Peoples Daily Newspaper, Friday, May 04, 2012

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

Vol. 8 No. 30

Friday, May 4, 2012

Jimadal Akhir 13, 1433 AH

‘Datti Ahmad insincere over Court orders remand talks with Boko Haram’ of quack doctors >> PAGE 2

N150

Kano govt releases N15m First Bank commits for mass weddings N500bn to oil and gas

>> PAGE 5

>> PAGE 6

>> PAGE 19

60 killed in Potiskum revenge attack

>>> PAGE 2

TOP LEFT: Wreckage of burnt vehicles at market. RIGHT: Torched Potiskum International Cattle Market. BOTTOM LEFT: Yobe State Governor, Malam Ibrahim Gaidam (2nd right), receiving briefing from Chairman, Potiskum Local Government Council, Alhaji Umaru Mohammed Kori (2nd left), during the governor’s visit, yesterday, to the market to condole with victims.

PHOTOS: HARUNA UMAR, GOMBE

FG stole corpses to frame me, alleges Okah

By Abubakar Ibrahim with agency reports

M

ovement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) leader, Henry Okah, the main suspect

in the October 1, 2010 bombings in Abuja, says the federal government made up evidence to nail him.

In an affidavit, filed yesterday in a South African

court supporting a fresh bail application, Okah alleged that the federal government fabricated a series of lies, going as far as stealing bodies from a morgue to stage a crime scene in order to

keep him locked up.

The suspect also alleged that the South African Police Service (SAPS) has become entangled in this web of forgery.

On October 21, 2010, Noel

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

Zeeman, a Lieutenant-Colonel in the SAPs made a submission to a regional court in Johannesburg, stating that the SAPS, ‘working in a close proximity with their Contd on Page 2

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

CONTENTS News

2-11

Editorial

12

Op.Ed

13

Letters

14

Opinion

15

Metro

16-17

Business

19-22

S/Exchange

23

S/Report

24

Religion

26

Feature

27

Newsxtra

29

60 killed in Potiskum reprisal attack From Haruna Umar, Gombe

A

t least 60 people were killed after a failed cattle raid in a market in Potiskum, Yobe state, sparked a retaliatory attack by robbers angry one of their colleagues had been burned alive by herders, an official and witnesses said yesterday.

The casualty figure could be higher from the attack because mourners often quickly bury their dead without taking bodies to the authorities.

The violence began Wednesday, as witnesses said gunmen started shooting in the Potiskum market, trying to steal cattle.

They said three people at the market were killed, as a fourth man suspected to be part of the gang of robbers was set afire while still alive and died of his burns.

That night, the gunmen

returned, firing at those living there and setting the market ablaze, witnesses said. On Thursday, the Potiskum General Hospital took in 34 corpses from the attack, an official there said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to journalists.

An eyewitness at the market, Ardo Abdullahi, told newsmen that the market which opens on Wednesdays was attacked at about 11 am while traders were carrying out their businesses.

He said: “On that day gang of armed robbers came in a Volkswagen Golf car and opened fire on us as other members were extorting money.

“Some traders resisted and caught one of the robbers who had exhausted the bullets in his gun and beat him to death, burnt his corps while the remaining robbers escaped.”

According to him, at about around 6 pm, the robbers returned with explosives and burnt all the vehicles and structures in the market, also shooting randomly.

When our correspondent visited the scene, burnt corpses and vehicles littered the ground just as the police and other security agencies struggled to rush victims to nearby hospitals and other health facilities.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Moses Onirepi, confirmed the incident to reporters via telephone but did not give details.

The Emir of Fika, Dr. Muhammadu Abali Ibn Muhammadu Idrissa, who is the Chairman, Yobe state Council of Emirs, was at the hospital to sympathize with the relations of the dead and injured; he also visited the mortuary where the dead were deposited.

Nwakpa O. Nwakpa, a

spokesman for the Nigerian Red Cross, said at least 33 people were wounded in the attack and needed medical attention.

A spokesman for Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said officials were trying to reach the rural town and offer assistance while taking a survey of the damage.

The attack does not appear to be the work of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram, which is waging an increasingly violent sectarian fight against the Nigerian state.

Witnesses of Wednesday’s attack said the robber burned alive by angry herdsmen had actually survived the initial attack.

Cattle raids remain common across the north, as herdsmen lead teams across the arid plains to market.

While attacks there often cuts across ethnic and religious lines, the root of the violence often comes back to grazing rights and political power.

‘Datti Ahmed insincere over talks with Boko Haram’

By Abubakar Ibrahim

T Danjuma’s failed state allegation: Borno demands apology, Page 37

International 31-34 Strange World 35 Digest

36

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-47

Columnist

48

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU The Peoples Daily wants to hear from you with any news and pictures you think we should publish.

You can send your news and pictures to: letters@peoplesdaily-online.com pictures@peoplesdaily-online.com contact@peoplesdaily-online.com

Phones for News: 070-37756364 09-8734478

he Principal Private Secretary to President Goodluck Jonathan, Hassan Tukur has denied allegations that he scuttled the Federal Government’s move to negotiate a truce with the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunnah Liddaawati Wal Jihad (Boko Haram) by going public with the preliminary discussions.

Chairman of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, Dr. Datti Ahmed had in March, announced his withdrawal from mediation between the FG and the sect after details of the talks were allegedly leaked to the media.

In an interview on the Hausa Service of Voice of America on Tuesday, Dr. Ahmed revealed how he

initiated contact with Boko Haram and subsequently met President Jonathan to work out a ceasefire.

But in- between the talks, he said, the PPS whom the President delegated to oversee the processes, bungled it. In a swift reaction yesterday, Tukur said Ahmad wrongly accused him and misrepresented the facts of the matter. “In actual fact, Datti Ahmed did not present the facts right. He was only guessing.

This is because when four of them met with the President, I was not in the country. On my return the President told me that he would be sending the group to come and meet with me.

“When we met, I told them to produce a list of those who have contact with Ahlis Sunna

(Boko Haram) and produce a blueprint on how to negotiate peace with them. They never showed up again. Actually they never told us those who have direct contact with Boko Haram among them and they had no idea of how to negotiate.

“Suddenly they came out in the media with this claim that a top government official had disclosed the initiative to the press. And what he said was that he had been chosen to negotiate with Boko Haram. In actual fact, nobody appointed him. He offered himself as a negotiator but he had no contact with the Boko Haram”.

Tukur challenged Ahmad to name the journalists and their media but “he never mentioned any of those” adding that in “this dire situation that this country is facing I think it is incumbent

on each and every Nigerian, especially of northern descent to make concerted efforts in quelling any problem in this country”.

Tukur assured Nigerians that the President and himself were committed to the resolution of the crisis “but people should not see this as an opportunity to take advantage of the plight of the Nigerian people”.

He added: “There is only a suggestion and a press statement that since the initiative has been disclosed to the media, he is withdrawing his effort. Does it make sense to you that it is enough reason to withdraw from this initiative simply because a government official has disclosed that it is about to take place, assuming that were true?”

FG stole corpses to frame me, alleges Okah Contd from Page 2

Nigerian counterparts’, had built a formidable case against Okah.

“I wish to reiterate that the State has a very strong case against the accused,” Mr. Zeeman told the court.

Almost two years later, however, the accused is now saying that the evidence upon which the SAPS’ ‘strong case’ was built was fabricated by the Nigerian government.

The Presidency, however, issued a statement Wednesday saying Okah’s claims in his affidavit were false, and that it was ready to confront the MEND leader in court.

In his affidavit, Okah named Nigerian police officers, medical doctors, officials of the State Security Service, and top politicians as the actors in the creation of ‘non-existent’ evidence to accuse him of acts of terror, incarcerate him in a

South African jail and deny him bail.

“I have studied the police docket and state categorically that exhibit “N” is false and misleading.

I therefore respectfully state that the socalled evidence material relied on by the learned Regional Court Magistrate and the High Court does not exist,” Okah said of the South African Police Service’s docket submitted to the courts.

He insisted that the state had been unable to supply evidence of the claims it had made in a sworn affidavit.

“In order to influence the proceedings against me in South Africa, the Nigerian Government presented staged photographs showing alleged victims…great effort has been made to conceal the identities of the corpses positioned by the Nigerian government. The reason being that these

individuals are not victims of any bombing but corpses taken from a local mortuary for a photo shoot,” Okah said.

Alleging that the prosecutors’ police docket “provides proof of tampering with a possible crime scene by the Nigerian authorities”, Okah names a Nigerian police officer, and officials of the National Hospital, Abuja, as the persons involved in this scheme.

“The bodies in the photographs are intact, showing no signs of trauma associated with a bombing and they appear in underwear in some cases.

In an elaborate description of one of the cases, the defence pointed out several discrepancies in autopsy reports of the alleged bombing victims.

The defence claims that no pathologist from the designated hospitals appended their

signatures on the autopsy reports, rather an unnamed medical practitioner placed a stamp of the National Hospital, Abuja, on the forms even though the autopsies were not all carried out in the hospital.

His affidavit contains numerous mentions of several politicians, most of them from his home state, Bayelsa, President Goodluck Jonathan’s home state as well.

Okah, who was arrested on October 2, 2010 in South Africa, is currently incarcerated in the Johannesburg Prison. Charged with certain offences allegedly committed under South Africa’s “Protection of Constitutional Democracy against Terrorist and Related Activities Act”, his previous bids for a bail have been denied.

His trial is set to begin in the South Gauteng High Court, South Africa, on October 1, 2012.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 3

Aliyu mourns Nigeria’s first Chief of Air Staff

By Etuka Sunday

T

L-R: President, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and President General, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Peter Esele, during their solidarity visit to the Speaker at the National Assembly, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Fuel probe: We won’t spare anybody, says FG

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

T

he Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, yesterday reiterated Federal Government's resolve to prosecute any person indicted in the report of the House of Representatives adhoc Committee on fuel subsidy regime.

The AGF, in a statement made

Subsidy protest: Presidency counters Soyinka, Bakare

By Morufat Ojulari

T

he Special Adviser to President Jonathan on Political Affairs, Alhaji Ali Gulak, has reacted to the to the call for mass protest against the government if it fails to implement the report of the House Ad hoc committee on subsidy.

Speaking with State House correspondents in Abuja, over the move for mass protests being led by Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka and Pastor Tunde Bakare, he said it was an attempt to tarnish the president’s image.

President Jonathan is the only president in the history of this country that has embarked on the cleansing of the oil and gas sector, to say he is sitting on any report is unfair and a calculated attempt to tarnish the good name of the President,” Gulak said.

available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Ambrose Momoh said those allegedly involved in the scam would be prosecuted irrespective of standing in the society.

"Nigerians must however appreciate that in discharging this onerous responsibility, government must be guided by the rule of law and due process as required of any democratically elected and responsible government", the

release stated.

The AGF stressed the need for thorough investigations to be carried out by relevant law enforcement agencies, adding that the exercise carried out by the House of Representatives was mainly fact-finding.

Adoke said in the statement that, "the report of the ad-hoc committee and the resolutions adopted by the House of Representatives is yet to be

transmitted to the executive arm of government.

"Nevertheless, when the report and accompanying resolutions are received, the relevant law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies will commence the tedious process of sieving through the report, with a view to assembling all the essential ingredients required to sustain criminal charges that may be filed as a result of such investigations", he added.

Capital market: CBN denies non-audit of accounts, dominating Board

By Aminu Imam

T

he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has denied reports that it neither audits its accounts annually nor presents same to the government of the federation in line with statutory requirements.

A statement by its Director, Corporate Communications Department, Ugochukwu A. Okoroafor, said its financial year ends on 31st December and the audited annual accounts are usually ready in February, in line

with the provisions of Section 50 (1) of the CBN Act. No 7 of 2007.

It further said: “For the preparation of its annual accounts, the CBN employs the services of two international accounting firms (among the big 8), based on the approval of the President. Upon the completion of the audit exercise, the Bank makes the accounts available to the Presidency and to the National Assembly through the latter’s relevant committees. In addition, the CBN is audited by the AuditorGeneral of the Federation and

appears before the Public Accounts Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives to answer questions arising from the report”.

The CBN said it has never been in breach of these provisions but rather it has been diligent in compliance since the passage of the Act and that it has always forwarded each year, seven (7) copies each of the Audited Accounts and Management Letters to both the Auditor General of the Federation and the Accountant– General of the Federation.

FG/SSANU agreement: Varsity workers threaten strike From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

T

he Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Western Zone, has threatened to embark on strike if by Wednesday next week, the Federal Government failed to accede to its demand for the implementation of the 2009 Federal Government/SSANU agreement.

The union gave the indication yesterday during its third weekly rally (held every Thursday) to compel the Federal Government to honour the said greement.

It would be recalled that the union, in the 2009 agreement, asked for among other things the payment of backlog of its allowances and approval of 65year-retirement-age with

abrogation of 35 years period.

The National Vice President, West, Mr. Alfred Jimoh, who addressed journalists during the rally, lamented the insensitivity of the federal government to the plight of the association.

He said the rally would continue till May 9 when the next line of action would be determined at the next congress holding in Ilorin, Kwara State.

he governor of Niger state, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has commiserated with the family of Nigeria’s first indigenous Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal John Nmadu Yisa-Doko who passed away on Tuesday after a brief illness.

Governor Aliyu enjoined the Yisa-Doko family and the Nigerian Air Force to be encouraged by the fact that the late air force chief lived an inspiring and a fulfilled life.

“You must take solace in the fact that the late air chief departed after an eventful life of dedication to the nation and humanity,” Governor Aliyu said in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo.

Gov Aliyu described the passage of AVM Yisa-Doko as a great loss to the Nigerian Air Force and indeed the people of Nigeria whose lives he touched in his eventful life that was devoted to public service and defending the unity of Nigeria.

N32.8bn alleged pension scam: Court grants EFCC leave to seize 108 properties

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

A

n Abuja High Court yesterday granted leave to the Economic, and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to seize 108 properties belonging to the six accused persons involved in the alleged diversion of N32.8 billion police pension fund.

A Permanent Secretary, Atiku Kigo, is being charged alongside Esai Dangabar, Ahmed Wada, John Yusufu, Veronica Onyegbula and Sani Zira on a 16-count charge preferred against them by the EFCC. They were accused of complicity in the illegal diversion of the N32.8 billion pension fund, a charge they all pleaded not guilty to.

EFCC's counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs had, in a motion asked for the leave of the court to seize the 108 properties allegedly belonging to the accused persons.

The ant-graft agency had, in pursuant to Section 28 of the EFCC Act 2004, attached the list of all the assets belonging to Kigo, Dangabar, Wada, Yusufu, Onyegbula and Zira in the motion.

In his ruling on the motion, Justice Lawal Gummi granted the interim order for the seizure of the properties, alleged to be scattered all over Nigeria.

The case has been adjourned to May 28, for continuation of hearing.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 4

Minimum wage: Zamfara Nigeria gets 6.6trn investment workers poised for strike commitments, says Aganga From Salisu Zakari Maradun, Gusau

T

he Zamfara state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), has resolved to embark on industrial action should the state government fail to implement the N18,000 minimum wage.

A statement signed by chairman of the congress, Comrade Abdullahi Umar Modomawa, and his secretary, Comrade Isiyaka Sabo Tsafe and made available to Peoples Daily, urged the people to make adequate provision of food and other items in order to endure the effect of the strike.

The leadership of the NLC in the state had recently issued

two weeks ultimatum to the state government within which to meet its demand or face serious challenges in the running of its affairs.

Notice letters have so far been despatched to all the relevant ministries, parastatals and other groups and organizations in respect of the strike.

Other bodies that were served with the letters include banks, market organizations and Okada riders group.

The NLC also threatened to destabilise the May 29 Democracy Day activities in the state in the bid to force the government into meeting its demands, particularly the N18,000.00 minimum wage

Beggars invade Ikeja City Mall From Ojebola Matthew, Lagos

T

he five months old N16 billion Ikeja City Mall in the proposed mega city, has in recent days been receiving beggars.

The 27, 000 square meters shopping mall which was constructed by the Lagos state government to offer an array of retail services to Lagos residents, increase diversification of the state’s economy and create job for the unemployed has been continually abused by scavengers.

Speaking on the issue, a

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

T

he Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga has disclosed that government's efforts to aggressively drive investments into the country are yielding positive results.

Speaking at the ministerial press briefing to mark President Goodluck Jonathan's one year in office in Abuja yesterday, Aganga said that the ministry had held over 70 meetings in over 12 countries to develop investment interest and commitments in key sectors of the economy, adding that recent ones held over the last one year showed a total investment commitments over the next 3 years of N3.9 trillion.

In local investment, he said a survey conducted by the ministry showed a total investment

commitment over the next 3 years of N N2.7 trillion, adding that local companies have shown strong growth in investment expansion of existing companies.

To ease investment in the country, the minister said: "We have strengthened the One Stop Investment Centre (OSIC) in the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) to ensure effective delivery of its mandate as well as taking care of all other impediments to business."

According to Aganga, government expects an improvement in the country's Ease of Doing Business ranking by a minimum of 103 points by 2015 as well as improvement in Nigeria's Global Competitiveness ranking by 75 points in 2015.

Speaking further on the progress being made in the free trade zones, the minister disclosed

that the Onne Oil and Gas free zones currently employs about 30,000 people with 150 companies in operation while the investments are worth N930 billion with commitments over the next 3 years worth N 1.03 trillion.

“The Export Expansion Grant (EEG) is critical to the growth of the Nigerian export market. We have had wide consultations across all industry groups within the value chain of each commodity.

New guidelines on EEG are expected shortly.”

A very important achievement, according to the minister, is that in the last one year, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria had been able to reduce the volume of substandard products from 85 to 74 percent, with a target of 30 percent reduction by the end of this year.

salon outlet owner, Mrs. Ngozi Amanda said that the beggars do visit outlets of various services harassing customers to help them out of one problem or the other.

According to Ngozi, some of the beggars dress neatly and approach people with envelopes or letters assistance.

“Most Nigerians are used to abusing opportunities given to them and the activities of the beggars in this Ikeja shop rite is evidence. We appeal to the government to boost security in the mall to save the state and the nation from the embarrassment,” she added.

PHCN workers protest non-payment of salaries

T

he premises of Ikeja Distribution Company of PHCN was yesterday barricaded by members of the Nigeria Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) protesting over non-payment salaries.

The Vice-Chairman of Lagos/ Ogun chapter of the union, Mr. Etukubes Mbang, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the workers were protesting non-payment of five months’ salaries.

According to him, the workers are also protesting the refusal of management to transfer allowances of those that were moved from one location to another.

He said that some workers were still not receiving their salaries after the completion of the biometrics exercise.

Mbang said that the outstanding salaries were more than N390 million.

Mr. Chris Akamnonu, the chief executive of the company, told NAN on phone that the management was working on the matter and the issues would be addressed soon.

He said that the protest which did not affect power supply to customers in the unit,

was mainly on the biometrics exercise which affected payment of some workers’ salaries.

“The non-payment of salaries affected just a small proportion of the workers and which we are working on.

“The case has been resolved now and the workers have gone back to their various offices.

“Over 3,400 workers have been paid,” he said.

NAN recalls that Prof. Berth Nnaji, Minister of Power, had said that any PHCN worker who failed to appear for the biometrics verification would not be paid. (NAN)

President, Nigerian Medical Association, Dr. Idris Omede (2nd left), Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Ado Muhammad (3rd left), with polio victims, during a Walk Against Polio, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

FG sets new benchmark price for rice imports

By Isa Abdulwahab

T

he Federal Government yesterday announced new benchmark price for all types and brands of imported rice for the second quarter of the year 2012.

All consignment of imported rice is now charged at USD 639

with a freight charge of USD 60 amounting to a total of USD 699 per metric tonne.

A statement issued yesterday by the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Wale Adeniyi, cited a statement issued by the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala,

37,000 pupils fail JSS exam in Lagos

D

irector, Lagos State Examinations Board, Mrs Modupe Coker, yesterday said that 37,000 pupils from the state failed the junior basic secondary certificate examinations in 2011.

Coker, who disclosed this in interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), lamented that many of the pupils who sat for the examination failed because they did not know how to shade

their answer sheets properly.

She said that some pupils failed to shade the provided spaces for school, examination and subject codes appropriately and the scanner machine used for marking the answer sheets would not be able to identify such light shading.

“We have a lot of failure in 2011, about 37,000 pupils failed because of this problem. We cannot identify many answer

scripts and this is not helping the system.

“A child might be brilliant but if he or she fails to do the right thing, then the pupil automatically fails,“ she added.

Coker also identified the influx of students from other states as one of the challenges facing the board, saying that this was seriously putting pressure on the available infrastructure in the state schools. (NAN)

was sent to the Nigeria Customs Service as a directive that the benchmark price for all consignments of rice during this period be fixed at USD 639 with a freight charge of USD 60 amounting to a total of USD 699 per metric tonne.

According to her, the policy was a fall-out of the decision of an interministerial committee comprising Presidential Committee on Trade Malpractices (PCTM), Federal Ministry of Agriculture (FMA), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment (FMTI), Budget Office of the Federation and Rice Millers, Importers and Distributors Association of Nigeria (RIMIDAN).

She tasked all the stakeholders to enforce the new benchmark prices and ensure that strict adherence is maintained throughout the second quarter of the year.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 5

Certificate forgery: Suswam opens defence From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

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overnor Gabriel Suswam of Benue state is to open his defense tomorrow at the Federal High Court, Makurdi, in the matter of certificate forgery brought against him by Hon. Terver Kakih, who is praying the court to declare him as the duly nominated candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), at the last governorship election in the state.

At yesterday’s sitting, counsel to Governor Suswam, Jubrin Okutepa, brought a motion seeking the court to allow him bring an additional witness in the state secretary of the PDP Hon. Bem Dzoho, as well as present results of ward congresses held across the state last year.

In his ruling, Justice Marcel Awokulehin, ordered for admissibility of an additional witness and presentation of the ward congresses results.

Court orders remand of quack doctors in Benue From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

A

magistrate court in Makurdi presided over by Magistrate Dan Ogoh, yesterday, ordered the remand of two quack doctors, Fabian Iortyumbe and Samuel Anjembe, who carried out an illegal operation on a pregnant woman that resulted in her death.

The magistrate charged the two accused persons both of who hail from Buruku local government area of criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide.

The police’ first information report told the court that the two fake doctors had carried out the operation on the 31-year-old woman at Doose Clinic in Buruku, without the husband’s knowledge.

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan, President Faure Gnassingbe of Togo, President Yahyah Jammeh of Gambia, President of ECOWAS Commission, Kadre Desire Quedraogo, and ECOWAS Chairman and Ivorian President Alassane Quattara, during extraordinary summit of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on Mali and Guinea Bissau, yesterday in Dakar, Senegal.

Anniversary day bombing: Court removes suspect’s name

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

A

Federal High Court in Abuja, yesterday, severed Edmund Ebuware from the list of suspects charged for the October 1, 2010 bombing in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The trial judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole granted the order sequel to a motion filed by the accused applicant seeking for an independent trial.

According to the judge, “this applicant has asked for a separate From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

S

equel to the security challenges facing the nation and journalists in particular, the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Katsina state chapter has called on people to organise special prayer sessions and fasting.

The chairman of the state

trial and the absence of any valid opposition, the court shall have no option but to grant the application.

“The accused has repeatedly held that he was wrongly charged with those accused to orchestrated the Independence Day bombing in Abuja.

“The law is trite, and therefore, the court is obliged to grant the accused applicant’s prayer for a separate trial. The granting of the prayer would not in any way negate the charges brought against him.

“This is the dynamics in law,

all is to ensure justice for all. The new process will not also affect the evidence available to the prosecutor.

“The name of the third accused person (Edmund Ebuware) is hereby severed from the list of those charged for the October 1, 2010 bombing in Abuja. He will be in the stance tried separately,” Justice Kolawole stated.

Others standing trial for their alleged involvement in the anniversary day bombing are Charles Okah and Obi Nwabueze

as the fourth accused person, Tiemkemfa Osuvwo, had died in Kuje Prison on March 2, 2012.

The accused applicant had told the court that his inclusion with the principal accused persons would be a distraction to his defense.

The State Security Service (SSS) has charged Ebuware for hiding information on the motive by the other accused persons to bomb Abuja.

The matter was adjourned to between May 19 and 20 and July 10, July11 and July 12, 2012.

Insecurity: Katsina NUJ calls for prayers council, Comrade Abdullahi Izima Yamadi, made the call yesterday in Katsina while addressing newsmen as part of activities marking this year’s World Press Freedom Day which is celebrated on the 3rd of May every year.

He said “the Katsina state council of the NUJ is however concerned with the difficulties journalists are facing in accessing information and threats to their lives in the course of discharging their constitutional responsibilities”.

Yamadi similarly advised members of the union to always rededicate themselves to the pursuit of truth, justice and fairness as well as a better society that everyone would be proud of, calling on journalists to focus more on development journalism.

Drug reaction: GlaxoSmithKline loses move to stop N404m claim by victim From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

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ustice Stephen Jonah Adah, of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikeja, has thrown out the preliminary objection on jurisdiction raised by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited in a N404 million claim in Suit No FHC/IK/CS/16/ 2010, instituted against it by one Mr. Charles Oben, a Burkina-Faso based staff of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, who allegedly suffered health complications after taking ‘Zyloric’ drug, a product of the pharmaceutical company.

Justice Adah referred to section 251(1) (m) of the 1999 constitution as amended which provides that the court has exclusive jurisdiction for drugs and poisons.

He added that what

determines jurisdiction is the claim of the plaintiff and the focal claim of the plaintiff deals with manufacturing and distribution of the drug called ‘Zyloric’ produced by the defendants, adding that “the plaintiff is seeking the intervention of the court to stop the defendants from producing this drug”.

However, dissatisfied with the decision of the lower court, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited and GlaxoSmithKline Plc, UK, filed notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, Lagos.

The drug firm in its notice of appeal held that the trial judge erred in law in holding that the Federal High Court has jurisdiction to entertain the present action because the claim of the plaintiff/ respondent has to do with the

manufacture of the drug Zyloric.

Charles Oben had instituted the suit against GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical Nigeria Limited and GlaxoSmithKline Plc UK, consequent upon the health complications he suffered after taking Zyloric, a drug manufactured by the defendants which was prescribed for him by Professor Nebie, his physician in Burkina-Faso.

In his statement of claims, the plaintiff prayed for an order of court directing the defendants to stop the manufacturing and distribution of its Zyloric drug till it satisfactorily establishes that the drug can no longer result in adverse reactions with the potential to cause death or permanent disability.

He also sought special damages

in the sum of 15, 500 British Pounds (N3, 921,500) and N400 million as damages for permanent loss of good health and dependence on drugs.

He stated in his claims that not long after he began medication, he developed high fever, spots and swellings over his body which later resulted in severe skin abrasion adding that the serious effect of the drug took him to different hospitals by Air ambulance where he was admitted at various stages and times.

However, in the statement of defence, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Nigeria Limited, denied that it manufactured or has ever manufactured any pharmaceutical product by the name Zyloric, adding that it has

never sold the Zyloric drug either to the plaintiff or to anybody else adding that it is a member of GlaxoSmithKline group of companies referred to as GSK Group.

The drug manufacturing firm averred that the said Zyloric drug was manufactured and sold under the authority of Aspen Global Incorporated and therefore, any genuine Zyloric drug purchased in Burkina-Faso would have been manufactured by or on behalf or under the authorization of Aspen Global Incorporated or its nominated affiliate and not the defendants.

With the notice of appeal filed before the court, the judge accordingly stayed proceedings on the matter pending the determination of the appeal.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Oshiomhole’s auto crash: Cleric rebukes lorry drivers From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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ishop of the Auchi Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Gabriel Dunia, has rebuked the recklessness of drivers of heavy duty vehicles on the highway.

The bishop who made the observation at the St. Mary's Parish, Iviukwe, Etsako East local government area during the funeral service for late Fidelis Okhani, a journalist with the African Independent Television (AIT) who died in the crash, said people should be educated to do what is right irrespective of political party affiliation.

According to him, the late journalist contributed his quota to the society as a media man and urged other journalists to let Fidelis' death be a source of motivation to give their best while alive.

"As journalists, you are soldiers who know they have something to live and die for. They go out to war even when they know they can die in the process. I encourage you to continue to be brave even when you face discouragement.

We condole with the governor, the

immediate family and we invoke the power of God for healing for those receiving treatment in the hospital," he added.

The Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in his remarks recalled that Fidelis worked with him while he was not yet a governor in 2006 and he was so dedicated to his duties with passion.

"We shared a common vision that Edo state must move on by taking motion pictures of our activities into the living rooms of Nigerians across the nation" he added.

The state government doled out N25 million to the widow and children of the late AIT journalist, Mr. Fidelis Okhani, who died in an auto accident involving the convoy of Governor Adams Oshiomhole, last weekend.

He disclosed that the state government will deposit the sum of N5 million in the name of each of the four children of the late Fidelis in the bank to ensure that they attend school to university level, while N5 million will be given to the widow to take care of them.

SGF pledges support to FRSC

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

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he Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, has reiterated the Federal Government's commitment to road safety management in Nigeria, especially in view of on-going revitalisation of road network in the country.

A statement issued by the Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, said that the SGF who gave this indication during a meeting with World Bank consultants on Road Safety, commended the World Bank for showing great interest the road safety situation, especially as the FRSC strives to align with global best practices in traffic management.

He also expressed optimism that the review will provide the

consultant with adequate knowledge of Nigerian traffic situation.

Meanwhile, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Osita Chidoka said the consultants were in Nigeria for a review of the FRSC enforcement capacity, in line with the World Bank Safe Corridor Project which seeks to infuse road safety components into road construction and rehabilitation in Nigeria.

According to the Corps Marshal, the safe corridor project which is being overseen by the World Bank, Global Road Safety Facility, Arrive Alive Road Safety initiative, the FRSC and the Road Sector Development Team, (Federal Ministry of Works), was initiated by the corps through a road safety audit of some designated corridors such as Mokwa-Bida to identify areas of intervention by the World Bank on safety Components to ensure safer road use.

Niger state grants pardon to 161 fuel subsidy protesters From Iliya Garba, Minna

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iger state government yesterday in Minna, announced the granting of amnesty to 161 accused persons arrested and charged to court in connection with the January 2012 fuel subsidy disturbances in Minna, the state capital.

The Commissioner for Justice Alhaji Abdullahi Bawa Wuse, who made this known yesterday in Minna in a press briefing, said government decided to grant amnesty to the 161 accused persons because there was no iron cast evidence to continue their prosecution.

He said that the pardon was also in line with government's spirit

of forgiveness to anyone that has genuinely shown remorse.

The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice Alhaji Ndagi Wali who represented the Commissioner, said the accused persons will have to sign an undertaking to be of good behaviour while their activities will be monitored by the security agencies in the state.

He said that the 23 others will continue to face a fourcount charge of rioting, unlawful assembly, causing grievous hurt and rioting; adding that the five magistrate courts trying the accused persons will speedily carry out the trial to ensure they did not stay too long in detention.

