Peoples Daily Newspaper, Saturday 05, January, 2012

www.peoplesdaily-online.com www.peoplesdaily-online.com

VOL. 3 NO. 23 SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Sani was abducted and found but where are his parents?

. . . putting the people first

Physically challenged Solicitor-General mounts saddle in Nasarawa >> Page 3

>> Page 45

SAFAR 22 - 23, 1434 AH

N150

Our prayer is for women to become governors >> Page 16

Horror in Kogi:

Father kills 4-month old son for ritual >>Page 2

I’m still regarded as adulterous because of my role in Wasila —Moda >>Page 24

No vacuum in Power, Defence Ministries —Abati >>Page 14,15

COVER

2013: What Nigerians expect WWW.PEOPLESDAILY-ONLINE.COM

>> Pages >> 9,10&11 Page 3

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANAURY, 2013

News Police parade father who killed four-month-old son in Kogi From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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herbalist, Mr. Hosea Folorunso in Yagba West local government area of Kogi state, has been paraded by the police for allegedly murdering his four-month-old son, Sunday Folorunso and burying the body in a shallow grave.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Alhaji Mohammed Musa Katsina who paraded the suspect, in Lokoja on Friday, disclosed that on the 31st of December, 2012, when Nigerians were expecting the New Year with joy and happiness, Folorunso was busy perfecting plans to kill his son for ritual.

According to Katsina, on that fateful day around the hours of 1:55 pm, the suspect quietly took the baby who was deep asleep, that midnight and murdered him in gruesome circumstances.

Narrating the incident further, Katsina said Folorunso, having accomplished his mission dug a shallow grave in his compound and hurriedly buried the corpse of the baby.

He added that the suspected murderer was arrested by the police ambush squad in Egbe town after a tip off, adding that after a thorough investigation by the police in the area, he was to taken to the headquarters in Lokoja for

further interrogation.

The commissioner noted that in the course of interrogation, the suspect led the police to where he buried the remains of little Sunday.

He mentioned that a reknown pathologist in Lokoja is already in the process of carrying out an autopsy to ascertain the mode of killing , saying that as soon as the result of the test is ready the suspect will be taken to court for trial.

However, a report broadcast monitored in Abuja, stated that the examination of the child's corpse showed multiple fractures.

The Liaison Officer 1 of Yagba West local government area, Mr. Tunji Aro while commenting on the incident, said in the history of the council, such a thing had never happened where a father would kill his own child for whatever reason.

Aro assured the community that adequate security measures will be put in place to forestall reoccurrence of such nefarious acts.

He called on the people of the council to be vigilant and report any strange faces or unpleasant behaviours to security agents in the area for quick action, urging them to be law abiding and always pursue legitimate means of livelihood.

IGP Mohammed Abubakar

Is ritual only way to instant wealth?

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oney rules the world, so says an adage, but while our forefathers had traditional means of making money, we have developed 'modern styles' of enriching ourselves.

Many believe that the age of "money making rituals" was over, but this is not true as increasingly ritual activities have become the

order of the day. So ritual killings for various reasons still exist and in different forms as reports have shown.

Money rituals are practices by some hard hearted who aid and abate these acts, these are people who believe they can create wealth for individuals through mysterious/dubious means like

using of charms, and making sacrifices e.t.c.

Money rituals can be traced to various parts of Africa, but it can also be seen in many countries such as India, China and even in the West, where people sell their kidneys and different organs of their body to get money, in some cultures this could be termed as sacrifices in

the name of money. This is what in most cases is referred to as "Blood Money" in Africa and commonly attributed to different traditional gods such as Mbatuku (The Igbo spirit of wealth), Sango (The god of thunder), Mami wata(Witchcraft and sorcery) e.t.c. Many people over the years have visited the shrines of these gods with the hope that they will make them wealthy, and whilst there have been news reports of people that have actually been successful through these means, now the cases of people selling kidneys for ipads, iphones, cash, men sleeping with women and using them for rituals, women taking a man's sperm and using it for money making rituals, children are being beheaded and so on, all for getting rich or richer that they are The question however, is; "Is money making ritual only way to instant wealth in Africa?"

What happened to plain old hard work, diligence, commitment, honesty and the fear of God? Ritual killing took a worrisome dimension in Nigeria since the inception of this democratic dispensation in 1999. While some have tied these killings to ambitious quest to gain political powers, others have argued that it is done primarily by the poor and

desperate people who against all odds are determined to amass wealth.

Reminiscent of the late 80s and early 90s when the fear of the popular 'gbomo gbomo' became the beginning of wisdom, parents used to admonish their wards never to accept gifts from strangers as there were cases of child kidnapping which was assumed were used for rituals. There were cases of lifeless children abandoned on the streets with some parts of their body missing.

These ritual killings are not the special preserves of any particular area in the country; every region, tribe and state has its own share of the scourge. From the deep valleys in Obudu, Cross River State to the ebullient city of Kano, this worrisome phenomenon has defiled any form of common sense. More troubling are the unsolved cases of these ritual killings recorded in recent years.

April 13, 2012 saw the lifeless body of a woman found along Katampe-Kubwa expressway in Abuja at about 7.30 in the morning. The corpse was headless, while some delicate body parts were severed from her body. Onlookers who were at the scene concluded that it was an act of ritual killing.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

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Feature Nasarawa stands still as epoch- making Solicitor-General mounts saddle

By Ali Abare Abubakar

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reams are hard to follow, but don’t let anyone tear them away from you, hold on, with time you will find the way. So sang a pop diva, Miria Carey a couple of years back. As Nasarawa State Governor, Alhaji Tanko Almakura performed an uncommon ceremony in Lafia, the state’s capital on Tuesday 2, January 2013, not a few of those present must have reflected on that soul-stirring song by Carey. For this was not an ordinary ceremony, it was the public presentation of an appointment letter to a newly appointed official. Take a bow, Mr. Mohammed Idris-Apa, Nasarawa’s brand new Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice. For the first time in the history of Nasarawa, and a few times in Nigeria, a physically challenged has been elevated to one of the highest positions in officialdom. “What makes the whole thing even more special is that Idris- Apa managed to rise to the highest level of his profession despite all the intimidating challenges facing physically challenged persons in a culture like ours “, remarked one of his acquaintances who witnessed the event. Therefore, in the words of a notable essayist, Evelyn Anthony, “It’s not what happens to you that matters; what really matters, what makes the uncommon difference, is how you deal with what happens to you.”

Mr. Idris-Apa is a living testament to the truism that “where there is a will, there is a way.” In a land where many physically challenged persons would rather find refuge in selfpity and sundry spurious excuses rather than try to make it despite odds, Idris-Apa and his ilk are truly remarkable.

In viewing his situation, one could say success may not be easy to define. It could mean different things to different people.

For Barrister Mohammed Idris Apa, recently appointed as Permanent Secretary/Solicitor-General by Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa state, success translates to surmounting challenges arising as a result of a spinal cord injury sustained earlier in life and reaching the pinnacle of his law career. For someone confined to a wheelchair for a greater part of his life, Apa, has indeed demonstrated the truism of a statement credited to Neil Marcus, who posited that disability is not a struggle or courage in the face of adversity but an art, an

Mohammed Idris-Apa ingenious way of living.

Born in Gadabuke town in Toto local government area, the young Apa attended his primary school at Toto central primary school before leaving for Lafia to attend the then Government Secondary School Lafia in 1970, having completed his primary education the previous year.

In 1974, after the successful completion of his secondary education, he moved to Zaria, to attend the famous School of Basics Studies (SBS), at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU). After which he left and became a teacher briefly at the present Government Science school Nasarawa, which was formerly Community secondary school, from where he was able to secure admission into the University of Jos to read law. He was a student of law from 1977 to 1981 after which he attended the Law School in Lagos, then the only facility in the country grooming new lawyers.

Unknown to Apa, and shortly after completing the Law School, when he was a member of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), destiny was about to deal him a blow that would change his life. The young Apa was on his way to Jos from Rivers state, his state of posting, when he was involved in a car crash near Kafanchan in Kaduna state. An accident that left the bubbling young man committed to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, from a spinal cord injury he sustained.

Narrating his ordeal, Apa disclosed that he was initially admitted at the Kafanchan General Hospital before he was

transferred to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) were he was rehabilitated. He was then

sponsored by the then Plateau state government to travel abroad for proper medical attention.

He started work as a State Counsel with the Plateau state Ministry of Justice in 1986, after which he got promoted along the line, from Senior State Counsel to Principal State Counsel, Assistant Director, Deputy Director to being a substantial Director.

At the creation of Nasarawa state in 1996, when he was still an assistant director, Apa was redeployed to the newly established Nasarawa state Ministry of Justice from where he rose to become a substantive director of Law Reforms in 2000. Later he took up appointment with the bench briefly before returning to the ministry where he has since been working before his recent appointment as the permanent secretary and SolicitorGeneral.

When Al-makura made known his plans to review the state laws by setting up the state laws review committee, Apa was in February last year appointed secretary of the committee.

“

The young Apa was on his way to Jos from Rivers state, his state of posting, when he was involved in a car crash near Kafanchan in Kaduna state. An accident that left the bubbling young man committed to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, from a spinal cord injury he sustained

His appointment as the Solicitor-General of the state is coming at a time when leaders of the opposing Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have needlessly resolved to challenge Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura over his hearing impairment, calling on the governor to resign or face impeachment by the state assembly. Apa’s appointment has rather served to buttress the fact that there is ability in disability.

On his recent appointment, Apa gave the glory to God, ascribing his travails in life to destiny. As to his ability to surmount challenges occasioned by the spinal cord injury he sustained while serving his country, he went philosophical when he told Peoples Daily Weekend that “in every endeavour, the will and the spirit behind it is what determines the outcome. There is nothing that I thought was impossible because the will and the ability comes from God and that the sooner one is determined, whatever obstacles that exist God will surely find a way out.”

He said in spite of his incapacitation he does not take challenges as something that can hinder him from doing what he needs to do, saying he believes that whatever situation he finds himself, there are thousand more who may perhaps be in similar situation.

“I don’t allow that to go into my consciousness, to feel that Iam disadvantaged in any way. So I still feel happy and will always do my best within the circumstance and ability that I can muster.” Mohammed Idris Apa has a wife and two children.

AGAINST ALL ODDS: Idris-Apa recieves his appointment letter from Nasarawa State Governor, Al-makura, in Lafia.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Photo News

Gov. Murtala Nyako of Adamawa (middle), with members of the newly inaugurated State Agricultural Policy and Implementation Working Committee in Yola on Friday. Photo NAN

The President, Arewa Journalists Forum, Malam Hassan Galadima presenting Certificate of Life Patron to Comrade Mohammed Garba, the President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ/WAJA)

Sympathisers and onlookers watching the ambulance carrying the remains of a nollywood actress, Miss Olabisi Komolafe, during the funeral service at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Oke Padre, in Ibadan on Friday Photo NAN

Laying of tracks at the ongoing light rail project at Alafia, on Lagos-Badagry express way in Lagos on Friday.

Photo NAN

An elderly man waiting for alms, on Thursday in Area 1, Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

News EFCC arrests two undergraduates, six others over internet scam

By Julius Ogar

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he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested two undergraduate internet scammers and six other fraudsters at the upscale 1004 Housing Estate, Victoria Island, Lagos.

This was contained in a release signed by Wilson Uwujaren, Ag. Head, Media and Publicity of the EFCC, on Friday.

According to the release, one of the undergraduates, Hope Olusegun, a 25 year-old indigene of Okene, Kogi state, claimed to be a student of Computer Science at the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University, Malaysia. He was arrested by operatives of EFCC over allegations of fraud and internet scam.

The release further indicated that a petition by a concerned group alerted the Commission about the activities of Olusegun and his co-travelers at the elite 1004 Housing Estate where the fraudsters engaged in fraudulent activities of obtaining money by false pretences and forgery.

A search conducted by EFCC operatives at Olusegun’ s apartment led to the recovery of several items such as laptops, iPad phones, travelling documents, cheque books, flash drives, internet modem, and three exotic cars. When asked how he came about the cars, Olusegun said they belonged to his sister who he claimed, lives in the United Kingdom.

Operatives of the EFCC also downloaded over 80 implicating documents from the laptops recovered from Olusegun.

However, the Commission is making effort to track down other members of Olusegun’s syndicate who are currently at large.

Tunde Wasiu Sodiq, another undergraduate and member of another syndicate with close affinity to Olusegun’s gang, was also nabbed by operatives of the EFCC at the estate. Besides Sodiq, six other members of the syndicate were arrested. They are: Badmus Akeem O, Ajijola Oluwatosin Emmanuel, Adebesin Olalekan, Raji Resaq O, Ajibola Adeniyi and Adeboye Lamidi.

Sodiq (23) hails from Lagos and claimed to be an undergraduate of Brandry University, Malaysia. The leader of the syndicate, Badmus Akeem, hails from Ayetoro, Ogun state and attended Oniwaya High School, Agege. He claimed to be a traveler who does odd jobs wherever he travels.

Sodiq said that the Range Rover sports car which was recovered from them belonged to his mother despite the fact that the car bears his alias, “T.Wizzle”.

He stated in his statement that the mother decided to customise the car plate number after the name of his first son.

The suspects are to be arraigned in court soon, the commission stated.

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Dana completes first flight after 7 months From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

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ilot of Dana aircraft MD83 with registration number 5N-JAI, Victor Olukayode, successfully completed the first flight operation of the airline in seven months yesterday after it was suspended following the crash of a plane in its fleet on June 3rd

2012 in Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos.

The flight with a sizeable number of passengers on board, departed the Terminal 2 of the Lagos domestic wing for Abuja at exactly 10. am on Friday, and returned at 1.30 pm to the admiration of passengers, airport workers and journalists alongside officials of

the regulatory agencies.

