN PASTURES

By Pastor T.O. Banso cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 prophets, they won't listen even if someone rises from the dead.' But Abraham said, 'If they won't listen to Mosesandtheprophets,theywon'tlisten even if someone rises from the dead.'"

(Luke 16:19-31 NLT) The story in the passage you've just read is often called the story of the rich man and Lazarus but I call it the story of twobeggars.ThefirstbeggarwasLazarus -abeggarhereonearth.Theotherbeggar was the rich man - a beggar in hell. The rich man only prepared for life before death and lived like a king on earth; he failed to make the most important preparation - preparation for life after death. Alas, he became a beggar in hell.

He was not begging for any of those sumptuous meals, special delicacies or choice wine he was used to during his lifebeforedeath.Hewasratherfrantically begging for a drop (not a cup) of water to cool his tongue. That shows the intensity ofthefireinhellandhowseriouslythirsty he was in anguish.

The man suddenly remembered his brothers who were still on earth. He pleaded that Lazarus be sent to his father'shometowarnfivebrothersabout the place of torment he was so that they wouldn't have to come there when they died. (Luke 16:27-28) His request once more was turned down.

The rich man and his five brothers

didn't believe all that the prophets preachedabouteternity,heavenandhell, God's judgment on the sinner etc. The rich man went to hell not because of his wealth but because he didn't prepare for eternity with God. Anyone who is not preparing to spend eternity with God is invariably preparing to spend eternity with the devil - there is no other place.

Heb 9:27 says, "It is destined that each person dies only once and after that comes judgment" (NLT). In Luke 13:3, Jesus said, "And you will also perish unless you turn from your evil ways and turn to God" (NLT) Jesus said a similar thing in Luke 13:5: "No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will also perish." (NLT) Don't be deceived by whatever you're enjoyingnow.Solomonsaid,"Everything is meaningless…utterly meaningless!"

(Eccl1:2NLT)Hesaidasimilarthingagain in Eccl 12:8: "All is meaningless…utterly meaningless."(NLT)Solomonwastalking aboutlifewithoutGod.Godhasprepared forthosewhowillspendeternitywithHim something better than whatever anyone can enjoy here on earth. (Heb 10:34) Shouldn't you spend your eternity with God? Permit me to stop here today. I believe you have been richly blessed. I will bring you the concluding part of this series next week.

The awakening of a champion (I) sacred. His greatness and exploits started with the information he got. If we must make progress in life, we must cultivate the habit of asking questions. By being inquisitive, we will get to know more about the situation in our country, the welfare of believers as well as the state of sinners.

Whatever information we get from the media and other sources should lead us to compassion, prayer and intercession.

Champions are not made by accident; it depends much on the information at their disposal – spiritual, social and national.

Nehemiah had a proper understanding, interpretation and application of God’s word, that if they transgress, they would be scattered abroad among the nations. Thus, he identified with them in their transgression and interceded on their behalf. It is only when we acknowledge our shortcomings that the Lord can forgive us.

The profile of a champion We should desire the passion, pursuit and enthusiasm that Nehemiah had for the work of God. Before this time, he was not a preacher, reformer, an architect, builder, a construction worker, leader, manager, or organizer. His responsibility was to serve wine to the king. Yet, he became a teacher, reformer, interpreter of God’s word, a prayer warrior and a revivalist who brought the people back to the Lord.

He mobilized, equipped and trained the people. Though Nehemiah had not been a captain of an army before

FAITH DISCOURSE WITH

Pastor W. F. Kumuyi this time, he developed a strategy with which he was able to overcome the threat and distraction from the opposition. He managed his time effectively and summoned courage to confront the men who tried to intimidate him. In the face of persecution, we must be courageous enough to face the enemy. We have no reason to abandon the work because champions never quit. When we have the heart of a champion nothing will intimidate us. Nehemiah was conscious of the fact that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love, power and sound mind.

As a true champion, Nehemiah possessed uprightness of character and sound moral principles. He had an unwavering commitment to the word of God. Like him, we must never compromise or bow to the wishes of our enemies. The prayer, passion, pursuit, principle, and practice of the life of Nehemiah were ordered according to God’s revealed will in His word. He did everything with

confidence while depending upon the promises of the Lord. He never took any step without prayer. And God always answered his short, powerful and pungent prayers. His dedication to the task at hand, even though the time was unfavourable were proofs that he had his foundation in the word of God. Considering the situation in our land today, it is only champions that can give themselves to the task of church-planting, prayer and soulwinning. There is no future for churches and individuals who cease to talk about God in difficult times.

This is the best time to rise as champions and work for the Lord.