L-R: Chairman, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, and Edo state governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, during Dangote's condolence visit to the governor, yesterday in Benin over the death of three journalists who lost their lives in governor's convoy involved in road accident recently.

Kano govt releases N15m for mass weddings From Bala Nasir, Kano

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ano state government has approved the release of N15 million for the first phase of mass wedding of widows the state is planning to undertake in the coming weeks.

The money which was approved during the executive council meeting of the state is meant for the first batch of 100 widows to kick start the long awaited marriage.

The mass wedding which is

planned to hold sometime this month is being coordinated by the state's HISBA Board.

Commander General of the HISBA, Sheikh Aminu Ibrahim Daurawa, was reported to have said due to the rampant cases of broken homes especially among the people of the state, the government is sponsoring the mass marriage.

Meanwhile, the state government has approved the sum of N16 million for the settlement of compensation to

owners of some structures to be affected by the establishment of the proposed North-West university in the state.

Commissioner of Planning and Budget, Alhaji Yusuf Bello Danbatta made this known after the state's executive council meeting yesterday.

The university, he said, will admit its pioneer students this year and lectures will commence in the first two faculties of the university next September.

INEC begins voter education in Kano secondary schools From Bala Nasir, Kano

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kano has selected 88 secondary schools in the state for the formation of voter education clubs in which the electoral body intends to take nationwide.

Residential Electoral Commissioner of INEC in charge of Kano state, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Danyaya, made this

known yesterday at a workshop for secondary school principals on the voter education clubs in secondary schools INEC is about to open.

INEC's decision to commence voter education activities in schools nationwide is a step in the right direction especially going by the adoption of civic education as a subject in secondary schools.

Part of the objectives of the

workshop according to him is to sensitise the principals on the importance of voter education in secondary schools and educate them on how to organise the activities.

It is also expected to encourage the principals to initiate voter education activities in secondary schools by designating a teacher as voter education coordinator and setting up a voter education club, he stated.

Oyo to set up university by September From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

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he Oyo state government yesterday reiterated its commitment to commence academic activities at the state owned university by September, 2012.

The Commissioner of Education, Mrs. Adetokunbo Fayokun gave this assurance at a ministerial press conference held at Film Theater, Ministry of

Information, Secretariat, Ibadan.

She disclosed that efforts are on top gear to commence proper academic session before the year runs out saying the National Universities Commission (NUC) is expected in the state by the end of the May for final assessment of the facilities on ground.

According to her, the state owned Polytechnic would be upgraded to a technical university while two other satellite campuses

of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, would be given full autonomy to operate independently.

She added that, there are petitions emanating from different quarters alleging extortion through PTA's activities in some schools assured that, more teachers would be employed by the government every year to cater for yearly increased enrollment students in state public schools.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

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Society can’t develop with hunger, says monarch From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi he Emir of Misau, Alhaji Ahmed Manga III, has asserted that there can be no development in a society ridden by hunger.

The monarch made this known, while turbanning the new district head of Dambam, Alhaji Idris Sulaiman in his palace yesterday at Misau, headquarters of Misau local government area of Bauchi state.

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He emphasised that there would be no meaningful development in a society where hunger prevails and called on the people of the emirate to intensify efforts at revamping agriculture which was the surest way of curbing hunger.

He urged people in the emirate council to live peace with one another irrespective of their religious or tribal differences and to report any suspicious movement to relevant authorities in the area.

Zuga Foundation set to create 300 jobs in Kwara Chairman of Bullet Construction company, Malam Ismaila Isa (right), answering questions from journalists on the security situation in the country after his visit to President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday at the State House, Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Judge to rule July 5 on Ikuforiji’s bid to quash corruption charges J From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos ustice Okechukwu Okeke of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, yesterday fixed July 5 for ruling on a motion filed by the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, seeking to quash corruption charges filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The commission is prosecuting Ikuforiji and his personal assistant, Oyebode Alade Atoyebi, on a 20count charge bordering on money laundering.

Arguing the motion to quash the charges, Ikuforiji’s lawyer, Tayo Oyetibo (SAN) stressed that a careful look at the charges, showed that the EFCC never accused the Speaker of embezzlement of money.

Oyetibo, who cited Section 318 of the Constitution to back his position, explained that the Speaker is part of government, and only exercised governmental power by transacting business on behalf of government.

Responding, EFCC’s lawyer, Godwin Obla stressed that the accused persons ought to have raised their objection to the charges at the point of plea in accordance with Section 167 of the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA), adding that their failure to do so was fatal to their case.

Oyetibo faulted EFCC’s argument, saying the anti-graft agency was unable to answer the issues raised by the accused persons in the motion to quash the charges.

He said that Obla’s submission was not supported by law, adding that Section 167 of the CPA relied

upon by the EFCC only deals with formal defects on the face of the charge.

Oyetibo pointed out that the motion to quash the charge was mainly based on a challenge to the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to adjudicate on the case against the accused persons under Section 1 (a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011.

Ikuforiji and Atoyebi had in a motion on notice brought pursuant to Sections 2, 3,4, 92, 251 and 252 of the Constitution, urged the court to either quash the charges as presently framed or strike it out for lacking in concrete evidence.

The duo argued that the EFCC failed to establish prema facie evidence against them,which automatically robbed the court of jurisdiction to try them.

EFCC arraigns business man over N5.1m fraud

By Lambert Tyem

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he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), yesterday, arraigned a 48-yearold business mogul, Yinusa Adebisi, owner of Taiken Filling Station, before an Oyo state High Court in Ibadan a 6-count charge bordering on obtaining goods under false pretence.

According to Wilson Uwujaren Ag. Head, Media and Publicity of the commission, "The accused is alleged to have fraudulently obtained 33,000 litres of dual purpose kerosene (DPK), valued at N5, 115,000 from one Miss Titilayo Onasanya of Kalhari Limited.

When he was docked this morning before Justice O. A. Boade, the accused told the court that he would like the

charges to be read to him in Yoruba.

The court clerk read the sixcount charge in Yoruba and the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecution counsel, Zainab Ettu thereafter urged the court to remand the accused person in prison custody, pending the determination of the bail application.

The defense counsel, F.A. Bello did not object Justice Boade then ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the matter till May 11, 2012.

Adebisi's travails began in July 5, 2011, when the EFCC received a petition alleging that Taiken Filling Station, Iseyin, Oyo state placed order for 33,000 litres of DPK from Kalhari Limited.

It was agreed that payment shall be effected through a draft in favour of Kalhari Limited on full delivery.

On July 22nd 2010, the product was delivered at about 6pm.

Adebisi who claims to be the real owner of the filling station, confirmed that he and his partners Zacheus Adeojo and David Oyelere (both at large), placed the order.

Adebisi told Miss Titilola Onasanya who accompanied the product from Lagos that he could not pay on that the bank had closed. He promised to make the payment the next day.

Adebisi and his friends signed for and received the DPK and stated in writing on the waybill that payment would be made the next day by draft.

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin he founder of Sam Zuga Foundation, Dr. Sam Zuga, has disclosed that his team is ready to create about 300 jobs in Kwara State through free medical treatment by supernatural products through training of unemployed youths.

Zuga, a native of Benue state who was in Ilorin, the capital to

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assist unemployed youths and masses on jobs creation and healing of long time ailment during a press conference, disclosed that the foundation would commence the training today.

The Zuga Foundation, he said, has produced works for over 10,000 people in Nigeria and five other countries in Africa since its commencement in 2005.

Nasarawa raises up aerial mapping contract to N2.7bn From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

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he Nasarawa state government has revoked the contract awarded by the Aliyu Akwe Doma administration of to J.M Technologies, a Makurdi based firm, for the aerial mapping of the state valued at N499 million, and re-awarded it to another company, SURAJ Consulting Engineers at N2.7 billion.

This was disclosed to journalists shortly after the weekly meeting of the state executive council, which held at the Government House, in Lafia, the state capital.

In a briefing anchored by the state commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs. Victoria Titi Monde, the Commissioner for Lands, Survey

and Town Planning, Sonny Agassi, explained that the decision of the council to revoke the Nasarawa Geographic Information Service (NAGIS), was as a result of a report submitted by a team of experts indicating that J. M Technologies was incompetent to handle the project, aside from violating a section of the contract terms.

Agassi revealed that the initial contract captured only the aerial mapping of the state but the new one awarded to SURAJ Consulting Engineers, entails three components; aerial mapping, NAGIS and district planning, with the project when fully completed, capable of generating internal revenue for the state to the tune of N1.5 billion yearly.

Niger LGAs to spend N50.3bn in 2012

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ll the 25 local government areas in Niger stae are to spend over N50.3 billion for their capital and recurrent expenditures in 2012.

The state Commissioner for Local Government, Alhaji Yusuf Tagwai made this known yesterday in Minna.

Tagwai said that the councils’ recurrent and capital expenditures were expected to gulp N30.9 billion and N19.4 billion respectively.

He said that the budget would be financed from the statutory grant of N42.3 billion, internally generated revenue of N1.4 billion, and capital receipt of N5.7 billion.

The commissioner said that the fund would also be sourced from two percent contribution from the councils N846.5 million and 10 percent council due from the state revenue.

He said that N6.4 billion would be allocated to economic sector from the capital expenditure, and the social sector would receive N4 billion.

The commissioner said that the administrative sector would gulp N4.2 billion, while N61.7 million was earmarked for loan repayment.

He said that the councils would construct modern garages for trailers, new markets, poultry and fish farms as well as procurement of tractors. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2012

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Niger state Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida aliyu (middle) ,cutting the tape during the commissioning of 283 palliative vehicles, on Wednesday at the trade fair complex , in Minna.

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L-R: Representative of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Mrs. Lonise Setshwaelo, United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Terence McCulley, and Director General, National Library, Malam Habib Abba Jatau, during the 2012 World Press Freedom Day Celebration, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi okonjoIweala, during the ministerial platform on the commemoration of the National Democracy Day 2012 and first anniversary of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

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1

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L-R: Mr, Segun Adeniyi, NLC President, Comrade Abdulwahhed Omar,TUC President , Comrade Peter Esele,Managing Director of NSITF, Malam Umar Munir Abubakar, Thisday publisher, Chief Nduka Obaigbena, and Chairman, Board of Director, NSITF,Dr. Ngozi Olejeme, during a condolence visit to Thisday, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Fashola’s threat to sack Lagos doctors over strike is illegal - JAF From Ojebola Matthew, Lagos

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he Joint Action Front (JAF) has described the threat by the Lagos state Governor,

67 million unemployed Nigerians worrisome – FG From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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he Federal Government on Wednesday described the increasing unemployment level in the country as disturbing, stating that 67million youths are jobless.

The Minister of Youths Development, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, dropped the hint while addressing hundreds of youths at TY Danjuma Foundation ‘Career Day 2012’ in Benin City, Edo state capital.

Abdullahi attributed the high unemployment rate to years of failure at different levels, explaining that “lack of job is a consequence of lack of skills.” The event had as its theme: “Developing capacity of youths to build successful careers and businesses.”

The minister, who delivered the keynote address, harped on skill acquisition irrespective of educational qualification.

“Employers are more interested in what you can do, and not the kind of certificate you have acquired, he said.”

Babatunde Fashola to sack all medical doctors if they fail to call off their ongoing strike to be an act against the law. JAF made the reaction during a press conference held in Lagos yesterday.

According to JAF deputy chairman, Achike Chude, the threat to sack and assault the members of the Lagos chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) cannot stand in the face of Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria on freedom of association and assembly.

Achike stated that the ongoing strike, which first commenced as a warning strike on April 11-13,

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implementation of CONMESS in April 2011,” he added.

He added that the strike was later resumed in February 2011 for the failure of the state to redeem its promise and that has been the game of the Lagos state government till date.

“Health is the social responsibility that should be adequately funded by a responsible government, JAF therefore demands immediate and unconditional implementation of CONMESS in Lagos state and we are resolved to rally Lagosians and Nigerians on mass action to stop the state from continually endangering the lives of its citizenry,” he

added.

In his speech, the President Association of Resident Doctors LASUTH, Ikeja, Dr. Saheed Babjide said the state complained of its inability to pay its doctors with federal structure but can tax them with the federal formula.

He added that the Lagos NMA has warned all doctors that anyone that work for the state without the association’s consent will be penalized.

“Government officials and their families don’t use public hospitals but the consequences of their actions are suffered by helpless Nigerians and this is the reason why we need to rise and fight,” he added.

Mobile phone dealers protesting the demolition of their shops, on Wednesday on Totor/Ita Eko road, in Abeokuta.

Photo: NAN

Ogun sends mobile phones dealers packing From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, Abeokuta gun state government yesterday commenced the pulling down of number of shops housing mobile phone engineers and dealers located in Oke-Ilewo area of Abeokuta, the state capital, while the victims watched helplessly.

In a swift reaction, the affected operators under the banner of Egba Computer Village, embarked on a peaceful protest, passionately appealing to government to provide an alternative shopping complex for them.

The traders who were mostly youths, carried placards with various inscriptions such as: “Demolition will render over 1,000 youths jobless,” “Please come to our aid, our families rely on us,” “Mr. Governor help us.”

In an interview with newsmen, chairman of the group, Mr. Shaba Taiwo, emphasised: “We are appealing to the governor, we appreciate what he is doing but we are begging him to consider the over 1,000 of us who are bread winners for our families by keeping to his promise of giving us another space.

2012, became inevitable because of the refusal of the Lagos state government to heed the numerous appeals by the doctors in the past 13 months for the implementation of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) agreement.

“The real issue at stake is the failure of the Fashola-led administration to implement collective agreement it reached with Lagos doctors.

“The wage and welfare issue in the disputes bothers on violation of the principles of collective bargaining and the rule of law by the Lagos state government, which started with its partial and distorted

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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Federal High Court, Abuja has ordered the acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar to restore the Divisional Police Station at Ette village in Kogi state, pending when the National Boundary Commission determines whether the community belongs to Kogi or Enugu state.

Justice Adamu Bello, who issued the order of mandamus yesterday, equally ordered the Nigerian Army (4th respondent) to refrain from invading the community and brutalising its members or destroying their houses pending the resolution of the boundary dispute.

It was five members of the community, Joseph Oodo, Mathew Ogwuche, Emmanuel Agada, John Onuche and Abdullahi Momoh Sani, that filed the suit on behalf of themselves and the community located in Olamoboro local government area of Kogi state.

Listed in the matter were the Inspector General of Police, the National Security Adviser, National Security Council and

Court orders IGP to restore police station the Nigerian Army, as 1st to 4th respondents.

Justice Bello also granted, “An order of mandamus compelling the respondents to establish and organise an effective law enforcement and security arrangement and machinery in the applicants’ community, in accordance with the deliberation and arrangement agreed to at the meeting of all stakeholders convened by the 1st respondent

on October 21, 2008, pending the determination of the boundary dispute between Kogi and Enugu states over the community by the National Boundary Commission.

Specifically, the applicants had in an affidavit they deposed before the high court, maintained that the Supreme Court had in a judgment it delivered on February 8, 2007, directed the National Boundary

Commission to amicably settle the boundary dispute between the two states.

They told the court that inline with the judgment; the boundary commission convened two stakeholder’s meetings for deliberations over the dispute in both Lokoja and Enugu, and embarked on preliminary field work and tracing of the boundary lines, in 2010.

15 million Nigerian children’s fate not certain - Yuguda From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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overnor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state has revealed that there are over 15 million children below the ages of 12 years in the country who have heart problems.

The governor made this known during a lecture organised by the A.D. Rufa’i Foundation, a pet project of his wife, Hajiya Mariam Isa Yuguda, as part of the activities marking the foundation’s third

anniversary in Bauchi.

He explained that unless such children receive the right treatment for their ailment, they would eventually die.

It is for this reason, Yuguda said, the Bauchi state government is collaborating with the International Examine Relief Organisation towards establishing a Heart Centre in Bauchi.

During the lecture organised by the foundation which intervenes in HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, the

governor similarly commended USAID for establishing a Vesico Vaginal Fistulae (VVF) Centre in Ningi.

According to the governor, the Federal Ministry of Health has assured the state government that the Ningi VVF Centre would be upgraded.

Yuguda, who stated that the Ningi Centre has so far treated over 250 women, commended USAID and the US government in particular for championing the establishment of the centre.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Kogi to improve power supply with coal From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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L-R: Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Gombe council, Alhassan Yahya, Vice-President, Zone E, Mr. Muktar Gidado, NUJ National President, Malam Mohammed Garba, and Chairman, NUJ Kaduna council, Malam Yusuf Idriss, during the national president’s campaign tour, on Wednesday in Gombe.

Photo: NAN

We can’t buy N4.5m fake cab, taxi operators tell Fashola From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he concerned members of the Lagos state Taxi Drivers and Cab Operators Association (LASTDCOA), has decried the imposition of N4.5 million worth car on its members by the state government.

Speaking with newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday, the LASTDCOA Chairman of Pedro Park, Mr. Taofeek Oladokun, said the policy was introduced into

the system about three years ago by the state government through its Ministry for Transportation as part of its mega city project.

According to Oladokun, putting in private hands money spinning ‘deal’ that compelled taxi operators to buy a car worth N4.5 million only from the state pool of private contractors who work in concert with the leadership of LASTDCOA and the ban of the use of Tokunbo cars for regular taxi

business is illegal and oppressive on the poor.

Oladokun added that the Fashola led administration has gone to the extent of resisting other cabs on the road by instructing the Licensing Authority in the state to deny any other taxi operator that does not patronise the N4.5 million car shady deals registration of their vehicle as taxi.

“The state House of Assembly, in its truce between the

concerned taxi operators and the Lagos state Commissioner for Transport, has also been ambivalent in making pronouncements on this issue, when it became clear to it that no such law exists in Lagos state to deny the poor from running the business of commercial taxi.

“Moreso, these expensive cars are fake, an imported substandard vehicle that cannot stand the test of time here in Nigeria,” Oladokun added.

Bomb blast: Monarchs commiserate with Suntai From Yusha’u Alhassan, Jalingo

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raditional rulers in Taraba state have commiserated with the state government over the recent bomb blast which occurred in Jalingo on Monday.

During a condolence visit to Governor Danbaba Suntai at the Government House, the royal fathers express great shock over the incident.

In a remark, the Gara of Donga, Stephen Danjuma Bayonga, said as leaders, they would continue to intensify prayers, as well as encourage their followers to do same for the peaceful co-existence

of the state and the country.

He encouraged Governor Suntai not to allow the incident dampen his morale in an effort to move the state forward.

Also speaking, the chief of Bakundi, Muhammadu Gidado Misa, said they were at Government House to commiserate with the government and people of the state over the incident and prayed for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives.

Responding, Governor Danbaba Suntai thanked the entire people of the State for coming together during the moment of grief.

He expressed sadness that the bomb blast was targeted at the convoy of the state Commissioner of Police, saying the state government and the security agencies would do everything possible to unravel the mystery behind the bomb blast.

Governor Suntai also said the concern shown by people within and outside the state over the attack gave him hope about the state.

He enjoined people of the state to strive at maintaining the peace for a virile and prosperous state.

In another development, the Jalingo local government chapter

of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has condemned the bomb blast in Jalingo which resulted to the destruction of lives and property.

CAN’s position is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency meeting in Jalingo.

The communiqué which was signed by the chairman, Rev. Fumlack Victor and secretary, Aina John, said the dastardly act perpetrated by terrorists had not only threatened the peace of the state but had also become an issue of national and international concern.

Weak enforcement capacity negates road safety mgt, says Chidoka

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

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he Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Osita Chidoka, has identified weak enforcement capacity as part of major drawbacks to effective road safety management in Nigeria.

Chidoka, who made this declaration during a presentation at a meeting with World Bank Road

Enforcement Consultants, advocated for stronger legislative frame work to address existing gaps in the area of road traffic enforcement in order to raise the level of compliance with road traffic rules and regulations among road users in Nigerian.

A statement issued yesterday by the Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, said that, “deficient information

management systems, high vehicular density, inadequate public awareness, poor road condition, substandard road design, inadequate funding and absence of legislation on some key risk factors as additional issues affecting road safety management in the country”.

It revealed that the FRSC has initiated some measures towards raising the stakes on road safety

management such as the expansion of the Corps’ Command formations to 175 Unit Commands nationwide, certification of 927 Fleet Operators, training of 307 Safety Managers and 457 Drivers under the Road Transport Safety Standardization Scheme and acquisition of 3 Digits Toll- Free Emergency Number (122) for improved response time to crash victims.

etermined to improve power supply in Kogi state, the state government has disclosed plans to establish an independent power plant, using coal.

Governor Idris Wada made the revelation through his deputy, Arc Yomi Awoniyi, while commissioning Dismanto, an engine oil and other lubricant making factory in Lokoja, saying the plans to establish the coal plant is to boost power generation.

The governor, who used the occasion to restate his administration’s resolve to improve security of lives and property in the state, stressed that creating an enabling environment for private investment to thrive, remains cardinal in his agenda.

While commending the bold steps taken by Dismento, to establish its factory in the state, the governor said with the peaceful nature of the state, sharing boundary with eleven other states, it would attract private investors to do business with Kogi state.

Earlier in her speech, the CEO, Dismento Group of Companies, Mrs. Oluwatoyinbo Obadofin, said the successful completion of the factory in Lokoja was made possible by the conducive environment created by the state government.

NEMA partners with military on disaster management From Sadeeq Aliyu, Sokoto

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two day workshop has yesterday opened in Giginya Army Barracks, Sokoto by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to train military officers on how to respond to disaster and emergencies without recourse to administrative bureaucracy.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the NEMA Deputy Director on training, Engineer Daniel Balarabe Gambo, said the focus of the workshop was to look at the document that has been drafted in 2004 for the use of military personnel during emergencies.

Engr. Gambo explained that NEMA is reviewing the document with the aim of seeing how the military can be invited to participate during emergencies without delay, stressing the need for departure from the past when the military had to wait for directive from higher authority while there is massive loss of lives and properties.

He added that with review of the document, the Disaster Response Unit Commander of the military at the base where the incident is happening can use his initiative with the state and local government emergency committees, move out his personnel and equipment to ensure normalcy is restored.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

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Northern group condemns Azazi’s comment on Boko Haram From Adesoji Oyinlola, Lagos

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group, Arewa United Consultative Forum has condemned the statement credited to the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Owoeye Azazi, saying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is

responsible for the menace created by the Boko Haram group in some parts of the north.

A statement signed by the national co-coordinator of the forum, Ado Shuaib Dansudu, said the pronouncement by the NSA portends that he has lost focus on his job, he is therefore not eligible

to continue to hold the position the forum considered sensitive to security of the country.

According to the statement, Azazi should resign his position as the National Security Adviser to President Jonathan, saying his outburst was directed to certain political interest and it may be a

prelude to a systematic clampdown on some people the government may not be comfortable with.

He however advised PDP leaders from the north to watch their steps so as not to walk into any trap that some overzealous government agents are setting on their path.

“As the National Security

Adviser to the President, Azazi should be proactive in his action and not to be playing to the gallery on issues as sensitive as that of Boko Haram. The menace created by the group is a matter of concern not only for those of us from the north, but Nigerians as a whole. It therefore amount to sheer irresponsibility for a man in such a sensitive position to make such careless statement”, he admonished.

Waste managers defraud Oyo of N2bn annually From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

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he Executive Chairman of Oyo State Waste Management Authority, Engr. Adebisi Adesina, yesterday alleged that waste managers defraud the state government over N2 billion annually.

Adebisi disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the activities of the agency in the last one year, held at Film Theater, Ministry of Information, Secretariat, Ibadan.

According to him, the present administration met on ground illegal waste managers who are not faithful in what they charge people and what they remit to the government purse.

“Most of these waste managers are fake and cannot maintain 10 vehicle but claimed to have 50 trucks, the state is losing N2 billion annually to these managers”.

He hinted that a Bill has been forwarded to the state House of Assembly to address the trend using sanctions where necessary especially on approval to evacuate illegal dumpsites in the state.

Adesina condemned cart pushers patronized by prospective customers instead of private refuse contractors which he said created illegal refuse disposal outfits.

Adesina explained that, the agency needs more workforce, monitoring equipments and compactor trucks to tackle various challenges confronting the smooth operation of the agency and to enhance revenue generation.

According to him, inadequate plants and equipments for effective performance at the four dump sites hinders productivity of the agency.

L-R: Chairman, Oyo state Waste Management Authority, Mr. Adebisi Adesina, Zonal Vice Chairman, Mr. Samuel Egunjobi, and General Manager, Mr. Joseph Alabi, during a news conference on the activities of the authority, on Wednesday in Ibadan. Photo: NAN

NLC slams Adamawa Assembly over anti-strike bill From Blessing Tunoh, Yola

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damawa state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has berated members of the state legislature for their push to enact a bill that would prohibit civil servants in the state from embarking on strike.

Adamawa state chairman of NLC, Comrade Dauda Maina, said the bill was a sham and a violation of the 1999 Constitution, stressing that labour matters are on the

exclusive legislative list.

Maina said in as much as the organised labour was not against the lawmakers from discharging their constitutional role, “the Constitution of our country is explicit about labour matters ranging from registration, safety, welfare, like minimum wage and discipline”, which he said were beyond the powers of the state legislature.

He disclosed that the NLC had earlier written to the leadership of the Adamawa state House of

Assembly on its position and had equally communicated same to the national headquarters of the organised labour in Abuja.

The labour leader explained that the joint organised labour also viewed the concept of the bill with surprise and suspicion, emphasising that the NLC and its affiliate bodies and other relevant stakeholders in the labour movement were not hinted by the sponsor of the bill.

Peoples Daily recalls that the

anti-strike bill which seeks for a law to restrain workers on essential duties like health, security and the media from embarking on industrial action in the event of any labour dispute with the state government is being sponsored by the member representing Maiha constituency, Hon. Hassan Kaigama. The bill has scaled first and second reading and will soon be committed to public hearing by the House Committee on Labour and Productivity in the state.

‘Niger govt up to date on loan repayment’ Group decries Edo debt profile From Iliya Garba, Minna

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overnor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger state says his administration’s intervention in the payment of counterpart funding on loans acquired for the benefit of the people of the state since he office in 2007 shows accountability, transparency and good governance.

He made the assertion while delivering a speech at the inauguration of 283 fuel subsidy removal palliative vehicles in Minna, the state capital on Wednesday.

“My administration has been very religious in the payment of loans same of which were

liquidated within the first six months the loan were acquired”.

Governor Aliyu said “when we came on board, the first facility taken by the government was for the settlement of outstanding pensions and gratuities which the administration inherited and was achieved within six months.

According to him, the N6 billion bond taken by the government for the construction of major roads in the three senatorial districts of the state has been paid while the projects have been completed to the satisfaction of the common man.

On the just acquired N9 billion bond facility, he said the government has repaid a quarter of the loan irrespective of the fact

that the projects the money is supposed to finance have not fully taken off, he said.

He further disclosed that only N4 billion was generated by the government for the month of March this year and after all deductions for salaries and other commitments the administration was left with N600 million to run the government.

In line with transparency policy of the government he directed the commissioner for finance to publish the state income and expenditure in the state owned newspaper on monthly basis so as to ensure people are informed of all financial transactions carried out by the government.

From Adesoji Oyinlola, Lagos

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group, All Former Student Union Leaders of Nigeria (AFOSULON), has questioned the rationale behind what they described as the current debt burden of Edo state and appealed to the people of the state not to be fooled by the rhetoric of the state government.

A statement signed by Barrister Prest Aigbokhan, a leader and former Director of Sports and Socials of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), AFOSULON said as leaders of tomorrow, it is averse to debt inheritance.

It alleged that the debt which stands at N33billion and whose payment has been deferred to 2017 could be a cog in the wheel of progress in the state in case of the present administration in the state not getting a return ticket to office in the forthcoming poll.

AFOSULON also called for judicious use of funds accruing to the state from the oil subsidy subvention and internally generated revenue (IGR).

On the penchant for borrowing being exhibited by the Adams Oshiomhole’s administration, the ex-student leaders said that “the state will be in perpetual bondage if the habit is allowed to continue unchecked.”

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

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EDIT ORIAL EDITORIAL

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Needed is a more activist workers union

ast Tuesday, workers filed out around the world, especially in those countries where May 1 is an official holiday, to reflect and celebrate the travails and triumphs of working class people. The workers day is observed to commemorate the 1886 brutal killings of workers in Chicago in the United States.

Workers’ lot around the world is damningly miserable but in the developing countries and Africa in particular, it is scandalously deplorable.

In Nigeria, the condition of the working people is miserable, brutish and their life is mostly short. Apart from poor wages derogatively called take-home pay, as they can hardly take anybody home, the condition of work in most working places is inhuman. Besides putting in long hours of work without commensurate pay, the workers’ job security is at best tenuous and shaky. Because of the abject condition of most Nigerian workers, many employers as a rule discourage their employees from unionizing. So, apart from harsh working conditions, workers are denied the right to freely associate in unions.

The result is that many workers are hopelessly vulnerable.

Conversely, from the early 1980s, when workers’ fortunes began to take a turn for the worst with the first shot of austerity measures, which included wage freeze and lay-offs,

the fortunes of the elite class, comprising politicians, contractors and all manners of speculators, witnessed a dramatic rise. From the 1980s to date, it has been one draconian labour law or another, enacted by the ruling elite to make it easy for them to hire and fire workers at will. The excuse for the obviously anti-labour laws is ostensibly to

“

Since the Ali Ciromaled NLC era in the 70s, no labour leadership has done much to challenge, in any fundamental way, the condition and plight of the Nigerian worker attract foreign direct investment.

Instead, we have only witnessed more capital flight and even relocation of industries from Nigeria to neighbouring countries.

The workers have borne the brunt of crass mismanagement both in the public and private sectors. For example, the workers in some of the badly run banks that went under were

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

unceremoniously sacked, while the executive directors and other top actors who precipitated the crash smiled home with huge disengagement bonuses. The woes of Nigerian workers, under predatory political elite and their contractor friends, are legion and copious indeed. The leadership of the labour unions would seem not to have done so much to challenge the existential threat to the workers.

Since the Ali Ciroma-led NLC era in the 70s, no labour leadership has done much to challenge, in any fundamental way, the condition and plight of the Nigerian worker. Since then, grandstanding and lip service seem only their way of doing business, leaving the Nigerian working class to its fate. Clearly, there is nostalgia for the labour leadership for yesteryears.

It is now up to the Nigerian workers to recover labour’s proactive, militant and ideologically-driven character.

With May 1, popularly called Workers Day, gone, it our hope at Peoples Daily that Nigerian workers would pull together and relaunch the struggle to reclaim their prime place in the society. The struggle must not be for only bread and butter, but must include the political struggle to assume this leadership of society.

With no shortage of roadmaps to attain the glorious goal, the critical focus should be the unity of all working people regardless of their trade.