The airline which was given the nod to return to the skies by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), having fulfilled all safety requirements, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and Nigerians who still have confidence in its operations.

Speaking to reporters in Lagos, Capt. Olukayode, who had Capt. Clifford Wadally as the chief pilot, said the Federal Government and the industry agencies must be commended for “allowing the airline to bounce back into operations and Nigerians for believing in them despite the odds staked against it.

FG warns Court remits Sylva’s suit for re-assignment states over diversion of flood relief J materials

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

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he Federal Government has warned that it will not tolerate the diversion of relief materials provided for distribution to victims of last year’s flood disasters which ravaged parts of the country by state governments.

Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, Mr. Tunde Lemo, who sounded this warning on Friday in Makurdi during the presentation of relief materials on behalf of his committee to flood victims, said the Federal Government has committed adequate resources and materials for the victims as a way to assuage their sufferings.

It could be recalled that there have been allegations of widespread diversion of relief materials by officials of the Benue State Emergency Management Committee, (SEMA) amidst accusation of rape of victims by the officials.

He lamented the magnitude of devastation which is beyond the scope of the affected state governments, necessitating the Federal Government’s intervention.

“We urge all hands to be on deck to ensure that those for whom the materials were meant got them in order to mitigate their suffering”, Lemo advised.

Governor Gabriel Suswam who was represented by his Deputy, Chief Steven Lawani, urged the Federal Government to take steps to avert future floods by dredging the River Benue and construction of dykes and dams in the state.

ustice M.M Kolo of an Abuja High Court on Friday, held that it would remit former governor Timipre Sylva’s suit seeking to stop the EFCC from taking possession of his properties to the Chief Judge of the court as yesterday was his last sitting day as a vacation judge.

Sylva’s counsel, Benson Ibezim had earlier told the court that both the EFCC and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) just served him their processes in court and that he would need time to respond to them.

Counsel to the AGF, B.A Saheed told the court that he has filed a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.

Counsel to the EFCC, O.O Otemu, submitted that pending the response of the applicant, the court should allow for an oral argument on the jurisdiction of the

court.

He further submitted that such would save the judiciary from mockery because of the two conflicting orders.

Otemu also told the court that Justice A.R Mohammed of a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on December 21 granted the commission an order of seizure and that the order was yet to be vacated.

He argued that it was an abuse of court process for the applicant to have a p p r o a c h e d t h e h i g h court during the pendency of a Federal High Court order.

Counsel to Sylva however told the court that the Federal High court order was not serve on them and hence the need to approach the court for a restraining order.

Otemu however responded that the December 21 order was pasted on all the affected properties and that it was also served on Sylva himself adding that the high court should have been informed of

the pending order before the ex parte order was granted.

He therefore urged the court to vacate its December 27 order restraining the EFCC as the properties in question have already been seized by the anti graft agency.

The trial judge, Justice Kolo held that he could not vacate the order and that the court was not aware of a pending order of the federal high court before granting the ex parte order.

He further said that he could not sit over the matter any longer because he is a vacation judge and that Friday was his last sitting day as he would proceed on vacation today.

Justice Kolo stated that he would remit the case file back to the Chief Judge of the high court to re assign it to another judge with an order of accelerated hearing due to the nature of the case.

Hearing in the suit before the Federal High Court comes up on January 10, 2013.

Police promote 1,944 rank and file

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he Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has approved the promotion of 1,944 junior police officers to their next rank.

A statement issued by Frank Mba, the Deputy Force

Public Relations Officer, on Friday, said that all the promotions were with effect from Jan. 1.

The breakdown of the exercise showed that 204 Sergeants were promoted to the rank of Inspectors, 303

Corporals to Sergeants and 1,437 Constables to Corporals.

The statement tagged the elevation as “New Year Gift’’, adding that it was in line with the ongoing reforms in the police. (NAN

Dankwambo approves appointment of new Dukku emir

By Stanley Onyekwere

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arely two weeks after the demise of the former Emir of Dukku, late Alhaji Abdulkadir Haruna, Gombe state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, has approved the appointment of Alhaji Haruna Abdulkadir Elrasheed as the successor.

Elrasheed, a former director with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is the scion of the late emir, who passed on December 24, 2012, at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, Gombe.

When contacted weekend, the Senior Special Assistant on Press to the governor, Abubakar Junaidu, who

confirmed the news, said it is very much in order that he should take over from his father, who was an exemplary and influential leader.

“Baring every obstacle, Alhaji Haruna will be the next emir of Dukku, considering that his appointment has been approved by Governor Dankwambo.” Junaidu said.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

News Again, Kano earmarks N100m for mass wedding

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he Kano state government said it earmarked more than N100 million for the wedding of another batch of 1,000 divorcees and widows scheduled for this January.

The Director-General of the state Hisbah Board, Alhaji Abba Sufi, disclosed this in an

interview in Kano on Thursday.

He said the board had “since started preparation in readiness for the mass wedding”.

“The screening of the prospective couples has commenced in earnest in all the 44 local government areas of the state”, he said. Sufi said

prospective couples must undergo medical checks, including HIV and AIDS, genotype and hepatitis tests, among others.

He said following the decentralisation of the programme, each of the councils would hold the wedding prayer

session for 21 couples.

He said the session for the remaining 76 couples would be performed in Kano. Sufi said the state government would pay N20, 000 dowries to each of the brides, in addition to providing essential items for the couples.

“The board has written to

81 die in fire outbreaks in Bauchi

Presidential committee on floods visits Nasarawa on assessment tour

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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o fewer than 81 people lost their lives as a result of fire outbreaks that occurred in different parts of Bauchi state last year.

Statistics obtained at the state fire service showed that a total of 114 lives were saved while 296 calls were received in the year under review.

Property estimated at N209 million were destroyed while more than N404 million estimated property were saved.

Speaking on the causes of fire outbreaks, the acting director of the state fire service, Babayo Umar Misau, advised people not to leave candles on before sleeping.

The highest number of deaths was witnessed in the month of February 2012 in which 43 people were killed in fire disasters while 19 lives were saved that same month.

Umar Misau also advised against placing candles on top of refrigerators, furniture, electronic appliances among others.

He called on both the federal and state governments to buy modern fire tenders to help curtail fire outbreaks in different parts of the country.

He said: “The Federal Government for instance can buy at least three helicopters for the north, south and Abuja to help fight fire outbreaks.

From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

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Transition Committee Chairman, Bakori LGA, Alhaji Aminu Magaji (r), presenting grinding machines to beneficiaries of IFAD user groups at subsidised rates in Bakori, Katsina state yesterday.

Photo NAN

Magazine on Yakowa for launch in Kaduna From Mohammed Adamu, Kaduna

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12-page magazine is billed to be launched in memory of late governor of Kaduna state, Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa in Kaduna.

It was gathered that the maiden edition is expected to contain the legacy of the late governor who died in a plane crash and to urge the present governor to imbibe the good legacies of his predecessor especially in bringing lasting

peace and security to the fragile state.

The magazine is to be published by the Centre for Crisis Prevention and Peace Advocacy (CCPPA) in conjunction with African Youth for Conflict Resolution and Prevention (AYCRP) and would be launched during a 2-day Northern Peace Summit scheduled to hold on January 11, 2013, at the Arewa House Auditorium, Kaduna.

The chairman of the group, Dr. Suleiman S. Shinkafi in a

press briefing yesterday in Kaduna, expressed deep shock and sense of loss of the governor.

The group also commiserated with the people of Kaduna state, Nigeria and the family of the late governor on his sudden demise.

“He was a true patriot, humble, hardworking and a dedicated peace advocate.

“Also, we use this medium to urge His Excellency, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, to strengthen his resolve as he steers the affairs of Kaduna state”, he stressed.

2015: Group calls for worthy Northern Presidential candidate From Nasiru Muazu, Kaduna

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he Concerned Arewa Patriots (CAP) has called for a unified effort in ensuring a good choice for the 2015 presidential candidate from the North.

This call was made days after campaign posters of President Goodluck Jonathan were seen all over Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

CAP in its maiden press briefing, said the initiative to start canvassing for a credible northern candidate for the Presidency in 2015 was informed by the assessment of past and present trends of choosing candidates based on

wealthy individuals and corporate organisations for their contributions towards the success of the programme”.

In July last year 250 widows and divorcees were joined under the second batch of the mass wedding. (NAN)

sentiment, tribe or religion.

They called on past leaders in the North to join hands and ensure that the choice of a northern candidate in 2015 is a credible and honest person who

will work towards unifying the country and also end the series of violence all over the nation.

The group said the reason for the initiative is to be able to engage all stakeholders and the

public in the North, to start assessing choices being made in order to ensure it is someone that is credible, honest, reliable and has a track record of nationalism and performance.

Kwara govt refutes NLC claims on minimum wage From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

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he Kwara state government has denied reports in one of the national dailies that it is one of the states that are yet to start the implementation of the N18, 000 national minimum wage.

In a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the state’s Head of Service, Alhaji

Abdulfatah Dan Kazeem, the government explained that Kwara state started the payment of the N18,000 minimum wage since August 1st, 2011 under the agreement between the state government and the leadership of the trade unions.

The statement affirmed that the report linking the state government with non-

implementation of the national minimum wage was embarrassing, untrue and unfair to the state government as it is capable of inciting labour against government.

The statement noted that the government enjoys a harmonious relationship with all trade unions in the state as a result of its labour friendly disposition.

he Presidential Committee on Flood Relief and Rehabilitation, has visited Nasarawa state to assess the impact of floods, as well as deliver added relief materials for victims of the floods that affected the state.

Tunde Lemo, leader of the Federal Government delegation, who is also the deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), stated this when the group paid a courtesy call on Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura on Friday at his residence in Lafia.

According to Lemo, the team was in the state to assess the extent of damage caused by the flood, donate more relief materials to victims and brainstorm on ways of mitigating the effect of the flood and proffering lasting solutions to the disaster which wrought severe damage across the country.

While commending the Nasarawa state government for its handling of the crisis, Lemo told the governor that his team will visit some of the sites affected by the floods, while declaring that added relief materials, which include: rice, sugar, palm oil, garri and others, will be distributed to the people.

Responding, Al-makura thanked the members of the committee for the visit, stressing that the floods were devastating and took the country unawares, with the magnitude of the incident preceding previous occurrences.

He lamented the placing of Nasarawa in category ‘B’ of states affected by the floods, as according to him and based on assessment of the impact of the floods across the state, the impact was enormous when compared to other states.

He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for its gesture towards alleviating the suffering of the people, acknowledging the receipt of N400 m as relief, as well relief materials which have been distributed to the victims of the flood.

The governor used the opportunity to thank NEMA, as well as other Federal Government agencies operating in the state, who came handy at a critical time when the devastating impact of the flood was at peak.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

News NUJ commends Kano govt for allocating N60bn for infrastructure in 2013

By Nasir Muazu Isa

T

he national president of Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Mohammed Garba, has commended Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano state for allocating over N62 billion to infrastructure as contained in 2013 budget of the state, saying it will have positive multiplier effects on socio economic development.

Commenting on the budget tagged “Budget of Economic Consolidation and Fiscal Discipline”, Comrade Garba said executing infrastructure will create wealth and employment opportunities which will in turn reduce security challenges.

He said the allocation of over N175 billion to capital projects, being 75 percent of the budget, was a clear indication that the governor is poised to ensure radical and extraordinary transformation of the state.

The NUJ president said the completion of some inherited projects, urban road constructions and dualisation, construction of two flyovers and take off of independent power projects as contained in the budget will go a long way in moving the state forward.

Garba said it was not surprising to add education to the priority list by allocating over N24 billion due to the sweeping and radical transformation of the sector at the commencement of the Kwankwaso administration.

On the 2012 budget, Garba said Governor Kwankwaso was among the few governors who implemented a substantial volume of their budgets, citing the establishment of about 20 institutions in various parts of the state as well as the Kwankwasiyya, Amana and Bandrawo housing estates.

Garba who is also the president of West African Journalists Association (WAJA), said transiting into 2013 with an opening balance of N20 billion was an indication of prudence and accountability.

He emphasised on the need for the state Assembly to sustain the cordial relationship with the government.

PAGE 7

Police quiz former Senate Leader over alleged threat to peace From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

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yo state police command on Thursday, arrested and quizzed former Senate Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin over alleged threat to peace in the

state.

For more than three hours, Senator Folarin was a guest at the Oyo state police command over a petition written against him for allegedly working with the former chairman of the state

National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (aka Tokyo) to disrupt the peace of the state.

As at the time of filing this report, the author of the said petition could not be ascertained

L-R: Deputy Corps Marshal Operation, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal/Chief Executive Officer of FRSC, Mr. Osita Chidoka, Airport Commandant, Group Captain Adeniyi Amesinlola and Principal Staff Officer to Corps Marshal, Mr. Jilius Asom, during the arrival of corps marshal from aerial surveillance, at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Friday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

PDP, still a uniting force in Kaduna, says chair

By Nasir Muazu Isa

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he acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna state, Alhaji Isyaku Aliyu, has reiterated his party’s commitment to ensure peace and unity in the state.

He stated this through the public relations officer of the party, Barrister Ibrahim

Mansour during an interview with our correspondent in Kaduna.

Alhaji Aliyu said the party is committed to ensuring it remains a unifying force in the state as it has been during the tenure of the former chairman now the deputy governor of the state, Ambassador Nuhu Audu Bajoga.

The chairman said the party is not expecting new changes but

a continuous progression of party development in the state.

On the objections raised by some youth of Southern Kaduna regarding the appointment of Bajoga, he said in a democracy people are entitled to their opinions and. He said the elders of Southern Kaduna are 100 percent behind the appointment of the deputy governor.

Aliyu accused mischief

M

makers of creating problems by claiming that Muslims are in the highest positions of governor and deputy in the state. He said Ambassador Bajoga is a Christian from Kwoi in Jaba local government area and has vast experience as an Ambassador and party chairman under whose leadership the party won 22 out of 23 local governments in the state.