Nehemiah’s life was characterised by loyalty, which is a product of conviction. He had his conviction rooted in the word of God. (1) His loyalty to God was supreme. (2) He was loyal to the king as superior. (3) He was loyal to his subordinates. With loyalty, there will be stability, reliability, initiative and perseverance until the work is finished. Unlike many

Christians who have mastered their circumstances, Nehemiah had the capacity to dominate and master his circumstances. He knew he was in charge of the assignment that the Lord had given to him. The intrigues and manipulation of the opposition could not stop him. He saw the entire project through to a successful conclusion. If characters such as Moses, Joshua, David, Paul etc., accomplished the goal they set for themselves through determination and help from the Lord, we can set goals in our personal lives and follow them through.

The passion of a champion Champions don’t think the way ordinary people do. They know what to do at a given time. They take problems and turn them into success.

When there is no holiness, righteousness, security, and courage in the lives of the people, that is when we need to rise and work for the Lord.

Whether in our community, local government, state or nation, we must have the passion to set things aright like Nehemiah. We should be willing and ready to improve the condition of the people by turning things around for their benefit. Passion should drive us to every nook and cranny of our nation with the message of salvation and hope.

Like Nehemiah, we should be the right man in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing in the right way with the right attitude for the right reason. As saved, sanctified and Spiritfilled believers, we may be the right men for the work, if we do not question whether we are at the right place or not.

BIG PUNCH “The two committee members- Oronsaye and Bon Oti that opposed our report were grossly compromised. Oronsaye in particular never participated in any of the committee’s work. While others abandoned their respective businesses to face the national assignment, Oronsaye came very late and he alongside Oti attempted to bully other members into doing the work their own way. And let me tell you, based on the way you spoke today, the President deserve more respect from you.”

- ChairmanoftheSpecialTaskForceonPetroleumRevenue,NuhuRibadutrading tackles with his deputy, Steven Oronsaye in front of the President yesterday

SATURDAY 3 — SUNDAY 4, NOVEMBER, 2012

Blueprint On Northern Economy (V) Prof Aminu S Mikail et al Note: This is the end of the first installment of the Blueprint. The others will follow sometimes in the future. Meanwhile this column will resume its usual discourse.

Agricultural Investment Potentials Investors are always willing to put their money in attractive enterprises. Despite the numerous constraints militating against investment in Northern Nigerian agriculture (low output/ productivity, high cost of production, high transformational and transactional costs, high marketing and transportation costs, etc), the general inference from analysis of various studies indicates that agricultural enterprises in Nigeria are fairly attractive to domestic and foreign investors. A study identified the types of enterprises or economic activities worthy of investment in Northern Nigerian agriculture.

Nine out of the thirteen enterprises studied are hardly attractive to foreign investors, as they are production of primary agricultural products. Foreign investors are more interested in production/supply of inputs, processing of commodities and agro industrial or manufacturing enterprises, all of which are downstream activities and are highly capital intensive. Domestic investors are also willing to invest in input production and supply, commodity marketing and agro industry/manufacture.

The primary or upstream production activities seem not to attract much investment interest from either foreign or domestic investors. Therefore, there is ample opportunity to woo foreign direct investment (FDI) and other local investors in a collaborative partnership with farmers, and other local entrepreneurs. The central theme is that investment climate must be made so attractive

by Government that investors will find hard to ignore. A clearly spelt out agricultural investment incentive structure has to be part of a refocused agricultural policy across the Northern States.

Governments have to find suitable arrangement with the private sector to massively fund the development of needed agricultural infrastructure to provide reliable energy, roads, transportation, communication, warehousing, storage and conditioning centers, etc. which could engender investor confidence.

Threats • Lack of will and support from the political leaders sustainably offer support.

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•Insufficient funding support from States, FGN, Private Sector and Donors.

•Negative attitude of Northerners to long term investments.

• Corruption and rent seeking.

• Lack of cooperation between states, and between states and FGN. •Top-down approach by Government in isolation of key stakeholders.

PROPOSAL FOR ACTION Many national programmes and projects have or are being designed to tackle the numerous challenges facing the agricultural sector in country by the Federal Government, in addition to the numerous initiatives at various State levels.

Also, the list of interventions by International Development and Donor Partners is ever growing by the day. Most of these new projects and programmes have a policy aimed at enhancing the efficiency and productivity of the “farmer”, thereby engendering increases in income, food security and economic growth.

The new generation of agricultural interventions by the Federal Government, the Donor and Development Partners are based on a policy that aims to promote market led commercial agriculture for small, medium and large scale farmers.

Despite the fact that most pillars of agriculture are listed as a concurrent item, the direction and focus of agricultural growth is shaped in form, structure and direction by the Federal Government, for example, out of 23 key policies pertaining to agricultural growth and development, the states have a say in only one or two items.The Federal Government is the controller and director of several key policies that have a direct influence on the performance of agriculture, for example trade policy, import tariffs policy, agricultural research policy, interest rates, exchange rate, etc.

Therefore, the shape and content of state level agricultural policy, strategies and programmes, in most cases, is limited to what the Federal Government decides.