OUR PEOPLE

OUR VISION

CHAIRMAN MALAM WADA MAIDA, OON, FNGE EDITOR, DAILY AHMED I. SHEKARAU

DIRECTOR/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RUFA’I IBRAHIM CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER ALI M. ALI

ACTING EDITOR, WEEKEND RICHARD IHEDIWA

GM PUBLICATIONS ABDULAZEEZ ABDULLAHI MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION HASSAN HAMMANYAJI

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

By Salihu Moh. Lukman

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his factor helped in supporting internal contestations within the ACN. A typical example is the fact that the party was able to resolve many internal disputes arising from party primaries before the 2011 elections, largely on account of the strength of the intervention of the national leadership of the party. Some of the results of the party’s primaries that were reflections of the influences of party leaders led by Chief Akande, especially in states where the party is in control of state governments – South West and Edo. Given the influence and authority of Chief Akande therefore, why is Asiwaju Tinubu very influential, if not more influential? The first reason has to do with Asiwaju Tinubu’s business and political network, which enables him to be a major source of funding for the party.

His political network which originated from his membership of the SDP during the aborted Third Republic, his subsequent membership and role in NADECO and being a former Governor of Lagos state where he survived all PDP and Obasanjo’s onslaughts gives him high national visibility. The strength of the ACN today is no doubt a product of good synergy between Chief Akande as the National Chairman and Asiwaju Tinubu as inspirational leader.

In the case of the CPC, the story is completely different. In virtually all cases of disputes arising from the party primaries before the 2011 elections, the party leadership relied more on the judgment of Gen. Buhari. The party National Chairman, Chief Tony Momoh and other members of the leadership do not command the needed influence to broker satisfactory resolution. The process of determining the resolution of most of the disputes within the CPC by Gen. Buhari

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2015 manifesto of Nigerian opposition politics (V) leads to more acrimony resulting in court cases. These court cases have negatively affected the electoral achievements of the CPC during the 2011 elections. This practically cost the party, Katsina, Kano and Bauchi States.

Unlike the ACN’s Chief Akande, CPC’s Chief Momoh is therefore not as influential. Also unlike Asiwaju Tinubu, Gen. Buhari’s networks are not as resourceful to the CPC. Therefore relative to the CPC, the ACN can be argued to have a stronger leadership. While in the case of the ACN, its influence is not limited to the person of Chief Bisi Akande, the National Chairman, in the case of the CPC, its influence resides only with the person of Gen. Buhari.

Going Beyond Opposition Can ACN and CPC go beyond Opposition? To the extent of the obvious leadership weaknesses of our opposition parties, ACN and CPC, coupled with their regional orientation they will not be able to mobilize Nigerians on a scale capable of defeating the PDP. The leadership weaknesses of the ACN and CPC to considerable extent reinforces the regional orientation of these parties on account of not being able to introduce initiatives that would endear the parties to Nigerians outside their current stronghold. This leadership problem also had the potential of entrenching injustice within the party without any strong check, which would constitute electoral threat that may weaken current stronghold. The way this leadership challenge is manifesting itself in our national politics is leading to the reinforcement of ethnic and

regional identity for our two leading opposition parties.

Unfortunately, as is natural with all human endeavour, the attitude is to be defensive and often indulge in self-denial. Self-denial makes it possible for mistakes to get repeated, sometimes on a bigger scale. Our leaders are often the promoters of the practice of self-denial - most times through encouraging sycophancy and campaigns of self-promotion. In the circumstance, our leaders are being fed with lies about their popularity and the bright prospects of their electoral chances. This situation almost makes it difficult, if not impossible to initiate process of mobilizing support from outside current stronghold.

To initiate the process of mobilization beyond current strongholds require that our leaders take decisive steps to change the ethnic and regional outlook of their politics. For the ACN, it simply means that Chief Akande and Asiwaju Tinubu take steps to change their outlook and become national leaders and not South West Yoruba leaders. For the CPC, it means that Gen. Buhari take steps to transform his outlook into a national leader and not a Northern Hausa/Fulani and, as many perceived him, Muslim leader. The big questions are: is this possible? Can it even be contemplated?

It is certainly possible, but only through partnership with leaders from other parts of the country. In the case of Chief Akande and Asiwaju Tinubu, it simply means reaching out to leaders from the Northern, South Eastern or Niger Delta. In the case of Gen. Buhari, it is about

reaching out to South West, South East and Niger Delta. This is where analysis of leadership structure and the confidence they command on their followership becomes important. It also requires assessment of numbers and the electoral advantage it produces.

At the level of these three factors, leadership structure, confidence of followership and assessment of numbers, the two parties have no option but to work together if at all they are interested in going beyond opposition. This is because in terms of leadership structures, as compared to what is obtainable in the other parties, they can be adjudged stronger. Looking at the ACN, with its political control of the South West, any agreement they entered into can translate into electoral victory in the South West. At least, this was the case in 1999. Although, it can be argued that this wasn’t the case in 2011, with Nuhu Ribadu as the presidential candidate of the ACN. The problem with the 2011 elections was the lukewarm commitment to Ribadu’s candidate by the ACN leadership.

What are the possibilities with respect to leadership from the South East and Niger Delta? In the case of the South East, there is no homogeneity in the political leadership of the region. Arising from that, there has been instability in political conduct of the South East leaders. Besides, there is no one political group that can claim majority followership from the people of the region aside the PDP. In engaging this issue, it could be argued that the CPC too has higher level of instability than the ACN. However, it should

be recognized that the instability of the CPC is a function of its administrative weaknesses and poor political management. It definitely enjoys mass support in many parts of the North.

In the case of the Niger Delta, the factor of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan being from the region, and with almost all the formal leadership structures supporting his administration, represents a major setback for the prospects of the opposition to mobilize good followership that can guarantee a shift from being an opposition to a ruling party, either with reference to state governments or Federal Government. Are there other entry points to winning the Niger Delta either on the side of ACN or CPC? Based on bilateral negotiations by any of these parties (ACN and CPC), swaying any section of the political leadership from the Niger Delta away from PDP will be very difficult. However, in terms of multiple strategic considerations involving the ACN, CPC and sections of the political leadership of the region, it is very possible. This is because given an agreement between the ACN and CPC, the political configuration of the country will begin to change.

The unity between the political leaders from the Northern and the South West parts of the country would narrow the probability of the party contesting against the union of ACN and CPC to win majority votes and therefore qualify to be declared a winner of presidential election.

The reality is that a well negotiated union between the ACN and CPC will almost Continued on page 15

Subsidy scam: The acid test for President Jonathan

By Charles Ofoji

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ur dear President has confessed that he is neither extraordinary, nor the best person in the country who should be commander in chief. Recently, at a church service, he said that he was merely chosen by God to lead the nation– just as every of our leaders asserts that leadership is from God. Even those who rigged elections and killed political opponents to gain power lay claim to being God-send.

Surely, Jonathan does not come into the class of politicians who rigged their way to power.

There may have been irregularities here and there, but majority of Nigerians, including myself staunchly backed his bid for presidency. He enjoyed popular acclaim without parallel in the history of this country. The victory of the shoeless one from Otueke was celebrated as the people and liberation from the oppressive and strangulating claws of the ruling class. Jonathan became a unifying figure for ordinary, dispossessed Nigerians.

But since that popular victory about a year now, plus the time he spent as acting president, Jonathan has squandered the goodwill he enjoyed and he has let the people down. So far, one can say that he is only a president of promises (Mr. Promise). He is yet to show that he is an action man, except when and where he has personal interest.

Vincent Ogbulafor, Okwesilieze Nwodo, Dimipre Sylva and James Ibori, who is now occupying a restricted space in one of the Queen’s confinement centers, are a few examples of the casualties of the president’s decisiveness, slyness, vigour and vengeance in his own matters. However, in matters affecting teeming Nigerians, he is yet to employ the same, leading to a woeful failure to deliver on his pledges.

Light and water still remain a luxury in a country that pretends to be a (foolish) giant. Kids still wake up early in the morning to run to the stream or borehole to fetch water before going to school.

Malaria is still cutting down our people, especially children. Our

roads are still potholed and highways to death. Unemployment is still dangerously high, Petrol costs more at present, there is still no health care, education is no longer affordable despite poor quality, Workers spend almost all their salary in paying transportation, there are still neither housing schemes nor modern transportation system. Old industries are still failing and none has been created nor resuscitated etc. It simply appears that Nigerians were better off before the coming of this man called Jonathan.

It is not that things have not changed because we lack the money to change things, rather it is because of lack of political will to effect change. A few sit on the wealth of this nation and feed fat, while the mainstream is starving to death. Starvation is now a way of life, in the midst of plenty. Things remain horrendous for our people because we have a president who has not shown the political will to deal with the enemies of our people, never mind that he fancies himself as a reformer. The presidency has consistently told us of the resolve of

Jonathan to “transform” our fatherland. Now the real test has come, and it is an acid test.

The fuel subsidy thieves have been unmasked and the House of Representatives has directed that they be prosecuted. And those who allegedly milked the nation dry and our people to death are the same people who dine with Jonathan on the same table.

Former Chairman of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmadu Ali, notorious for scandals, top the list of the president’s friends, who sent some Nigerians to their early graves because they allegedly stole the wealth that was meant for the well-being of all.

The House of Representatives last week recommended that the former Board of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Authority (PPPRA) led by Ali, be prosecuted for its role in the mammoth corruption of our generation, which emanated from the management of the Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) between 2009 and 2011. The Farouk Lawan-led Ad Hoc Committee on Fuel

Subsidy Probe discovered that they shared with their accomplices N1.7trillion. Incredible! Few men and women sat down and designed the sharing among themselves money that could have fixed a lot of things which needs to be fixed in our country. In a nation, where the majority of people are now going to bed on empty stomach, it is the apogee of man’s inhumanity to man, with no equivalent in pathos and horror.

At last, the moment of truth has come for Jonathan.

Heartwarming is his assurance, through his National Assembly Adviser, Joy Emordi, that no one implicated in the fuel subsidy monumental fraud will be spared, no matter how highly placed. But this is simple talking, Nigerians are eagerly watching if he will walk the talk. It is an acidic, litmus test that will prove once and forever, if this Jonathan is a reformer (as he claims) and anti-corruption crusader or a pretender, who is fooling the nation like all the presidents before him.

Charles can be reached at checkpointcharley@yahoo.de

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Jonathan: President of CAN, President of Ijaw or President of Nigeria?

By Teslim Sanni

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t is surprising to see how debates over the 2015 presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan have suddenly come to the front burner of national discourse.

If the assumption that the present security challenges in the country have its roots in politics is true, then it is quite incautious of the president to pass any commentary on whether he stands a chance to participate in the 2015 presidential election or not.

There is no doubt that Nigeria is today more divided than when President Jonathan became the leader of the country, no thanks to certain interests that have hijacked and personalized the popular mandate that made Jonathan the president of the country. At any such times when there appears to be any sort of challenge to the Jonathan presidency - be it the fuel subsidy removal protests or during the church gift scandal - the president has always been ensconced into either religion or ethnic protection.

It has become characteristic in the mannerism of the National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, to act as a

By Femi Falana

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he reforms introduced into governance in the State of Osun by Governor Rauf Aregbesola, has sparked negative reactions in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which has tried severally to frame him up.

Human rights activist and lawyer Femi Falana reviews the governor’s programmes in relation to the constitution. He absolves the governor of any wrong.

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was elected the governor of Osun State in 2007.

But since it was a “do or die” election for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), its candidate, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola was falsely returned by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The illegal declaration was fought in a protracted legal battle.

Eventually, the Court of Appeal restored Mr Aregbesola’s mandate after three and a half years. Two months later, the appeal filed by the 30 chairmen elected on the platform of the PDP against the verdict of the Court of Appeal which had ordered their removal from office was dismissed by the Supreme Court. Having handled the case for the Osun State chapters of the Action Congress, National Conscience Party and All Nigeria Peoples Party from the High Court to the apex court, Governor Aregbesola asked for my interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Osun State & Ors v Action Congress & 2 Ors (2011) 10. Notwithstanding the pressure mounted on the

godfather to the president during ethnic cum religion suspicion that to put it against the background such moment of distress. As a the president is even dipping his of the recent media campaigns by matter of fact, the rabid response hands into the labyrinth of an several Ijaw interest groups of the CAN president to most election that is three years away. canvassing Jonathan’s eligibility matters of national concern have All over the Federal Capital in the 2015 election. often stultified the President’s Territory in Abuja, big sign Whereas President Jonathan handling of those matters; and, posters are beginning to sprout, got the overwhelming support of worse still, projected the purportedly sponsored by some Nigerians during his election presidency as being an appendage groups close to the president, about a year ago, the manner in of CAN. That is why there is so asking for the support of Nigerians which the Pastor Ayo Oritsejaformuch distrust led CAN and all over the politicians from country, the South-south especially zone have among the personalized the Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text predominant J o n a t h a n messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written Northern presidency has contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 Muslims and alienated other words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and Christians in Nigerians from a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed the South. the ownership of to: Much as that mandate. the country That is the The Editor, had been d a n g e r o u s battling with direction in which Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, the Boko Nigeria is drifting 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja.

H a r a m under the Email: let ters@peoplesdaily-online.com m e n a c e J o n a t h a n SMS: 07037756364 before the presidency. It is installation of under this the Jonathan presidency, the in the President’s fight against administration, in the history of posturing of the leadership of the insecurity. It is bewildering to this country, that ethnic leaders Christian community in the figure out what other support and religious bodies like CAN will country has, regrettably, reduced President Jonathan is expecting be making inciteful statements the Boko Haram threat to a from Nigerians after being with government keeping mum Muslim-Christian warfare, or a unanimously elected as president about it. If it is not Edwin Clark North-South face off. barely a year ago. But the only threatening of the break up of the It is in the midst of this way to decode the real message country, it will be Pentecostal preponderant lapse in the nation’s behind the posters canvassing pastors led by Oritsejafor making security setup and mutual inter- support for President Jonathan is statements inciting Christians to

WRITE TO US

get ready for a war with the Boko Haram sect members. And yet, at no time did government ever deem it fit to call the CAN leadership or the Ijaw leaders to order over their inflammatory statements.

What the Ijaw leaders and Pentecostal pastors have forgotten is that the Jonathan presidency will one day, come to an end; and what will remain will be their different constituencies - CAN and the Ijaw nation - and no matter how hard they try, Nigeria will remain one indivisible country.

But President Jonathan will need to up his bargain if truly he intends a second term in office.

As a presidential candidate standing for election in 2011, the president could have run his campaign with sweet promises of super performance. He also could have come to the soapbox with a joker of ethnic sentiment, being the first minority president Nigeria would have. But a president seeking a second term in office needs more than sheer ethnic or religious emotions to keep his job. He needs a compelling record of performance. And, does President Jonathan possess such a record of performance thus yet? I think Nigerians know better than they did in 2011.

Linking Aregbesola with Boko Haram is wicked governor by his party leaders to dissolve the council chairmen and councillors on the basis of the judgment, he refused. He directed that they be allowed to remain in office since they had only one month left to complete their tenure.

The governor’s handling of two other issues confirmed his political maturity. The ACN members had vehemently opposed the appointment of a top lawyer in the Ministry of Justice in the state on the ground that she was used by the ousted regime to prosecute its political opponents including the governor.

He made the appointment on the ground that the prosecutor was discharging her duty at the material time. In the same vein, he dismissed the objection of his party leaders on the appointment of a significant number of children and wards of PDP members in the state employment scheme. He made it clear that he is the governor of the state and not the chairman of the ACN. The treason charges As far as the PDP leaders were concerned, Governor Aregbesola recruited 20,000 thugs under the pretext of job creation. It was also alleged that his decision to rebrand the state of Osun and design a flag, anthem and coat of arms were

treasonable. It was however, intriguing that the DirectorGeneral of the State Security Service, Mr Ita Ekpeyong, who had discharged his duty without fear or favour, decided to team up with the ruling party in justifying the monstrous allegation that the governor had concluded arrangements to dismember the Federal Republic of Nigeria by excising Osun State therefrom. In a tendencious report, Ogbeni Aregbesola was alleged to be associating with a moslem group which is linked with the Boko Haram sect.

Although no one has referred to the specific provisions of any law violated by the governor, it is pertinent to examine the legal implications of the rebranding of Osun State in the context of the relevant laws. It is unfortunate to note that those who compiled the illiterate security report on Governor Aregbesola are not familiar with the constitutional history of Nigeria. Otherwise, they would have found that in the First Republic, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria existed side by side with regional constitutions and that there were regional police forces. Apart from the embassies of the Federal Government the federating units had consulates and properties in

some foreign countries. Even under the defunct military dictatorship when to keep Nigeria one was a task that required absolute loyalty, every state had their own coat of arms. At a time that there were 12 states in Nigeria it was only the Western state which established a regional Court of Appeal which served as an intermediary court between the State High Court and the Supreme Court .

But in line with the tenets of federalism the remaining 11 states did not establish any Court of Appeal. Under the current political dispensation, the Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration in Osun State set up the Customary Court of Appeal in 2010. No other state in the Southwest has set up such an appellate court even though it is provided for in the Constitution.

Another ridiculous allegation is that Governor Aregbesola dispatched some Osun State indigenes for training in Cuba. In spite of her economic difficulties aggravated by the economic blockage imposed by the United States over 50 years ago, Cuba is acknowledged to have excelled in the areas of education, medicine and peace-keeping operations.

Because of his implicit confidence in the Cuban educational system, Rauf Aregbesola sent his first son,

Abdul to Havana for his first degree in informatics before proceeding to the United Kingdom for post graduate studies.

For over a decade , the Cuban government has awarded scholarships to scores of Nigerian youths to study in Cuba. The Federal Ministry of Education which administers the scholarship scheme has always appreciated the generosity and solidarity of the Cuban government. It is curious that the SSS has not accused the Federal Government of engaging in treason by allowing Nigerian youths to acquire education in Cuba!

In defence of Aregbesola A few weeks ago, I attended the convocation ceremony of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) at Ado, Ekiti State.

Unlike most universities in the country which have commercialised their honorary degrees EKSU conferred doctorate degrees honoris causas on three distinguished Africans viz: Mr John Dramani Mahama, Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, Director-General of UNIDO and Professor Takeno Tamuno, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. On that occasion the anthems of Ghana, Nigeria and Ekiti State were played to mark the Continued on page 15

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 15

Linking Aregbesola with Boko Haram is wicked Continued from page 14

commencement and conclusion of the ceremony.

The State Governor, and Visitor to the University , Dr Kayode Fayemi, was present at the occasion. Last week, Governor Fayemi presented the staff of office to the Oba of my home town, the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi. The anthems of Nigeria, Ekiti and Ilawe were played to the delight of the audience. My wife asked me if the SSS would not accuse Governor Fayemi of treason for leading the audience to sing the Ekiti anthem.

I reminded her that no one has ever been charged with any crime for singing the famous Egba anthem which was composed by Fela Anikulapo’s grand father several years before Nigeria was born.

In a country where religious bodies, schools, trade unions, political parties, clubs and other friendly societies have their constitutions, anthems, mottos and emblems it is bunkum to accuse a governor of committing treason for causing a state to have a flag, coat of arms and an anthem. Indubitably, section 1(2) of the Constitution prohibits any person or a group from taking over the government of Nigeria or any part of it. Having contested and won the governorship election of Osun State, Ogbeni Aregbesola cannot be said to have taken government by force. It is also submitted that the 68 items in the exclusive legislative list in the Constitution on which only the National Assembly can legislate do not include flag, coat of arms and anthem. To that extent, Governor Aregbesola cannot be said to have usurped the legislative powers of the Federal Government. Neither has his decision to call the state the “State of Osun” violated Section 3 (2) of the Constitution which states that there shall be “ a Federation consisting of states and a Federal Capital Territory”.

In the United States of America from where Nigeria copied her

Constitution most of the states have their Courts of Appeal, Supreme Courts, flags, coat of arms, police forces etc. Even counties (local governments) and corporate bodies including universities have their own police or quasi military institutions without being accused of courting treason.

The attempt by the SSS to link Rauf Aregbesola with the Boko Haram sect is dangerous and wicked. It should not be taken lightly as it was deliberately designed to promote religious crisis in a peaceful environment.

No doubt, Rauf Aregbesola is a devout Moslem but certainly not a fanatic. On the day of his inaguration he led the huge crowd at Osogbo to sing many Christian songs while thanking God for restoring his mandate. Last year, I attended a public function at Osogbo presided over by the governor .

Before the commencement of the event, he invited a pastor, an Imam and an Ifa priest to pray for Osun State and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. To the embarrassment of the Christian and Moslem members in the hall, there was a prolonged ovation when the Ifa priest said prayers in undiluted Yoruba language. At the end of the programme, a born-again Christian friend walked up to the governor and questioned his blasphemous policy of promoting adulatory. To which Ogbeni Aregbesola replied “you saw the reaction of the audience. The people were not clapping for the Ifa priest. They were applauding our decision to recognise and promoting traditional religion.

That is in line with section 10 of the Constitution which states that the State shall not adopt any particular religion.”

Instead of compiling dubious reports on a governor at the instance of the ruling party the State Security Service should not take Nigeria back to the dark era of military dictatorship when innocent military officers, activists and journalists were roped into

phantom coups d’etat. In view of the reckless use of the offence of treason by the department of state security to intimidate the political opponents of the President or the ruling party, it is germane to draw the attention of security forces to Section 37 of the Criminal Code Act which defines treason as the act of levying war against the State, in order to intimidate or overawe the President or the Governor of a State, and any person involved in the offence is liable to the punishment of death. In Dokubo-Asari v Federal Republic of Nigeria (2007) 30 WRN 1 at 75 the Supreme Court held that “a charge of treasonable felony is a very serious offence and is prejudicial to national security”.

The late jurist, Dr. Akinola Aguda was of the view that a person accused of treason “must be shown to have had the intention to intimidate or overawe the President or any state governor by any physical or unlawful means”.

On intimidating or overawing the President, the learned author opined that it “involves creating a situation where the government feels compelled to choose between yielding to force or exposing its members or the public to a very serious danger”.

From the foregoing, a charge of treason or treasonable felony cannot be sustained against Governor Aregbesola for having a state flag, coat of arms and anthem.

So far, no scintila of evidence has been adduced to show that the governor has planned to levy war against the State with a view to intimidating or overawing the President. Instead of demonising the governor, he should be commended for embarking on massive job creation in a country where mass unemployment has led to unprecedented wave of armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism and other violent crimes.

However, it is ironical that while the SSS was reading treason into the Osun State Governor Aregbesola of treason, the World Bank led officials of the Federal Government and 15 states to Osogbo

to understudy the employment generation programme of his administration.

I have known Rauf Aregbesola since our undergraduate days in the late 1970s. He was at the Ibadan Polytechnic while I was at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). But we became close in the Young Socialist Movement to which we both belonged. As a believer in the principle of centrism, the governor has conveniently operated in a bourgeois political party which has no fundamental disagreement with the neo- liberal policies of the Federal Government. But because of his preference for the socialist mode of production Governor Aregbesola has continued to insist on the centrality of the role of the State in the socio-economic transformation of the country.

Hence, he stood out alone in the Governors’ Forum to oppose the removal of ‘fuel subsidy’ before the popular protests of January 2012.

As far as he was concerned, the masses ought not be punished for the iniquity of the tiny cabal of fuel importers smiling to the bank at the expence of the country.

The governor is equally critical of his own political party.

This was practically demonstrated during the last election when he refused to be part of the political opportunism that made it possible for the presidential candidate of the ruling party to win the presidential election in all ACN controlled states with the exception of Osun State. For his principled stand on that occasion, the PDP has decided to stop the governor from frustrating its resolve to capture power in 2015.

Conclusion Finally, it should be pointed out that Governor Aregbesola is not the only person who has been accused of treason under the Goodluck Jonathan administration. Just a few months ago, a governor of one of the states in the South south region was similarly accused of treason. The

serious allegation was premised on the decision of the governor to challenge the Presidency for instigating the ruling party to exclude him from participating in the primary for the gubernatorial election after he had paid the nomination fee of N5 million.

The charge was tried on the pages of Thisday newspaper.

Before then, I was one of the civil society leaders accused of treason during the January 2012 popular protests against the removal of ‘fuel subsidy’. The baseless charge and my impending arrest were leaked to the media by the security forces.

But the nihilist elements who threatened to assassinate labour leaders over the strike and the policemen who killed unarmed protesters in Kano, Ilorin and Lagos were never charged to court.

Even those who have been indicted by the House of Representatives for duping the nation to the tune of N1 trillion may not be prosecuted. Hence the lumpen elements who invaded the National Assembly complex last week in solidarity with the criminal cartel of fuel looters enjoyed the cooperation of the police.

Unlike Governor Aregbesola who is being harrassed by the SSS for challenging the status quo the former Accountant General of the Federation who signed 118 cheques of N999 million each totalling N127 billion in less than 24 hours has not been accused of economic sabotage. The public officer was cleared by the SSS to contest the last election. He won and he is the current Governor of a state in the Northeast zone. In so far as he does not embarrass the Federal Government the security forces will never accuse him of treason. Yet his grave criminal actions and those of the indicted officials of the NNPC, PPPRA, CBN and the cartel of fuel importers, if not checked, can lead to an abrupt termination of the fragile democratic process.

Femi Falana is a constitutional lawyer and a human rights activist.

2015 manifesto of Nigerian opposition politics (V) Continued from page 13

guarantee the whole of the 19 Northern states. This is on account of the current strengths of the ACN in Benue, Kogi, Adamawa, Kwara, Niger and Jigawa. A union of ACN and CPC that is able to address properly the religious coloration of the CPC may just be what is needed to win the political leadership of Plateau and Taraba states. Once the union of ACN and CPC deflect the religious baggage of CPC, it will also definitely strengthen the electoral prospect of the ACN/CPC union in Kaduna state.

To enable the ACN/CPC union to win elections in CPC popular areas such as Kano, Katsina and Bauchi would require strengthening the administrative capacity of the ACN/CPC union such that fairness, justice and transparent conduct of the process of candidate selection can be guaranteed. This would create the condition that would lead to

electoral victory in states like Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi and the other two ANPP states in the North East (Borno and Yobe).

Effectively therefore, a carefully negotiated union of ACN/CPC has the potential of guaranteeing, at the minimum, simple majority votes in all the 19 Northern states and the 6 states of the South West. This means simple majority from 25 states out of the 36 states. This will be the new emerging political configuration. Based on this new reality, political leaders from the South East and Niger Delta would have to negotiate new relevance.

The tendency would be to dismiss the strength of the possibility of the new configuration and work to discourage its actualization. In other words, on account of the potential of the new political reality that may emerge on account of the union of ACN/CPC, sections of the political leadership

in both ACN and CPC from the South East and Niger Delta may work against the possibility of such a union. The challenge this poses is for the leadership of both the ACN and CPC to take measures that would strengthen the confidence of the South East and Niger Delta leaders.

Strengthening the confidence of South East and Niger Delta leaders would then throw up dynamics that would begin to threaten current political hold of the PDP in the two regions.

How can the confidence of leaders of the South East and Niger Delta be strengthened? This is where the two leading personalities of ACN and CPC, Asiwaju Tinubu and Gen. Buhari, can be political assets or liabilities to the electoral prospects of the ACN/CPC union. It will be an asset to the extent that it is deployed impartially and fairly. It will be a liability if it is deployed to promote personal aspiration for public office using the new union of ACN/CPC.

The only way therefore to ensure that these personalities are assets and not liabilities is for none of them to aspire to be the presidential candidate of the ACN/CPC union.

That way, the presidential candidate of the new ACN/CPC union is thrown open, which is possible only if the two current prominent leaders of the ACN and CPC, Asiwaju Tinubu and Gen. Buhari disqualify themselves from the race and take the position of building the administrative and organizational capacity of the ACN/CPC union. Any other arrangement that promote any form of aspiration to contest for the position of president by any of these prominent leaders would only engender suspicion and block participation of political leaders from the South East and Niger Delta. In addition, it is also prone to the danger of presenting the ACN/CPC union in divisive coloration, which may

undermine the realization of the anticipated strength of the union.

To respond to the question therefore whether ACN and CPC can rise above opposition politics is to state categorically that this is only possible in the context of a carefully negotiated agreement that would throw open the position of candidates, including presidential candidate and running mate. As constituted today, in their individual capacities, the ACN can continue to hold on to South West and Edo. It can, as has happened during the 2011 elections and subsequently, record good results in Benue, Jigawa, Kogi and Adamawa. Whether it can win elections in these states and form the state governments will be a function of the quality of candidates and the strength of the party structures.

Salihu Moh. Lukman can be reached through slukman45@gmail.com

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Dobi to wed son, daughter in Gwagwalada

By Adeola Tukuru

T

he House of representative member, representing the Abuja South Federal Constituency, Hon. Isa Dobi, is to give out his only daughter Aishat Isah Dobi, as his only son, Abubakar Isah Dobi, set to bring a wife home at the weekend.

The only daughter of the Hon. member, Aishat, is to wed Ibrahim Mayah, while the son, Abubakar Isa Dobi, will wed Adama Salihu in Dobi village, Gwagwalada Area Council, of the FCT. Dignitaries expected at the occasion include; the Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Bello Tambuwal, FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed, Sen. Phillip Aduda, FCT traditional rulers, Members of the House of Representatives, Commissioner of Police among others .

Massive kerosene queue yesterday, at NNPC mega station, in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

FCT Muslim pilgrims board congratulates Abaji chair on victory

By Adeola Tukuru

T

he Director, FCT Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Ado Faskari congratulated the council chairman of the Abaji area council, Hon. Yahaya Mohammed, over his recent victory at the tribunal, as duly elected chairman of the area council.

Faskari who the congratulatory message during a courtesy call at the chairman's office yesterday, aadded that they are to deliver the pilgrimage slot of Abaji Area Council to the chairman, as part of preparation by the board for this year's hajj exercise.

In his words: "We are here to congratulate you and to submit the slots of this year's hajj exercise

of Abaji Area Council, we have 60 slots for you and your people as part of board preparation for this year's hajj operation".

He also warned seriously against those individuals that transfer the form to people with higher amount other than the official rate by the government, he said anybody caught doing that will face the law.

The Director, further enjoined

intending pilgrims to be law abiding and be good ambassadors of Nigeria, and to seek for basic knowledge of hajj rites before paying the money to the board.

In his reaction, the Executive Chairman, Abaji Area Council Alhaji Yahaya Musa Muhammad, thanked the delegation of the board and commended their efforts for putting machineries on ground at the right time.

Kerosene scarcity: Residents bemoan ordeal at NNPC mega station

By Josephine Ella

T

he persistent and prolonged kerosene scarcity in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is biting harder on residents, who have lamented the ordeal they go through in a bid to access the commodity.

A visit by our correspondent yesterday, to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Mega Station at the Central Area, revealed that the situation is assuming a worst dimension.

Hundreds of residents from different parts of the FCT and the suburbs were seen scrambling to secure a space on long queues outside the petrol station in a bid to at least, purchase a little quantity of the product, which according to them was not available at any other petrol station known to them.

In the ensuing chaotic situation that resulted, police officers were also sighted, making frantic efforts to control the crowd to no avail.

Our correspondent, who spoke to some of the residents as at 12.pm, gathered that despite several hours on queues under the scourging sun, they were unable to get the product.