Man, 22, docked for allegedly pouring faeces on policemen

F

or allegedly pouring faeces on five policemen and attempting to escape from custody, a 22-year-old man, Olumide Ajayi, was on Friday docked at a Somolu Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.

Ajayi, who lives at No. 17,

Ikorodu Road, is facing a threecount charge of assault and malicious damage.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges. The prosecutor, ASP Akinlebi Adegoke, told the court that the accused committed the offences on Dec. 27

at Alasela Market and the police station at Onipanu. He said Ajayi was arrested and brought to the police station for allegedly assaulting Paul Imoke, a salesman.

“He gave him a blow on his forehead following a disagreement

Woman, 38, seeks divorce over alleged laziness of husband rs. Risikat Balogun of Ogbondroko area, Ilorin, on Friday urged an Ilorin Area Court to dissolve her three-year-old marriage to her husband, Ahmed, on the ground that he was lazy.

The 38-year-old woman told the court that her husband was unemployed and had not bothered to search for a job.

as Folarin read political meanings to the whole drama and described it as a “build up to the 2015 elections in the state”.

Before he answered the call of the state Police Commissioner, Mbu Joseph Mbu, around 1pm, Folarin’s houses were besieged by over 100 armed policemen who stormed both his residence at Oluyole Estate and Iyaganku GRA respectively as early as 6am.

Folarin after his release by the police boss, alleged foul play on the way and manner his houses were searched by the officers who claimed they had search warrants to conduct thorough searches of his entire households.

He said he was on his way to Abeokuta to console with exPresident Olusegun Obasanjo over recent inferno in the latter’s residence and later meet with a lawyer in Lagos over his brother’s will when a call came that the police boss wanted to see him over a petition bothering on security.

On his alleged romance with Tokyo, Folarin said his relationship with the embattled NURTW boss was just that of an Ibadan brother, stressing that the last two occasions he saw Tokyo were during the burial of Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s mother and the fidau of his late brother, Alhaji Suleman Emiola respectively.

“My husband prefers playing draft and ayo games with his friends instead of searching for a job to do”, she alleged.

She said that their marriage was contracted in 2010 and had produced a female child aged two years.

“My husband has refused to struggle on his own and has not been contributing a kobo to ensure

the survival of the family”, she said.

She prayed the court to dissolve the marriage, claiming that “my husband has become a burden on me since he is not ready to struggle”.

In his response, the defendant said that he had been trying his best to look for a job although his efforts were not yielding the desired results.

“Since I lost my former job in 2011, I became helpless because my

wife has changed her attitude toward me”, he said.

He, however, prayed the court not to grant the prayer of his wife, saying he was still interested in the marriage.

The presiding judge, Mr. Ibrahim Abdulquadri, adjourned the case to Jan. 10 for report of settlement or further hearing.

(NAN)

between him and Imoke, who sold a pair of glasses to him. On arrival at the station, the accused became violent, vandalised a television set and poured faeces on the five policemen on duty.

“The accused then attempted to escape from custody before he was caught and charged to court”, Adegoke said.

He gave the names of the five policemen assaulted as Insp. Ogili Ejikeme, Sgt. Edosa Sylvester, Sgt. Alizor Stephen, Cpl. Alawode Olusegun and Cpl. Segun Adeniyi.

The prosecutor said the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 107, 170 and 348 of the Criminal Code, Law of Lagos state.

Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi granted the accused bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case to Jan. 18 for trial. (NAN)

PAGE 8

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Interview

Our prayer is to have female governors, says Hajiya Kajuru What was your childhood like?

I was fortunate, I grew up with both parents around, I was given all the necessary training and all aspects of responsibilities a woman should undertake, and the moral upbringing and they taught me how to fight for my right, how to live with people, how to be patient and how to care and help other people and I think that was the genesis of my interest in politics, because my mother was a woman that was very generous to other people even if she does not know you and that was what got me interested in politics.

How long have you been in politics and how did it start?

I have had interest in politics since 1979 when I graduated from secondary school, I wanted to be a politician but I was not that active. Gradually by 2003, I joined politics actively and from there I started participating in every political activity, God so kind I was recognized but then I was in ANPP. They made me women leader in my ward, from there I was elevated the exco of the local government from there I was nominated to represent women in the care taker exco of the state, from there I was made the women leader of General Buhari that was in 2007 before I decamped to PDP in 2009 where I was made a Special Assistant to the wife of the governor, the present Vice President.

You said you have always been interested in politics from your school days, did you ever take part in school politics?

Then it was in the 70s and politics was not so open to women, not until when I entered the Polytechnic and even then I just supported my president Eng Namadi Musa.

As a role model to a lot of young people what do you think are the things that make up a good role model?

As a role model you need to have moral character, you have to protect your integrity, the people you are living with, your

Hajiya Halima Yunusa Kajuru is a mother, and politician. In this interview with Nasiru Isa Mu'azu, she talks about women in politics, growing up, parenthood and the need for young women to engage in skills acquisition, to enhance their status in the society. society and your women folk, you have to protect your tribe and your religion, you have to protect all these so you can prosper.

If a woman says she wants to be a politician especially in the north , people t h i n k that

But now we have women ministers, aviation, finance and petroleum. We have women senators, reps members and d e p u t y governors; very soon we will have a female governor in Nigeria, this is what we are praying for.

Do you think the government and the political class

Hajiya Halima Kajuru every woman politician is a prostitute or a woman of loose morals. Now, we are happy a lot of married women are joining politics, because we can see the gap between men and women, so we are slowly bridging that gap and we are beginning to know our rights, not that we want to compromise anything, no! We are just complimenting the efforts of the men. We are now getting enlightened and we are beginning to know our rights and we are helping one another.

Before, some positions were given to men that were not given to women because they thought women should only be in the kitchen or should only be I the classroom to teach or being a nurse because they said they are the only profession for women.

are doing enough to ensure women are fully participating in governance in Nigeria?

I'd say partially. All the political parties they give support to women just because they want their support because it is the women that go from house to house seeking for votes for the candidates she is supporting, but when it comes to positions, if you are a woman they will try as much as possible to place hurdles in your way. Even the forms they'll tell you they'll give them to you free but when the time comes for meetings, they'll choose times that are not convenient for married women because they can't go out late in the night when these meetings are held. They'll not tell you directly "we will not

give you the position" but they would look for ways to cut us off.

They just promise to give us appointments when they succeed. Those appointments are good but we want elective positions, we want to contest and win our mandate and get the office to serve our people better because if you are given an appointment it means you are working under someone, you have a boss that controls you but an elective position allows you to be the boss and you can do more for your people.

What is your perception of a good parent?

You know politics is an institution on itself, politics is like a school were you have nursery, primary and secondary and tertiary classes in politics and it allows you to learn the character of so many people and also how to work with others, it is a world of it's own.

All these experiences allows you to know how to educate y o u r children on the w o r l d outside. It h e l p s women that are i n politics, it allows them to k n o w how to shape the characters of their children , they would know how to motivate and to be self reliant and to seek their rights in a manner that will not tarnish their integrity.

As a parent do you think parents are playing their role as parents and guardians well in Nigeria?

In a way parents are doing their best and its one of the reasons why we want women to join politics so that we would have a voice that will be heard, we would tell them we are the mothers and no mother would want to see her child go astray, we always want to see our children with good character.

When we women are many in politics especially the northern women we will know how relate the experience of politics to our homes and we will know how to train our

children better and also provide them with the moral and social upbringing that will shape them into good citizens of our country.

I think when more women are in politics, things will change for the better, those that are not in politics especially those women in the north that are in purdah do not have the exposure and know very little of the outside world but those that are in politics are equipped to identify problems in their children before things get out of hand. They are able to compare what they know with what they are seeing and be able to tackle it.

There are a lot of divorces going on why do you think this is so and how can solve the problem?

Our girls in the north do not have enough money, they don't go into trade or learn skills that will help them when they are in their husband's house, their priority is to go to school and some of them don't even know how to cook and don't learn when they are on break from school.

Nowadays with the present trend, most men believe that it should be a 50/50 or 30/70 or 60/40, most of the responsibilities are on women.

We call on the government to assist in opening skill acquisition centers to help these young women in marriage because if you are in your house and you can't help your husband, the chances are the man may leave you to your fate.

Most men when they see these young girls they think that everything is alright until they bring them into their homes as wives and then realize they are not what they expect and in some instances the marriage does not last.

What is your advice to young ladies who are interested in joining politics?

Young ladies interested in politics should come in with a clean mind and heart and have it at the back of their mind that as a woman you have the interest of your community, relatives, religion as well as that of your family and children to protect.

Even if you don't have a family yet, you have to be well behaved so that you can get a good husband. When you join, have a mission to correct the society but when you come in with making money in mind that is where the problem starts, you'll be loose.

Men in politics are cunning, you'll make the money but in the end you would have spoilt and tarnished your name and image.

Come in with a mission to help even if it's not going to be to your benefit, do it for the younger ones and if you do that God willing things will change for the best in the north.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Cover

PAGE 9

2013

President Goodluck Jonathan

Vice President Namadi Sambo

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku

What Nigerians expect

By Agaju Madugba, Abubakar Jimoh, Ibrahim Kabir Sule, Suleiman Idris, Muhammad Nasir & Mathew Aramude

W

hile preparing for the New Year, many Nigerians have been hoping to avoid the eerie atmosphere that ushered in the previous year.

The year 2012 started on a crisis note with the fuel subsidy protests and ended with a lot of disasters. Persistent security challenges, kidnapping, plane crashes, unending fuel scarcity, flooding and so on.

However, the Federal Government has maintained that a lot of progress has been achieved in the year, and promised Nigerians a better 2013. Unlike last year, President Jonathan’s 2013 New Year message was full of promises and inspired commitment to tackle the country’s myriads of problems. The President told Nigerians that government would do more to improve security by further empowering security agencies.

Against the backdrop of the nationwide flood disaster that ravaged the country, President Jonathan reinstated government’s resolve to pay more attention to flooding and erosion control,

improved power generation, employment generation and upgrade of the nation’s rail lines in the year.

Towards the attainment of these, Jonathan’s New Year massage continued: “Our objective for the year is to ensure by all possible means that more of the programmes and projects envisioned by this administration, and which are already being embarked upon, are further brought on stream within the next 12 months to meet the yearnings of our people, and raise the quality of life.”

While the President’s speech showed renewed commitment and optimism in addressing critical issues affecting the

country, critics have been expressing doubts about government’s readiness to tackle the problems, especially in view of government’s notoriety in breaking promises in the past.

National Convener, United Action for Democracy (UAD), Jaye Gaskia told Peoples Daily Weekend that the expectation of Nigerians in this year can be captured in just two words: “People just want good governance and by good governance; they want their basic necessities met, where they have equal access to opportunities.”

Contd on pages 10

PAGE 10

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Cover

Of expectations and hope

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo Contd from page 9 By the way, according to him, the Nigerian “government has been short of trust” from Nigerians, citing numerous “promises in the past that they have no intention of fulfilling and they are making promises again.”

“They are so quick to make promises. If you look at power generation, they have been telling us that it is going to increase for over thirteen years now, since 1999 up to date. In fact, we were supposed to be close to 6000 megawatts by the end of Obasanjo regime in 2003.”

Gaskia argued that the country’s power problem does not lie in the supply but “It’s the problem of generation and transmission. Despite the fact that they have split PHCN into distribution and investment; there is no commensurate investment in transmission and distribution of power.”

In the same vein, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in its New Year message, frowned at the country’s alarming unemployment figures that have been put at 24 percent, the abysmal state of the economy, insecurity and poverty that typified the preceding year.

The statement reads in part: “The economy, during the year 2012, was characterized by a number of maladies, with dire consequences for workers and the Nigerian people. In particular, the crisis of unemployment continues to be

greatest of these.”

NLC further lamented the increasing rate of poverty among majority of the Nigerian populace. They stated however that “consequent upon the above, poverty remains endemic as increasing numbers of families and households are unable to meet their basic needs. To compound this situation, thousands of families displaced by the massive floods in various parts of the country continue to live in refugee camps awaiting resettlement.”

Despite these cynicisms by such groups, government has maintained that a lot of progress has been achieved in the last year, by indicating visible areas

NSA, Colonel Sambo Dasuki

NLC president, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar that recorded success and urged Nigerians to be patient with government as it is poised to complete and commission a number of projects across the country.

Minister of Information, Labaran Maku stated this on Monday, during ‘2012 End of the year media briefing’ about Federal Government’s achievement, saying “we are on the road to tackle the problems in the country” and that in every sector, government has pressed ahead with its programmes in the year 2012.

The minister confirmed that power sector has witnessed tremendous progress, with the completion of various deals,

reforms and landmarks which ensured the surge of power generation to 4, 502 megawatts from the inherited 2, 500 MW. He further noted that a new contract for the hydro-power plant in Kaduna was awarded, and also a MoU to further generates 3 050 megawatts from Mambilla was signed with a Chinese company.

On the issue of unemployment, Maku flayed those accusing government of not tackling the issue, saying in agricultural sector alone, two million jobs have been created.

While expressing optimism that three more million jobs would be provided from now to 2015 in the sector, the minister also said the

YOUWIN program and the SURE-P have been creating job opportunities to Nigerians.

Maku added that for the first time in the last three decades, Nigerians had on 20th December, 2012 saw the return of moving train that travelled from Lagos to Kano. He disclosed that work had reached 50 percent completion stage on the Kaduna – Abuja rail line, with South – South to North East line also to be completed this year.

According to the minister,

by March this year, Nigerians would witness the completion of the Niger section in the ongoing dredging of River Niger, adding that the Lokoja section is also under construction.