Accordingly, recommendations for interventions to harness and exploit fully the agricultural potentials in the Northern Nigeria’s landscape must, of necessity, be in tandem with the Federal Policy outlook. This will remain so until such a time a constitutional review empowers the states to take lead in determining their own fate.

Therefore, the following proffered interventions though germane to

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Governor Murtala Hammanyero Nyako the economic interest of the Northern States, are designed to compliment and ensure synergy with the federal plans and programmes. It is of paramount importance for the Northern States to collectively seek the understanding of the Federal Government through a common platform in pursuit of their various economic interests.

The proposals for action are made to ensure the exploitation of the misused, mismanaged, underutilized and unused potentials of the Northern Nigeria agricultural heaven. The major aim of this proposal is for the improvement of livelihoods and living standards of Northern Nigerians, most especially the urban and rural poor folks and farmers, men and women, and other vulnerable groups. Also, it is made to ensure farming is viewed as an enterprise rather than a production unit only. It is hoped that agriculture will be reoriented away from a compartmentalized, ad-hoc planning systems to a holistic, value chain approach and implementation strategy. For Northern Nigeria, this signifies a market augmentation approach, in view of the undeveloped nature of pure market forces. The approach adopted for the proposal is envisaged to ensure income and massive employment generation and economic growth. It will tremendously improve the food and nutritional security of specifically the Northern Region, and Nigeria in general.

Aims • Enhancing Food Production and Marketing Systems • Improving Produce Markets

and Enhancing Trade • Agribusiness Promotion and Improving Service Delivery to Farmers and Rural Communities.

Priorities for Action • Formulate New Policy and Strategy for Development and Commercialization of Agriculture in Northern States in Line with the Focus and Direction of the Federal Government and Global Best Practices.

•Develop Understanding, Cooperation and Common Vision for Joint Utilization Agricultural Resources Across Northern States.

•Strengthen Research– Extension–Farmer–Input Supplier Linkages, with Northern Based Research Institutes and Agencies.

• Proactively Promote Agro – Industry Linkages to Engender Value Addition in Post – Production, Processing and Marketing of Crops and Animal Products.

•Develop, Expand and or Rehabilitate Fadama and Irrigation Infrastructure, including Energy Generation Using the PPP. • Establish Urban Agriculture Programme for Urban Youth, and Urban Poor Men and Women.

• Widely Promote Income and Employment Generating Agricultural Production in Areas of Poultry and Fish Farming.

•Promote the Use of Biotechnology, Bio-fuel Production, Drought and Desertification Control to Mitigate Environmental and Climate Changes, Creating Income and Employment.

• Develop a Realistic and Workable Framework for M&E, and Impact Measurements.

Targets • Increase Agricultural Production, Food and Nutritional Security by 50% and 100% by 2015 and 2020, respectively.

•Agricultural Import Substitution Industries Established for Rice, Wheat, Soya, Groundnut, Cotton and Dairy Products by 50%, 75% of Total Imports of these commodities to Nigeria by 2015 and 2020, respectively.

•Improve Agricultural Infrastructure (storage, conditioning facilities,

transportation, road network, farm energy) by 30%, 50% & by 2015 and 2020, respectively.

• All Major Crops and Animal Products to have a Farmer Contract Out-grower Scheme Programme Established with Industry by 2020.

• All existing irrigation infrastructural facilities rehabilitated and a minimum of 500,000Ha of Fadama and Irrigated Land Established by 2020.

• Self Sustaining Apex Farmer Cooperatives Associations Established in all Local Governments by 2020.

Strategies •Create Awareness and Partnership for Implementation with FGN, Donor Agencies, Private Sector, and Farmer Groups and In Between States.

• Build Capacity, Reform, Retrain State and LG Staff, Institutions and Agencies to Ensure Relevance, Synergy, Cooperation and Development Effectiveness •Establish Irrigation Infrastructure Development Fund and Agriculture Commodities Development Fund to Ensure Sustainable Funding Mechanism for Action Plans.

Expected Outcomes • Increased agricultural yields and output by 50% in 2020.

• Increased Private Sector Investment in agriculture to 50% of total agricultural investments.

• Established farmer – industry linkage for all major crops and animal products.

• Increased Employment by 50% in 2020 • Increased agricultural contribution to GDP with additional 10% by 2015.

• Organized and Independent Farmer Cooperatives for all major food and cash crop, i.e. maize, rice, millet, sorghum, cassava, wheat, cotton, groundnut, cattle, small ruminants, poultry, fish, etc.

•Increased irrigation infrastructure by 100% in 2020.

• Increased public investment in agriculture to 20% of annual budget.

• Increased agricultural trade and export from the Northern Region.

Indicators • Increases in the total volume of agricultural produce in the region • Yearly Amounts of New Investment in Agro - Industry Sectors •Unemployment level and citizens participation in agriculture •Contribution of agriculture to GDP and exports from the Northern States.

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