A house wife, Mrs Favour Uzodimma, who lamenting her plight to Peoples Daily said that she arrived at the petrol station as early as 5.30am, wondering why the station delayed serving customers up till 12pm. "I have been here since 5.30am and they have not started selling until now.

To get kerosene here on the queue is not easy at all and when they start selling, people that have just one galloon cannot get the product but all these marketers that have up to five-ten galloon will get the product".

She alleged that kerosene marketers often connive with the police officers at the station to deprive other consumers of the product, as she also said that most often; it takes many days before they are able to purchase the commodity.

"The marketers usually boycott the queue, bribing the police men inside, while those of us that have one galloon and are buying for consumption are under the sun, waiting for our turn to come. A lot of people have been coming here since one week but they have not gotten kerosene," she alleged.

On the way out of their ordeal, Uzodimma, who resides at Airport Road appealed to the Federal Government to ensure that the product is made available to other petrol stations in the FCT. "What the government will do for us is to make sure that all petrol stations in Abuja have kerosene because it is only this station that have kerosene that is why people are suffering. If the other filling stations have kerosene we won't be suffering like this," she said.

A civil servant, Doyin Akinyemi, said he had spent three hours on the queue, having secured two hours permissions from his superior in the office, but unfortunately, "The time has

already expired now and I don't know when I will even get the kerosene".

"We produce fuel in this country.

I wonder why government is suffering us. They would have established more mega stations and distribute the product to them so that everybody can have access to it," he suggested.

Corroborating, Akinyemi, another resident, Sunday Ochonwu, who also narrated his experiences said: "Let the mega station distribute kerosene to other branches within FCT and then the population here can be reduced.

A pump attendant at the petrol station, who pleaded anonymity, attributed the delay in selling the product to an ongoing management meeting at the station.

"The problem is because something happened yesterday, so the management is holding a meeting. We are waiting for them to finish the meeting and soon we will start selling," he said.

Man bags 1 month jail term for stealing computer

A

28-years-old man, Oladele Samuel, was on Wednesday sentenced to one month imprisonment for stealing a laptop belonging to a guest at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

The case was first mentioned on April 24 and later adjourned to April 27 for judgement but the court could not sit as the judge was said to be indisposed.

The Police Prosecutor, Sgt. Mohammed Ahmed, told the court that the laptop belonged to a customer who was attending a seminar at the hotel.

Ahmed said that the matter was reported at the police station on April 19 by a staff of the hotel, Mr David Ikape.

The prosecutor said that during investigation by the polic, eight laptop bags were recovered in the residence of the accused at National Defence College Road in Bwari, FCT. He said the accused also confessed that he stole two other laptops from the same hotel.

The prosecutor said the offence contravened section 288 of the Penal Code.

The accused, who pleaded guilty to the charge on the first day of mentioning, said he had no job and that was why he had been involved in the act.

He prayed the court to pardon him because of his siblings who depended on him for their livelihood.

The Senior Magistrate, Khadijat Mustapha, in her ruling sentenced the accused to one-month imprisonment without an option of fine. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 17

Manual brickmaking at Sabon Lugbe Abuja on Wednesday

Painter working on a vehicle at Galadimawa village Abuja.

This cosmetics hawker was caught taking an afternoon nap at Lugbe village, Abuja yesterday.

Lending a hand: Two men helping a motorist push his car at Lugbe village Abuja on A wheelbarrow pusher contesting use of the road with a car owner at Lugbe New Thursday.

Extension, Abuja.

Photos: Joe Oroye

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Towards a cleaner federal capital city W

aste management, is one of the biggest challenges associated with urban settlements, particularly the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), which is struggling hard to tackle.

Similar to what obtains in other climes, Abuja has had its fair share of the unprecedented influx of Nigerians from the rural communities into the city in search of greener pasture.

This trend, you would agree with me, has hit the roof, in the last few months, in view of the prevailing security challenges presently bedeviling the country, especially in some northern states.

True, the FCT may not have been spared of some of the security concern; many Nigerians in the troubled zones believe that the nation’s capital is still better-off in terms of security.

For those who are engrossed with the illusion that Abuja is a place where all kinds of jobs that can transform one’s economic status within a twinkling of an eye for the better are readily available. It is difficult to offer any convincing argument to the contrary, that can change the deeply rooted perception.

So, owing to this survival instinct, on daily basis with bags and baggage, we continue witness the mass influx of people into the city.

Consequently, with more people trouping in, the volume of waste generated within the city and the satellite towns especially, has continued to increase in an alarming geometric progression.

Notwithstanding, several measures that have been put in place by the FCT administration, towards keeping the city clean, the desired result seems not in view, unfortunately.

That the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), which is responsible for sanitising the city centre, has not kept up with the task does not arise at all if one is to be fair to them.

To be objective, the board has made some commendable efforts towards keeping the city clean, with the over 20 city cleaning contractor; it has engaged to do the cleaning.

Though the same cannot be said of the FCT

FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed area councils that obviously, are not on top of the environmental situation in their domains, but today’s article will not be dwelling on this.

The emphasis here, today, is on the role of individuals towards sanitising the environment.

As experts on environmental issues have rightly observed, when it comes to issues that pertain to environmental sanitation, individuals have a very central role to play for the territory to achieve any meaning result in its bid to ensuring that the FCT attains the enviable position of being one of the cleanest cities in the world.

A situation whereby people dump refuse on the street any how without batting an eyelid is very appalling, but most often, this is the case in many parts of Abuja.

Individuals in the FCT need to change their orientation towards the environment so as to create a clean environment, devoid of disease.

When people hold on to the belief that only their immediate surroundings, or the place of their abode is all that matters when it comes to sanitation, then apparently, they have got it all wrong and as a matter of necessity, this kind of orientation has to be changed.

It is common place to see commuters on transit consume a bottle of soft drink, sachet of pure water, packet of biscuits, snacks, dumping the pack carelessly on the street.

Nobody seems to give a damn because it is not around their homes, but the truth is, it is collective responsibility of everybody to ensure that the entire city is kept clean.

Individuals must each play their part in ensuring

ABUJA DIARY with Josephine Ella Jomarch4@yahoo.com 08065327178 this by first, imbibing the right culture of appropriate waste disposal and secondly, championing this campaigning within their vicinities wherever they find themselves.

When recently, the management of the AEPB disclosed that the board has taken steps towards ensuring that commercial drivers, compulsorily provide waste basket in their vehicles, appeared to me as a good step towards the right direction.

This is because, from observation, many bus drivers do not have waste bins in their vehicles. This is one factor that encourages the unwholesome attitude of indiscriminate dumping of waste on the ground.

If the words of the board’s director, Isa Shuaibu is anything to go by, this enforcement is to commence soon, when FCT minister approves a proposal, stipulating the charges that would be meted out to commercial drivers found wanting, which has already been forwarded to him.

I think, it is only appropriate for the AEPB to include private car owners on the list, as they are also guilty of not having waste baskets in their vehicles.

Another important issue that must be raised here is the commitment of the board towards enforcement in the event that the minister eventually gives his approval.

The AEPB, we all are aware, are burdened with so many tasks, ranging from the enforcement of the ban on street hawking, street trading, begging and so many other responsibilities, despite its inadequate staff strength, so the FCT administration should consider augmenting their staff strength.

If despite the availability of waste baskets, commuters are found in any case to be defaulting, the board could arrest and prosecute them.

Pedestrians, who are found dumping waste indiscriminately on the street, should not be spared as well.

However, this should only apply when the board on its part, must have provided adequate waste bins at every nooks and crannies of the city.

This will in no small measure, go a long way in controlling litters on the streets.

Three communities in Abaji to get transformers soon

By Adeola Tukuru

T

he Chairman of Abaji Area Council, Hon. Yahaya Mohammed, has disclosed that three communities in the area will soon have transformers, for electricity generation.

The communities include; Sabon-Tesha, Federal Low-cost and Abattoir.

He said that his administration will continue to improve the social immunities of the entire people of Abaji as promised during

electioneering campaign, adding that more transformers would be supplied to additional communities facing similar problems.

Yahaya said that his administration will not leave any stone unturned in terms of infrastructural development, saying all areas of human endeavour would be looked in to, and called the people of the community to participate in the developmental process.

In his reaction, the chairman of Sabon-Tesha Community on power, Mr.

Munkaila Ismail, expressed appreciation to the Council Chairman for the gesture, which he said will go a long way in helping business people in the community.

Also the Chairman House Committee on works, Hon. Abdulkadir Mamagi said the council has prepared to improve in water supply, road network and power, saying "we will continue to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people, so let them be patient with us as we move together as a house to achieve the same goal".

Refuse dump overflowing to main road in Mararaba, Nasarawa state, yesterday.

Photos: Mahmud Isa

Man 21, remanded in custody for rape A

n Abuja Upper Area Court yesterday, ordered that a 21-yearold, Musa Usman, of Kaga Estate, Nasarawa State, be remanded in prison for alleged attempt to commit rape and assault.

Police prosecutor Francis Udofia told the court that the crime was reported on April 25 by one, Mr L. Wadak, a navy officer residing at Navy Estate, Karshi, Abuja.

Udofia said the

accused forced one Fatima Adamu of Papalada village in Nasarawa, a milk seller, to have sexual intercourse with him.

He said the accused took Adamu to a nearby uncompleted building and forcibly removed her pant in an attempt to have sexual intercourse with her.

The prosecutor said that in the process, two labourers caught him and handed him over to

the navy officer who took him to the police station.

According to the prosecutor, the attempt to commit rape and assault contravened sections 56 and 265 of the Penal Code.

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

Judge Umar Kagarko ordered that the accused be remanded in Keffi Prison and adjourned the case to May 9 for further hearing. (NAN)

Man, 44, arraigned over pedestrian’s death

A

44-year-old motorist, Baldwin Duru, of number 8, Alhaji Adamu St., Mararaba, Nasarawa, was on Wednesday, arraigned before a Chief Magistrates’ Court, Wuse Zone 6, Abuja, for knocking down and killing a pedestrian.

The police prosecutor, Insp. Philip Akogwu, told

the court that Duru knocked down one Mr Ibrahim Ishaku near Mogadishu Cantonment, Asokoro District, FCT, on April 27.

Akogwu said the accused drove a Toyota Carina car with registration number BV 673 KUJ, in a dangerous manner, knocked down Ishaku who died on the spot.

The offence, he said, was contrary to sections 27 and 28 of the Penal Code.

The accused pleaded guilty.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr. Azubuike Ezeagu, granted bail in the sum of N800,000 and two sureties in like sum.

He adjourned the case till June 1. (NAN)

BUSINESS

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Email: amunuimam@yahoo.co.uk

PAGE 19

INSIDE

- Pg 20

Guaranty Trust Bank stock rises to 4-year high

Mob: 08033644990

FAAC allocation for the month of March 2012 S/N

BENEFICIARIES

SUB-TOTAL (N)

1

FG (52.68%) States (26.72%) L/govt Councils (20.72%) Derivation (13% of Mineral revenue-oil/gas) Value Added Tax (VAT) & Transfers

613.7 billion

First Bank commitsN500bn to oil and gas financing in Nigeria

By Aminu Imam irst Bank of Nigeria Plc has committed well over N500billion to financing oil and gas projects in Nigeria as part of efforts to enhance local capacity and competitiveness, its Executive Director for Corporate Banking, Mr. Kehinde Lawanson has said.

Lawanson, addressing a session attended by international petroleum professionals and investors at the ongoing Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, USA said the sum represents the Bank’s total financing activities for the upstream, midstream, and downstream sub-sectors of the oil and gas industry.

The forum had in attendance the Director of the DPR, Mr. Osten Olorunsola; Group Executive

F

Flight schedule AIR NIGERIA (MONDAY - SUNDAY) LOS-A BJ: 07.15, 11.40, 14.00, 16.30, 17.00, 17.20, 18.30 ABJ-LOS: 07.00, 09.30, 10.30, 11.15, 16.15, 19.15, 19.35 ABJ-KANO: 18.40 KANO-ABJ: 08.35 ABJ -SOK (MON): 09.35 ABJ-SOK (FRI): 10.10 ABJ-SOK (WED/SUN): 11.20 SOK-ABJ (MON): 11.35 SOK-ABJ (FRI): 12.00 SOK-ABJ (WED/SUN): 13.20

AEROCONTRACTORS (MON - SUN) LOS-ABJ: 06.50, 13.30, 19.45 LOS-ABJ (SUN): 12.30 LOS-ABJ (SAT): 16.45 ABU-L OS: 07.30, 13.00, 14.00, 19.00 ABU-LOS (SUN): 10.30, 14.30, 19.30 ABU-LOS (SAT): 18.30

DANA AIRLINES (MON - SUN)

Director, Gas and Power of the NNPC, Dr. David Ige; and Commercial Manager for ExxonMobil Corporation, Mrs. Tolu Ewheriodo.

“First Bank is widely acknowledged as the leading player in oil and gas financing and has a proven pedigree of providing both financial and advisory backing for players in the sector. Our total play in the oil and gas business as at 2011 was well over N500billion,” Lawanson said.

“We are committed to growing our involvement in the oil and gas industry and assisting particularly indigenous firms take full advantage of the opportunities in the industry in line with the Nigerian local content act,” he added.

Some of the bank’s financing activities in the sector include funding rig acquisition for indigenous operators, financing lines to indigenous fabricators for oil and gas contracts, funding specialised vessel acquisition scheme for local content support, and supporting major pipeline distribution and gas infrastructural development projects in several communities.

Lawanson said the bank was at the forefront of assisting indigenous firms take full advantage of the Nigerian Content Act by providing requisite financing, but urged local firms to embrace good corporate governance practice and seek sound financial counselling to enable them improve their risk profile.

According to him, this would position them properly for increase funding from the financial services sector.

He said the bank has over the years remained a major player in infrastructure financing in the oil and gas sector.

LOS-ABJ: 07.02, 08.10, 12.06, 15.30, 17.10 ABJ-LOS: 07.20, 09.36, 13.05, 14.40 ABJ-LOS (SAT/SUN): 13.05, 18.00 LOS-KANO : 08.10 KANO-LOS: 11.25 KANO -ABUJA: 11.25 ABUJA-KANO : 10.08

IRS AIRLINES

AMCON to confiscate debtors’ off-shore assets

By Abdulwahab Isa

T

he Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) says it will extend its dragnet for off-shore properties of debtors as it launches debt recovery drive soon.

AMCON’s Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Mr. Mustapha Chike Obi unveiled these plans yesterday in Abuja at the launch of the AMCON Road Show.

The corporation hinted of plans to appoint debt recovery agents across the country saying bank debtors are scattered across the country. The agents so appointed would assist in recovering debts owed AMCON between now and 2014.

According to him, AMCON has “another one and a half to two years to recover debts and will soon appoint debt recovery agent across the country for that”. Bank debtors, he notes

CBN CFA • £ RIYAL $

LOS -ABJ: 9.45, 11.45, 2.45

2nd May, 2012 BUYING 0.2926 203.183 250.1654 41.2489 154.7

SELLING 0.3126 204.4964 251.7825 41.5156 155.7

PARALLEL RATES • £ RIYAL $

BUYING 210 254 40 157

SELLING 212 256 42 158

....appoints debt recovery agents spread across the country but he said that his organisation has generated a database of debt recovery agents and lawyers have been hired to pursue different borrowers across the country.

He said findings by AMCON revealed some loans were executed in connivance between banks and borrowers leading to tainted assets, a development that has compelled AMCON to ask banks to state which of their loans are insider-related and those that are tainted.

According to him, where assets or borrowers cannot pay the loan, AMCON he said “has extensive legal backing to go after assets abroad, whether the asset is captured in the loan agreement or not and will declare some borrowers

insolvent before going after them”.

Mr. Chike Obi also disclosed that AMCON has nothing to do with the two recently licensed non-interest banks because the corporation “is only allowed to interact with eligible financial institutions that make 30 per cent basis point contribution to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

With regards to the fate of the three nationalised banks, the AMCON chief told journalists that the corporation was “now in the process of evaluating what the nationalized banks are worth and have so far received 44 Expressions of Interest (EoI) but has shortlisted 11 entries that will soon get Requests for Proposals (RFPs), and in another 46 weeks from now will AMCON will appoint/select the advisor nationalised banks.”

Management Tip of the Day

EXCHANGE RATES

ABJ-LOS: 11.30, 3.45, 4.45 LOS-KANO: 6.15 LOS-KANO (SAT/SUN): 16.30 KANO-LOS: 07.30 KANO-LOS (SUN/SUN): 10.30

L-R: Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, after the meeting on the state of economy at the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

W

When to share bad news

hen you’re privy to information that your team isn't, should you share the news or protect your employees? When deciding whether to divulge bad news, do these things first: Know your tendency. We all have a preferred approach when it comes to privacy. Some

keep things quiet, while others are more open. Understand your bias and find a middle ground.

Question your motives.

Whether you're eager to share news or resisting a conversation, question your motives. Are you feeling guilty about harboring information? Are you afraid of

people getting angry?

Tend toward transparency. Lean toward transparency if possible. As long as you're not violating company policy, give your team the bad news - especially if it's going to impact their work.

Source: Harvard Business Review

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 20

COMPANY NEWS

Kentucky Fried Chicken expands outlet in Festac

K

entucky Fried Chicken (KFC), the latest entrant into Nigeria’s growing fast foods industry, has expanded its outlet in the country rapidly to14, with the of Festac branch on Monday.

Power: IPMAN tasks FG on renewable energy

By Muhammad Sada

T

he leadership of the Western Zone of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has called on the Federal Government to explore alternative sources of power generation in the country.

The call was made by the

Chairman of the Western zone of the association while speaking with newsmen at Lagos on Wednesday. He advised the government to explore sources like the solar and wind to meet the nation’s energy demand which is currently in a very critical condition. He also added that the government should adopt the different models of

exploiting solar and wind for more stable power generation.

According to him, Nigeria must explore the abundant renewable energy sources to resuscitate the power sector as well as enhance the sectors impact on the nation’s economy.

He also made a call to the government to introduce a policy mix that would ensure

Guaranty Trust Bank stock rises to 4-year high

Firms train 600 youths on SMEs toolkit

By Aminu Imam with agency report

G

W

hitefield Foundation in collaboration with Megalios Solutions and Consulting and Capstone Church has empowered over 600 Nigerian youths with free Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) toolkit training at the Change Summit Seminar Series, held in Lagos.

Leasing bill passes first reading in Senate

T

he renewed efforts by the National Assembly to ensure that the business of equipment leasing is practised and regulated in line with internationally acceptable standards, received a major boost last month when the bill to regulate the practice of equipment leasing and connected purposes in Nigeria sailed through first reading at the Senate.

Experts bemoan gale of downsizing in Nigerian banks

S

ome financial experts have advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to intervene in the ongoing downsizing exercise by banks under their new management teams.

Insurers advocate compulsory policy for govt agencies

I

nsurance practitioners nationwide have called for enforcement of the occupiers liability insurance (public building) law on ministries, government departments and agencies.

that both renewable and nonrenewable energy shared the market and that “Gas will continue to play important role in meeting the energy demands of this country.But for the future and for energy security we must find a way of bringing in renewable energy, especially in the rural areas where there is issue of poor service’’ he said.

Tricycles distributed recently by Ochendo Youth Foundation Empowerment to some youth in Aba, Abia state.

Africa attracts growing share of global FDI - Report

A

frica received its largest ever share of global foreign direct investment in 2011, but potential investors without a business presence in the continent still view it as “the least attractive investment destination in the world”, Ernst & Young said yesterday.

A report by the global accounting firm painted a mixed picture for investment prospects in the continent of 1 billion people.

Despite the growth in FDI, optimism over economic reforms and a consumer boom, fears over corruption and political instability often affect investors’ perceptions, it said.

“Despite high optimism, high growth and high returns, the perception gap still exists and the African continent as a whole still attracts fewer FDI projects than India and far fewer than China,” said managing partner for Africa at Ernst & Young, Ajen Sita.

The number of FDI projects in Africa grew 27 percent from 2010 to 2011, close to levels last seen before the financial crisis, the firm said in its 2012 Africa Attractiveness Survey.

The continent attracted 5.5 percent of global FDI projects, up from 4.5 percent the previous year and its highest proportion ever, with significant inflows into the manufacturing, infrastructure-related and services sectors. The 857 new FDI projects in 2011 were just short of the peak seen in 2008, when there were 901 projects.

Investment from emerging and developed markets grew at a similar pace between 2010 and

2011, the survey showed, despite the West’s economic slowdown.

Projects from countries such as India, China and Turkey increased by 27.6 percent, compared with a 26.6 percent rise from more mature economies.

Ernst & Young polled 505 global executives, and 60 percent said their perception of Africa as a business destination had improved over the past three years. Nearly three quarters said they believed Africa would become more attractive to potential investors over the next three years.

But respondents found Africa less appealing when compared to other regions, the report said, though it added that there was “stark contrast” between those who already had a business presence in the region and those who didn’t.

The former ranked only Asia ahead of Africa, while the views of the latter were “overwhelmingly negative”.

“In fact, for those respondents with no business presence in Africa, the continent is viewed as by far the least attractive investment destination in the world,” the report said.

FDI inflows to Nigeria, South Africa and Angola are forecast to average $40.6 billion per year over the next five years as their oil and mineral reserves draw investors from emerging and developed markets, the report said. Around a quarter of a million new jobs are likely to be created in the three countries as a result.

Intra-African investment has also been a significant driver of

growth, with Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa among the top investors into the rest of the continent.

Nigeria topped the list of countries expected to draw significant funds over the next five years, with the report forecasting an average of $23 billion per year in FDI inflows and around 95,000 new jobs. But recent militant attacks in the continent’s top oil producer, which has been the largest African recipient of FDI over the last decade, could deter some investors, it added. (Reuters)

uaranty Trust Bank Plc (GT Bank), Nigeria’s biggest lender by market value, reached the highest in four years and gained the most in almost nine months on bets of higher earnings, according to Renaissance Capital.

The stock rose 5 percent to close at N16.82, the biggest gain since Aug. 12 and the highest price since April 2008.

GT Bank is projected to achieve a 40 percent growth in earnings this year, compared with 37 percent for the Nigerian banking industry, a Lagos-based Africa banking analyst at Renaissance Capital, Adesoji Solanke said. The lender’s results for 2011 and the first quarter of this year have demonstrated “the sustainability of its earnings profile,” he said.

Full-year net income rose 37 percent to 52.65 billion naira, the company said in March. Firstquarter profit rose 35 percent to 19.3 billion naira, it said April 19.

The bank’s shares have risen 18 percent this year, compared with a 7.6 percent rise in the Nigerian Stock Exchange AllShare Index.

The Central Bank of Nigeria raised interest rates to a record 12 percent last year, and RenCap’s economists expect it to remain at this level for most of this year, Solanke said.

(Source:BusinessWeek)

Udoh assures NAMA staff of continuous training From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

T

he Managing Director of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Mazi Nnamdi Udoh has assured workers of the agency of continuous training and retraining especially those that would give them foreign exposure in their chosen field.

He gave the assurance recently when he visited members of the Air Transport Service Senior Staff Association(ATSSSAN) at their National Secretariat at the Murtala Mohammed International, Ikeja, Lagos to felicitate with them on the May Day 2012 being celebrated worldwide by worker.

Mazi Udoh further assured the workers that under his management, he would ensure

that NAMA would have the best trained workforce relevant in today’s Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) business.

He remarked that qualified worker without a travelling passport would have himself or herself to blame in the new dispensation.

The NAMA boss disclosed that all outstanding promotions have been released while the issue of casualisation of workers no longer exist in NAMA and that all employable casuals have been integrated officially into the establishment.

He counselled workers on the need for industrial harmony so as to sustain the growth and economic viability of the Agency and most importantly the quality of service provided for end users and enhancement of its safety culture.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 21

TAX ALERT

Institutionalising tax culture in Nigeria

By Muhammad Nasir

“

We want to institutionalise a tax culture among Nigerians so that we see ourselves as custodians of the tax system and our commonwealth. We are definitely on the right track. Of course, it is only when you pay tax that you can talk of tax-payers’ money. You can proudly challenge anybody you think is misusing public funds because it is your tax that the person is misusing” - President Goodluck Jonathan.

The national tax policy, as a concept, is essentially aimed at creating awareness about the central role, which taxation can play in National Development and setting out general guidelines by which this can be achieved.

The tax policy and our tax laws therefore provide the platform for creating a tax conscious citizenry.

There is however need to go beyond educating the citizenry on the tax system, its role in national development and the expected contribution from various groups of Nigerians, to actually creating and inculcating a tax culture amongst Nigerians.

This is very necessary if government is to attain its goals of diversifying the Nigerian economy and obtaining sustainable and stable revenue from taxation.

In order to create a sustainable tax culture among Nigerians, there are certain areas which require attention. As a first step there must be a clear understanding of the overview and underlying philosophy for creating a tax culture among Nigerians. In its basic form, taxation is simply a means of generating revenue for government.

However, in developed nations and economies, taxation is no longer viewed as merely an avenue for revenue generation by government.

Rather, it is a means by which citizens contribute to a common purse for the provision of infrastructure, utilities, security and other needs by the government. It is viewed as an important component of the social contract between the government and the governed.

A tax consultant, Bamidele Bakare, justified the new tax policy on the grounds that it will sanitize the system substantially.

He observed that the former poor legal framework made it difficult for the authorities to tackle tax evaders and those who cheat Government.

“Evidence abound that many corporate bodies and wealthy Nigerians who control about 80

per cent of the nation’s wealth do not pay appropriate tax. With the new policy, such irregularities will be checked and dealt with. It will also help to ensure that people are not over-taxed or treated unfairly.”, he stated.

Reminded that government has not justified the way it managed existing resources, Bakare’s position is “that is another matter entirely; people should pay their taxes, it is their civic responsibility. Misusing the tax is wrong and criminal and government has what it takes to deal with that.”

Former Managing Director of the now defunct African Continental Bank Plc, Mr. Emma Nwosu, agreed with Bakare.

“Government has the duty to demand tax from the citizens. It is like one’s relationship with God or with one’s children. You cannot say you will not fulfil your obligations to God because you have not received what you expect from Him; or that you will not train your child because he is not behaving the way you like. You must play your part; that is the most important thing.”

An economist, Dr Gaius Edigin agrees that government has the responsibility of formulating appropriate tax policies for the development of the country. He however expressed disappointment that our leaders have embarked on massive looting of the treasury without being adequately punished.

“Look at what is happening at the Police Pension Fund and the Civil Service Pension at the Head

The benefits of self assessment system

By Muhammad Nasir

S

elf- assessment simply implies that the onus of calculating tax liability and its timely payment rest on the taxpayer.

According to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) SAS project manager, Chris Onyegbule, self-asssesement system is a system of tax administration whereby the taxpayer is granted the right, by law to compute his own tax liability, pay tax due at the designated bank and produce evidence of tax paid at the time of filing his tax return at the tax office on the due date.

In a self-assessment system, a taxpayer is required to assess his tax liability using a tax return form in which he declares his gross income and his allowable deductions. The Taxpayer is expected to complete a tax declaration for the period in question, calculates the tax due and sends the declaration along with the payment of tax to the tax authority. The tax return must then be filed with the tax authority together with a payment for the tax liability computed for the tax liability computed in that return.

…to voluntary tax compliance in the returns and subjects the Nigeria returns to due date validation.

The Self-assessment procedure is calibrated as follows: Step 1: Taxpayer education and the role of the taxpayer in competing tax due, paying it and filing tax returns.

Step 2: Checking for completeness of returns: The incoming desk receives and confirms filing obligations by checking its completeness I terms of the documents prescribed under the relevant tax laws.

Step 3: Documentation of Returns: After the returns have been certified complete and an acknowledgement letter issued to the taxpayer, the incoming desk will Proceed to register all return forms and give appropriate assessment numbers.

Step 4: Filing: The keeps all files, receives the returns and ensure that returns are filed in their own cases files.

Step5: Administrative review of returns: The function of the RPPU is to carry out administrative review of the returns. When returns are received from the CRU, the RPPU checks and received from CRU, the RPPU checks for any omission in

Step 6: Risk Analysis/Risk Profiling: The major reason for risk assessment is the optimization of compliance through an objective and transparent method. They receive the tax returns, assingns numerical scores that indicate the potential level of non-complance, and prepare a risk Analysis report to be sent on a weekly basis.

Step 7: Auditing: The Tax Audit Unit select cases for audit from the inventory of risk analysis already carried out. It selects in descending order of level of risk.

Thus manpower will be deployed to areas of need.

Step 8: Compliance Measures: When a company fails to submit tax imposed. The processes carried out on all compliance without fail.

Step 9: For taxpayer that fail to file tax returns, administrative assessments would be raised using information obtained through spot audit and third party sources. This process will ensure that administrative assessment are not frivolous and unreliable as was the case with best of judgment assessments.

Ag. Chairman, FIRS, Alh. Kabir Mohammed Mashi of Service. Can you imagine a few individuals embezzling billions of Naira of public funds as if it is no man’s business? That is just one aspect. Almost in all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government, it is stealing galore and nothing happens. Who bears the brunt of all the looting? The tax-payer.”

Citizens therefore must partner with their governments to raise revenue by means of taxation in other to provide funds, which will be utilised for the benefit of the entire citizenry.

In Nigeria, there is absence of such a clear understanding of the philosophy behind taxation. It is therefore necessary that government at all levels, clearly articulate and propagate this philosophy to their citizens. The tax policy can only set out general guidelines on the role of taxation in national development, however it is the duty of government to take the message to the generality of the people, so that a tax culture can be imbibed in Nigeria.

In addition to carrying out enlightenment on the role and benefits of taxation in National Development, government should ensure there is proper accountability for and judicious use of tax revenue, so that tax payers can derive benefits from their contributions to the common purse.

In this way, citizens would be made aware that they are stakeholders and partners in the tax system and that so far as they contribute taxes, they can hold their leaders accountable and be entitled to the provision of social services.

As earlier noted, registration of taxpayers is a fundamental step in the tax administration process and in this respect, the unique Taxpayer Identification Number (U-TIN) has been identified as a major tool towards the registration

and proper identification of all taxpayers.

However, in order to ensure the successful implementation of this system of registration, there must be a clear understanding of the concept and philosophy behind its introduction.

The background to the introduction of U-TIN was the need to move the registration of taxpayers in Nigeria from a manual uncoordinated process to an electronic, harmonised and structured system.

The old system was cumbersome, unreliable and posed a major challenge to taxpayers and tax authorities. Accordingly, there was the need to replace that system with a more taxpayer friendly and effective system.

The basic concept of U-TIN, is a harmonised taxpayer identification system, which is electronically based and accessible to all relevant stakeholders. It is a common and unified system for identification of taxpayers nationally and would encompass a database of all registered taxpayers at state and federal level. This will create proper linkages between tax authorities and aid co-operation and information sharing thereby leading to greater compliance by taxpayers.

Other advantages of the TIN system include reduction in the cost and time required for tax compliance by taxpayers and tax authorities, expansion of the tax system and its use for national planning and social security purposes.