Minister of Petroleum, Deziani Alison-Madueke

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 11

Cover

Stakeholders' expectations for aviation industry in 2013

By Abubakar Jimoh

T

he aviation industry no doubt had its own fair share of ups and downs in the year 2012. In fact, with incessant air crashes that occurred in the year, some people will argue that it was all about downs and no ups.

Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry the Dana plane disaster that killed over a hundred people in Lagos, the aircraft crash that wounded Governor Danbaba Suntai and his aides in Yola, the Naval Chopper that killed 6 Nigerians in Bayelsa as well as the helicopter crash that claimed the life of DIG Haruna in Jos, Plateau state.

As part of Stella Oduah's Transformation Agenda however, a lot of Airport remodelling was witnessed during the New Year. Repair works at most of the 21 airports across the country are all at advance stages of completion. The General Aviation Terminal 1 in Lagos is a reference point and it was rebuilt in record time at the sum of N648 million.

To put it in the words of Yakubu Dati, GM. Cooperates Communications of FAAN, "It is common knowledge that most Nigerian airports and terminals were built in the 70's and by 2011, they were decayed and in a state of utter disrepair. Airport users attest to the fact that our infrastructure was a disgrace and embarrassment to our national pride and standing in the comity of nations. It sent the wrong signals and scared investors away."

The authority spokesperson said It has been estimated that the country will need to invest about $100 billion over the next ten years in just four basic infrastructure areas; power, rail-track, road, and aviation. According to the Central Bank of Nigeria, N300 billion will be required to bring the aviation sector to a satisfactory condition.

He said on resumption of office, the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah has left no one in doubt that she will "walk her talk".

Worried by the scale of infrastructure deficit at the nation's airports, she initiated the reconstruction of 22 airports across the country. Within two months of being in office, 11 airports earmarked in the first phase were undergoing

r e c o n s t r u c t i o n simultaneously.

However industry watchers and experts while expressing optimism for the New Year offer some piece of advice that should guide the country in moving the sector forward.

For Benjamin Okewu, president of Air Traffic Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSAN), government must take an all encompassing approach to address issues in the industry, but the labour leader opined that the welfare of workers should also top government priority as only a motivated workforce will put in their best.

Politicisation of issues is another area the ATSSAN leader wants leaders to desist from saying politicians should leave aviation industry alone. Mr. Okewu pointed out that in other climes it was only aviation professionals who were allowed to run and man the industry, adding that aviation entails a lot of technicalities which should only be done by professionals.

According to him, the involvement of politicians in aviation business was a way of mortgaging the safety of the Nigerian travelling publics as he said that if safety should be adhered to as it is done globally then things should be done professionally.

He said "politicians who have turned themselves to aviation analysts and experts should leave the aviation industry alone in Nigeria this year 2013, so as to give safety a chance, this is how it is done all over the world. In the case of the Dana crash you witnessed and hear politicians who don't know anything in the industry saying words that were derogatory to the aviation industry in Nigeria" "By the grace of God, I will

Minister of Aviation, Stella Oduah be in the inaugural flight of Dana air tomorrow and I wonder what role the House of Representatives has to play in matters relating to aviation. When have you heard that the House of Congress in the United States of America were legislating on issues relating to aviation, it is left solely to the Federal Aviation Administration ( US FAA) in America."

Commenting on the plans of the Federal Government to give 30 aircraft to domestic airlines and make airfares affordable between the rate of N10,000 to N15,000 for an hour flight, the ATSSSAN boss said that it is possible for airfare to be pegged at such prices depending on the type of the aircraft and the policies put in place by the

“

However industry watchers and experts while expressing optimism for the New Year offer some piece of advice that should guide the country in moving the sector forward

government.

Also speaking on the emergency installation of the Air Field Lighting System at Runway 18 left of the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Comrade Okewu pointed out that since the installation, airlines have been landing and taking off beyond 6pm.

According to him, from my discussions with Air Traffic Controllers, they said that the airfield lighting system is working, adding that he wants to commend the government for putting such temporary measures in place to ameliorate the plight of the airlines.

"I want to thank the government for putting such emergency air field lighting system in place but we still need a permanent one. If it means re awarding the contract so that we can have a permanent solution to the problem of Runway 18 left once and for all," he added.

Captain Dele Ore was formally in charge of the Presidential fleets in the days of the Nigeria Airways and presently president of the Aviation Round Table, one of the pressure groups in the sector whose voice is noted for its bluntness.

President of National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineer, Isaac Balami

has been in the forefront for the welfare of members under his association. He at several times fought for the settlement of entitlement of his members in different airlines often times.

Balami said the country is on course but warned against rancour between government and stakeholders while he also advised that the zero percent interest tariff announced by the President must not be delayed in its implementation to encourage air travelling among majority of Nigerians especially now that the terminals are wearing a new look.

For the agencies, FAAN spokesperson, Mr. Dati said the agencies under the Ministry are being transformed and appropriate laws initiated to make them more accountable.

He said questionable concession agreements skewed against the interest of the sector and the Nigerian publics were being vigorously reviewed to send the right signals; "it's no longer business as usual for crooked minds," he said.

In the area of safety and security, modern security equipment has been procured following a comprehensive security threat and vulnerability assessment.

"Deliberate strategies are being deployed to change the orientation of the aviation employees through capacity development.

For instance, the Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mr. George Uriesi, has embarked on a campaign to change the orientation of all employees of the Authority towards service delivery, accountability, and self-sustenance of the agency.

The Minister of Aviation has pursued deliberate strategies to grow the domestic airlines."

According to him, the year 2013 will witness the construction of brand new airport terminals in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Port Harcourt, and the commencement of the Aerotropolis project; a concept that involves building cities around airports, and thus connecting businesses, suppliers, executives and goods to the aviation global world.

PAGE 12

Magazine

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 5, JANUARY, 2013

"The Nyamakala of Fouta-Djalon"

Banning Eyre graduated from Wesleyan University, a major center for Ethnomusicology, in 1980. A guitarist since his high school days, Eyre now studies and plays African guitar styles.

He interviews Katharina Lobeck.

Banning Eyre: Your work focuses on the Fouta-Djalon in Guinea. Tell us about that area.

Katharina Lobeck: The Fouta-Djallon used to be home to a FulSe theocracy in the past.

It was an Islamic empire, very strong, very powerful, and a lot of that heritage is still felt up to these days. I’ve been working with quite a range of people from artists who live in villages, from girls who entertain themselves just singing and clapping, to very local musicians who play at weddings, naming ceremonies and so on and so forth, up to modern artists who try to chose more modern production for their traditional music. They have actually been quite successful with it, not internationally yet, but we hope that will change, B.E.: Let’s start with the village music. Tell us about a great traditional musician you worked with.

K.L.: Mamadou Mamou is a singer from Lobe. He’s not actually the greatest singer, but he works with the greatest

flautists in the entire region, who ended up being my teacher. His name is Sory Maci.

The band of Mamadou Mamou features the bass harp (bolon), and the flute (serdu), various flutes, which are the most typical Fula instruments, as well as castanets (laala) and the calabash (horde), which you tap with metal rings (kurunda). The players put ten metal rings on their fingers and it makes this beautiful rattling sound. They tend to go round to weddings and naming ceremonies and play their music and dance in an extremely captivating, acrobatic style. They are very spectacular and flamboyant— quite impressive.

B.E.: Is there an older, ceremonial basis for this wedding music?

K.L.: I think this music has always been performed for life rites, especially weddings and circumcisions. But there is also one particular context which it is most famous for, which is called hirde, and those are evening gatherings, during which the entire village

gathers, or especially young people gather, and listen to the musicians or bands. There used to be two particular forms. One was a sitting gathering, jooWoo hiira. The other was a standing up gathering. They had two particular kinds of music. Now the sitting one is very, very quiet. The instruments that would be played were lutes that were struck, and the whole atmosphere would have been very quiet and relaxed. The standing ceremony is called daaro hiira, and these were more invitations to dance, so the instruments would be drums, djembe, and the flutes.

Those kinds of celebrations gave the people in the village a context during which they could gather and have a good time and enjoy themselves.

Daaro hiira would have been the most typical context for the flute music, not at all the jooWoo hiira. Because as well as two different sorts of music, you also get two different social categories. Thee musicians of the daroo hiira would have been mainly coming from the slave status, whereas the musicians of the jooWoo hiira would have been nobles. So there’s a very distinct social difference between the two events. The standing instruments were much more associated with excitement and dancing and were considered more appropriate for people of lower social status. I suppose it’s a little bit like the difference between a rock concert and a classical music concert.

B.E.: How far back do these

hiirde ceremonies go in Fula history?

K.L.: This particular type I think is distinctive to the FoutaDjallon, and it resulted from the whole history of the region and the social hierarchy of the theocracy. But the FulSe people are spread out all over West Africa.

You find FulSe communities in Senegal, in Mali, Nigeria, Niger, all the way to Cameroon.

And wherever they went, they developed very distinct cultural practices, and their musical practices are also quite different from place to place.

B.E.: The pentatonic flutes seem to be found in a lot of Fula communities.

K.L.: The Fouta-Djallon one is not actually pentatonic, but it’s the one where they sing and play at the same time, so you intersperse sung notes with played notes and people make a lot of fun with it. They call it gimmicks themselves. “Oh yeah, the Fulas, they know how to do all the best gimmicks on the flute.” But the flutes are very typical for the Fula people in general. One of the reasons is that the Fula were traditionally nomadic cattle herders, and I think all over the world you have this phenomenon where flutes tend to be the favorite instrument of shepherds. They are fairly easy to make. They are light to carry. So the Fulas being cattle herders, they are very much associated with flute music.

Now the particular type of flute is different from region to region. So people develop

different styles of playing flutes and making them. What’s particular about the flute tradition in the Fouta-Djallon is the singing and playing at the same time. It’s very powerful if you listen to that flute. It didn’t leave me alone after the first time I heard it. I’m finding myself now writing a PhD on it.

It’s very powerful and very loud, and very, very beautifully ornamented. In the Fouta-Djallon, the flute is actually heptatonic, whereas in other regions, the FulSe tend to play more pentatonic music.

Like if you listen to FulSe music from Niger, you can hear much more of a pentatonic sound, which relates to the style of Ali Farka Toure.

One of the people who are actually very interesting are Omar Ka & the Fula Band.

They are based in Holland now, and Omar is originally from Senegal, but his mother came from Niger. Now, the FulSe from Senegal play music very much like we have heard from Baaba Maal, very strong griot style. Now when I put on Omar’s CD, I just realized it was completely different and I thought, he must be coming from Niger and I phoned up and he said, “Yeah, my mom comes from Niger.” So you can identify different origins. But it is still related at the same time. It’s a bit like the language. The Pulaar language is spoken in different dialects in different regions. So FulSe from different regions might take a little bit of Continued on page 35

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 5, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 35

Magazine Continued From page 12 time to really come to a complete understanding of their mutual dialects.

B.E.: Tell us about some more of the more traditional musicians that especially impressed you in Guinea.

K.L.: One artist who people are constantly talking about to me is a guitarist and singer called Bah Sadio. I suppose you would call him a modern artist. He’s supposed to be the first modern artist of FulSe music. He was forced into exile under the regime of Sekou Touré, who hit out quite strongly against the FulSe communities of Guinea. So he went to France and recorded an album there, and he tragically died of alcoholism in exile. His music is extremely powerful in its presentation. People even from the very young generation can still relate to that music. He wrote two very famous songs.

One translates, “One Day I will Also Come Back to My Place.” It was a very strong message of yearning to be able to go back home and it became immediately popular with the FulSe expatriates in France, in Senegal, in Sierra Leone, and so on. The other track that has become very popular is called Jeere-leele, which evokes a little bit of those gatherings I was talking about earlier. He talks about playing in the moonlight.

I think it’s a very important element of FulSe culture.

Bah Sadio is a fabulous singer. He studied also with one of the most important artists of FulSe music, which is El Hadj Mo´´ere. He’s very old now. I think he’s coming up to his 90s.

He’s got a very unique style of singing, a very free style, very much spoken word, but the words he says are so meaningful and so deep that people can just sit glued to their transistor radios and try to find out what he was talking about. Being a

"The Nyamakala of Fouta-Djalon" very old man now, he has seen a lot of changes in the history of FulSe music in Guinea. He was recorded before independence, and assumed a reputation for ridiculing people in public, humiliating people, which was very much a feature of the nyamakala, the Fula artists.

B.E.: That word nyamakala also describes a professional class among the Manding people, including griots. Does the word mean the same thing here?

K.L.: Well, that’s a slightly confusing aspect. It means a very different thing for the FulSe. nyamakala is a Maninka word which refers to the class of artisans, including griots, blacksmiths, and so on. Now in a Pulaar context, the word has taken on a different meaning, and it refers to this class of musicians who were primarily found among the slave community, not exclusively, but primarily. So of very low social status, and treated with a lot of suspicion and very much associated with sorcery, and also with their ability of harming people, and their insolent speech. People tend to be quite scared of the nyamakala. People would always warn me that I shouldn’t be hanging out with them too much. Now all those people who play those beautiful instruments like the Fula flute, and the djembe, the calabash, they are all part of the nyamakala. But the important difference is that in Guinea, for the FulSe, nyamakala is an

artist who has decided to become an artist himself. He is not born an artist. And people usually struggle very hard to become musicians. Quite often it involves running away from home, breaking with your entire family, and risking a whole lot of things to actually become a musician.

It could be a family of a former slave; it could be the family of a griot; it could be the family of a blacksmith; it could

be the family of a noble. At some point in their lives, they have made this decision to follow the nyamakala and to earn their life by making music.

B.E.: Once you make that decision, what do you have to do?

K.L.: It’s very different from the Mande context. The Mande griots are very much associated with singing people’s genealogies, the history of the empires, the histories of kings, praise songs. Now the FulSe nyamakala also sing peoples praises, but in a very different way. It depends much more on the context. You might have a hiirde, one of those evening gatherings. Somebody might give you some money and you will sing his name. You might sing his friend’s name. But you will not sing his whole geneology.