It is expected that tax authorities and governments at all levels would collaborate to ensure the successful implementation of the U-TIN system in Nigeria, in terms of funding, personnel and platforms for the deployment of the system nationwide.

PAGE 22

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Britain’s Islamic Bank hosts first ‘Islamic Finance Question Time’

Guests at Islamic Bank of Britain Plc (IBB) exclusively-held event in London.

I

slamic Bank of Britain Plc (IBB) has held an exclusive event, entitled Islamic Finance Question Time - an open, public Q&A session hosted by the Bank's Shar'ah Scholars.

Islamic Finance Question Time is the first event of its kind, and the only time a UK Islamic bank has given public access to the Scholars that form its Shari'ah Supervisory

Takaful premium jumped 19% 2010 to N1.3tr –Ernest &Young

G

lobal Islamic insurance contributions surged 19 percent in 2010 to $8.3 billion (about N1.3 trillion) helped by Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, which made up more than half the industry, an Ernst & Young report said.

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which also includes the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait, made $5.68 billion of Islamic insurance or takaful contributions in 2010, and South East Asia $2 billion, according to the World Takaful Report 2012 e-mailed today.

Growth in the GCC slowed to 16 percent in 2010, from an annual average of 41 percent between 2005 and 2009 as the implementation of compulsory medical insurance in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi was completed earlier, it said.

The growth, amid a "global economic meltdown is definitely commendable," the head of Islamic financial services for the Middle East and North Africa, at Ernst & Young, Ashar Nazim said in a telephone interview from Bahrain. "With the current growth trends, and the addition of new fringe markets such as Indonesia and Bangladesh, we expect gross contributions of $12.4 billion by 2012."

The Kuala Lumpur-based Islamic Financial Services Board estimates assets of the Islamic finance industry will grow to $2.8 trillion by 2015 from $1 trillion now.

Islamic finance has a 25 percent share in the GCC and 22 percent in Malaysia, while takaful's share is 15 percent in the GCC and 10 percent in Malaysia, leaving room for growth, Ernst & Young said.

(Bloomberg)

Saleh Yaqoobi, and Mufti Abdul Qadir Barkatulla. The SSC welcomed questions from the public about Islamic Finance in order to facilitate a lively debate.

The aim of the event was to demystify Islamic finance and provide an insight into how it offers a faith-based alternative to conventional finance and banking.

Chairman of the IBB SSC, Sheikh Dr Abdul Sattar Abu Ghuddah said, "Islamic finance is as old as the religion of Islam itself. However, there is still a lot of misunderstanding around how it works and the need for Muslims to manage their finances in Shari'ah-compliant manner.

The IBB SSC hopes the Islamic Finance Question Time event has shed some light on the matter and gone some way to encouraging the further take-up of Shari'ah Finance amongst the Muslim community."

Senior Manager, Shari'ah Compliance at IBB, Samir Alamad, who works closely with the IBB SSC on a day to day basis said, "The feedback from attendees of Islamic Finance Question Time has been very positive.

The public welcomed the opportunity to engage with the IBB SSC so openly. The event is the first time a UK Islamic bank has given open access to its SSC, and this reflects the open and transparent way the bank works with its customers."

Over 150 guests attended the event, held at the Bloomsbury Hotel in London.

Over 10 questions were put to the panel leading to a debate lasting over 1.5 hours.

Committee (SSC).

IBB, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qatar International Islamic Bank, is the UK's only wholly Shari'ahcompliant retail bank in the UK.

It was originally established in 2004 and has attracted over 50, 000 customers.

IBB's SSC consist of Sheikh Dr. Abdul Sattar Abu Ghuddah, Sheikh Nizam Muhammed

H

HSBC Islamic hedging, investment grew doubledigits in 2011

SBC Holdings Plc's (HSBC) Islamic risk management business posted double-digit growth last year on rising demand for Shariah-compliant hedging and investment products.

The bank has "more than 100 Islamic hedging and investment products, from about 10 products two and a half years ago,", head of multi-asset structuring at HSBC Global Banking and Markets, Middle East and North A f r i c a , A b h i s h e k Mishra said at a conference in Dubai.

He forecasts similar growth in the bank's Islamic hedging and investment business in 2012.

While Saudi Arabia made up most of HSBC's business last year, there has been growth among other Gulf Cooperation Council nations in 2012, Mishra said. The Islamic finance industry is forecast to more than

double to $2.8 trillion by 2015, the Kuala Lumpur-based Islamic Financial Services Board said.

The six- nation GCC, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have a 25 percent share and Malaysia has 22 percent, Ernst & Young said in a report this month.

Speculation is forbidden under Islamic law, and derivatives are limited to hedging.

Derivatives are contracts whose value is derived from stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities, or events such as interest rates or the weather.

The Manama, Bahrainbased International Islamic Financial Market and the New York-based International Swaps and Derivatives Association published standards for Islamic profit- rate swaps in March.

"HSBC has benefited from the global financial crisis, because as more foreign banks focus on their geographies and their existing products, we were able to take advantage of the gap," Mishra said. HSBC is the biggest underwriter of Islamic bonds this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

(Bloomberg)

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

Protecting the interests of Nigerians in northern Cameroon

By Mike Mbonye

A

Nigerian resident in Garoua, northern Cameroon, Suleiman Abdullahi, 29.

He migrated to Cameroon in December 2011, following attacks in his neighbourhood in Mubi, Adamawa, by gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect.

“The experience was a sad one for me. Some of my friends and relations lost their lives, while properties worth thousands of naira were also destroyed during the attacks.’’

Desperate to look for a safe haven, Suleiman visited an uncle in Garoua and thereafter, decided to settle there. He started operating a commercial motorcycle in Garoua to eke out a living.

Mohammed Goni is another Nigerian living in Garoua. The man emigrated from Banki, a border town in Borno.

He said that he fled from Banki because of attacks by gunmen, also suspected to be members of the Boko Haram

sect.

“The assailants have been intimidating residents of Banki, always threatening to deal with us. They attacked our people coming back from the farm and market, killing and maiming some of them,’’ he said. “ I later fled to Garoua with my family for safety reasons.’’

Mr Ibeabuchi Ololo, the Chairman of Imo/ Abia Association in Garoua, conceded that Nigerians had been migrating to Cameroon in droves, following the Boko Haram attacks.

“Nigerians come into Cameroon from Banki in Borno to Marwa in Cameroon.

We receive them and offer them little assistance to enable them to settle down without problems.

“We, however, appeal to the Federal Government to do something urgent about the security challenges facing our country.

“The growing insecurity in northern parts of Nigeria has also affected our businesses and interests in northern Cameroon.

“For instance, virtually

Cameroonian President Paul Biya

President Goodluck Jonathan

everything we use in Garoua comes from Yola, Maiduguri and Kano. These days, Nigerian and Cameroonian businessmen and women are afraid of coming to Nigeria to do business.

“In the past, goods from Nigeria sustained the local economies of northern Cameroon.

Nowadays, business is no longer normal, as people are afraid of coming to Nigeria for business.

“The people here need goods from Nigeria to survive; we believe the Federal Government is equal to the task of tackling the rising menace of insecurity in Nigeria,’’ Ololo said.

Dr Samuel Ogoke, a Garoua-based medical doctor, also complained of dwindling business since the onset of the Boko Haram violence in Nigeria.

He said that apart from practising as a gynaecologist, he was also importing drugs and medical equipment from Nigeria.

“We have not been finding it easy since the Boko Haram attacks began. For us to enter

Kano, Maiduguri or Yola to buy our goods, we weigh all options regarding our safety and security.

“This has made some of us to opt for going to Nigeria through Younde or Douala in the southern part of Cameroon, which is a longer journey.

“The journey from Garoua in northern Cameroon to Younde in the South takes three days by road or rail, except for those who can afford to travel by air,’’ he said.

Ogoke stressed that due to the serious security challenges facing Nigeria, Nigerians resident in Garoua were usually intimidated and harassed by the Cameroonian police and immigration officers.

He alleged that Nigerians living in the area were often subjected to spontaneous raids and interrogation by Cameroonian lawenforcement officers even if their papers were okay.

“Nigerians are now tired of the incessant harassment and we appeal to the Federal Government to set up a consular office in northern Cameroon to protect the interests of Nigerians there.

“Nigeria has consular offices in some parts of Cameroon and nobody dares to harass or intimidate our people there. The consular offices always protect the interests of Nigerians and

Soldiers at checkpoints in Maiduguri, Borno state

Gov. Murtala Nyako

ensure that they are not disturbed,’’ Ogoke said.

Sharing similar sentiments, Ibeabuchi noted that no Nigerian ambassador had visited Garoua in the past four years.

“We were surprised to hear that the last Nigerian ambassador to Cameroon was sent off some weeks ago.

He did not even deem it fit to visit Garoua in the last four years; that is very unfair,’’ he said.

However, Abdullahi, the motorcycle operator, said

that one comparative advantage he had was his ability to speak Fulfulde language, which was also the native language of Garoua

people.

“It is interesting to know that the same Fulfulde language, spoken in Adamawa State in Nigeria, is

“

Nigerians are now tired of the incessant harassment and we appeal to the Federal Government to set up a consular office in northern Cameroon to protect the interests of Nigerians there

same language that is spoken in Garoua.

“The language advantage and the little French I speak have made things quite easy for me here. Somehow, we have been surviving in Garoua.

“I am even planning to bring some of my relations to Garoua before the end of this year.

“More importantly, we appeal to the Federal Government to check the menace of insecurity in Nigeria.

“Attacks by the Boko Haram sect have been affecting the

interests of Nigerians living in Cameroon. We also believe that if peace is restored to the troubled areas of Nigeria, citizens will no longer flee to Cameroon,’’ Abdullahi said.

Judging by the views of Nigerians resident in Cameroon, the Federal Government ought to open a consular office in northern Cameroon to protect the interests of Nigerians living there, while making determined efforts to tackle the security challenges facing Nigeria.

Source: NAN

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

The seven most prosperous people on the resurrection day: Lessons and hopes Allah says: “Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, to Him will we give a new life, a life that is good and pure and we will bestow on their reward according to the best of their actions.” [an-Nahl: 97]

I

n the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All Praise is due to Allah, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Allah, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, is His servant, and messenger. May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon His last and final Apostle, his Household, his companions and all his followers until the end of time.

The Apostle of Allah was sitting one day with his Companions discussing their affairs, and one of the issues deliberated was about the condition of the Day of Resurrection was on seven people that Allah will shade under his Throne from the unbearable heat of the sun, as it will be brought very close to the mammoth gathering, frying them. The hadith reads: It is related from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “There are seven whom Allah will shade with His shade on the day when there is no shade but His shade: a just Imam, a youth who grows up worshipping Allah, a man whose heart is attached to the mosque, two men who love each other for the sake of Allah alone, meeting for that reason and parting for that reason, a man who refuses the advances of a noble and beautiful woman, saying, 'I fear Allah', a man who gives charity and conceals it so that his left hand does not know what his right hand gives, and a man who remembers Allah when he is alone and his eyes overflow with tears.” [Sahih alBukhari and Sahih Muslim] Indeed, with the help of Allah, we were able to discuss in detail unprecedented, this hadith in a serialized episodes for good seven weeks. The essence was to appreciate the bounties and mercies of Allah upon His servants, looking at the level of our deeds and the recompense awaiting them in the next world. The Qur'an is very explicit on the spaciousness of the mercy of Allah to His servants. In an authentic Hadith which Salman reported Allah's Messenger (SAW) as saying, “Verily, Allah created, on the same very day when He created the heavens and the earth, one hundred parts of mercy. Every part of mercy is coextensive with the space between the heavens. and the earth and He out of this mercy endowed one part to the earth and it is because of this that the mother shows affection to her child and even the beasts and birds show kindness to one another and when there would be the Day of Resurrection, Allah would make full (use of Mercy).” [ Muslim: Book 37: Hadith No. 6634] This Hadith is enough succour and relieve to every Muslim to strive and inculcate the attribute of hope in Allah, most especially in

the Hereafter. In fact, the Qur'an is al-Jabiri have, listed seven very bold in this regards; Allah says: conditions of the shahadah, which “And ordain for us that which is good, every Muslim must fulfil as the In This life and In the Hereafter: for minimal acknowledgment the we have turned unto thee.” He said: unity of Allah in open and in secret.

“With My punishment I visit whom 1. Al-Ilm: Knowledge of the I will; but My Mercy extendeth to all things. that (mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right, and practise regular charity, and those who believe In Our signs.” [alAaraaf: 156] Thus, the +234-8052952900 (sms only) seven categories islamexplained35@yahoo.com specifically mentioned in the Hadith of our discourse does not meaning of the shahadah, its in any way limits the expanse of negation and affirmation Allah's mercy. There are many 2. Al-Yaqeen: Certainty - perfect other categories that will be knowledge of it that counter-acts fortunate to win the favours of suspicion and doubt Allah as prelude to entrance into 3. Al-Ikhlaas: Sincerity which paradise. Hence, Allah has limit negates shirk) the qualification level of winning 4. Al-Sidq: Truthfulness that His favours in the next world. The permits neither falsehood nor

ISLAM EXPLAINED

cut mark is brought so low such that every sincere Muslim will scale through. Read these glad tidings: The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever says: there is no god but Allah enters Paradise.” [Tabarani narrated it from Abu Dharr in the Kabir, Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, alHakim in his Mustadrak, alMundhiri in al-Targhib, alHaythami in Majma` al-zawa'id, Ibn `Adi, Abu Nu`aym in the Hilya, and al-Bazzar from Umar.]

In the following reports full of glad tidings and optimism, the Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever says there is no god but Allah enters Paradise even if he commits adultery and even if he steals (i.e. even if he commits great sins).” Nasa'i, Tabarani and others from Abu alDarda' - sahih.]

The Prophet (SAW) said: “Whoever witnesses that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah's Messenger, Allah forbids the Fire from touching him.” [ Narrated

by Bukhari and Muslim from Ubada ibn al-Samit.]

However, there are conditions to be fulfilled after the pronouncement of the kalimah; it is more than mere hymning or chanting with the lips. The Muslim scholars, according to Shaykh `Obaid bin `Abdullah bin Sulaiman

hypocrisy) 5. Al-Mahabbah: Love of the shahadah and its meaning, and being happy with it 6. Al-Inqiad: Submission to its rightful requirements, which are the duties that must be performed with sincerity to Allah (alone) seeking His pleasure 7. Al-Qubool: Acceptance that contradicts rejection This is the type of the shahada that wins the favours of Allah on the Resurrection Day. A strong and solid affirmation remains the catalyst of stepping towards Allah.

Allah says: “Those who do wish for the (things of) the Hereafter, and strive therefore with all due striving, and have Faith, They are the ones whose striving is acceptable (to Allah).” [al-Isra'i: 19] And: “If any do deeds of righteousness,- be They male or female - and have Faith, They will enter heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them.” [anNisa'i: 124] That is to say, any good deed will not be accepted nor rewarded Allah without strong affirmation of the shahada. Thus, as integral part of Allah's mercy, one must be a true and sincere believer and works righteousness before he or she is qualified to win his favours and

mercy. Any polytheist or heathen will not be accepted into the mercy of Allah in the next world.

Consequently, the fact that one does not seems to unambiguously belong to any of the aforementioned seven categories should not despair nor lose hope in the mercy of Allah.

There are many other deeds which can qualify one into the mercy of Allah.

The Messenger of Allah (SAW), on the authority of Muadh bin Jabal, once said: I said: "O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an act which will take me into Paradise and will keep me away from Hell fire." He said: “You have asked me about a major matter, yet it is easy for him for whom Allah Almighty makes it easy. You should worship Allah, associating nothing with Him, you should perform the prayers, you should pay the zakat, you should fast in Ramadan, and you should make the pilgrimage to the House." Then he said:" Shall I not show you the gates of goodness? Fasting [which] is a shield, charity [which] extigueshes sin as water extebgueshes fire; and the praying of a man in the deapth of night.”

Then he recited: “Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of that We have bestowed on them. No soul knoweth what is kept hid for them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do”. (quran, verse) Then he said: “Shall I not tell you of the peak of the matter, its pillar, and its topmost part?” I said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said: “The peak of the matter is Islam; the pillar is prayer; and its topmost part is jihad." Then he said: "Shall I not tell you of the controling of all that ?" I said:"Yes, O Messenger of Allah", and he took hold of his tongue and said: "Restrain this." I said: "O Prophet of Allah, will what we say be held against us ?" He said: "May your mother be bereaved of you, Muadh ! Is there anything that topples people on their faces - or he said on their noses into Hell-fire other than the jests of their tongues ?"

[Related by Al-Tirmithi, An-Nawai No. 29].

So also when Allah blesses you with any of His bounties, be thankful to Him, and remain ever grateful. This gesture in essence will surely yield more of His blessings and favours in the future. Allah declared thus: “And Remember! your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): If ye are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you; but if ye Show ingratitude, truly My punishment is terrible indeed.”

[Ibrahim: 7] And: “What can Allah gain by your punishment, if ye are grateful and ye believe? Nay, it is Allah that recogniseth (All good), and knoweth all things.” [an-Nisa'i: 147] Another glad tidings came from the Apotle of Allah, thus: Prophet (SAW) said: "All of my ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse." When asked: "O Messenger of Allah, who would refuse?" He said: "Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys me

has refused." [Al-Bukhaari, 7280] Also another grant of hope is the over-flowing of Allah's forgiveness at any moment for those who care to seek His mercy in both worlds, notwithstanding the enormity of one's misdeeds. Allah says: “Say: "O My servants who have transgressed against their souls! despair not of the Mercy of Allah. for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.” [az-Zumar: 53] Accordingly, asking for Allah's forgiveness is a duty upon all the believers for we cannot fulfil all the requirements and demands of Allah as is ought to be. But with repentance, we can reach the peak of faithfulness that will eventually lead us to the glorious end in the abode of paradise. In consoling command, Allah says: “Those who sustain the Throne (of Allah. and those around it Sing glory and Praise to their Lord; believe In him; and implore forgiveness for those who believe: "Our Lord! Thy reach is over all things, In Mercy and knowledge. Forgive, then, those who turn In repentance, and follow Thy path; and preserve them from the penalty of the Blazing Fire!” [alGhafir: 7] And He repeated severally to His servant of His readiness to accept and forgive any returnee unto the right path after derailment.

He announces: “Announce, (O Muhammad) to My slaves that verily I am the Forgiving, the Merciful.” [S?rah al-Hijr 15:49] “I am Forgiving to those who repent and believe and do good, and afterward follow right guidance.”

[Surah TaHa 20:82] And: “And ordain for us that which is good, In This life and In the Hereafter: for we have turned unto thee." He said: "With My punishment I visit whom I will; but My Mercy extendeth to all things. that (mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right, and practise regular charity, and those who believe In Our signs.” [alAaraaf: 156] Finally, my brothers and sisters, we have several prospects and opportunities to attain His grace, even after we have sinned, over and over. Have these: On the authority of Anas, who said: I heard the messenger of Allah say: Allah the Almighty has said: "O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as its.”

[Related by Al-Tirmizi, An-Nawai: 42] And: Abu Jumu'ah said "Once we had lunch with the Messenger of Allah (SAW). Abu Ubaydah, who was wiith us, said, 'O Messenger of Allah! Are there people better than us? We have embraced Islam with you and performed Jihad with you."

He (the Prophet (SAW) ) said, "Yes, those who will come after you, who will believe in me although they have not seen me." (Ahmad 4:106) May Allah continue to accept back into His spacious mercy and favours regardless of our shortcomings, and usher us into His endless bliss, Hereafter!

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

By Sani Adamu

P

rior to Nigeria’s independence on Oct. 1, 1960 and in the early postindependence years, agriculture was the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.

Analysts recall with nostalgia when the legendary groundnut pyramids dotted the landscape of Kano, as groundnut was the major cash crop of the northern states of the country.

In the southwestern part of Nigeria, there were flourishing cocoa plantations, while the southeastern part was home to thriving rubber plantations.

Agriculture then played the triple role of putting food on the tables of Nigerian families, providing employment for a larger section of the citizenry and generating revenue as well as foreign reserve for the country in a sustainable manner.

However, with the discovery of petroleum at Oloibiri in 1956 and the advent of oil boom in the 1970s, the situation changed dramatically, as agriculture was gradually relegated to the background in spite of huge budgetary allocations to the sector by successive administrations.

Economists say that nowadays, Nigeria’s economy is largely dependent on oil revenues, while the citizens’ interest in agriculture has waned considerably.

They bemoan the steady decline in food production during the oil boom era of the 1970s, with the attendant effects on widening food supply and demand gaps, as well as rising food import bills.

However, the introduction of various ambitious national agricultural programmes by successive administrations to boost agricultural production and restore the lost glory of the sector has not made any difference.

On the global level, the situation appears grim, as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) have predicted a sharp increase in global food prices in the coming decades with the cost of assorted grains estimated to rise by 15 to 40 per cent due to declining production.

The report indicates that global food prices are expected to rise again without reverting to the average levels witnessed during the past decade.

“If history is any guide, further episodes of strong price fluctuations of food grains cannot be ruled out, nor can future shortlived crises,’’ says the report.

However, some agriculturalists have attributed the growth in food demand to the spiraling world population, which is estimated to peak at over nine billion by 2050.

The scenario is even more frightening, as a recent World Bank report indicates that several people die on a daily basis from hunger and hunger-related diseases in the developing countries, including Nigeria.

As part of efforts to boost agricultural production in the country, the Federal Government established 12 river basin

PAGE 27

Appraising Jonathan’s oneyear scorecard in agriculture development authorities (RBDAs) but these agencies have somewhat become moribund.

The RBDAs were primarily established to provide water for irrigation farming and water supply, improvement of navigation, hydro-electric power generation, recreation facilities and fisheries projects but observers insist that they have become a conduit pipe for the wastage of public funds.

Agriculturalists particularly bemoan the pitiable state of Nigeria’s agriculture sector.

Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, the Chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), described agriculture as the most neglected and most underdeveloped sector in the national economy.

His words: “Today, Nigeria has lost its pride of place in the export market to other countries. Far worse, the country now cannot feed itself; it and has to import food items, even those it can produce in abundance.

“Nigeria now yearly imports foods to the tune of over 3 billion U.S. dollars (about N450 billion).

Imports of wheat, rice, fish and sugar alone cost Nigeria 1 trillion naira in foreign exchange annually and the imports are growing at an alarming rate of 11 per cent per annum.’’

Adamu stressed that Nigeria’s independence was somewhat questionable because of the growing food insecurity in the country, as it continued to rely mainly of food imports.

“We cannot have peace and cannot develop at the rate we should, when local food production is falling and our farmers are being displaced; when inflation is being fuelled by food imports; when unemployment rate is rising; when poverty is increasing among the population; and when hunger is ravaging the land.

“Obviously, the current situation is as inexcusable as it is unacceptable, and must, therefore, be changed for the better,” Adamu, a former governor of Nasarawa State, said.

Such comments, perhaps, informed the decision of President Goodluck Jonathan to launch the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

The aim of the agenda is to develop the agriculture sector, boost food security, empower farmers and discourage food imports, while stimulating exports of Nigeria’s agricultural produce.

A major plank of the agenda is the Federal Government’s decision to withdraw from direct procurement of fertilisers and other agricultural input.

To provide easy access to agricultural input for the farmers, the government also introduced an e-wallet system to enable farmers to access their fertiliser allocations via SMS on

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina their cell phones.

Less than one year after the initiation of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda, Jonathan also initiated some programmes aimed at promoting mechanised farming.

As a first step, the Federal Government approved the importation of 18 large-scale cassava flour processing plants that are capable of processing 1.3 million metric tonnes of cassava per annum.

Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture, made this known recently, while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the just-concluded Nigerian Agricbusiness Investment Forum in Washington DC. The Washington forum was designed to showcase Nigeria’s Agricultural Transformation Agenda, so as to attract and stimulate foreign investments in the agriculture sector.

Adesina said that the importation of the cassava flour processing machines was in line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Jonathan-administration.

He stressed that Nigeria, being the largest producer of cassava in the world, ought to take due advantage of its cassava production by exploring more opportunities in the cassava subsector.

He said that the 18 cassava processing plants would boost cassava production in the country, adding that Cargill, a major U.S. company, had signified interest in supplying the machineries to Nigeria.

“Cargill, one of the largest food processors in the world, has expressed interest in investing in Nigeria’s cassava sector.

“Truly, Nigeria is the largest producer of cassava in the world but we are not adding value to our production. We can make

more money if we process our cassava into starch, cassava chips, ethanol and other derivative products.

“Currently, we use our cassava for garri, a local staple food. Through our current focus of cassava processing, we intend to make money for our cassava farmers.

“We are importing 18 new large-scale, high-quality cassava flour plants. These plants will process 1.3 million metric tonnes of high-quality cassava flour every year.

“We will have enough cassava flour for our new bread-making initiative and this will also assist us in our drive to create market for cassava in the baking industry.

“Cargill has expressed interest in buying some of these plants; that’s a great endorsement of our policy,’’ he added.

Besides, the minister said that the Agricultural Transformation Agenda had also received a boost with the decision of AGCO, one of the world’s largest tractor manufacturers, to set up two tractor assembly plants in Rivers and Kaduna states.

Adesina said that the local manufacture AGCO tractors in Nigeria would consequently lower the cost of tractors in the country; speed up mechanised farming and make agriculture more appealing, while creating job opportunities for the youth.

The minister disclosed that about 300,000 tractors would be required for the implementation of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

Beyond that, Adesina said that another foreign company had agreed to invest in 25,000hectare rice production venture in the Rima irrigation scheme in Sokoto State, adding that the project would particularly boost Nigeria’s rice production efforts.

He noted that the World Bank, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), World Cocoa Foundation and the International Food Research Institute (IFPRI) had also endorsed the Federal Government’s agricultural transformation programme.

As regards funding, the minister stressed that the World Bank decided to support the programme’s implementation with 900 million U.S. dollars (about N135 billion), while aiding the development of staple crop processing zones in the country.

Moreover, Adesina said that Nigeria would also benefit from U.S. President Barack Obama’s “Feed the Future Initiative’’, a global initiative aimed at supporting agricultural production.

He said that representatives of the Federal Government and the U.S. government would meet in Washington in June to discuss plans for a new strategic partnership to fast-track the Agricultural Transformation Agenda.

The World Cocoa Foundation has also agreed to provide support for the training of Nigerian cocoa farmers in modern cocoa production procedures.

The minister said that the Foundation would also aid Nigeria’s efforts in establishing a Cocoa Market and Trading Corporation.

However, some observers maintain that the Jonathanadministration still has a lot to do in fostering the growth of the agriculture sector.

Mrs Patience Andrew, a civil servant, urged the President to initiate pragmatic strategies to deal with the factors militating against the growth of the sector.

She stressed that development of the agriculture sector ought to be accorded priority attention because of its economic potential, which included job creation.

Besides, Andrew said that the country’s security would be considerably enhanced if there was food security.

She underscored the need for the government to embark on pragmatic poverty-alleviation and food security programmes, adding that more investments were, nonetheless, needed in these areas to promote the citizens’ living standards.

Observers believe that the lofty objectives of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda notwithstanding, tangible efforts should be aimed at encouraging private sector participation in the programme’s implementation.

Through such concerted efforts, Nigeria’s agriculture sector will be revamped, while the country will be repositioned to become one of the major exporters of agricultural produce in the world, they add.

Source: NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 29

The modern caveman who quit money for 12 years, forages for food, bathes in creeds

F

ootage has revealed the sparse and yet contented life of Daniel Suelo - the man who has chosen to live without money for the past 12 years.

Suelo, now 51, renounced money in 2000, left his last $30 dollars in a phone booth and walked into the desert to start a new life in Moab, Utah.

His way of life has become an inspiration to thousands of Americans who have suffered in the economic crash and activists like the Occupy movement, disillusioned with a society consumed by avarice and greed.

Mark Sundeen, author and friend of Daniel, has written a biography about his lifestyle after following him closely for several years.

Sundeen, whose book is entitled The Man Who Quit Money, freely admits that he had lost touch with Suelo for several years and when he heard that he was living without money, ‘he thought he had gone crazy or had some kind of mental breakdown’.

However following the economic crash in 2008, Sundeen

began to come round to Suelo’s mindset.

Sundeen said: ‘Here’s someone who is saying I don’t know what the solution is but I’m going to disobey.

He continued: ‘Our financial system is so big we can’t control it and in so many ways we feel enslaved by it. Worse, we feel powerless to change it.

‘The fact is, if everyone lived like the average American, the world would actually collapse more quickly than if everyone lived like Suelo.’

On his blog Suelo describes his philosophy: ‘I don’t use or accept money or conscious barter - don’t take food stamps or other government dole.

‘My philosophy is to use only what is freely given or discarded and what is already present and already running (whether or not I existed).’

‘Our whole society is designed so that you have to have money,’ Suelo added.

‘You have to be a part of the capitalist system. It’s illegal to live outside of it.’

As well as quitting cash, he

Idyllic life: Daniel Suelo lives in the Utah wilderness, miles from the nearest town where he can enjoy plenty of solitude.

A life less ordinary: Daniel Suelo sits in the Utah mountains where he has lived for more than a decade without using money. threw away his passport and driving license and changed his legal name, Shellabarger, to Suelo, Spanish for ‘soil’.

Ever since then Suelo has lived outdoors, camped in the wilderness, lived in caves, stayed in communes and spent nights in stranger’s homes.

For several years Suelo set up home in a cave, 200 feet across and 50 feet tall, on the edge of a cliff in the Arches National Park, Utah.

Here he carved a bed out of rock, foraged for food, drank from springs and bathed in a creek.

Any hikers were welcomed to stay with him to share his ‘home’, his books and the wildflowers and cactus seeds that he ate.

Born into an ultraconservative fundamentalist family, Suelo took his faith extremely seriously growing up.

At college, however, he reexamined his beliefs and decided that money and the divide it

Recycled: Suelo's few possessions have been reclaimed from what others are throwing away.

Relying on friends: Daniel Suelo with his long-time friend and author of his biography Mark Sundeen.

Back to basics: A stove that Daniel uses to cook the roadkill he catches (left) and the inside of his cave in the Utah desert (right) with his minimal worldly possessions.

creates between those who have it and those that don’t was both unchristian and wrong.

‘He wants to have the smallest ecological footprint and the largest possible impact at improving the world,’ his best friend, Damian Nash, told The Atlantic. ‘’His life goal since I met him is to take as little and give as much as possible.’

One serious lapse from penniless living came in 2001

when Suelo was living in a commune in Georgia and he received $500 tax return in the post.

Rather than tearing the cheque up he cashed it in and spent it on driving a brand-new convertible Mercedes-Benz 600 sports coupe across America.

But it was just a blip and Suelo continues to be one of the few people who live without money by choice.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Osama bin Laden’s last words: Al Qaeda terror chief’s final writings to be published online

T

he world will soon be able to read the last written words of Osama bin Laden - as he struggled to command the attention of his far-flung terror network.

A selection of documents seized in last year’s raid on his Pakistan house, where he was killed, will be posted online at 2pm GMT (9am ET) today by the U.S. Army’s Combating Terrorism Centre at the U.S. Military Academy.