The FulSe nyamakala don’t generally do this. They might just sing, “Oh, thank you, Mr Diallo, for giving me 1000 Guinea francs, and I praise your wife and your beautiful children.” But they will not recite the entire geneology. This is the work of the griots.

B.E.: And where does the insulting come in?

K.L.: It has to be said that those things don’t exist so much any more, and the nyamakala do try very hard to get away from that history because it does link them to a low social status, and to an insolent nature, whereas the nyamakala today very much regard themselves as artists and want to be

respected as modern artists. But still, there is this history, and I think that in the past it must have played a role of social justice in a way, because there is a saying in Pulaar that says that the only ones that the people fear are the chief and the nyamakala, and the only one that the chief fears is the nyamakala, because he will tell you straight to your face where you are going wrong, and why, and he will not do it in any polite way whatsoever. But apart from this, there has also been a lot of association with just humiliation in order to gain money.

B.E.: People pay money to avoid being humiliated?

K.L.: Exactly. If you meet with a nyamakala, and he asks you for money, or even more for food, and you refuse him to give it to him, then you risk “A” being harmed by his sorcery skills, and “B” being humiliated in public because it is stingy to refuse food to a poor person. So it’s risky for you and generally not a good thing. But as I said, those things only exist in their rudiments now.

B.E.: So what do modern nyamakala sing about?

K.L.: FulSe songs tend to be very sentimental and romantic. There’s a long history of love songs. One of the songs that illustrates this best is this song called •ulun Njuuri by a very famous nyamakala singer called Binta Laali. She now calls herself a modern artist because she has now released a few Continued on page 39

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 5, JANUARY, 2013

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Magazine

"The Nyamakala of Fouta-Djalon" Continued From page 35 cassettes. She is a very old, very dignified lady who has been around ever since the first days of independence. And • u l u n Njuuri means “the source of honey” and it talks about spending a night with your darling, and she very poetically illustrates the whole situation and includes Pulaar proverbs, very profound proverbs, in it, and it’s a very beautiful, very sentimental song. This version was recorded two years ago, but it goes back to an older song. She keeps reworking older songs.

She’s in her 60s now.

B.E.: Tell us about some of the Fula pop singers today.

K.L.: One who really caught my attention when I first went to Guinea is a young singer called Lama Sidibe. Lama is interesting because he doesn’t come out of the nyamakala tradition. He also decided at some point to become a musician, but he decided to study actually with the Manding griots, so his first local cassette was very much in a Mande style, and then Pulaar music suddenly became very popular in Guinea, so he did research on his own tradition in a way, and came out with a beautiful record called Falaama. One of the most outstanding tracks I think on there is a track called Mamou, which he sings in praise of his home town, and you can hear very much traditional elements in there, such as the calabash shakers, the triplet rhythm which is really typical of Pulaar music in Guinea. And the flute.

The flute is always the distinctive element of all Pulaar music that is being released in Guinea. All the FulSe artists have got a flute in there, and Lama Sidibe, his real strength is that he has got a very powerful, persuasive voice.

Another singer who has just released this year is a blind singer called Mama Yergue Barry, who once again has a very powerful voice. If you hear him singing next to you, it just blows you away. You kind of take three paces back. He also plays the calabash called horde.

His album has just been immediately appreciated by mainly the FulSe community but also the other communities.

It’s a very good production done in Abidjan, and again, you can hear this beautiful Fula flute.

So what most of the modern performers do is use elements of the tradition without sticking too closely. One of the elements they always use is the flute. The second one would be the content of the songs in a way, the idea of romance and love. And some of the local rhythms. But then they also combine those rhythms with the rhythms of zouk and soukous, which are extremely popular in Guinea.

B.E.: I’m curious about what you said regarding Sekou

Toure’s aggressive actions against the Fula communities.

What was that all about?

K.L.: I think one has to be careful talking about the Sekou Toure era as one era, because there were different phases. I do think that Sekou Toure tried to create a coherent sound of Guinean music, which would reflect Guinean pride and nationality, and would reflect a modern Africa. Now, he was Maninka himself, but I don’t actually think that the fact that most music that was popularized under Sekou Toure is only because he was a Maninka. It’s also due to the fact that the Mande people have this institution of griots, and the griots know history from the earliest days of the Malian empire. They are very much used to praising people, but also in a social role as political advisors and mediators. So they were in a perfect position to fulfill this role that Sekou Toure had been looking for to promote Guinean culture nationally and internationally, and create national unity. Now the FulSe artists at the time, singing more sentimental songs and love songs, wouldn’t have served the same purpose. The fact that there was a lot of Maninka music during the first regime has very much to do with that.

[Note. Actually, throughout the centuries FulSe griots (sing. gawlo, plur. awluSe) have built a similarly rich epic tradition, which mixes genealogical praise-singing, legendary heroes, and state historiography. In the early years of the republic of Guinea, FulSe griots, such as guitarist and narrator Farba Manma Niang, were celebrities regularly featured on radio.

Master oral historian from Mamou, Farba Toura Seck was one of Niang’s successors.

And each Fuuta-Jalon region had its AwluSe, some blending verbal and written communication, thanks to their advanced literacy in Pular ajami. Such personalities ranked at the top among AwluSe and were called Farba. — Tierno S. Bah] Now, Sekou Toure’s regime got increasingly paranoid the longer he stayed in power, and increasingly more oppressive.

And he started lashing out against the FulSe communities around 1976 and after that. So that’s kind of the second period, and most of the people who went into exile went after that time.

And FulSe music wasn’t really produced. There were a few artists, like the orchestras of Telemele, and Labe and Mamou, who play this beautiful Guinean orchestra sound, very much reminiscent of Bembeya Jazz and other orchestras.

Coming out of Fula, but they would have been singing in Maninka as well as Pulaar.

There were groups everywhere in Guinea. Every prefecture had a group, so Mamou, Labe, and Telemele are three of the most important regions in Fouta-Djallon. Each of those three towns would have had an orchestra attached to them.

They never achieved the fame of Bembeya Jazz or other bands that were based in Conakry, but they did play an important role at the time as well.

What we hear now is modern Fula music, which includes artists such as Petit Yero, Lama Sidibe, Binta Laali Sow, Sekouba Fatako, who are extremely popular in Guinea now. They have only really started doing so-called modern music since about 1995, 1996. It’s a very recent phenomenon. Sekou Toure’s “First Republic” broke down in 1984 with his death. I suppose

it took producers awhile to establish themselves and to take on artists who sounded quite different from what had existed before.

So this explosion of FulSe artists has only started around the mid 90s.

B.E.: Once they did start releasing these Fula pop recordings, did the music catch on quickly?

K.L.: It was quite successful right from the start. The FulSe are the largest ethnic group in Guinea, so a lot of FulSe would have been pleased to be able buy a cassette sung in Pulaar, and hear their tradition modernized. At the same time, the appeal goes beyond the FulSe community because the sound of the modern music is very much alike whether you have a Maninka, Sousou, or FulSe artist. The production would be similar, and a lot of the beats that are used would be similar, which is one problem of Guinean production. But on the other side, it also means that whether you sing in Pulaar, Manika or Sousou, chances are that people from other ethnic groups might like your stuff as well.

Usually when you look at an album of a Pulaar artist like Binta Laali, she might put two songs that are more clearly rooted in her own tradition, and others that just fall very much into the so-called “variete” genre of popular Guinean music and use a zouk beat or a soukous beat and are very much accessible to everyone. I still think that artists mainly appeal to their own people because of the language. The message people transmit is very important, whether it’s just praises, whether it’s sentimental, whether it’s historical, people like to listen to things sung in

their own language. We all do.

B.E.: Well if the Fula are the largest ethnic group, I guess it’s no surprise that their pop music would sell.

K.L.: It’s not surprising at all, especially when you look at the producers who sit in Conakry and you realize that they are all FulSe. It’s actually surprising that it has taken so long.

B.E.: Any other modern groups we should know about?

K.L.: One group that I would like to talk about is actually a rap group. It’s called Kill Point.

They are not exclusively FulSe— it’s more mixed; they have got one Pulaar rapper—and as everywhere in Africa and all over the world, rap is one of the most popular genres now, especially among the youth. I was talking about the insolence of the nyamakala before. They actually dared to speak out against the system and the regime. They don’t do this anymore. They take a much more moderate position. But now the rappers who come from a younger generation, actually take very much this social role of speaking their mind, possibly insulting, but definitely saying what they don’t like. That’s what the younger generation wants to hear; that’s what they need to hear about. In Guinea, there are actually not many artists who dare speak out about the situation and politics. One of the people who have been among the first to do it, and the most successful are Kill Point.

They rap in all the Guinean languages, in French and in English. None of the producers has decided to take them on. So what they did is to set up their own little company called Kill Point Productions, which is a very brave thing to do. It’s very brave for a group of youngsters to try and break this network of existing producers in Guinea.

B.E.: So they actually criticize the government?

K.L.: Exactly. They’ve been doing it for quite awhile now.

Their latest album has just come out this year. It’s called Le Combat Continue. They’re immensely popular in Conakry, among the young people of Conakry. Kill Point are, I suppose, kind of heroes I think among the young generation, and have inspired a lot of rappers to do a lot of things. It’s the youth that follow them.

B.E.: Have they been harassed for that?

K.L.: I don’t know, but I bet they have, because it’s very very hard to say anything against the government in Guinea. It’s a long tradition of oppression and there’s a lot of mistrust that reigns. You can feel it in the whole society, that this country has been oppressed for a long time. It needs people like that who do speak out.

S o u r c www.webfuuta.net

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 13

Cover Interview

‘Give Jonathan 50 more years, Nigeria will remain the same’ Jaye Gaskiya is the National Convener, United Action for Democracy (UAD). In this interview with Muhammad Nasir & Ibrahim Kabir Sule, he warns that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)led Federal Government will continue to dash the hopes of Nigerians in 2013 and beyond

W

hat do you think Nigerians should expect in 2013 based on the promises of the Federal Government?

The expectations of Nigerians can be captured in two words: people just want good governance and by good governance, they want their basic necessities to be met, where they have equal access to opportunities. For example, every Nigerian should have equal access to education. We are not talking about going to school.

People build school and parents enroll their children in there but as a matter of fact, there is no learning in most of these schools because they are not properly equipped for learning and that is why parents strive to get their children out of the public schools and this is quite disheartening.

In Nigeria, our leaders hardly patronize the public schools as they prefer private schools.

What is your take on the fuel subsidy crisis and President Jonathan’s promise that Nigerians will see an improvement in power supply in 2013?

The first thing you do when somebody makes a promise is to look at what the person did in the past. This government has not been forthcoming in fulfilling its past promises which has resulted in the people losing confidence in government. Nigerians do not trust this government because they have made promises in the past that they did not fulfill and apparently has no intention of fulfilling. If you look at electric power generation for example, government has been telling us for over the past 13 years since 1999 that there will be an increase in electric power generation of up to about 3000 megawatts. Now, let us give them the benefit of the doubt that these power projects will come up in this 2013 and mind you, what they have said is that by the end of 2013 we will already have 14,000megawatts since they say that 7500 megawatts will come from independent power projects while 7000 megawatts will come from the Niger Delta independent projects. They said that this project will come on board and they will come on stream at feeding the national grid.

The second question is where we are expected to look deep into the issue, all this year that they have been talking about the power sector, it has been on investment generation, but that’s not the only problem with a sustainable power supply. It’s the problem of generation and

the problem of transmission.

In spite of the fact that government decided to split the PHCN into distribution and investment, there has not been commensurate investment in transmission and distribution. So, the question is this, when all of this come on stream in 2013, in w h i c h national

way things are going, either to continue to draw money from the excess crude account or from the external savings in order to finance the subsidy or to remove the subsidy and risk t h e

doing about providing adequate refining capacity for the country?

Where is the $15 million that they announced for the TurnAround-Maintenance (TAM) of the refineries? And, by the way, how much does it cost to build a new refinery? During the President Olusegun Obasanjo government, we spent over N100 billion on TAM and again, they want to spend additional N22 billion, Talking about N23billion, talking about TAM. What is it that we have been doing that we have not been able to do the so called TAM all these years, in spite of the huge investment in the project?

How many times do other countries embark on s u c h projects?

T h e refineries

Jaye Gaskiya

grid are you going to fix them?

And, how are you going to distribute them when there has not been investment into the national grid? One of the things we see every year especially during the rainy season when we sometimes achieve full generation is that there is always a system failure. As soon as we achieve anything more than 3000 megawatts, there will be a system failure, the current capacity of the national grid is not beyond that and you want to make it 14,000 megawatts and you have not invested in transmission and distribution and they are talking about generation and meter as if before you have generation, you do not need other things. These are some of the things you need to look at to see whether the government is sincere concerning the promises they make.

On fuel subsidy, the government has been talking from both sides of the mouth.

Today you hear that if am going to increase it, it will not be in the budget, the next day you will hear they have not cleared the problem. I don’t believe the government; I know that even the way things are run, the government has only two choices; if it continues with the

anger that will come with the high prices. The reason we talk about subsidy removal is because we import refined petroleum products. If this government does not invest in getting adequate number of refineries and we continue to rely on importation of refined products, then our problems will persist. If we had allowed them in January, 2012 to go ahead with the recommended N141 per liter of fuel, by now, we would have been paying N175 per liter of petrol. This is because as at that time, the landing cost was N165, you have not added the profit margin and then our naira continues to slide below the dollar. What is government

were built to have a life span of 20 to 30 years. When you do a turnaround on them, it is expected to take up to another period of five to 10 years. In Nigeria there are only two ways of transporting crude oil and finished products: pipeline and tankers. Are we saying that it is difficult to determine the number of tankers that are taken to the various filling stations? We need to have people who should go round the filling stations to make sure that the products were delivered. It is possible to determine the quantity of products supplied to filling stations by putting all the tracking systems in place. If we know what quantity we consume

“

The unfortunate thing is that most of our leaders have dual citizenship, if Nigeria collapses, they run out and for the rest of us, if we must move, we settle elsewhere as refugees

locally, then we will know the quantity to import to complement what quantity our refineries produce daily. All other things being equal, by the end of 2013, the refineries should be able to produce about 60 per cent of their installed capacities so that by 2014 we should be talking about 90 per cent and that means the quantity we import will continue to decrease.