The correspondence shows a leader revered but sometimes ignored by field commanders, who dismissed him as out of touch even as he urged them to keep attacking U.S. targets.

Some details from the ‘treasure trove’ have already emerged.

White House counter-terrorism chief John Brennan said this week that bin Laden’s own words confirm that America is safer with him gone.

Brennan says bin Laden wrote of his worries that his leaders were being killed so quickly the group would not survive.

The publication of the documents comes the day after the first anniversary of bin Laden’s death.

It also comes the day after U.S. President Barack Obama revealed he felt a ‘deep-seated satisfaction’ when he saw a photo of the dead terror chief’s body for the first time.

He said the sight of the bullet ridden corpse made him think of the families of those who died on 9/

Watching the raid: A selection of documents seized in the raid, pictured being watched here by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, will be posted online.

11 - but denied that he did a high five in his mind.

He made the disclosure in an interview with NBC’s Brian Williams, in which key White House players speak in depth about the day the operation took place.

It reveals that the first person Mr Obama called with the news was George W. Bush; the operation was kept such a secret that he did not even tell the First Lady; and Hillary

Clinton did not tell husband Bill.

Vice President Joe Biden and Admiral Mike Mullen were revealed to have offered up prayers after bin Laden was killed and nobody knows when the famous photograph from inside the Situation Room with Hillary Clinton putting her hand over her face was taken.

There was only a 50 per cent chance it was bin Laden in the compound in Pakistan where the

Thoughts: The world will soon be able to read the last written words of Osama bin Laden - as he struggled to command the attention of his far-flung terror network.

Mixed emotions: President Obama said that the sight of bin Laden's bullet-ridden corpse made him think of the families of those who died on 9/11 - but he denied that he did a 'high five'.

Bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad is seen just days after the terror leader was killed by U.S. forces last year. It has since been torn down.

Watching: In this undated image from video seized from bin Laden's compound the Al-Qaeda chief watches a TV programme showing, showing an image of President Obama.

raid took place, he added.

Bin Laden was shot dead by a Navy SEAL team on May 1 last year, the culmination of a decade-long operation to hunt down the man behind 9/11.

The search had outlasted the presidency of President George W. Bush and proved to be one of the defining moments in Mr Obama’s time in office.

Twelve months on, senior White House staff have revealed that planning for the operation began in March last year and by the following month a dress rehearsal was staged in the Nevada desert.

Admiral Mullen told NBC that when he looked each of the SEAL team in the eye he got ‘that steelyeyed glare that they give you that they were ready to go’.

He said: ‘When I actually went to the rehearsal and watched it at night at a place where they built a compound just like Abbottabad and watched it in execution, that just gave me great confidence that they could execute this.’

A week later, on April 28, Obama assembled his most senior advisers - but there was no consensus on what to do.

Biden wanted to wait for more proof, Secretary of Defence Robert Gates wanted an air strike and CIA director and Clinton preferred a Special Forces raid.

Obama stayed up late weighing his options then the next morning decided a SEAL strike was the best way forward - and gave his approval to ‘Operation Neptune’s Spear’.

Obama said: ‘I did choose the risk.

‘The reason I was willing to make that decision of sending in our SEALs to try to capture or kill bin Laden rather than to take some other options was ultimately because I had 100 per cent faith in the Navy SEALs themselves.’

But he added: ‘Ultimately it was a 50/50 proposition as to whether this was actually bin Laden.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 31

Nuclear energy and democracy ANALYSIS

By MV Ramana and Suvrat Raju

O

n March 19, 6,000 armed policemen descended on Koodankulam, a small village near the southern tip of India, to suppress a local protest that, although peaceful, had threatened to derail the establishment of a nuclear plant there. The policemen rapidly arrested hundreds of people, blockaded roads, shut out the media and laid siege to the area where the protesters were based, even stopping the supply of water for a few days.

Ten days later, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha, declared victory disregarding the continuing objections of the protesters - by announcing that the plant would start producing electricity in two months. This is the latest episode in what has turned into a conflict between democracy and the Indian government's plan for a massive nuclear expansion.

The reactors in Koodankulam are manufactured by a Russian company called Atomtroyexport and are the outcome of a 1988 agreement between India and the Soviet Union. This agreement was almost immediately met by popular opposition. In 1989, over 10,000 people participated in a rally against the proposed project. The government's response was drastic: the police opened fire on the protesters.

This battle smoldered for the next 10 years, as plans for the plant stalled when the Soviet Union collapsed.

When India and Russia resumed plans in the late 90's, the protests resumed as well. In November 2001, activists founded an umbrella organisation called the "People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy" (PMANE).

The government consistently ignored these voices, until the movement was galvanised by the accident in Fukushima.

By late 2011, as the plants neared completion, tens of thousands of people began to show up at PMANE's programmes, culminating in protestors blocking workers from entering the reactor site to complete construction of the plant. The fact that the central government in Delhi and the state government in Tamil Nadu were controlled by antagonistic political parties meant that the protestors could not be removed by force, till a political deal was struck in March 2012.

Irritation and unscientific?

In the meanwhile, present and former nuclear officials started to tell the people that their concerns were irrational and unscientific. In November 2011, for example, the chairperson of the Atomic Energy Commission explained that there was no reason to worry

Protests in Koodankulam have 'threatened to derail the establishment of a nuclear plant there', write authors since the probability of a nuclear accident in India was "one in infinity".

On another front, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who has himself often attracted allegations of being extraordinarily partial to multinational corporations suggested that the protests were driven by foreign money. The Income Tax Department was called in to investigate the poor fisher-folk involved in the movement, and in a farcical action an unemployed German backpacker who had nothing to do with the protest was deported from the country amidst announcements that he was "masterminding" the movement!

"The tremendous importance that the government places on nuclear energy... is in sharp contrast to the fact that the nuclear programme contributes only 2.6 per cent of India's total electricity output."

Despite all this intimidation, the protests continue.

Koodankulam is not exceptional - there are ongoing protests at all new sites selected for nuclear plants in India: in Jaitapur (Maharashtra), Mithi Virdi (Gujarat) and Fatehabad (Haryana). Apart from worries of an accident, there is another factor that drives nuclear protests in India and other developing countries: nuclear projects adversely impact the environment as well as the

livelihoods of the local people.

Nuclear reactors require land and cooling water, which must be taken away from farmers, and they discharge hot water and radioactive effluents into the sea, which affect fish workers. Studies suggest that Indian nuclear plants fail to adopt the meticulous safety practices that are required to protect their workers from the hazards of radiation. The consequent adverse impact on the health of villagers, including those who are employed contractually in the plant, has heightened opposition to nuclear energy.

The tremendous importance that the government places on nuclear energy and its willingness to override local objections is in sharp contrast to the fact that the nuclear programme contributes only 2.6 per cent of India's total electricity output despite decades of lavish government support. After India and the United States signed a nuclear deal in 2005, the issue of nuclear energy has even acquired a central political significance.

One of the unwritten commitments that interlocutors agreed on was that India would buy billions of dollars of reactors from the United States, France and Russia. Though the Koodankulam plant predated this agreement, its fate - and how the government deals with popular opposition to these

“

reactors - is being closely watched by all nuclear reactor vendors.

Protecting multinational suppliers Nuclear commerce in India has also been held up by the concerns of multinational suppliers that they might be sued by the victims of an accident. In many countries the nuclear industry is protected from such lawsuits by "liability laws" and soon after the deal, it began to pressure the Indian government to provide it with similar indemnification.

However, to completely indemnify suppliers turned out to be impossible for the government of a country that lives with the legacy of Bhopal - where negligence in a plant operated by an American company led to one of the world's worst industrial disasters.

"Nuclear electricity in India is significantly more expensive than from nonnuclear alternatives."

Although the government did end up passing a law that largely protects suppliers, the Supreme Court of India has now decided to examine whether this law violates the fundamental "right to life" of the victims. In response to a petition filed by the prominent advocate, Prashant Bhushan, the court issued notice to the government in March 2012, asking it why the law should

“The tremendous importance that the government places on nuclear energy is in sharp contrast to the fact that the nuclear programme contributes only 2.6 per cent of India’s total electricity output.”

not be struck down as unconstitutional. Given that the court has previously held that hazardous enterprises are "absolutely liable" for the damage they cause, this is precisely what might happen.

Economics has compounded the difficulties of the industry.

Nuclear electricity in India is significantly more expensive than from non-nuclear alternatives, especially coalbased thermal stations, because of the high capital costs of nuclear reactors - even those constructed indigenously in India. Reactors imported from the West, especially France and the United States, will be even more expensive.

Inasmuch as India's rapidly growing economy will need cheap electricity, nuclear power is unlikely to meet that requirement.

Nuclear power cannot really be justified on the grounds of environmental sustainability, largely due to its production of radioactive wastes that stay hazardous for millenia, and the risk of catastrophic nuclear accidents that can never be ruled out.

Finally, from the point of view of social equity, nuclear power is an inefficient way to deliver energy to the hundreds of millions of people living in villages spread out over a vast countryside - the very people that policy makers disingenuously use to justify their nuclear policy.

A growing, global movement For these reasons, many of which are common across countries, and especially after Fukushima, there has been a marked decrease in public support for nuclear power.

While some government like those in the United States and China have stayed the course, others in Venezuela, Switzerland and Germany have heeded democratic opinion and moved away from atomic energy.

In this evolving dynamic, the protest in Koodankulam demonstrates the power of an organised non-violent mass movement. For six months, the people of the region physically stopped the construction of a nuclear plant, while resisting a barrage of governmental propaganda.

Whether or not the government is finally able to force the construction of this particular reactor, this enduring movement is likely to serve as an inspiration for environmental groups throughout the world.

Culled from A ljzeera.

MV Ramana and Suvrat Raju are physicists with the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace, India. Ramana is the author of The power of promise: Examining nuclear power in India.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 32

Libya drops ban on religion-based parties

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ibya has dropped a ban against political parties based on religion, tribe or ethnicity, an official said, after the law angered Islamist parties in the run-up to the first free election in June.

The ruling National Transitional Council's judicial committee read out on Wednesday a set of new laws, including an amended version of one governing formation of parties, making no mention of the ban, which was announced last week.

"This point has been dropped and so any party or political organisation will follow the law

as it is now," Salwa Al-Dgheily, a member of the NTC judicial council, told Reuters news agency after an NTC meeting.

Libyans vote in June to elect a national assembly for the first time since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. Eighty of the 200 seats will go to political parties, with the rest reserved for independent candidates.

Last week the NTC said it had passed a law banning parties based on religious, tribal or ethnic lines. A new Islamist party viewed as a leading contender intimated that it would challenge the decision.

Islamists have performed

strongly in post-uprising elections in Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco and they are also likely to do well in Libya, a socially conservative country.

Political analysts say the Muslim Brotherhood is likely to emerge as Libya's most organised political force and an influential player in the oil-exporting state where Islamists, like all dissidents, were harshly suppressed during the 42 years of Gaddafi's dictatorial rule.

Separately, officials said Libya had banned the "glorification" of the Gaddafi regime.

"Glorification of Muammar Gaddafi, his regime, ideas and his

children ... is punishable by a prison sentence," according to the text of a new law read out to reporters by an official.

The new law threatens imprisonment of anyone who "offended the 17th February revolution, anyone who insults the Islamic religion or the state and its institutions", the official quoted the law as saying, referring to the start of Libya's uprising last year.

Libya's NTC has already indicated the country will be run in accordance with Islamic law, though its exact place in the legal system will be settled only when a new constitution is written after the elections.

Congolese flee army’s hunt for dissident West African leaders in Mali crisis dialogue general

since soldiers loyal to ousted president Amadou Toumani Toure attempted to stage a counter coup on Monday.

Hospital officials said at least 22 people were killed in fighting between Toure's loyalists and soldiers behind the earlier coup.

Two days after the attempted coup, gunfire was again heard in the tense capital Bamako on Wednesday.

The leader of the March coup has blamed the counter-coup on

"foreign elements backed by dark forces from inside the country".

Cheick Modibo Diarra, the interim prime minister, said in a televised statement: "We have witnessed an attempt to destabilise the country these last 48 hours, which resulted in a temporary, not yet complete, victory for our army and our security forces.

"There are still some civilian and armed elements on the loose, which justifies the massive

presence of our armed and security forces in the city of Bamako."

He said there was "a persistence ... in attempts to destabilise the country" but told citizens: "Stay calm, there is no reason to panic."

Said Djinnit, the United Nations Special Representative for West Africa, condemned the latest violence, which he said "could only serve to complicate an already difficult transition".

Djibril Bassole, Burkina Faso's foreign minister, whose country has played a key role in negotiations with the coup leaders, said the offensive launched on Monday night was an "unfortunate incident."

But it "does not undermine the institutions. The interim president is still in place, the institutions remain in place," he said.

Even though the junta is technically no longer in power, it has made its influence felt.

West African leaders fear that the area - a drought-stricken region, long plagued by arms and drug trafficking and kidnappings - will become a haven for fighters planning attacks across the region.

A delegation from the ex-junta on Wednesday met in Burkina Faso with President Blaise Compaore, the ECOWAS mediator for Mali, for talks that were expected to touch on the precarious situation in the north.

Deng Alor Kuol, the South Sudan's Minister for Cabinet Affairs, said his government "formally appreciates the adoption of the resolution and state our solemn commitment to comply with its mandated provisions."

"My government is already committed to the cessation of hostilities and resumption of negotiations under the auspices of the African Union," Kuol said "The government of Sudan confirms her own strategic calls to have peace between the two states and it hopes the government of South Sudan gives a positive reaction to the African and UN Security Council resolutions," the foreign ministry's spokesman, Al-Obeid Meruh, said in a statement.

Sudan's UN envoy earlier said that there could only be peace between neighbouring states when the south ends its support for rebel

groups operating in Sudan.

Al Jazeera's Peter Greste, reporting from Juba, said the UN resolution sets up a specific "timetable" and lists the steps that must be taken by each side must take to avoid sanctions. "[The resolution] is being welcomed buy the diplomats who have been watching it. They say it has the kind of teeth that might bring the two sides to the negotiating table," our correspondent said.

It condemned repeated crossborder violence between Sudan and South Sudan including troop movements, the South's seizure of the oil-rich town of Heglig and Sudan's aerial bombings in the South.

Though the resolution was unanimously voted in, both Russia and China had opposed talk of sanctions during negotiations on the resolution.

The US-drafted resolution calls on the neighbors, which separated last year, to "immediately cease all hostilities" and withdraw troops to their own territory.

It says they must give a written commitment within 48 hours to the African Union and the Security Council.

The council ordered the two sides to start peace talks within two weeks under the auspices of African Union mediators.

The resolution calls for negotiations to be concluded within three months by August on critical issues including arrangements on oil and payments, the status of nationals living in the other country, resolution of disputed border areas, demarcation of the border, and agreement on the final status of oil-rich Abyei, an outstanding issue from the 2005 peace agreement.

ECOWAS has been holding negotiations in Mali to try to resolve the conflict following the coup

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eaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) started meeting in Senegal's capital Dakar yesterday to discuss the political crisis in Mali as well as that in coup-hit Guinea Bissau.

ECOWAS has been mediating for a return to civilian rule in Mali since the March coup. The junta has handed power to a transitional government since then, though its troops remain highly visible.

Mali's capital has been tense

UN threatens sanctions over Sudan dispute

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he UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution giving Sudan and South Sudan only 48 hours to halt hostilities or face potential sanctions.

With Russia and China joining the growing calls for a halt to the growing border conflict, the 15member council on Wednesday backed up African Union efforts to halt violence and get peace negotiations started.

The resolution endorses an African Union plan aimed at getting the two countries to step back from the brink of war and resolve their differences.

South Sudan responded by announcing a commitment to abide by the UN's resolution and Sudan said it seeks peace with its southern neighbour and hoped the South would respond positively to African Union and UN resolutions for ending hostilities.

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live Kukamujeni does not know what fate met two of her children when a gun battle between Congolese troops and fighters loyal to a renegade general erupted in her home village.

"The fighting was so hard, everybody ran," Kukamujeni told Reuters at the border with Rwanda, exhausted by her ordeal. "I don't know if they died or not."

Five months pregnant and with another child strapped to her back as she awaited transport to a nearby camp, Kukamujeni is among 3,500 people who have fled the Masisi region in Congo's North Kivu province since fighting broke out there on Sunday.

The violence has left the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) in Rwanda scrambling to cope with the unexpected wave of displaced people, exacerbating a humanitarian situation already made difficult by bouts of fighting among rebel groups.

The agency is working to expand the capacity of an overstretched transit camp, while a Rwandan official said another centre might be needed if the number of refugees continued rising.

Kinshasa is on the hunt for Bosco Ntaganda, a former rebel commander who fought the government before he was integrated into the army alongside other militants in a 2009 peace deal.

Clashes erupted after Congolese President Joseph Kabila announced last month he would try to arrest Ntaganda, accused by the International Criminal Court of recruiting child soldiers to fight in northeastern Congo's ethnic conflict.

Kabila had previously said Ntaganda was a lynchpin in the fragile peace deal that integrated his fighters. The region remains plagued by myriad rebel groups after a 1998-2003 war.

Ntaganda denies committing war crimes, and hundreds of soldiers loyal to him have defected from the armed forces in the past few weeks.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 33

World food prices fall; inflation fear remains

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orld food prices eased in April after rising in the first quarter of this

year, the United Nation's food agency said, but inflation worries are still simmering as soybean

prices climb.

Record high food prices last February helped to fuel the Arab

Women sell vegetables and fruits on the roadside in Nairobi, Kenya, June 19, 2008.

Spring uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. Prices receded in the second half of 2011 but the uptrend resumed in January.

The FAO Food Price Index, which measures monthly price changes for a food basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, averaged 214 points in April, down from revised 217 in March, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Thursday.

Yet soybean prices - at their highest since July 2008 - are likely to rise further due to tight supplies, driving corn prices higher, the agency's senior economist said.

The index drop reflected a 2.5 percent month-on-month fall in maize prices, a 1 percent fall in wheat and a 5 percent drop in sugar prices, which offset a 2.2 percent rise in vegetable oils fuelled by soaring soybean prices.

"You would see prices most likely remaining under downward pressure in the next couple of months," the FAO's senior economist and grain analyst Abdolreza Abbassian told Reuters, adding that weather remained a critical factor.

The index seems to have stabilised at a relatively high level of around 214 points, the FAO said in a monthly update.

Last week, the World Bank said costlier oil, strong demand from Asia and bad weather had been pushing up global food prices, adding that if current production forecasts for 2012/2013 do not materialize, prices could reach higher levels.

U.S. soybean futures, one of the major drivers on international grain markets in the past few months, have been fuelled by continuous purchases from China, the world's largest buyer.

Security tight as ECB meets in Barcelona

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Draghi will focus on options to save Spain's economy amid protests outside the meeting venue in Barcelona

he European Central Bank is meeting in the Spanish city of Barcelona to do more to fight the eurozone crisis, but there are not high hopes for new support mechanisms to come out of the event.

Rather, the meeting yesterday is expected to be met with large protests that could result in violence, as locals are unhappy with the bureaucratic solutions that have been imposed thus far.

The planned protests at the ECB's tough stance towards eurozone countries have prompted officials to step up security.

The frustration arises from tough austerity measures that Spain is pursuing to shape up its public finances and a grim economic picture, which is affecting the broader eurozone.

Preliminary eurozone purchasing managers' (PMI) data released last week - and since confirmed - showed the euro area's private sector slump deepened in April at a faster pace than any economist polled by Reuters news

agency predicted.

The prospect of the eurozone as a whole following Britain into recession has set markets wondering whether the ECB could pave the way for a rate cut later this year.

It has never before lowered its main rate below one per cent.

Financial markets are clamouring for the ECB to step up its efforts to fight the two-year crisis by buying the sovereign bonds of Spain, which is in recession and is struggling to convince some of its people of the need for further austerity.

However, ECB policymakers are more likely to pay homage to the country's drive to cut costs than to signal any new policy action like restarting the "bond-buy" or Securities Markets Programme (SMP).

The bank has left the plan dormant for the last seven weeks despite a rise in Spanish yields to six per cent. A break above that, to seven per cent, is considered an unsustainable price to pay for refinancing its debt.

I’m ready for a comeback-Blair

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'I have things to say': Tony Blair wants to re-engage with British politics after amassing an estimated £20million fortune since leaving office five years ago

ony Blair is preparing a new push to re-enter British politics as he hires a new spin doctor to put a gloss on some of the criticism that has followed him since leaving Number 10.

The former prime minister 'has things to say' and believes the time is right for him to make an impact on the home front after years in political exile.

Mr Blair's is expected to launch his comeback as he appears on a joint platform with Labour leader Ed Miliband in July at an event to celebrate the Olympics.

His wife Cherie is also due to attend, making it a rare public outing for the Blairs together.

The ex-PM is understood to believe that enough time has passed for people to have forgotten the disastrous effect of the Iraq war on his image and how he was humiliatingly forced from office

by Gordon Brown.

The move to hire a public relations expert is proof that Mr Blair wants to be heard on a range of subjects.

The spin doctor will also attempt to portray Mr Blair's cash schemes - such as charging up to £300,000 for after-dinner speeches - in a more positive light.

In the latest accusation of greed, it was revealed in January that Mr Blair made millions of pounds last year but paid just a fraction of it in tax thanks to a complicated web of companies he has established.

The former prime minister's secretive business empire declared an income of £12million.

But he was able to reduce his tax bill to just £315,000 after writing off almost £11million as 'administrative expenses' - a 'surprisingly' high figure, according to one accountant.

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Egypt Army willing to hand over power

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gypt's military chief of staff said yesterday the army may transfer power to an elected president on May 24 if the vote is decided in the first round, state television reported.

The announcement came after four presidential candidates suspended their campaigns as the death toll mounted in bloody clashes between anti-military supporters of a banned Islamist candidate and unidentified men in plainclothes.

The military had previously said it would transfer power by the end of June. The presidential election is scheduled for May 23 and 24 and a run off for June 16 and 17 if there is no outright winner in the first round.

"We are looking into handing

over power on May 24 if the president wins in the first round," state television quoted chief of staff Sami Enan as saying.

Several parties, including the dominant Islamist Freedom and Justice Party, are also boycotting a meeting with the military Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi later yesterday to resolve various disputes, including one on the make-up of a constituent assembly.

Earlier, thugs attacked the antimilitary protest near the Defense Ministry in Cairo yesterday and 20 people were killed, officials said, in the politically tense run-up to the first postuprising presidential election.

The dawn assault sparked fierce clashes between the unidentified attackers and the protesters, who have

been there for days calling for an end to military rule, with both sides hurling petrol bombs and rocks, the official said.

The army deployed troops in central Cairo to quell the clashes, a military source said.

A security official said the army and security forces had formed a cordon between the protesters and the attackers, bringing the fighting to a halt. A doctor at a field hospital set up in the area said 20 people had been killed and dozens injured.

Four presidential candidates announced they had temporarily suspended their campaigns over the killings. The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi told reporters he decided to suspend

his campaign for 48 hours "in solidarity with the protesters."

He blamed the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces because it is the ruling authority.

SCAF "is the first to be responsible," he said.

His main Islamist rival, Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, cancelled all his events for the day over the clashes, a campaign official told AFP. Leftist candidates Khaled Ali and Hamdeen Sabbahi also announced they were suspending their campaigns.

Pro-democracy activists including the Coalition of Revolution Youth, as well as Abul Fotouh, have called for a march to Abbassiya to demand an end to

the bloodshed in Cairo, where traffic in the centre of the city had ground to a halt and created patches of grid lock across the capital.

Leading dissident Mohamed ElBaradei denounced the "massacre" outside the Defense Ministry.

"SCAF & government unable to protect civilians or in cahoots with thugs. Egypt going down the drain," the former UN nuclear watchdog chief posted on Twitter.

The protesters, supporters of Salafist politician Hazem Abu Ismail, have been camped out since Saturday after the electoral commission barred the popular hard-line Islamist from contesting the upcoming presidential election.

Chinese dissident seeks exile, strains US-China ties EU imposes

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lind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng appealed yesterday for asylum in the United States, throwing into doubt an agreement used to coax him out of hiding in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing and fanning U.S.-China tensions at a sensitive time.

The standoff appears particularly troublesome for the Obama administration, with Chen saying he now fears for his and his family's safety if he stays in China, as was planned under the deal that Washington called a good outcome for the dissident.

China's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Chen's request to leave the country and repeated its criticism of the way the United States had handled the issue as "unacceptable".

Chen, a self-taught legal activist, left the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday and is now under Chinese control in a Beijing hospital. He had taken refuge at the U.S. mission for six days after escaping house arrest and left after U.S. officials assured him that Beijing had promised to improve his circumstances.

But Chen said yesterday by telephone from hospital, where he was escorted by U.S. officials and was being treated for a broken foot, that he had changed his mind after speaking to his wife who spoke of recent threats made against his family.

"I feel very unsafe. My rights and safety cannot be assured here," he said. His family, who were with him at the hospital, backed his decision to try to reach the United States, he added.

The activist, citing descriptions from his wife, Yuan Weijing, said his family had been surrounded by Chinese officials who menaced them and filled the family home. Chen, from a village in rural Shandong province, has two children.

"When I was inside the American Embassy, I didn't have my family, and so I didn't understand some things. After I was able to meet them, my ideas changed."

A senior U.S. official later said the United States was seeking to clarify Chen's wishes and continued to discuss his fate with the Chinese government.

"When we feel that we have a

clear view of what his final decision is, we will do what we can to help him achieve that," the official said.

The timing of the Chen case comes at a fragile time for both nations: U.S. President Barack Obama will be sensitive to any criticism of the handling of Chen in the run-up to a November presidential election and China is

struggling to push through its own leadership change late this year.

That carefully choreographed transition has already been wrong-footed by the downfall of ambitious senior Communist Party official Bo Xilai after he was caught up in a scandal linked to the apparent murder of

A handout photo from US Embassy Beijing Press office shows blind activist Chen Guangcheng (C) shaking hands with U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke (R), in Beijing, May 2, 2012.

a British businessman.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton found herself in the eye of the diplomatic storm on Thursday, turning up for the opening of annual bilateral talks in Beijing which have been overshadowed, but not derailed, by the Chen case.

She used the occasion to urge China to protect human rights but made no specific mention of Chen, whom she had spoken to on Wednesday after he left the embassy.

"Of course, as part of our dialogue, the United States raises the importance of human rights and fundamental freedoms," Clinton said. "We believe all governments have to answer our citizens' aspirations for dignity and the rule of law and that no nation can or should deny those rights."

Despite Chen's change of heart about staying in China, it was unclear if he would be able to travel to the United States.

U.S. officials appeared no longer to be with him on Thursday, with the dissident saying he had still not had an opportunity to explain his change of heart to the U.S. side.

sanctions on Guinea-Bissau coup leaders

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he European Union yesterday imposed sanctions on the leaders of a recent coup in Guinea-Bissau, adding to measures taken earlier this week by West African nations.

The Council of the European Union, which represents EU governments, banned six people, who it said threatened the peace, security and stability of GuineaBissau, from entering the bloc and froze their assets.

The Council said in a statement that the list of individuals subject to the EU sanctions would be published on May 4.

"Today's measures target the leaders of the recent coup d'etat in Guinea-Bissau," EU High Representative Catherine Ashton said in the statement. "The EU strongly condemns it and demands that constitutional order be immediately restored."

Syria accused of war crimes, rebels kill 15

S

yrian rebels killed 15 members of the security forces in an ambush on Wednesday, a monitoring group said, as a human rights organization accused Damascus of war crimes in last month's run-up to a UN-brokered truce.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has been tracking the 14month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad, said two rebel militiamen also died in clashes that followed the ambush in the northern province of Aleppo.

State media carried no news of the attack, the latest in a series of heavy losses inflicted on pro-Assad forces in the last week by some of the disparate militias fighting for his downfall.

Twelve soldiers died in a firefight in the eastern town of Deir Al-Zor on Tuesday, the Observatory said, and nine more, including security officials, died in twin suicide bombs in the restive town of Idlib on Monday, according to state

media.

Most independent media are barred from Syria or have their movements restricted, making it hard to verify such reports.

The United Nations says Syrian forces have killed 9,000 people in a violent crackdown on mass protests that started against Assad in March 2011.

The initially peaceful demonstrations have since turned into a bloody guerrilla insurgency.

Damascus says 2,600 personnel have been killed by "armed terrorists." Since a UNbacked cease-fire came into effect on April 12, it has cited rebel assaults as justification of its right to respond to "any violation or attack."

The United Nations now has 30 blue-helmeted monitors inside the nation of 23 million people, and this week accused both pro- and anti-Assad forces of violating the three-week-old truce.

On Tuesday it said it had credible reports of at least 34 children killed since the ceasefire came into effect.

Meanwhile, state media said "terrorist" groups had assassinated two soldiers in southern Daraa province, and the official SANA agency reported the funeral of eight soldiers and policemen killed "in the line of duty."

The truce brokered by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has led to a small reduction in the daily carnage, especially in cities were monitors are deployed permanently.

However, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused government forces of going on a killing spree in opposition areas as officials in Damascus were sitting down with Annan to negotiate the terms of the truce in March and early April.

In assaults on the northern province of Idlib, troops killed at

least 95 civilians - many of them executed in cold blood - and destroyed hundreds of homes, HRW said in a report that accused Damascus of war crimes.

"Everywhere we went, we saw burnt and destroyed houses, shops and cars, and heard from people whose relatives were killed. It was as if the Syrian government forces used every minute before the ceasefire to cause harm," senior HRW researcher Anna Neistat said.

HRW said researchers observed bullet marks on a wall that formed a row 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24 inches) above the floor, roughly the height of a kneeling person.

Damascus has not commented on the report. It accuses foreignbacked armed groups of being behind the violence.

Assad appeared to throw an olive branch to thousands of draftdodging conscripts, with the announcement on Wednesday of an amnesty for people who have refused to join an army accused of widespread brutality.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 35

Police discover boy, 12, in paedo’s cupboard

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olice checked the house of a convicted paedophile and found a boy of 12 locked inside a cupboard.

Pervert Adam Younger fled as cops coaxed out the lad, who was unharmed.

Desperate Younger, 22, then sent the boy a text saying: "Run" - followed by another

which read: "Say you have only been for ten minutes."

But a court heard he had been at the house a number of weeks - even though Younger was the subject of an order limiting his contact with youngsters following three convictions.

As part of this, officers made

Assassin bug carries victims on its back

Grave ants worn like body armour

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aters News Agency one of the world's most deadly insects, it injects its food with a digestive enzyme before sucking out the insides.

But unlike movie villain Lector, it then puts their carcases on its back like armour, warding off potential attackers such as jumping spiders.

The bug can carry up to 20 ant carcases at a time.

Other prey includes smaller spiders. It tricks them into crawling to their webs by causing vibrations a trapped fly would make then pounces on them.

Scientists call this move "aggressive mimicry".