The same government signed a contract with a Chinese company for what they call green refineries, three green refineries that were supposed to produce 450, 000 barrels daily.

We are saying that in 24 months, the old refineries produce their full installed capacities and there will no longer be need to import fuel. We did all these calculations then in January last year. The bottom-line is that if the government does not have plans in place and they keep on making promises, then you know that they cannot fulfill such promises.

What is your view on the 2013 budget passed by the National Assembly?

There are two issues involved in our budgeting and that is why nothing seems to work especially at the federal level and that is why government continues to fail. This is because we pretend to plan but never work to realize such plans. Planning includes determining approximate data of what we actually need.

Ministries look at what they have for the past five years and they just guess what the allocations they should have this year. You need to understand what is expected before putting down the modalities such as adequate staffing and the capacity of the staff to deliver. We should begin to ask this fundamental question.

Why is the recurrent expenditure so high at the federal level? Nigerians should be on the alert and build on the level of awareness we achieved in 2012.

We must continue to hold the government accountable on its contract with the Nigerians. If Nigerians give the present government 52 more years, this country will remain the way it is because they do not have the interest of Nigerians at heart. We have been telling them that corruption has attained unprecedented height in this country. We operate a system that cherishes corruption. Our destiny lies in our hands because this is the only country we have.

The unfortunate thing is that most of our leaders have dual citizenship, if Nigeria collapses, they run out and for the rest of us, if we must move, we settle elsewhere as refugees.

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Interview P

eople have described President Jonathan as being slow in taking decisions and achieving results. What would you say are the things that have been done differently since he became President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?

Since President Jonathan assumed office, a lot has changed in this country and a lot is still changing. You should have asked specifically what has been done differently. I think principally, Nigerians have seen a change in style of leadership.

For many years, even after the military rule and return to democracy in 1999, Nigerians have been used to a dictatorial style of leadership. They have been used to the idea of a leader as a brute. Because of the circumstances that attended President Yar’Adua’s administration, Nigerians didn’t quite have the time, the opportunity to comment on his style. But what you can see is that with President Jonathan, the kind of criticisms that people are putting across, simply indicate that many Nigerians still have a military hangover.

Nigerians are not yet used to the fact that a leader can be a gentleman. Nigerians are not yet used to the fact that a leader can respect the rule of law. They are not yet used to the fact that a leader can observe and respect due process. Now, under this President, there is a new reality.

The age of impunity in terms of the style of governance has since ended. We have seen in this country for so many years a situation whereby government goes out of its way to break the law. I once read a book about how government breaks the law. But under President Jonathan, you see the President and his administration respecting the rule of law every step of the way and where you can find this demonstrated more graphically I think is in the conduct of elections and bye elections that we have had under President Jonathan. Under President Jonathan, free and fair elections have become well established and transparency in elections has become well established.

When last did you hear of lorry loads of policemen being sent to any state on the orders of anyone in Abuja to go and force the issue in a particular election? It has not happened under this President.

Have you ever heard of President Jonathan sending soldiers to go and remove a governor or to go and sack a State House of Assembly? That has not happened. So, significantly, there has been that change and I think that with time, Nigerians will begin to get used to the reality that when you say you are running a democracy, there are certain principles; there are certain ethics that are foundational and fundamental.

And what this president has done in terms of the structure and process of government is to ensure that democracy is consolidated because, for him, that is the basic foundation. In

Criticisms can’t turn Jonathan to bully – Abati In this interview with State House Correspondents, Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati reviews the achievements of the present administration in 2012, saying lots more will be achieved in 2013. He also describes his boss as an impeccable democrat who will not allow criticisms regarding his style turn him into a dictator. Abdulrahman Abdulraheem was there. terms of how government impacts on society, first there must be transformation at the level of attitude and mentality.

That is one major thing that is being done differently and I have not seen anybody who does not agree with this.

The second major thing that we have seen is that under President Jonathan, this has become a much more open society. The right of the individual to choose, the right of the individual to speak, the right of the individual to express himself or herself has been very well maintained under this administration. Somebody was saying there are some foreigners who come to Nigeria and when they read our newspapers or listen to the media, they wonder what is going on here. Of course they do that in terms of comparison with where they are coming from. So, the press in Nigeria is very free. The government allows a free interplay of ideas. You will recall that since 1999, before President Jonathan, that was not always exactly the case. So, how do you now criticise the leader who is allowing free space for expression, who is allowing the flowering of the human spirit and who at the same time is humane in his approach to issues. Now, another leg of it; when you use the word slow, a lot of people say this in terms of what they consider to be what

President Goodluck Jonathan adjectives with which they could discredit the administration.

Some of the people behind that propaganda- because that was also propaganda- were trying to change the perception of the public about the capability of the

“

A President who preaches transformation, and who is leading a democratic system cannot be the kind of bully that people are saying they want the government is doing, but I have answered this question again and again. When a government takes power, things do not just happen overnight.

There are processes; there are projects that we need to scrutinize because due process would have to be followed. But at the time people were making that point, that was early in the life of the administration when people were impatient and they were just looking for all kinds of

administration. Those people were also doing it for political reasons. But I think that Nigerians are better informed now. I think that the majority of Nigerians have a different opinion now because if you look around in the last one year, so much has changed.

When the power supply situation improved, it wasn’t government that carried a loud speaker to go and tell people that there has been improvement in

power supply.

Nigerians themselves started talking about it. And as at this December, close to 5000 mega watts have been generated and anybody who wants to be honest with you will admit that indeed there has been improvement in that area. Even the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria held a meeting with the government to say they are thankful that the power situation has improved, but government should still do a lot more to support the real sector.

In the last two months, if you look at some of the incentives that have been given to the real sector, these are meant to encourage productivity within the economy. All of that is not a result of slowness. It is a result of deliberate planning and purpose-oriented leadership which President Jonathan provides.

Look at foreign investment.

If you look at the report, there has been more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in-flow into Nigeria in the last two quarters of 2012. There are even plans to bail out the ailing airlines because part of the problems we are having is that there are not too many airlines operating at the moment. It is not just the aviation sector. The railway has

been revived; the same railway project that some administration in the past were just toying with.

People are now talking about rail travel. When we were in the secondary school or so, in social studies, we used to draw the railway lines of Nigeria. But there was later a period in Nigeria when school children did not even know anything about railway stations. That has changed under President Jonathan.

There has also been a lot of investment in education. The Almajiri school concept is meant to get so many kids in the Northern part of Nigeria off the street and to reduce the number of kids who are available for recruitment for dastardly purposes. Above all, this is a government that listens. When the furore over the deregulation of the downstream sector became an issue, government listened to the people. When there was an outcry over the likely introduction of N5000 notes, government listened to the people. So, I don’t know whether some of the people who are still saying government is weak or slow take weakness to mean that the President listens. Maybe what they are saying is that they prefer a dictator to a leader who is humane and who is purposeful. If that is what they are asking for that would be unfortunate because once you are elected to run a democracy, you should abide by the principles and ethics.

I have just mentioned a few sectors. If you look at agriculture; if you look at the e n t r e p r e n e u r s h i p empowerment programme; all these are designed to create jobs, to create opportunities and change the style of doing things.

In this same country, anytime people talked about agriculture, what came to mind is fertilizer scam. There was a time the Ministry of Agriculture specialised in the distribution of fertilizer. But now that has changed; there is nobody to collect rent on fertilizer anymore because under President Jonathan that has been stopped.

The agricultural programme of government cannot be a fertilizer scam process. Rather, agric has become real business; it has become one of those key targets for the empowerment of the Nigerian people. And because these changes are happening, a number of persons

Contiuned on page15

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

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Interview Contiuned from page14

who feel shut out are likely to become desperate and they are likely to sponsor all kinds of misperceptions against the government. If you were making your money from the fertilizer scam and government has changed that, you are not likely to be happy with government. This government has decided that it must focus on service delivery and not rent collection; not the entitlement mentality of old.

Now when you want to change the system like that from within, people are bound to resist it out of fear, out of desperation and out of mischief. And the thing to tell Nigerians is that once you have accepted the idea of transformation and you voted for it, then you must be prepared for that transformation and transformation will come with its own cost because it means that certain things just must change. A President who preaches transformation, and who is leading a democratic system cannot be the kind of bully that people are saying they want. You can’t say you want a democrat as a leader and at the same time you say you want a leader who can dictate and push people around. You see that this President doesn’t push people around; he respects them and always, that is what we need; leaders that are humane, that are God fearing and in whom we can see a reflection of ourselves and who give us every reason and every cause to be hopeful and that is what this President represents.

What is the level of the implementation of the 2012 budget and how does the President intend to improve on it in 2013, including the different policy programmes like national tax policy, policy on housing among others?

There are policies that have been introduced this year in terms of taxation, in terms of housing, in terms of job creation and in terms of even the real definition of the foreign policy orientation and processes of the Federal Government of Nigeria. If you look at what I have said earlier about the aviation sector, the whole policy is to transform that sector. Much earlier, the President

Dr. Reuben Abati

had a seminar on the foreign policy process of Nigeria to strengthen the focus on citizen diplomacy, if I may borrow that term, and on the investment side. Now, if you look at all his trips this year, those two issues had been in the front burner and Nigeria now has a more productivity driven foreign policy process. Each time the President travels, he is looking for business and investment opportunities for Nigeria and he uses the opportunity of his travels also to engage Nigerians in Diaspora. There is no country that he visited that he didn’t

‘No vacuum in power, defence ministries’ a lot has been done by the ministry of justice to fine tune the justice delivery system and to strengthen Nigeria’s place in the world. It was under this President that Nigerians won appointments into major international legal institutions. So, what we have seen demonstrated this year is that in terms of quality, this is a

“

When the power supply situation improved, it wasn’t government that carried a loud speaker to go and tell people that there has been improvement in power supply.

Nigerians themselves started talking about it squeeze out time to meet with Nigerians there to know what the issues are. All that came out of the quality reorientation. And you can go like that from one sector to the other: solid minerals, the policy of greater productivity, the petroleum sector, the PIB. This government has sent the PIB back to the National Assembly and it is optimistic that under this administration, that piece of legislation will be passed.

Reform of the justice sector;

government that is capable, that is determined to formulate policies and see those policies through. And you can be sure that in 2013, that is going to continue. The budget for 2013 has as its theme such issues as fiscal consolidation and inclusive growth, which means that most of what has been done this year will be done and a lot more will be done to even make growth more inclusive. You talked about budget implementation. People ought to know that budget implementation is a process and that is why some people have been recommending a situation whereby we have budget cycles rather than this yearly thing because once you start a procurement process, the procurement process is a process so defined. So, it doesn’t mean that when a ministry is embarking on a particular cause of action, it will just collect money and the money is spent like that. No. Processes will be followed. Nigeria has had over the years many abandoned projects and unfulfilled dreams.

It is because the processes were not followed

and because there was no discipline in budget implementation. Under this President, that discipline is being enforced and that is why this year alone, President Jonathan did something novel in Nigerian history. He got the ministers to sign a performance contract. He got the ministers to state their key performance indicators.

A ministerial appointment as the President has made clear, is not an opportunity for you to come and moonlight.

And the assessment is still even continuing. It is one of the first major things that would be concluded in the New Year; taking a look at what has been done; if there are challenges, how can those challenges be addressed. You minister A, how much were you given? This is how much I received; these are the things I said I will do in my performance contract and this is what I have been able to do. These are the challenges I faced. In the coming year, my ministry will do this. I don’t think there has ever been anytime in the history of Nigerian government that ministers are subjected to this level of rigour in terms of accountability. And I think that Nigerians should note that, because this is one thing that happened this year and it was very well reported in the public domain. It is an innovation that President Jonathan has introduced that should be copied even at other lower levels.

Why is the President yet to appoint the ministers of Power and Defense?

The thing to note is that when people ask that question, they give the impression that maybe because those two ministries do not have substantive ministers yet, there is a vacuum. But the truth is that there is no vacuum in the real sense because the ministers of state that are there are running those ministries. If there is any vacuum that people are looking for, people are probably saying certain states are to get those positions or the quota and they want it filled so that those states can benefit. All of that is coming out of this our federal character approach to appointments. But in terms of the functioning of those ministries, in terms of the running of those ministries, nothing has been lost and nothing has been sacrificed.

But I can assure you that the President in his own time will fill those positions because it is not just that you fill positions, a lot goes into it. I have not had the opportunity to appoint anybody, but from watching the President at work, I know that you don’t just wake up and just appoint people.

There is a lot that goes into it and once the time is ripe, you can be assured that the President will do it. So, people should stop putting him under pressure. Those ministries are functioning; if you

look at power, since the minister of state for power took over, that ministry has been functioning. In fact, progress has even been made. If you look at Defence, the woman who is there has been running the ministry. So, it is not as if because two slots have not been filled that anything has happened and in any case, people must also realise that ministerial positions are delegated positions.

Under a presidential system, all authorities draw from the top, at least within the executive branch. So, the President delegates authority to ministers and he can delegate authority to whoever he so wishes for the smooth running of government because he is both Head of State and Head of Government.

What concrete step is government taking to unravel the cause of that helicopter crash that killed six Nigerians on December 15th in Bayelsa?

What President Jonathan has done was that immediately after the incident, he ordered a probe.