You would not want to meet one of those in a dark alleyway.

a routine check of his home in Horden, Co Durham, last December. Prosecutor Mark Styles told the court Younger had answered the door partially dressed.

One cop found unmade bedding in a bedroom and saw a cupboard locked by a latch from the outside.

Mr Styles said: "On opening it she found a boy hiding inside."

Younger - previously jailed for downloading indecent images, and convicted of sex assaults on boys under 13 - was arrested later that day.

He told cops he had befriended the boy - considered vulnerable at a bus station. He admitted

child abduction and breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order at Durham Crown Court.

Recorder Ian Atherton said it appeared Younger was "grooming" the boy and jailed him for three years. Warren Grier, mitigating, said: "He needs assistance from a sex treatment programme."

Japanese Tsunami Harley washes up in Canada

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Harley-Davidson which was swept away in last year's Japanese tsunami has washed up 4,000 miles away on an Canadian island. comment on this story 9 comments The motorbike was discovered on a beach in its container after its epic voyage across the Pacific.

And the bike is set to be reunited with its owner Ikuo Yokoyama after he was traced by its number plate.

"This is unmistakably mine.

It's miraculous," Yokoyama told Nippon TV when shown photos of the motorcycle.

Ikuo lost three members of his family in the March 11, 2011, tsunami, and is now living in temporary housing The bike was found by Canadian Peter Mark on Graham Island, off British Columbia on April 18.

Peter said the bike was covered in "a lot of corrosion, a lot of rust."

He added, he "couldn't believe that something like that would make it across the Pacific."

Amazing Motorbike travels from Japan to Canada after tsunami

Model who thought she was fat dies weighing 6st Bethany, of Newmarket, Suffolk, died in her sleep while staying at her gran's home in nearby Carlton.

Her devastated parents Clive, 47, and Cathy, 42, said it appeared her weakened heart had failed.

Bethany's eating problems began as she fought to keep off weight lost after a bout of glandular fever.

Roof tiler Clive said: "She lost her self esteem. She would say she was fat. But she was so beautiful."

At her most healthy, 5ft 3ins Bethany was 8½st. Her parents said her death was all the more tragic as she had been making "good progress" after a year on an eating plan while receiving counselling.

An inquest was opened and adjourned last week.

Tragic beauty Bethany Wallace

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Teenage model who starved herself because she thought she was fat has died - weighing just 6st.

Bethany Wallace, 19, suffered heart failure after succumbing to anorexia and bulimia.

She was a cover girl on glossy teen magazines, including Popgirl and BBC Girl Talk, from the age of 12 - making £112 per shoot. But she developed eating disorders at 16 and was ultimately too weak to work.

Cover girl Bethany Wallace at 18

'Tragic' Bethany Wallace's parents Clive and Cathy

Child star Bethany Wallace modelling at 11

PAGE 36

A

garlic ingredient is 100 times more powerful than two popular antibiotics at fighting one of the leading causes of food poisoning, say scientists.

The compound, diallyl sulphide, is able to pierce a protective ‘biofilm’ employed by the food bug that makes it hard to destroy.

Tests showed diallyl sulphide was as effective as 100 times bigger doses of the antibiotics erythromycin and ciprofloxacin.

It was also able to work in a fraction of the time taken by the drugs.

The discovery is said to open the door to new treatments for

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

How garlic can prevent a dicky tummy raw and processed meats, and food preparation surfaces.

‘This is the first step in developing or thinking about new intervention strategies,’ said researcher Dr Michael Konkel, from Washington State University in the US, who has been investigating

Campylobacter infection symptoms include diarrhoea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever

Garlic: A powerful natural anti-bacterial.

Campylobacter for 25 years.

‘Campylobacter is simply the most common bacterial cause of food-borne illness in the United States and probably the world.’

Symptoms of Campylobacter infection include diarrhoea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever.

The bacteria also trigger nearly a third of cases of a rare paralysing disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Most Campylobacter infections stem from eating raw or undercooked poultry or foods that have been crosscontaminated via dirty surfaces and utensils.

The research is published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.

The scientists looked at diallyl sulphide’s ability to kill

Campylobacter bacteria when they join together to form a slimy biofilm.

This makes the bugs 1,000 times more resistant to antibiotics than free-floating bacterial cells.

The compound easily penetrated the protective film to kill the microbes by targeting a metabolic enzyme.

Two previous studies published last year showed that the garlic compound was also effective against other foodborne bugs, including Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157.

Dr Konkel pointed out that while eating garlic was generally healthy, it was unlikely to prevent Campylobacter food poisoning.

However, he added: ‘Diallyl

sulphide may be useful in reducing the levels of the Campylobacter in the environment and to clean industrial food processing equipment, as the bacterium is found in a biofilm in both settings.’

Colleague Dr Barbara Rasco, another member of the Washington State University team, said: ‘Diallyl sulphide could make many foods safer to eat.

It can be used to clean food preparation surfaces and as a preservative in packaged foods like potato and pasta salads, coleslaw and deli meats.

‘This would not only extend shelf life but it would also reduce the growth of potentially bad bacteria.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Having children does not encourage parents to eat more healthily

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arents are known for nagging their children to eat their greens, but a new study has found they don’t apply their healthy eating advice to their own plates.

Despite good intentions, researchers found that juggling schedules, pressure on family finances and fussy children can all stop couples from improving their diets.

Study author Dr Helena Laroche from the Univerty of Iowa, said: ‘ We found that parenthood does not have unfavorable effects on parent’s diets but neither does it lead to significant improvements compared to non-parents, as health practitioners would hope.

‘In fact, parents lag behind their childless counterparts in decreasing their intake of saturated fat, and their overall diet remains poor.’

The study evaluated the diets of 2,563 adults enrolled in a study to identify the development of coronary risk factors in young adults. The study measured the dietary change from the first year, 1985-1986, to year seven (1992-1993). None of the subjects had children in the home at the baseline year.

Researchers found that percent saturated fat decreased among both groups, but parents showed a smaller decrease of 1.6 per cent compared to 2.1 per cent for non-parents.

There were no statistically significant differences in change in caloric, fruit and vegetable, sugar sweetened beverage, or fast food intakes.

Parents decreased their saturated fat intake by 1.6% compared to 2.1% lower intake by non-parents.

‘A variety of factors may

Parents may not improve their diets as they are influenced by fussy children

explain this,’ said Dr Laroche.

‘Finding foods that children like and request has been described by parents as one of the major factors influencing purchasing decisions. Given that marketing strategies to US children focus on high fat, high sugar foods, these requests are often for less healthy foods.’

Dr Laroche concluded further study was needed, but education could be key.

‘The transition to parenthood may be a teachable moment for dieticians and health practitioners to educate adults not only on child nutrition or nutrition for pregnancy, but on changing diet patterns for the whole family as well,’ she said.

The research is published online today in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 37

Group urges Lagos state government to end faceoff with striking doctors

Danjuma’s failed state allegation: Borno demands apology

he Joint Action Front (JAF), a pro-labour group, yesterday urged the Lagos state government to settle its crisis with the striking doctors to avoid further escalation.

JAF chairperson, Dr. Oladipo Fashina, who gave the advice at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, said resolving the dispute on wages and welfare was the only way forward.

Fashina said that the failure of the state government to implement agreements reached with doctors had aggravated the problem.

“The doctors had gone on a threeday warning strike from April 11 to 13, 2012, over violation of the principles of collective bargaining and the rule of law by the government.

“The doctors were not happy that the implementation of Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) was partially distorted,’’ he said.

He claimed that the doctors were demoted to grade steps 1 or 2 lower than their levels contrary to the civil service rules, the agreement on CONMESS and rules and regulations governing wage adjustment.

He said that the government also reneged on the payment of teaching allowance to Grade Level 10 (House officers) and Grade Level 12 (Medical Officers and Registrars).

Fashina said that the doctors decided to embark on an indefinite strike, after various attempts made for the government to implement those agreements failed in the past 13 months.

He said that CONMESS was signed into law on Sept. 29, 2009 to serve as a universal salary scale and minimum reference standard of remuneration for all doctors in Nigeria, regardless of location or employer.

He appealed to the government to resolve the issues with the doctors because of the inconveniences and agonies daily experienced by people as a result of the strike.

Also speaking, the JAF Secretary, Mr Abiodun Aremu, appealed to the State Government not to take actions that would negatively affect taxi operations in the state.

According to him, owners and operators of the regular taxis had complained of plans by the government to send them off the road for the newly introduced Metro Taxi.

Aremu claimed that some of the regular taxi operators had had their operating licenses withdrawn, while those who tried to register their cars as taxis were denied registration.

“When JAF delegation visited the licensing authority, an official told us that they have been instructed to deny license to taxi drivers that did not key into the new metro taxi project,’’ Aremu said.

he government of Borno state yesterday demanded open apology from the former Minister of Defence, Gen. T.Y. Danjuma, for classifying it as a failed state.

Responding to the state classification as a failed state alongside Jigawa and Kano states recently, the Borno Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Inuwa Bwalya, said the state should not be used as the whipping kid for the failure of the nation's leaders to address the security situation in the country.

While addressing guests at the 50th birthday anniversary of the Chairman and Publisher of the Leadership Newspapers, Sam Nda-Isaiah, recently in Abuja, Danjuma, had described some northern states as either failed or failing states with regards to the security situation in the North.

Reacting to Danjuma's remarks, however, Borno State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Inuwa Bwalya, described the General's

T

By Lawrence Olaoye

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Gen. T.Y. Danjuma remarks as harsh and contemptuous as it did not reflect the true situation on ground. ''It is rather naïve and mischievous for anyone to insinuate that Borno is the worst case in the present circumstance. Whatever were

his yardsticks, it is a known fact that Borno is fast recovering from the problems, with all structures of government fully functioning, businesses picking up and normal life returning.

"We have recorded worst cases of insecurity in Abuja,

Kaduna, Plateau, Kano and lately Taraba, General Danjuma's home state, yet these cases did not seem to catch the attention of the General; we do not deserve the castigations we got.

"We are not unaware of the conspiracy against Borno state, to the effect that since the crisis broke out, no leader of substance has visited the state to evaluate the situation, rather they sit in the comfort of their rooms and pass judgments on the state, which is struggling to give her people hope," the Borno Commissioner said.

Bwalya cautioned that instead of throwing blames and criticism, coupled with the throwing of blanket statements, what ought to be the focus of all now is how to remedy the situation.

"We have a duty to fellow Nigerians to rekindle their confidence in the state, in the people and the government.

We shall not be intimidated, and challenge anybody to prove that the state has failed.

Insecurity is a national malady and should be treated as such.

Any attempt to make Borno the scapegoat will be resisted", he warned.

Eligible voters to get permanent voter’s card by 2015 – Jega

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rof.

Attahiru Jega, the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says the commission will issue permanent voters card to all eligible voters in the country by 2015.

He gave this assurance on Thursday in Abuja when he received the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Mike Omeri.

“With the approval of the

Prof. Attahiru Jega

contract by the Federal Executive Council, we are looking forward to within this year, to be able to issue permanent voters card to millions of Nigerians in the first phase of the distributions of the cards.

“Our objective is that by 2015 every eligible registered voter in Nigeria will be issued a permanent voter card that would contain all the necessary information and details of the voter which is embedded in the card.”

According to him, the chip-based permanent voters cards will guarantee eligible voters the right to vote during elections.

“The commission would spare no effort to make the 2015 general elections is not only the best in Nigeria’s political history, but also the most acceptable to citizens.”

He said the commission would rely on modern technology in the electioneering process to ensure efficiency and credibility of the elections.

“We will continue to do our best to bring remarkable improvement to the electioneering process, but we can only succeed through wide range of partnership with other stakeholders and organisations like NOA.” Jega said the collaboration with NOA was necessary because of its role in dissemination of information, sensitisation and mobilisation of Nigerians for national development.

He commended the efforts of NOA in sensitising eligible voters in previous elections, which he said had helped to facilitate the successes recorded.

Jega said INEC had introduced a “catch them young sensitisation programmes” in voter education, involving over 3, 347 secondary schools, adding that NOA was actively involved in the programme.

The chairman noted that some politicians had contributed to the existing security challenges by

engaging the youths in a very negative manner in their desperation to attain their political objectives.

He urged all Nigerians to fight thuggery, “because most of the electoral offences were committed by youths at the instance of some of the politicians”.

Earlier, Mr Mike Omeri, commended INEC for “conducting the best general elections in Nigeria’s political history and the most acceptable to Nigerians”.

He said the essence of the visit was to ensure a robust relationship with INEC in the sensitisation and mobilisation of Nigerians for credible elections.

Omeri called for the setting up of the Electoral Offences Commission to curb violence and civil unrest during and after elections.

He also expressed concern on the activities of some politicians who use thuggery as a means of attaining their political goals.

“I know that in other countries the youths are mentored by politicians to attain greater heights but in Nigeria instead of mentoring the youths for leadership, the politicians mentored them for thuggery, violence and other vices.

“At the end of the day we are left with the kind of security challenges we are battling with now; every responsible Nigerians must stand up against this.”

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

INEC to conduct one week voter registration in Edo Al-makura

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo is to commence the update of voters register beginning from May 15.

INEC’s Public Relations Officer in the state Mrs. Imoude Sule told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Wednesday that the exercise would run for one week.

She said the exercise was only for those not registered by the commission or those who had problems with their registration.

Imoude added that the voter register update was part of the commission’s efforts to ensure hitch free governorship election in the state on July 14.

“It is an opportunity for people who have been transferred to the state after the

last voter registration or those people who have just attained 18 years.”

Imoude warned that “it is still an offence for any individual to attempt to register twice and anybody so caught will be treated as a saboteur.”

She assured that the commission was fully ready to conduct a free and fair election in July.

NAN reports that three candidates have been cleared by their parties to contest the governorship election.

They are the incumbent Gov. Adams Oshiomohole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Brig-Gen Charles Airhiavbere (rtd) of the People Democratic Party (PDP) and Chief Solomon Edebiri of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

L-R: Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega , and INEC National Commissioner, Prince Solomon Soyebi, during the NOA DG's visit to the INEC National Headquarters, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Shettima commends Jonathan’s efforts to revive Lake Chad

Kano Assembly receives forgery petition against commissioner

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he Kano State House of Assembly on Wednesday formally acknowledged receipt of two petitions it had earlier rejected for improper presentation, including one on forgery against a commissioner

in the state.

One of the petitions alleged that a commissioner in the state (name withheld) was using a forged Diploma Certificate.

The other petition was filed

by a construction firm, Gerawa Global Construction, over the revocation of a contract.

Alhaji Isyaku Ali, the Deputy Speaker, who presided over the sitting, acknowledged receipt of the two petitions after

they were properly channelled.

He referred the petition on forgery to the House Committee on Petitions and the one on revocation of contract to the House Committee on Land Matters.

reaffirms resolve to develop Nasarawa

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he Nasarawa state governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-makura, on Wednesday said his administration was committed to the execution of developmental programmes to lift the state to greater heights.

Al-makura made the pledge at the swearing in ceremony of a Special Adviser, Mr Gideon Dogo, at Government House in Lafia, The governor assured that his administration would be fair to all in the state and ensure that the state was transformed as one of the top 10 states in the federation in the next five years.

According to the governor, his administration is on a rescue mission to save the people of the state with a view to enabling the citizens enjoy the much needed dividends of democracy.

He assured that his administration would do everything humanly possible to make the difference in the lives of ordinary citizens of the state, explaining that he would do this by providing good roads and other infrastructure for the populace.

The governor noted that his administration would ensure accountability and probity, saying, “my government will not embark on any form of propaganda or flamboyant activities in the name of politics.”

H e l a m e n t e d that Nasarawa State had suffered a lot of neglect since it was created 15 years ago by late Gen. Sani Abacha.

Almakura appealed to people of the state to cooperate with him, to enable him deliver to the people the much-needed dividends of democracy, which the state deserved now.

He, however, called on the people of the state to continue to live in peace with one another, adding that peace was a veritable tool for the development of any society.

Almakura urged religious leaders in the country to pray fervently for peace and unity and for God to direct the leaders to be on the right path in piloting the affairs of the nation.

NAN reports that the new Special Adviser was appointed to replace Mr Philip Yakwari, who is now the Managing Director of the Nasarawa State Transport Authority.

Dogo thanked the governor for giving him the chance to serve, saying that he would live above board in the discharge of his duties, pledging his total support to the Al-makura administration.

PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Northern group Former local government condemns comment council boss scores Wada high Azazi’s on Boko Haram T A From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

he immediate past council chairman of Okene local government council in kogi state, Alhaji Yahaya Karaku, has described the 100 days in office of Captain Idris Wada as eventful and rewarding for the people of the state.

The ex-council boss who made this declaration in lokoja on yesterday, said the

governor through his various committees, have been able to erase doubts and misgivings which was the characteristic of past politics of the state.

He noted that what some opposition actually considered as slow posture was a huge advantage as according to him, "Anyone who fails to plan, planned to fail.

Karaku commended the

governor for flagging off the reconstruction of the ItakpeEika-Kuroko-Okene road which he said was strategic to traffic flow in the area.

He added that in addition to the free medical service already put in place by the administration the governor's prompt and timely response to security matters, has further demonstrated Wada's commitment to the well being of the people of kogi state.

He called on the governor not to be deterred, in doing what is proper in his effort to reposition kogi state to make it one of the top ten states in Nigeria.

Karaku enjoined the people of the state, irrespective of their party affiliations, to rally round the governor in his drive to take Kogi to the next level in terms transformation of the critical sectors of the state

L-R: Commandant, Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Mu'azu, Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Hon. Bashir Kazaure, and Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Christopher Etah, during an oversight visit to AFCSC in Jaji, Kaduna state on Wednesday.

Photo: NAN

Justice Party debunks allegalise that Wada’s election was fraudulent From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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he governorship candidate of Justice Party in the December 3, governorship election in Kogi state, Hajia Aisha Audu, has debunked the story reported by a radio station in Lokoja that she said the election that produced, Captain Idris Wada was a fraud and lack legitimacy.

In a statement signed by the Justice Party candidate and made available to newsmen in Lokoja yesterday said she was the first person among the gubernatorial candidate to publicly embrace the governor when he was declared winner because of her believe in the ability and capacity of the governor to run the affairs of the

state.

Mrs. Audu further explained that the case she filed before the Election Petition Tribunal which she later withdrew was based on the unlawful exclusion and representation her party logo and not whether the election was free and fair, noting that the election was fair.

The former first lady who

described the media report as wicked and callous said it was a calculated attempt to overheat the polity in the state which according to her will not serve the interest of the common man.

She therefore urged the people of the state to ignore those she termed as mischief makers and rally round the present administration to succeed.

From Adesoji Oyinlola, Lagos

group, Arewa United Consultative Forum has condemned the statement credited to the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Owoeye Azazi, saying the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is responsible for the menace created by the Boko Haram group in some part of the north.

A statement by the National co-coordinator of the forum, Ado Shuaib Dansudu, said the pronouncement by the NSA portends that he has lost focus on his job, he is therefore not eligible to continue to hold the position the forum considered sensitive to security of the country.

Speaking further, Dansudu said Azazi should resign his position as the National Security Adviser to President Jonathan, saying his outburst was directed to certain political interest and it may be a prelude to a systematic clampdown on some people the government may not be comfortable with.

Continuing, he advised PDP leaders from the north to watch their steps so as not to walk into any trap that some overzealous government agents are setting on their path.

"As the National Security Adviser to the President, Azazi should be proactive in his action and not to be playing to the gallery on issues considered being sensitive as that of Boko Haram. The menace created by the group is a matter of concern not only for those of us from the north, but Nigerians as a whole.

It is therefore amount to sheer in responsibilities for a man in such a sensitive position to make such careless statement", he admonished.

He spoke further that people in such position all over the world are supposed to be abreast of security situation within the polity and must not be seen as making lousy statements capable to cause disaffection among the people by setting them against one another.

Democracy: NGO urges youth to eschew violence

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he Nigeria Youths United Action Coalition (NYUAC), an NGO, has urged youths to eschew violence and shun thuggery by participating fully in the democratic processes.

Mr Abdulmazeed Abdullahi, the President of the coalition, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday that low participation of youths in the democratic processes hindered development.

He said although Nigeria practised democratic system of government, the non-inclusion of

youths in governance was a challenge to the country.

Abdullahi, therefore, advised youths to refrain from violence activities and endeavour to prepare themselves for leadership positions.

"Democracy is not healthy when the principle of participation is not sacrosanct; to give the youth the right to participate is not a privilege, it is our right.

"Youths need to come to consciousness of the fact that they have a right to participate but when participating we must

participate within a framework that dignifies us.

"Why should the participation and roles of youths in politics be reduced to that of thuggery, why should it be reduced to that of men who wear black suits and stand right behind politicians?

"My advice to youths is to ensure that we totally eschew violence; we need to dignify ourselves as youths of this country.

"We need to be able to let people understand the fact that we are mature, we are skilled,

we are intelligent and have the resources that make someone responsible to take up public office.

"The more we dignify ourselves the more we make a stand that we are entitled to better participation. “Abdullahi also urged the youths to imbibe moral virtues in order to be useful to the society.

He urged governments at all levels to engage the youth meaningfully in decisionmaking processes in order to increase their level of participation in the electoral

process.

He decried the spate of violence in some parts of the country, and urged governments to employ intelligent approach to address the prevailing insecurity situation in the country. (NAN) Abdullahi advised government to encourage dialogue as a way of finding lasting solution to the security challenges in the country.

NAN reports that NYUAC is a network of Nigerian youths advocating the use of dialogue as a tool to achieve good governance.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

Legislator says NASS shares concerns of Journalists

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he House of Representatives yesterday said it would partner with the media for an improved working environment.

This was contained in a statement issued and signed by Rep. Zakari Mohammed (PDPKwara), to mark the 2012 World Press Freedom Day. Mohammed, who is Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said the house shared in the challenges facing the profession.

He reaffirmed its support for the legitimate aspirations of Nigerian journalists.

“The House of Representatives, particularly notes with deep regrets, discomfiture and unsettling amazement, current attacks on the Nigerian media by terrorist. ’’ According to him, the house condemn in strongest terms, recent attacks and threats of further attack on the media by terrorist. ``It is worthy of note that freedom of speech is guaranteed by global legal instruments like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1999 Nigerian Constitution (as amended).

Mohammed said that the role of journalists was guaranteed in the constitution, adding that the constitution recognised the press as the ``Fourth Estate of the Realm’’.

He noted that any attack on the media was a direct affront and infringement on freedom of speech and a breach of the constitutionally provided roles of journalists. ``This is unacceptable and the House of Representatives as a responsible and responsive arm of government will not shy away from intervening through all legal means available to protect the rights of journalists and freedom of expression.

He urged the media to remain undeterred in the discharge of their duties and call on security agencies to secure lives and property of Nigerians, including journalists.

PAGE 39

Reps want ministries to embark on advocacy on the danger of pollution

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he House of Representatives has called on the Ministries of Health and Environment to educate people on the danger of pollution of the waterways in Nigeria.

This, it said on Wednesday, could be done through advocacy and enlightenment campaign.

It also urged that the relevant ministries to provide alternative arrangement for the disposal of human and material wastes in

the riverine areas.

This resolution was followed a motion by Rep. Segun Williams (ACN – Ogun), which was unanimously adopted without debate by the members.

Moving the motion, Williams noted that Nigeria was blessed with abundant rivers and waterways in virtually every geological formation, “the biggest of which are River Niger and Benue.’’

He said that Rivers Benue and Niger constituted over 75 per cent

of the supply and available water for diverse use in agriculture, washing, drinking and other uses.

“There is no gain saying that water remains the most precious human resources that nature bequeath to mankind.’’ he said.

According to him, statistics from the UN Conference on Human Settlement Report revealed that one-sixth of the waste generated within most low and middle settlements were not collected.

He added that such waste

L-R: Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Ogun state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and President, Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigerian (ICAN), Mr Francis Ojaide, during ICAN 2012 annual dinner and award, recently in Lagos.

INEC sribe in Kogi bags chieftaincy title From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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he administrative secretary of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Kogi state, Mr James Dawal Dakop has been crowned with a chieftaincy title of Wazirin Kwala Qua'apan of K7, Plataeu state for his concern for the community Chief James Dakop who disclosed to Peoples Daily in Lokoja that the rite was performed in Plateau state maintained that he

did not know that his little contribution to the community was being regarded He said the chieftaincy bestowed on him title would spur him to do more in his little way to uphold the dignity of the less privileged in the society with a view to lifting them to a manageable level as means within our limit could assist.

Speaking with pressmen in Lokoja, the leader of Kogi INEC to the ceremony, Mr Tseke Terunum

stated that James Dakop as an individual deserves every accolade for his humanitarian disposition, stressing that his community holds him in high esteem He said the Commission to have sent people from the headquarters in Abuja coupled with the senior members from Kogi state shows the person of James Dakop in the society and his place of work, pointing out that even the District head of Kwala, His Royal Highness, Alahji Isah Nwoeker was impressed.

Reps urge government to release allocations to 15 LGs

By Lawrence Olaoye

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he House of Representatives yesterday called on the Federal Government to direct the payment of the monthly federal allocations to the 15 local government areas currently placed under emergency rule.

The lawmakers said the release of the allocations would help the affected local governments to pay the salaries of their workers.

Following a motion moved by Rep. Bitrus Kaze (PDP- Plateau) which was unanimously adopted without debate, the lawmakers said the allocations included all outstanding statutory funds standing to the credit, and payable

to the 15 local government areas affected by the declaration of emergency rule pursuant to the provisions of Section 162 (5) of the 1999 Constitution.

The presidency had on Dec. 31, 2011, proclaimed emergency rule in 15 local government areas of Borno, Niger, Plateau, and Yobe.

Kaze observed that the relevant agencies had yet to comply with the earlier resolution of the House regarding the said payment.

He urged the relevant agencies to comply with the resolution.

Meanwhile, the House has mandated its Committee on National Security to invite the

National Security Adviser and all other Security Chiefs to review security strategies in the country.

This followed a motion moved

by Rep. Ali Yakubu (PDP-Yobe) on insecurity in Potiskum, Yobe State.

The Speaker referred the motion to the relevant committees for further input.

usually end up at illegal spaces such as rivers and waterways.

Williams expressed worry that most towns like the rural areas lacked toilet facilities “let alone modern toilets thereby forcing the people to resort to streams as evacuation mechanism.’’

He explained that cultural belief, perception, and low education have significantly contributed to the unhealthy way of life of the people in the country.

The legislator urged his colleagues to support the motion so that people could be enlightened on the danger of pollution on waterways.

Meanwhile, the house has urged the Ministry of Works and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to rehabilitate Ugboju/Onyeagede/Ankpa Road.

This followed a motion by Rep. Ezekiel Adaji (PDP – Benue) on the need for the rehabilitation of the road.

The Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal, referred the motion to the relevant committees for further inputs.

Agency wants say in community projects From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

A

s part of its responsibility to fast-rack community and social development in the state, the General Manager of Kogi Community and Social Development Agency, KGCSDA, Mr James Odiba has warned, against misappropriation of funds He gave this warning at the one-day sensitization visit to the Kogi state House of Assembly, Lokoja stating that it is of paramount importance that the agency be involved in the community development process, going by the law establishing it.

Mr Odiba who used graphic illustration to drive home his point said the standard provided by the agency to implement projects should be strictly adhered to, stressing that "as members any project intended for the good of people should be allowed to go through the standard inspectors of the agency".

According to the Speaker of Kogi House of Assembly, Alhaji Abdulahi Bello, the Assembly would partner with the Agency to give the communities in the state quality service in project implementation.

Politics instrument for development-Ondo LG boss

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he Ese-Odo Local Government Chairman, Akinwunmi Sowore, has described politics as an instrument for tackling development challenges in the area.

Speaking with the News

Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in EseOdo, Ondo, Sowore said politics could be used to influence decisions to favour communities, local government and states `` Politics is worth doing as it involves our day to day activities;

my entry into politics has given me a lot of insight into the affairs of Nigeria. `` Since we came on board, we have been trying to impact on the lives of the people through our numerous empowerment

programmes and about 500 youths have benefited. `` About 1000 of them are in the pipeline for the oncoming empowerment scheme; we have also been able to set the women up in small scale businesses," he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 41

NFF yet to fix Eagles’ World Cup venue

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Eagles in training in Abuja

NFF expresses concern over Sunshine Stars contingent to Mali

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he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has expressed concerns over the trapped players and officials of Sunshine Stars FC of Akure in Bamako, the Malian capital, following renewed fighting there.

Of the 34-man delegation, six players, four officials and two journalists were trapped in the Malian

Godfrey Oboabana, Sunshine skipper

capital after rebel forces launched a renewed attack in the capital.

A statement by the NFF noted that it was concerned about news filtering into the country yesterday that military forces stormed the team’s Hotel Columbus and ransacked a player’s room.

NFF President Aminu Maigari said that the situation called for prayers from all Nigerians.

Maigari stated that he had been in regular telephone contact with the leader of delegation and Chairman of Ondo State Football Agency, Chief Segun Adagunodo.

“We are deeply concerned.

Sunshine Stars went to Mali to represent Nigeria and this situation makes us unhappy. We pray fervently that the situation improves quickly, so that the people involved can get out of Mali.

“I have been speaking with Adagunodo over the past few days, even though he says they are

comfortable and have nothing much to worry about. It is important that they are able to get out of the place. “We are monitoring the situation closely and may decide on an alternative plan to get the team out of Mali if the situation persists for a few more days. ” The Chairman of Technical SubCommittee, Chris Green, NFF General-Secretary Musa Amadu, and Chief Media Officer, Ademola Olajire had been in contact with the team.

Sunshine Stars FC played courageous game and were only forced to a 1-1 draw by Djoliba of Mali in the first leg of their CAF Champions League third round fixture in Bamako on Saturday.

...As Malian troops harass Sunshine Stars

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layers and officials of Nigeria’s CAF Champions League representatives, Sunshine Stars yesterday got a surprise visit from Malian army officials. Members of the Mali government army forces stormed the Hotel Columbus lodgings of the Nigerians and searched their rooms.

Goalkeeper Segun Oluwaniyi said the soldiers knocked at the door of his hotel at around 2am local time (3am Nigerian time), leaving him shaken with fear.

“I have never experience such in my lifetime,” Oluwaniyi said. “They knocked at around 2am and I asked who was at the door. I was scared but one of the (officers) who spoke English said they are here because of the situation of the country and just

wanted to know who I was.”

“They checked the bathroom, wardrope. I told them we are still in Bamako because we missed our flight because of the situation of the country, he asked me how many are we and I told him we are 10 that are trapped in the hotel and I told him to go to other rooms for him to know that we are not rebels that we are footballers and after checking they left my room and told me to be calm and I shouldn’t be worried,” Oluwaniyi said.

Six players and two officials of Sunshine Stars as well as two Nigerian journalists have been trapped in Bamako since drawing 1-1 against Djoliba AC in a CAF Champions League game on Sunday.

Aminu Maigari

he Nigeria Football Federation said yesterday that it was yet to pick a venue for next month’s 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifying matches for the Super Eagles.

Chairman of the NFF Media and Publicity Committee, Chief Emeka Inyama said that the NFF Executive Committee would take that decision when members meet to deliberate on the report of the Technical Sub-Committee members who inspected the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Ibadan, Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri and the U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar.

“After an inspection team led by the NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari visited the National Stadium, Abuja on Wednesday, a decision was taken that the place should be ruled out of contention.

The pitch is bad and there is no way it can be ready in four weeks.

“However, for the avoidance of doubt, we have not picked a venue for either the World Cup qualifier against Namibia on June 3 or the Nations Cup qualifier against Rwanda on June 17. “The NFF Executive Committee will meet soon to take a decision on this, having in mind the standard requirements as stipulated by FIFA and CAF and with the best of intentions”, Inyama said.

The NFF Executive Committee member also commended the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa for the interest shown in the activities and programmes of the Nigeria Football Federation and the national teams.

“We appreciate the keen interest and support of Governor Yakowa in our programmes and in the development of Nigeria football generally”,stated Inyama.

The Super Eagles will regroup in Abuja on Sunday ahead of an international friendly match against Peru in Lima on May 23, after which the team will settle down to the very serious business of preparing for the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Namibia and Malawi on June 3 and 10 respectively, and the 2013 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Rwanda on June 17.

NFF hails Cross River Govt for hosting Golden Eaglets’ camp

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he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has lauded the Cross River government for agreeing to host a one-month camping programme of the U-17 national team, the Golden Eaglets.

The NFF said yesterday in a statement by its chief media officer, Ademola Olajire, that sport-loving Gov. Liyel Imoke had approved an all-expensespaid camping that would begin in Calabar on May 6.

“The NFF is very grateful to Imoke, his administration and the good people of Cross River State for this wonderful gesture.

“Of course, Imoke has always been there for the NFF and for Nigeria football,” the statement quoted the NFF President,

Aminu Maigari, as saying.

“He has always been ready to host our matches and we also remember how Calabar emerged one of the best centres during the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Nigeria in 2009.

“The Super Eagles have played three big matches in Calabar during his tenure. We believe this gesture would continue”.

The U-17 team, three-time world champions, is in the second phase of their camping programme.

The Head Coach, Manu Garba and his crew, are building a new team for the 2013 African U-17 Championship qualifiers which begin in September, with a game against Niger.

Falconets’ opponents DR Congo storm Abeokuta

T

he delegation of Democratic Republic of Congo for tomorrow’s FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifier against the Falconets arrived in Abeokuta yesterday.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) said in statement that the contingent of 25 persons arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos aboard Asky Airlines.

The statement signed by its Chief Media Officer, Ademola Olajire, said that the contingent travelled to the Rock City by road.

“The DR Congo squad eliminated Cameroon and also pounded Mali, conquerors of Equatorial Guinea, in the last round,” the statement said.

It added that the match officials from Uganda also arrived on Thursday aboard an Ethiopian Airline flight from

Addis Ababa.

The statement quoted Falconets’ Head Coach, Edwin Okon as saying that “we are wellprepared for this match. “Our focus is on a good win ahead of the second leg match in Kinshasa. ” The winner of this fixture would qualify as one of Africa’s two flag-bearers at the 2012 U20 Women’s World Cup billed for Japan in August/September.

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

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fter spending 13 years in Europe, you’re now going into your third season at Fluminense, something you’d only previously done at FC Porto and Barcelona.

Do you now feel totally at home at the club?

Listen, at first I found coming back to Brazil very tricky. That was mainly because I had a string of injuries, which made it tough for me to settle, but there were also issues in terms of the infrastructure.

Neymar Of course things are different here, particularly because I’d been used to the highest standards possible at FC Porto the club with the best infrastructure in Portugal and at two massive clubs, in the cases of Barcelona and Chelsea. But I’m totally settled and happy now.

That run of injuries you mention even made you consider bringing your career to a close, didn’t it?

Yes, that’s right. Physically I’ve felt fine, ever since I came back, but those successive injuries really hit me hard. That’s because at that stage of your career, after so many years of training and travelling, you get your motivation from playing and competing.

And without that, I started to wonder if it was really worth carrying on. When you’re starting out in your career you know that you’ve got your whole life ahead of you but, at that time, I found it hard to see the point in keeping going when I wasn’t able to get on the field.

Though assist statistics are not always recorded, would you agree that over your career you may have set up more goals than you’ve scored?

There’s no ‘may have’ about it, I think I definitely have! (laughs) Of course I enjoy scoring goals but I’ve never been obsessed by it. What I really enjoy is the playmaker’s role knowing that the team’s tempo depends on me. I thrive on that responsibility.

Have you always felt that way, even as a young player?

Always. Even on a personal level, I’ve always been just as pleased with building a move that ends in a goal as when I score myself. Of course, over time, I’ve also changed my style. Not only because I lost some of my physical explosiveness and acceleration but also because I’ve learned so much about how to play as a team. Barcelona are a good example: they’re a side that are always packed with great players but none of them dribble for the sake of it, only when they need to.

Now that you’re back in Brazil, do you think the prevailing attitude is very different to Barça’s approach?

However much talent we’ve had here, Brazilian football’s always been about touch and passing but, unfortunately, I think that’s coming to an end slightly. The prevailing attitude here now, generally speaking, seems to be the idea that individual talent alone is the solution to every problem and that having one or two superstars in your team is enough to see you through.

Why do you think this change has come about?

I don’t think we’re doing the right things at youth level: I get the impression that people are more concerned with winning titles than they are with developing complete players. As there’s so much talent here, we can be fooled into thinking that players appear out of nowhere.

And of course the likes of Neymar, Ganso and Lucas prove that talented youngsters are still emerging, but we could

2014 World Cup: Brazil could have the edge with better players, says Deco Now 34 years of age and imbued with the selfassurance that a staggering 21 winners’ medals spanning four different countries brings, Brazil-born former Portugal midfielder Deco is clearly comfortable with being interviewed.

On the agenda for the two-time UEFA Champions League winner’s conversation with FIFA.com were subjects including his fine 2012 form for Fluminense, comparisons between Brazilian and European football, former team-mates Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and a player he feels can already match that illustrious pair in terms of technical ability: Santos starlet Neymar.

“

What Cristiano has is incredible power and an extremely competitive nature, while Messi is sheer quality, with those movements he makes which seem to be always the same but that nobody even comes close to stopping.

Ganso

Deco as player and now in corporate suit produce even more and even better players.

Another factor that has an impact is the number of players that leave Brazil very early. A lot of youngsters have been leaving for places like the Ukraine or Japan for years and, with all due respect, you’re not going to be playing against top-level opponents every week in those leagues. Ideally, a player would stay and build a name for himself in Brazil or, if he were to leave, he’d go to a stronger league.

Barcelona under Pep Guardiola became the archetypal exponents of the passing football you referred to. How much of that team can you trace back to the Barça side you played in under Frank Rijkaard?

Barcelona are a club where the teams change, according to the players they have, but the culture remains the same. Guardiola was able to perfectly hone that passing style, as he’s someone who’s immersed in that culture.

The biggest difference between this team and ours is that this side has players with those characteristics in every position, whereas we only had four or five. It’s incredible, even when Barça’s most skilful players look likely to lose possession they still prefer to try and pass the ball, rather than taking someone on. And to do that you don’t just need quality, you need the right mentality too.

You played alongside Lionel Messi at club level and Cristiano Ronaldo on the international scene. How does it feel to have seen from afar what those two have been achieving in recent years?

They’re both incredible players, the two best in the world by a distance. Their styles are different but they’ve got that same ability to catch opponents by surprise.

What Cristiano has is incredible power and an extremely competitive nature, while Messi is sheer quality, with those movements he makes which seem to be always the same but that nobody even comes close to stopping.

What surprises me is that they’ve become players who create a lot for others, as well as scoring so many themselves. Of course when they were younger I could already see that both of them were a cut above, but I’ve been really struck by how they’ve managed to maintain their standards for so long without ever resting on their laurels. They’re always breaking new records, some of which seemed impossible.

And nowadays, you’re witnessing first-hand Neymar’s rise in the Brazilian game. In your opinion, how does he currently compare with worldclass players like Messi and Ronaldo?

Neymar, in my view, is now at that same level. Something he has in common with those two is the ability to score so many goals without being an out-and-out centre-forward. I think that if he was at Real Madrid or Barcelona he’d be even more effective than he is now, because he’d have better players around him and a better support structure.

What you need to take into account are the proportions: on the one hand the technical standard in Brazil clearly isn’t as high as in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, but on the other there are different problems to tackle. It’s not easier or harder: it’s just different. In my view, speaking in terms of technique alone, Neymar is on a par with Messi or Cristiano.

As someone who has two Champions League winners’ medals, how does taking part in the Copa Libertadores compare?

They’re two completely different challenges. But, speaking honestly, it’s harder for a big club like Fluminense to win the Libertadores than it is for a big European club to win the Champions League. It’s a simple matter of probability: there’s not much to choose between Flu and the likes of Corinthians, Santos, Internacional, Boca Juniors or Universidad de Chile.

There are at least ten teams that are clear contenders for the title, whereas in Europe there are only five or six. Of course, particularly in the latter stages, the technical standard in the Champions League is higher but, for a big club, the Libertadores is harder to win.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 43

Mary Keitany, Edna Kiplagat, Priscah Jeptoo were selected to represent Kenya while

London 2012: Makau rues omission from Kenya team W

orld marathon record holder Patrick Makau, who was omitted from Kenya’s Olympic team, did not run hard during last month’s London race because he believed he had already been selected for the Games, the athlete said on Wednesday.

“When I went to the London marathon last month, I knew I was already in the team for the Olympic Games as promised

by Athletics Kenya last year,” the 26year-old told Reuters.

“It is not practical, not even advisable, to run hard in the London marathon or Boston or even Rotterdam in April and expect to recover in time for the Olympics three months later.”

“So even as I was going to London, I knew deep inside that I was not going to finish the race,” said Makau, who pulled out after 16 km.

Patrick Makau was dropped

Makau said he had been told he would be in the Olympic team after setting a world record of 2:03:38 in Berlin last September, and had reduced his appearances to prepare for the London Games.

Athletics Kenya last week selected London marathon winner Wilson Kipsang, twice world champion Abel Kirui and Moses Mosop, who was third in Rotterdam for their men’s marathon team.

Makau said he would not contest the decision and had no ill-feelings towards Athletics Kenya, but hoped they would still consider him.

“It was them who told the world that I would get a wild card to the Games. It is them who can fulfill the promise,” he said With such a depth of talent available, the Kenyan marathon selection was always going to prove a headache.

Last year, Kenyan men won all six world marathon major titles, sweeping the medals in three, and setting course records in London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York.

Samuel Wanjiru won the country’s first men’s marathon Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008 but he died last year after jumping from the first floor balcony of his home.

TERGAT SUPPORT Makau has support for his inclusion in the team from compatriot and former world record holder Paul Tergat.

“I personally would have wanted Makau in the team. He should even have been there as a reserve.

Marathon training is tough and anything can happen to the three athletes already selected,” Tergat told Reuters.

“After all, (Athletics Kenya) paraded him after he broke the world record in Berlin last year and announced to the world that he would be in the team for the Olympics,” said Tergat, who won silver in the 10,000 meters at the 1996 and 2000 Games.

He said Ethiopia’s marathon runners had shunned competitive races in recent months and could be in fine form come July, unlike the Kenyan runners picked after the London race.

“I am not doubting their maturity, experience and capability. But our running and training schedule is very different from the Ethiopians and I fear that we may be in for a shock.

“We have run in many races lately compared to the Ethiopians and the team that ran in London may not have enough recovery time to put up a strong fight in Olympic Games in July,” said Tergat,

whose world record of 2:04:55 set in Berlin in 2003 lasted until 2007.

“The Ethiopians’ last serious marathon was in Dubai (in January). That’s where they selected their team for the Olympics.

They ran 2:04 there and they started preparations for the Olympics then,” he said.

However, Tergat was confident the Kenyan women could sweep the marathon medals in London.

Mary Keitany, world champion Edna Kiplagat and Priscah Jeptoo were selected for the team after taking the top three places in the London marathon.

“Our women are set. They have come of age and may even beat our men to the medal haul in the London Games,” said Tergat.

“It is inspiring to see our women compete and beat the world. This was not the case some 10 years ago.”

…Games organisers braced for biggest test yet

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ondon 2012 organisers braced themselves for their biggest test of the Olympic Park on Wednesday, as they began series of six test events at five venues over the next week, with 11,000 staff, including volunteer ‘Games Makers’, learning the ropes and seeking to iron out any problems before the July 27 opening ceremony.

Organisers expect more than 140,000 spectators and 3,000 competitors to attend hockey, water polo and athletics events as well as Paralympic wheelchair tennis, boccia and athletics at the park in east London.

The crowd flow is expected to peak at 75,000 on Saturday, when the stadium hosts a university and schools athletics event and is officially opened by a lucky spectator picked from the audience with the clock ticking down to 2,012 hours to go.

By next week, after what amounts to the first and only comprehensive preGames trial of the Park and spectator areas, organisers will have carried out 42

test events in 12 months across 28 venues.

A queue of staff and contractors snaked along the pavement early on Wednesday as reporters, warned to allow up to 90 minutes to clear accreditation and security scans, arrived for a briefing at the hockey venue.

That meeting, with LOCOG chief executive Paul Deighton, started behind schedule but spectators streaming in later said their queues had been much shorter and in most cases around 10 minutes.

Some complained of a lack of signage once inside what is still a building site in some areas, with workers in fluorescent jackets erecting sponsor sites including a huge McDonalds restaurant near the main stadium.

Organisers expect work on temporary buildings for London 2012 concessions to be completed by early next month while sponsor areas should be finished by the beginning of July.

Work by broadcasters to lay cables around the Park will be completed by mid July while landscaping and the installation of flags and banners will continue up until Games time.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 45

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Netherlands winger Arjen Robben has put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with Bayern Munich, which will keep him at the Allianz Arena until 2015.

Britain's women make it two wins from two at the Olympic hockey test event with a comfortable 3-0 win over China.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Rio Ferdinand deserves to be part of England's Euro 2012 squad.

Miguel Cotto says he is in the form of his life ahead of his WBA world light-middleweight defence against Floyd Mayweather.

Rory McIlroy returns to action for the first time since the Masters at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina.

Lions, Ireland and Munster flanker David Wallace is forced to retire at the age of 35 because of a knee injury.

Jose Mourinho has shown persistence to add the Spanish title to his list of accomplishments, says European expert Andy Brassell.

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PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 47

Reading the mind of Stephen Keshi WATCH DOG

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igeria’s rebuilding process has gradually taken shape. Head Coach Stephen Keshi seems to be working in tangent with the aspiration of Nigerians that the Super Eagles having lost its allure and glory need serious rebirth to reclaim its pride of place among the comity of powerful African national teams.

The rebuilding has been ongoing. So the Eagles are a work in progress. So far, Keshi has made good the resolve of the populace by paying more than lip service to the talents that abound in the domestic league rather than focus on the superficial readymade talents most of whom are almost always drawn from the back waters of European and Asia leagues.

In fact, as the Eagles gear up against other contenders

for the 2013 Nations Cup and 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Keshi, like the dawn that reveals the upcoming bowels of the day, has demonstrated by his recent invitation to the Eagles camp, just what quality of players he intends to craft into the domestic league legion.

Yes, just five players earned call up for the friendly international duel against Peru in Lima. Of yore, this would have been abnormal.

Neither Shuaibu Amodu nor Christian Chukwu had opted to breathe life into their squads. Any match, no matter the strength of the opponents in which the “regulars” did not featured never existed.

So, the duo denied Nigeria the opportunity to eliminate by substitution aging and out-of-form players and thus rebuild without having to be subjected to starting from the

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Nothing best captures his focus than the quality of invitation; ...which betrayed his resolve to begin the much desired gradual process of dispensing with the big boys, sentimental glamour bordering on their inevitability notwithstanding

bases.

Samson Siasia’s penchant for his 2005 Flying Eagles that metamorphosed into the Dream Team 111 impeded his rebuilding processes and eventually cost him the job.

Siasia must regretted the day his breathed out his intention to edge out tired legs and inject fresh pairs of legs into the squad. The so-called big boys bench warmers in their respective clubs revolted and he was dispensed with.

Keshi must have learnt vital lessons. Why? He started with the so-called locals, then accorded due regard and respect to the “big boys” and when they failed as always and expectedly, Keshi justifiably turned attention to his regulars: domestic league players.

Few days before he ended his holiday, he took exhaustive analyses of known foreign-based Eagles and arrived at the verdict that only half a dozen were regulars and competitively busy in their respective clubs.

Keshi bare out the names and except for Chelsea’s John Mikel (Michael) Obi, himself just beginning to get into his team’s frame, called them

up.

R a h e e m Lawal, Nnamdi Oduamadi, O b i o r a N w a n k w o , Ekigho Ehiosun and Gege Soriola made the list owoidoho_ng35@yahoo.com from the foreignbased clubs. dispensing with the big boys, believed that their reliance The former Mali and Togo sentimental glamour on the foreign-based players manager invited his regulars bordering on their would guarantee success. from the domestic league and i n e v i t a b i l i t y How sad!

Chukwu, added five fresh pairs of legs notwithstanding.

Amodu, and Siasia, all failed. in the latest squad for Peru.

And hasn’t keshi only last Sadder still that some, that The quality of invitation week insisted on letting the had shown no aptitude for itself is instructive.

A work do the talking instead depth and even are bereft of defender, two midfielders, of belabouring himself to tell what they had then, are and two strikers tell a story of the public what he’s been up today men of ‘timbre and where Keshi feels the Eagles to? Yes, Keshi wants less talk, calibre’ doling out empty in the work need further a time to concentrate on technical instructions to attention. Perhaps, the clash building on the foundation God knows who. Yes, not with Rwanda where the after clearly establishing Keshi and his technical crew foreign-based players were a what could pass for a nucleus that have from the onset flop as against the delectable of the new team. indicated the direction they character shown by the four So, there is a sketchy wanted to go. domestic league players and structure that needs being Keshi’s scanty call up is the latter’s display of gut in crafted into shape and commendable.

His the friendly duel with seven continued imposition of the deliberate focus on areas of times African champions- the over bloated ‘heroes’ would need rather lingering on the Pharaohs of Egypt, may have not only delay but distort the usual cast a mental shape of convinced him. shape.

One appreciates the team he wants to chisel Perhaps, nothing best Keshi’s gut if only he would and deploy against captures his focus than the opponents: hungery, quality of invitation. Again, not deviate from the set ambitious, mobile, with lot the invitation betrayed his course. Fear of failure had been the bane of past coaches of flair, depth, purpose and resolve to begin the much who had erroneously offensive incline. desired gradual process of

By Patrick Andrew

Ajani still wary of Djoliba AC

Para-athlete chides Nigeria over preparations for 2012 London Paralympic Games

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para-athlete, Femi Alabi, on Tuesday in Lagos criticised Nigeria’s preparations for the London 2012 Paralympic Games scheduled for Aug. 29 to Sept. 9.

Alabi, a gold medallist at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that no adequate preparation had been made for the 2012 edition.

“We’re not preparing as well as we should, because by now we are supposed to be in a camp where we have no distractions and be training intensively.

“We are only training on our

own now to remain fit, instead of being on training tours to aid our performance,” the table tennis champion said.

The Paralympian explained that the major challenges being faced by Nigerian para-athletes were funding, lack of equipment and training facilities.

He claimed that no funds had yet been received by the national federations from the National Sports Commission (NSC) to provide necessary logistics for the camping of paraathletes.

“Para-athletes have been training on their own because

they want to make a name for themselves.

“We para-athletes should have special training facilities that will cater for our different indoor sports so as to eliminate the constant disturbance from the able-bodied athletes.

“The sharing of training facilities with able-bodied athletes has been a challenge and has reduced the pace of training,” Alabi said.

Alabi won two gold medals at the 2012 Paralympic qualifiers in Egypt and four gold medals at the 2011 All-Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique.

S Ibrahim Ajani

Chris John set for defence No 16 C

hris John, undefeated after 48 professional bouts, is set to make the 16th defence of his WBA featherweight title this weekend.

The classy veteran from Indonesia faces Shoji Kimura of Japan in Singapore on Saturday night.

John takes a professional record of 46-0-2, with 22 knockouts, into the bout. He is the WBA “super champion” and was recently honoured as

John Chris

Fighter of the Decade by the organisation.

The WBA’s regular champion in the division is Celestino Caballero from Panama.

The 32-year-old John won the WBA belt nearly nine years ago on September 26, 2003 when he beat Oscar Leon on a split decision. He retained it against Osamu Sato, Jose Rojas, Derrick Gainer and Tommy Browne before beating Juan Manuel Marquez on points in March 2066 in what is still regarded as his best performance.

John also beat Renan Acosta, Jose Rojas, Zaiki Takemoto, Roinet Caballero, Hiroyuki Enoki and Rocky Juarez in title bouts before he was elevated to “super champion”.

Since then has beaten Juarez, Fernando David Saucedo, Daud Cino Yordan and Stanyslav Merdov in defence of his “super” title. He is the longest reigning WBA champion in any division.

Kimura, who has a record of 24-4-2; 9, has fought mostly at super-bantamweight, winning the Japanese title in April 2005 when he outpointed Yoshikane

Nakajima.

In May 2010 he challenged Poonsawat Kratingdaenggym for the WBA superbantamweight belt but was knocked out in the fourth round.

In his most recent fight, in January this year, the 34-yearold beat Ryol Li Lee by split decision over ten rounds.

On the undercard, Filipino Lorenzo Villanueva (22-0; 21) and Daud Jordan (28-2; 22) of Indonesia meet for the vacant IBO featherweight belt.

WBO super-middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz will defend his title against Nader Hamdan in Erfurt, Germany, on Saturday night. Stieglitz, whose record stands at 41-2, with 23 knockouts, is up against a 38year-old Australia-based veteran with a record of 43-9-1; 18.

It will be Hamdan’s third attempt at winning a “world” title.

He was beaten by Canadian Otis Grant in 2005 and by Australian Anthony Mundine in 2008.

The 30-year-old Stieglitz, who was born in Russia but fights out of Germany, will make the fifth

defence of the belt that he won in 2009 when he stopped Karoly Balzsay.

In the co-feature, a 27-yearold Germany-based Serbian, Marco Huck, defends his WBO cruiserweight belt against mandatory challenger and interim champion Ola Afolabi in a rematch.

The 30-year-old Huck’s record stands at 34-2; 25.

Afolabi, who was born in London, goes into the challenge with a record of 19-2-3; 9.

In a previous first fight, in December 2009, Huck retained his title when he beat Afolabi on points: 115-113 on two cards and 116-112.

Afolabi, 32, beat Valery Brudov in March this year to win the interim belt.

Huck is returning to the cruiserweight division after losing to Alexander Povetkin in a challenge for the WBA “regular” heavyweight belt.

In Paris on Friday night, Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (26-0; 17) from France defends his WBO interim middleweight belt against Max Bursak (24-0-1; 10) of Ukraine.

unshine Stars’ attacking midfielder, Ibrahim Ajani has said it is not yet a done deal against their CAF Champions League foes, Djoliba AC of Mali.

The nation’s campaigners were forced to a 1-1 draw in the first fixture in Bamako at the weekend.

The winner takes all reverse fixture comes up in fortnight at the Otunba Dipo Dina Stadium, Ijebu-Ode in Ogun state.

Ajani, who still relishes emerging from the Bamako warfare unscathed told SuperSport.com that they have lots of work to do to be able to scale the Malian side hurdle.

“We need to work extremely harder if we must overcome Djoliba here in Nigeria. Djoliba are big club with big players, I thank God we were able to pick a draw. “They’re coming here for outright battle, so we must be on top of our game to beat them.

We’re already under pressure to win after the draw in Bamako, that is why we must double our efforts to ensure we have it easy against them.

“Of course, they won’t stop us from advancing to the next stage of the competition,” he said.

The last season NPL second highest goalscorer, who is yet to score this season, said his goalscoring nightmare will soon be over.

“I need to be more prayerful, it’s like only God will solve the problem for me. All eyes are on me to score both in the domestic league and continent.

“I am not tensed or under pressure, I know once I start to score there won’t be any stopping me. I’m hopeful goals will come against Djoliba when they visit for the second leg,” he said.

QUO TABLE Q UO TE UOT QUO UOTE

By tr ying w e can easil y trying we easily lear n to endur e ad ver sity learn endure adv ersity sity..

Another man's, I mean — Mar k Twain Mark

FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2012

SPORTS

LA TEST LATEST NSC conducts athletes, officials’ biometric capture

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ational Sports Commission (NSC) yesterday at the Abuja National Stadium began the second stage of the biometric data collection of Team Nigeria’s athletes and officials for 2012 London Olympic Games coming up in July.

The exercise, which was first carried out in Lagos is at the instance of the British High Commission in collaboration with the London Games Local Organising Committee (LOCOC), is to identify the authentic athletes and officials for the upcoming 2012 London Olympics.

Speaking after having his biometric captured exercise, supervising Minister of Sports, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the biometrics collection exercise is a requirement for accreditation for the Games.

"It is one of the essential requirements in accreditation process for Olympic Games.

Other nations have done the exercise. I am happy that most our athletes and officials turnout for this exercise. Those that are not here would have their turn in subsequent ones," he said.

Biometric authentication encompasses a variety of methods used to identify individuals based on their unique physical characteristics.

It requires comparing an earlier sample from an individual against the current captured data.

During the process, the biometric sample is compared against a stored sample in a secure database (Biometrics and Computer Vision).

The organizers of the 2012 London Olympic Games are using the advanced authentication system biometrics capture as preventive and guaranteeing the security at the 2012 Olympics, as they focus on preventing acts of terrorism and filter out terrorists with intent on disrupting the Olympics.

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Between terrorism and corruption (I)

I

was invited by Silver Knights, Ibadan to present a paper at its annual May Day Lecture on the topic "Between terrorism and corruption - Implications for Nigeria".

Considering the topicality of the topic, I considered sharing my thoughts with a wider readership.

At the crossroads that we have found ourselves as a nation, where a sitting government has shown no capacity and competence to confront these two challenges, we must be blunt in evaluating what has gone wrong. Perhaps the moral outrage that results from the exercise will be the basis for action to change things for the better!

There are some preconceived and utterly wrong notions of where we are, how we got to this point and who to hold accountable for our problems that need to be questioned. There are narratives that are biased and not serving the nation well that need to be stated openly and neutralized. This is a duty beyond politics and partisanship, founded on respect for facts and logic. I want to state clearly that the views expressed here are mine, and not of the political party I belong to - the CPC. Secondly, my opinions are based on my interpretation of facts on the ground and research done by others, and not driven by politics.

Terrorism and corruption are two words that now dominate our headline grabbing news more than any others. Domestic terrorism has now joined corruption as the defining characteristics of our nation. It is sad that while other countries grapple with rebuilding their financial systems, upgrading their physical infrastructure and human capital, and adopting leapfrogging technologies to enhance their global competitiveness, our sensibilities are daily affronted by news of stolen trillions, multiple bombings and hapless leaders.

Terrorism is simply the use of violence and intimidation in pursuit of political goals. While, to many, it appears to be a recent phenomenon in Nigeria, looking at it closely shows it has been with us in various degrees. What else do most of our political parties do other than use violence and intimidation in pursuit of political goals? Who else exemplifies these characteristics more than the ruling party? In the context of this definition, where would you place what OPC and Egbesu Boys were

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NASIR EL-R UF AI EL-RUF UFAI ON FRID AY FRIDA elrufai@aol.com

President Goodluck Jonathan doing in the 1990s? What have the Niger Delta militants and their umbrella organization, MEND, been doing for years? Now there is no dispute as to whether the anarchist Boko Haram is a terrorist organization or not. The truth is that one's freedom fighter is the terrorist in the eyes of another.

Even with the activities of these fringe ethnic and regional groupings, Nigeria did not enter the map of terrorism-prone nations until recently. Maplecroft, a British risk analysis and mapping firm that publishes the Terrorism Risk Index (TRI) ranked our country 19th and at "extreme risk" of terrorism in 2011, ahead

of Israel (20th) but safer than Yemen, South Sudan and India among others. With the escalation of attacks by Boko Haram in the north, and resumption of threats and hostilities by MEND in the Niger Delta, Nigeria is likely to jump to near the top of the TRI soon, unless something concrete is done to stop the descent.

Our nation and citizens are in grave danger. Our unity in diversity is at the highest level of risk since independence. The possible break-up of Nigeria is being discussed, not only in the Villa, but in regional and cultural association meetings.

Our democracy is in danger, and its end canvassed by young people in social media. The state no longer has monopoly of violence, and no longer in exclusive control of our maritime borders.

We increasingly are becoming a failed state with confused and corrupt persons at the helm of affairs who seem concerned only about enriching themselves and their coterie of choristers. How did we get to this point of near helplessness so fast?

Corruption on the other hand refers to dishonest or fraudulent conduct by people vested with authority, and usually involves bribery or gratification. I think corruption is something we are sufficiently familiar with, do not

“

The possible break-up of Nigeria is being discussed, not only in the Villa, but in regional and cultural association meetings. Our democracy is in danger, and its end canvassed by young people in social media. The state no longer has monopoly of violence, and no longer in exclusive control of our maritime borders

need to spend a lot of time defining it. We all know it when we see it, and we see it often. For those in public office, I think the best way to determine whether that innocuous end-of-the-year gift amounts to a bribe, the question posed by Islamic jurists is appropriate - "Will this thing of value be offered to me by the person in question if I am not holding this public office?" If the answer to the question is not an immediate and unhesitant "Yes", then the gift is a bribe, and should therefore be rejected.

You will notice that I have carefully avoided referring to legislation, legal maxims and decided cases in defining either terrorism or corruption. It is not just because we have little by way of convictions for terrorism and corruption in our case law, but because many Nigerians have lost confidence in our justice system in its effort to deal with these terrible phenomena. For years, our nation has struggled with the reputation of being one of the world's most corrupt nations. In 2002 we were amongst the bottom three, but with the emergence of EFCC and the implementation of several governance reforms between 2003 and 2007, we were out of the bottom thirty by the time the Obasanjo administration left office.

Under Nuhu Ribadu, the EFCC charged eleven former governors for corruption and money laundering. With the exception of Lucky Igbinedion’s ‘plea bargain’ arranged by Farida Waziri, none of the cases have moved forward since then. Several of them now sit in the senate and chair powerful committees. Our justice system has been lax and ambivalent about dealing with cases of grand corruption, as evidenced by the recent conviction of James Ibori in London after a federal high court in Asaba had dismissed over 100 counts of money laundering and corruption against him. It is not surprising that we are now nearer the bottom of the corruption league table than before.

According to Human Rights Watch in 2007, the endemic nature of corruption in Nigeria has led to the loss of USD $380 billion between independence and 1999.

A Global Financial Integrity Initiative report, dated January 2011, estimated that USD $130 billion worth of illicit financial flows occurred between 2000 and 2008. Adding these numbers to Contd. on Page 28

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