Immediately after the incident, he called a meeting; the minister of state for defense, the service chiefs, the minister of aviation and all the relevant government people and he gave directive that he wanted a probe of what may have led to the accident or what may have been responsible. I think we should allow the probe that is ongoing to be concluded. I do not think that what happened was a comment on the aviation industry; it has nothing to do with that and I think that the FAAN and the ministry of aviation already made this clear that there is a distinction between civil aviation operations and military operations. That distinction is important, but people jumped and claimed that this was a comment on the aviation industry. They are two different matters. But as I have said, President Jonathan spoke immediately after the incident that same day and he ordered an investigation, after he had ensured that the various families have been contacted and informed.

I have also heard comments that people first heard of it here and there. Government doesn’t work that way. Lives were involved. If people died in an accident, government will take the precaution to inform the families, to take steps to ensure security and to make sure that everything was in order before making statements. I cannot give you details in this regard, but I see that in terms of the comments that a lot of people make, they really don’t know how government works and they really also do not understand that where human lives are involved, there are certain preliminary steps that must first be taken. But of course the incident is very sad.

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Tourism Gashaka-Gumti National Park:

Africa's best kept secret

G

a s h a k a -Gumti National Park is located in the mountainous region of north-eastern Nigeria adjacent to the international border with Cameroon, and immediately to the north of Mambilla Plateau.

The largest and most scenic of all the seven National Parks, this conservation area lies between latitude 60 55' and 80 05' north, and longitude 11011' and 12013' east and covers a total area of 6,731 sq.km.

Located in Adamawa and Taraba States, the Park is contiguous with Faro and Tchabal Mbado National Parks in the Republic of Cameroon.

The Park experiences varying pleasant weather conditions, depending on one's location within the Park. These range from tropical dry humid, tropical moist humid in the lowlands to sub tropical highland weather on the high plateau around Chappal waddi, Sabere and Fillinga.

Infact , the hidden corner of West Africa ,that is Gashaka-Gumti National Park, is surely one of Africa's best kept secret.

Vegetation/ Fauna Species: The Park has five distinct ecological zones ranging from Scrub and Guinea Savanna to fringing lowland rainforest, montane forest . The graduation of these eco-systems is based on both the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients of the biogeography of the Park.

The mix of these latitudinal and altitudinal gradients has resulted in the evolution of a staggering variety of habitats and niches which have allowed for a diverse assemblage of biodiversity, some endemic to thrive. Infact, the Park is an intricate mosaic of montane grasslands, savanna grasslands, wood lands, swamps, lakes, rivers, evergreen and luxuriant, montane rainforest, each supporting its unique community of plants and animals.

The fauna species inventory of this Park includes giant forest hog, leopard, yellow-backed duiker, golden cat , and eight of Nigeria's known 23 Primates including chimpanzees in the forest ecotone .The savannas are home to buffalo, lion, elephant and wild dog , water-buck, roan-antelope, giant-

eland, kob and Hartesbeest. Up in the mountains one can encounter the mountain reedbuck, black and white colobus monkey, baboon, warthog, oribi and klipspringer. Whilst the crystalclear rivers contain hippos, crocodiles, otters, nile perch and a wide variety of other aquatic communities.

An abundance of birdlife, such as pin tailed whydah, variable sunbird, dove, horn bill, grey plantain eater, African pied wagtail and African black sunbird. Butterflies and other insect communities, orchids , flowers and woody trees make this a naturalists paradise.

Gashaka- Gumti National Park is also reputed to be a safe haven for highly endangered migratory species of animals such as elephant, wild dog and colobus monkey, red-river hog, yellowbacked duiker, reedbuck, chimpanzee, etc.

It is an important spawning ground for a variety of fish and other aquatic species that complete their life cycle in the Benue River system. These include the Nile Perch , Lates niloticus, Tilapia, Tilapia zilli, Electric fish, etc. Indeed researchers from the UK have discovered the presence of certain species of fish of the genera Bryconaethiops and Gabiocichla hitherto unknown to science.

The Park also serves as an important watershed for Rivers Benue and Taraba.

Sport Fishing: Gashaka-Gumti has ideal spots for sport-fishing, one of which is at Mayo Kam near the Hippo-pool.

In the dry season the water is crystal clear and one can easily see different varieties ranging from Tiger, Cat fish, Nile perch, Tilapia fish gliding in the water.

Mountaineering: Gashaka Sector of the Park has rugged undulating mountain terrains, excellent for mountaineering and cave exploration. It contains the highest mountain summit in Nigeria the "Chappal Waddi", which literally means "the mountain of death" standing at an altitude of 2,400 meters' above sea level. It is located in the Gotel mountain

range. It is characterized by steep, forested slopes, deep plunging valleys, precipitous escarpments and swift flowing rivers, streams, hot springs, deep valleys, and waterfalls.

Wilderness Trekking: Gashaka-Gumti National Park , wild and scenic areas are accessible only by footpath and only by trekking can one savor the tranquility through the forest canopy ,rare fauna, crystal clear forest streams, waterfalls and picturesque mountain views.

Access To The Park: Gashaka sector of the park can be accessed through Katsina AlaTakum-Bali-Serti -Bodel Gate and the other from Jalingo- Mutum Biyu-Bali-Serti-Bodel Gate, while the main access to Gumti sector is from Yola-Mayo Belwa-GanyeSugu-Toungo. The closest airport is at Yola. However, there is an airstrip for light aircraft in Serti, which could be used by visitors.

Accommodation: At present the Park has limited furnished accommodation facilities in Serti town, Gashaka Base Camp and Toungo. Good camping sites also exit within and around the park; Mayo-kam, Mayo-gashaka, Mayo-gamgam and Yakuba for outdoors camping. It has about 500km of road network and several Ranger posts at strategic locations to facilitate effective visitor reception and Park protection.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Weekend RELA TIONSHIP RELATIONSHIP

Cocktail

>> Page 18

8 Signs she is a gold digger

PAGE 17

FASHION

2013: What’s Trending? >> Page 32

MODEL OF THE WEEK

>> Page 22

CUISINE

>> Page 28

The many sides of Tsamiya

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 18

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

8 Signs she is a gold digger

E

very guy likes to wine and dine with his woman, but when extravagance and material possessions become the focal point, one has

“

She's overly concerned about your financial status: A gold digger is interested in hearing about your career and financial status from day one. She is a very manipulative woman who pretends to be interested in you

to question whether the relationship is based on genuine love or just money.

If you are suspicious that the woman you are dating is more interested in your wallet than you, here are 8 warning signs that your girlfriend is a gold digger.

She only suggests expensive gifts, trips, restaurants, etc: A gold digger will turn her nose up at heartfelt, sentimental gifts because she is eager for gifts that are caked with money and expects nothing less than 4 star accommodations and food venues, shopping at designer stores and exotic vacations.

She has temper tantrums when you don't buy her things: A gold digger has the emotional age of a child and will not hesitate throwing a tantrum when things don't go her way, especially when you refuse to buy something for her or give her more money.

She's overly concerned about your financial status: A gold

digger is interested in hearing about your career and financial status from day one. She is a very manipulative woman who pretends to be interested in you by asking questions about your occupation so she can discover your job title, measure your earnings' potential and ensure that you have plenty of income to spend on her and support her lifestyle.

She never pays for anything: When time comes to pick up the check for a dinner, a movie or just about anything else the two of you are undertaking, she is nowhere to be found. If you are the one who is constantly shelling out money in the relationship, it should be a sign that she's just using you.

She feels entitled: A gold digger will walk around feeling entitled to the good life without feeling any need to lift a finger to achieve it.

Since she craves status and doesn't have long-term goals, the gold digger expects to drive a brand new car with luxury features and wear expensive shoes without feeling any need to earn her own money to achieve it. This type of high-maintenance woman feels that it's her right to be able to pursue her big dreams at the expense of financial stability, and, coincidentally, hasn't considered who will foot the bill.

She attempts to trap men into pregnancy: Everybody knows that unless a woman decides to artificially inseminate herself, conceiving a child takes two persons act and if you decide to have unprotected sex with a woman, then you should be man enough to accept the consequences. However, a gold digger will insist on having unprotected sex. A gold digger hopes to get pregnant so she can use it to her financial advantage as she sees kids as a lifelong financial insurance policy.

She heavily relies on others: A gold digger knows that you don't want to see her get an eviction notice, and you're a good person who will always be in a position to help, right? Wrong.

There's a big difference between someone who's just fallen on bad times and a woman that completely relies on others for fulfilling her costs of living and purchasing needs.

She lacks any career aspirations: A gold digger will avoid the subject of getting a job and demonstrate that she has no intention of ever developing a career outright even if she is perfectly capable of doing so.

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

Will this be the end to our romance

L

a s t Week, I was informed by my doctor that I'm suffering from a terminal disease that can claim my life at any time.

Before now, I and my fiancée have been planning our wedding. We have gone deep in the preparation up to the point that, we have shared wedding invitations.

I have not told her of my medical condition due to several reasons; it will be a blow and she

can breakdown, I am scared of losing her love even though, I have limited time to live and most importantly, I want to continue with the marriage even if it is the last thing I will do in this world.

Now I am at a crossroad; if I tell her, it will hurt her, if I don't, my death will make her a young widow.

Please readers, advise me on which decision to make.

—Badmus

I don't know my man again

W

e were in a sizzling romance before Shola went on a peace mission. Ours was a wonderful marriage blessed with a child.

We got married three years ago. Last year, he went on peace keeping mission to one of the war thorn African countries.

When Shola returned, his attitude completely changed and it is now as if I am married to a complete stranger.

He finds fault with everything I do, he even told me how I irritate him. I have looked for various ways to reach him but all to no avail.

I am beginning to lose hope but looking at our baby, I am helpless. Moreover, I love the man he was before he went on the assignment.

The last time I tried to talk to him, he went as far as hitting

me. I am so confused and I want other experienced people to tell me what could have gone wrong with my husband.

—Asabe

PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Learning Book Review

With Augustine Aminu 07038749120 julius2001_a@yahoo.com

How to repair DVD player

D

By Ayodele Samuel

O

l a k u n l e Agboola is a passionate believer in the awesome potentials of the African man and dedicates his plays to the cause of reawaking Africa, the hero in slumber.

Agboola in his latest drama, THE STRUGGLE, metaphorically analyses the state of Nigeria and beckons on the change needed to lure her into the class of developed nation.

The uniqueness of the play lies in its awakening power to lure readers into a big room of thinking and motivates them in giving back to their fatherland in spite of race or socio-cultural background.

Atide, the visionary in THE STRUGGLE is disturbed about the poor economy and domineering culture of the Ijaye over the Ipade. If the fight for freedom that comes up every four years is not won, the lives of the people of Ipade as slaves and their economy will continue to remain stagnant.

Instead of engaging in robust thought of how to better their lot and fight for freedom, the Ipade wallow in corruption, selfish interests and wickedness.

They restrict themselves into a small room of thinking which does not encourage development.

Kabiyesi of Ipade, calls the villagers and challenges them to think beyond corruption and selfish interests which have tended to hamper their economic growth. He talks about the poor state of the economy and the need for one person to represent them and fight Ebuwon who is seemingly indomitable

with the staff of authority and political leadership over the fifteen neighbouring villages.

Silence pervades the village square as they watch themselves helplessly.

Ebuwon has killed many people in the course of fighting for freedom and political leadership.

The Ijaye enjoy the rivalry over Ipade and other villages. Their farm produce is turned to finished products and sell to the Ipade at exorbitant prices. Their currency slides everyday instead of competing favourably with other currencies. The ijaye acquire wealth in the Ipade land and enslave their people. This does not only retard the development of the Ipade but also their standard of living continues to dwindle by the day even as they tend to channel their energy towards the development of the Ijaye.

Ijaye becomes a dream land while nobody is ready to fight and salvage Ipade which continues to suffer from economic despondency.

Oloun Iyo, the voice of the land beats the drum of wisdom every fortnight at the village square. The youth converge and hear him speak words of wisdom.

In one of the gatherings, he challenges the youth to rise and defend their fatherland from an impending collapse.

He calls on them to reawaken their innate potentials to fight and win so that they can break free from the economic recession, so that their sons and daughters living in Ijaye can come home.

Instead of seeing reason with Oloun-Iyo, they argue that the fight is not for mere men like them but extra-

ordinary beings from the watchman.

Poor thinking! Oloun iyo exclaims. He tells them the power they possess and how extra-ordinary they should fight to save the boat of Ipade from capsizing. Confusion and indecision follow as the people file out of the village square one after another.

Oloun iyo is sad and thinks of how to pray to the watchman for an extraordinary being.

Atide consults the innerworld for a change as he takes it upon himself to salvage the land. The battle for freedom begins and he fights with all his strength until Ipade returns to the path of development.

Set in the ancient city of Ibadan, Oyo state, THE STRUGGLE is a clarion call for the youth to harness their God-given potentials and fight with their talent and creativity in other to break free from the bond of slavery and underdevelopment.

The writer's vision is perhaps to raise more Atides in the society from especially among the youth who may set the agenda for a sustainable national ideology for Nigeria. THE STRUGGLE is a must read for students at all levels and other individuals who enjoy robust work of fiction.

The Circle Drama Group has performed Agboola's plays which have also been mounted at the National Theatre and several universities in Nigeria. Agboola studied Soil Science at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. He has also written several radio and television drama. He is currently working on a drama on HIV/AIDS.

VD players occasionally go on the fritz just like any other piece of machinery we use in our daily lives. There can be a number of different problems that could go wrong, but most of them have pretty simple solutions that can be done relatively quickly and with little monetary investment.

Steps: 1 Start basic and simply make sure the device is plugged in properly to the power outlet. You want to check for shorts in the power supply cord as well by jiggling the cord around and seeing if the device turns on and off.

2 Check the connections the DVD player has to the television set to make sure it is hooked up properly and that all connections are still functioning.

Sometimes connections can come a bit loose and this can cause you to have problems as well. Tighten

up the connections and see if the player begins working correctly.

3 Unscrew the DVD player housing and remove it from the device. Lift the clamp so that the DVD player lens is exposed for you to clean.

4 Take your canned air and spray away any dust off of the lens and any other part of the inside of the DVD player to remove excessive dust and build up. If a buildup of dust gets on the lens, it will be unable to read the DVD discs you insert into your DVD player. It is good to

routinely give your DVD player a good cleaning even when working properly to avoid build up.

5 Replace the DVD player housing and secure it back in place using the screwdriver.

Turn on your DVD player and test your repairs. If the DVD player is still not working correctly, you may want to remove the DVD and give it a good cleaning as well with your canned air and wiping it with a soft cloth.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 19

Beauty Tips Natural, homemade facial masks for smooth skin

By Serisha Singh Get beautiful glowing skin in the comfort of your home with these homemade facemasks. Why spend loads of cash using chemical and synthetic products to give your skin a boost when you can get the same results at home?

The main advantage of homemade face masks is that they are natural and therefore are free of unwanted effects.

They are also easy to make and packed with unprocessed antioxidants to moisturise your skin, get rid of blemishes and increase circulation.

Facemask to beat acne breakouts

This is one of the simplest and most effective facemasks to treat acne or blemishes. Using ingredients you will find in any kitchen, it can be made in two minutes. This facemask really works to eliminate redness and dry up pimples.

To make this mask you'll need: " Two packets of baking soda " Some warm water Mix the baking soda with a little water, until it forms a thick paste. Apply to the face for 20 minutes and then wash off. This mask is gentle enough to use twice a week and will leave your skin soft and clear.

Facemask for normal skin

Avocado

Normal skin benefits greatly from a fruit pack, so that it looks moisturised and bright thanks to the essential oils and natural AHAs found in fruit.

To make this mask you'll need: " Half a ripe avocado " One teaspoon of lemon juice " One teaspoon of natural yoghurt " One egg yolk Mix all the ingredients together into a smooth paste (you may have to blend it). Apply all over your face and neck area and leave on for 20 minutes or until the mask hardens. Wash off with warm water. This mask can be applied once a week and will

leave your skin feeling soft and looking great.

Facemask for dry skin Dry skin is usually slightly sensitive and prone to getting rough easily so an all-natural homemade facial is great for this skin type.

To make this mask you'll need: " One teaspoon of natural yoghurt " Two teaspoons of finely ground almonds " Two teaspoons of honey " One teaspoon of wheat germ oil Mix all the ingredients into a paste and apply to your face.

Leave on for 15 minutes and rinse off with cold water. Pat your skin

gently to dry it.

Facemask for oily skin Oily skin needs special care and attention because it's more susceptible to breakouts and blemishes. Deep-cleansing is a great idea for this skin type.

To make this mask you'll need: " Two teaspoons natural clay or kaolin " One beaten egg white " Two teaspoon of crushed oats or cornflakes " Two teaspoon rose water Mix these ingredients together into a soggy paste. Apply to the skin and neck and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse off gently with tepid water to unveil a glowing and soft complexion.

Clay

Skin care tips for surviving the Hamattan

By Mathatong Ntoane I suppose every Hamattan season feels like the hottest and driest ever. Here are 8 tips to survive the scotching sun that accompanies the weather.

1. An umbrella Long before we knew anything about harmful UV rays and sun block, a good umbrella was the perfect sun block.

2. A big hat Remember that your hair also needs protection from the sun's rays. The sun dries hair.

3. Natural hair or weave Hamattan is tricky for African women when it comes to hair. We want the get up and go hair that braids or a weave gives us but we have to weigh that against the sweaty scalp that goes with it. It's a tough call but we have to make it.

4. Sun glasses I find myself wearing my sun glasses at the most inappropriate times. They just look so cool during Hamattan; you don't get any questioning looks. Of course

it helps to get a pair that will protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays.

5. Sandals Get yourself a pair of airy sandals that don't make your feet sweat. Feet swell in the heat so the more open the shoe the better.

6. Roll on Make sure that your roll on is still effective in this heat. It might have been perfect for winter weather but consider shopping for another if your current one does not keep you dry.

7. Water Keep a bottle of water with you and drink as often as you can. Remember that our tap water is still one of the best in the world so keep your body hydrated.

8. A hangout place under

some trees We are getting used to spending time in malls for relief from the heat. Air conditioners dehydrate our skin. Remember to utilise our national parks.

A healthy skin does not have to be an expensive affair.

PAGE 21

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Healthy Living Aspirin to the rescue as woman delivers after 5 miscarriages

A

woman who suffered five miscarriages in as many years has finally had her dream of a perfect family come true, after taking a daily aspirin.

Nurse Dawn Paddock longed for a second child to complete her family but suffered a tragic series of miscarriages.

Doctors initially carried out a series of tests on the 33-yearold but were unable to find why she could not reach full term before she took a colleague's advice about taking aspirin and gave birth to her first child, son Shay two years ago.

She then went through a further three miscarriages trying for a second child, before she remembered the daily tablet she had taken duaring her first pregnancy.

And to her surprise, doctors told her she had stumbled across the answer to her problems, as they diagnosed her with a blood clotting condition called antiphospholipid syndrome.

The breakthrough meant that, Mrs. Paddock and husband Christian, 34, were finally able to make it to full term with a second child, Isobel, thanks to the over-the-counter painkiller.

The happy mother-of-two, who now works as a school nurse, said "I just kept thinking why? I am not a smoker and I did not drink so I could not understand why I kept having miscarriages."

"I could not face working on

the maternity ward again after going through so many miscarriages.

"I had to take a big drop in pay and hours to move job, but I just could not face the heartbreak "The only way Christian and I could deal with the pain of a miscarriage was to try and get pregnant again. "We never wanted Shay to be an only child," she voiced.

Doctors warn against selfdiagnosing and taking of aspirin during pregnancy. But Mrs. Paddock has now called for all women with a history of miscarriage to have tests for antiphospholipid syndrome, also known as Hughes syndrome or sticky blood.

Following her fifth miscarriage, Paddock underwent several tests as doctors desperately tried to find out what was causing her to miscarry.

She was sent to Liverpool Women's Hospital where she was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome, a blood clotting disorder which can result in miscarriage or stillbirth.

Four days after her diagnosis Dawn found out she was pregnant again.

Doctors put her on blood thinning drug Heparin and she also took an aspirin every day as she had also done with Shay.

In June this year, Isobel was born five weeks prematurely, but healthily.

Mother and son: Mrs Paddock gave birth to her first child, son Shay, after taking a daily aspirin following a colleague's recommendation.

She fears thousands of other women could be suffering the same pain as she did when they already have the cure sitting in their bathroom cupboard.

She said, "I told all the doctors I was taking the aspirin and they said it would not do any harm.

"I was going to stop taking it after the 12 week scan, but I was too scared to stop.

"Later the doctor said that Shay's birth was down to the aspirin.

"We were quite tearful when we got the test results back because the doctor said if I had stopped taking the aspirin I would never have given birth to Shay and because it was such a relief to find out we had been doing the right thing.

"Just before I fell pregnant with Isobel it was getting to the point where we would have had to give up hope, because it was all getting too painful.

"I worked with people who

had miscarriages and I had never heard of antiphospholipid syndrome, which shows how rare it is.

"People need to be more aware of this condition. A blood test could end the agony of unexplained recurrent miscarriage.

"When I am out with the double pushchair people always say "you are lucky to have one of each", but I think if only they knew what we had been through to get them," she explained.

Woman dies from food poisoning on Christmas Day

A

devastated husband whose wife died following a Christmas Day pub lunch has claimed she was sent home from hospital just hours before her death.

Della Callagher, 46, took ill after the meal at the Railway Hotel in Hornchurch, Essex. She was one of seven people in the party of 16 who had eaten turkey and then became unwell.

As the evening progressed, the 46-year-old's condition worsened and on Boxing Day she was admitted to the Queen's Hospital in Romford.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, her husband John, 51, said: 'She was in a really bad way but the hospital just sent her home. I was ill myself but she was in a terrible state.

'They sent her home and she just lay in my arms, basically she was dying. We called an ambulance and went back to the hospital but she barely had a pulse.'

Despite receiving medical assistance, Mrs Callagher, from Hornchurch, who had a 14-yearold daughter, died on December 27.

Her furious husband, who is the chief executive of a

Della Callagher recruitment firm, is now planning legal action against both the hospital and the pub.

He said: 'This was an avoidable

tragedy. The pub have not apologised personally to me or my family.

'The hospital effectively

turned my wife away when there could have been more of a chance of saving her life. It was disgusting the way she was dealt with. We were about to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.

'Della was so fit and healthy, I can't believe it. This is devastating.'

About 30 other people were taken ill after having Christmas Day lunch at the pub.

Public health officials started an investigation last night after confirming that food poisoning bacteria commonly linked to red meat or poultry were found in samples from the victim and others who are unwell.

It is believed Mrs. Callagher ate a ÂŁ39.95 four-course festive lunch.

The bacteria involved are Clostridium perfringens, the third most common cause of food poisoning in the UK, mostly connected with red meat or poultry.

The HPA and environment health officers from the London Borough of Havering, which covers Hornchurch, are jointly investigating whether there are any links between the outbreak and the food served at the

Railway Hotel.

Dr Deborah Turbitt, director of the HPA's local health protection unit, said: "Our thoughts are with the family at this sad time.

'We have been working with Environmental Health Officers at Havering Council to identify the cause of illness and any links to food eaten at the venue.

'The venue has been cooperating fully with our investigations.

A spokesman for Ember Inns, which runs the Railway Hotel, said: 'We would like to reassure our guests that we prepare our food to the highest hygiene standards.

'Our kitchens are monitored regularly through internal checks and independent external audits. In fact the pub holds a fivestar hygiene rating under the Food Standards Association (FSA) National Rating Scheme, the highest rating that can be awarded by the FSA. Queen's Hospital chief executive Averil Dongworth said: 'The patient was seen and fully assessed by a senior clinician, and given appropriate treatment and advice before returning home.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

With Aunty A'isha

Sights and sounds

Cairo, the current largest city in Africa

PAGE 23

rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

SHOR T ST OR Y SHORT STOR ORY

Save yourself

T

h e largest city in Africa is Cairo, the capital of Egypt.

Cairo city has a population of roughly 11 million people.

It is likely that Africa's second most populous city, Lagos, Nigeria will become the largest city in Africa by 2015. Lagos is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and is expected to have a population of 12.4 million by 2015.

The name Cairo means "the victorious city." It is located on both banks of the River Nile near the head of the River Delta in Northern Egypt. Cairo is known locally as "Misr," the Arabic name for Egypt, because of its centrality in Egyptian life.

The city of Cairo covers an area of more than 453 sq. km (more than 175 sq. m), though it is difficult to separate the city from some of its close outskirts. Bracketed by the desert to the east, south, and west and bounded by the fertile Nile delta to the north, Cairo sits astride the river, though it spreads farther on the east bank than the west. Cairo also includes several river islands, which play an important role in the life of the city.

Traffic congestion is a growing problem in Cairo, but it is the only city in the Middle East and Africa that has a subway (tunnel). A subway system opened in the city in 1987, for the first time carrying about 2 million passengers every day.

The people of Cairo are known as Cairenes; nearly all of them are Egyptians with small number of foreigner.

The city is an important centre of the Islamic faith, and Cairenes are predominantly Sunni Muslims; however, the city is also home to a sizable Coptic community, which traces its origins to the Christians who populated Cairo before the arrival of Islam.

The most famous educational institution in Cairo is the AlAzhar University, the oldest in the Islamic world. The institution has grown up around the Al-Azhar Mosque, the oldest Mosque in Cairo. The Fatimid founded both the university and Mosque in 970.

Al-Azhar University is an authoritative voice throughout the Islamic world, and its positions on important issues are influential in Egypt and the Arab world.

Other institutions of higher education include Cairo University (Founded in1908), Ain Shams University (1950), and the American University in Cairo, founded in 1919.

T

h e r e were four friends named Abass, Amman, Amir and Alim. They belonged to the same village.

Once they were invited to attend a marriage function in a distant village. Therefore, they decided to go to attend the marriage party together.

On the day of the marriage, they started their journey early in the morning so they could cross the forest before darkness falls.

While they were crossing the forest cautiously, they could not enjoy its beauty because they were afraid of the wild animals.

They decided to cross the forest speedily.

By noon, they had crossed more than half the way. All of a sudden, Abass asked Amman, Amir and Alim to stop. He said, "There may be danger ahead as the area is known for its tigers.

Let us check for the tigers first then we will proceed further."

They all looked here and there.

At this moment, Amir saw the tail of a tiger behind the bushes.

He trembled with fear and cried, "There is a tiger behind the bushes! Now, what do we do? How can we save our lives?" Abass

said, "Do not be afraid of the tiger, have faith in God. We should pray to God. He will protect us."

Alim climbed up a tree and said to his friends, "Do not waste time in talking, quickly climb up a tree, God helps those who help themselves. Be quick, save yourself."

Abass, Amman and Amir all rushed to a nearby tree and climbed up. They waited for the tiger to go, when the tiger had gone away, they descended from the tree. Thus, they crossed the forest safely and reached the village to attend the marriage ceremony.

HIS AND HERS CORNER

This sweet coat velvet with bow details on the front and back pleating for a swishing Aline style, the coat has a matching beret to complete the look.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 22

With Aunty A'isha

rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

AFRICAN TALES

MODEL OF THE WEEK

The clever wife

L

o n g ago, there lived a lazy man. He never wanted to work, and was always looking for an easy way to get food.

One day, as he was passing by a temple, he saw a mango tree full of juicy mangoes. He climbed up on the compound wall of the temple to steal the mangoes.

The temple also had a pond full of fish. As soon as the lazy man noticed the fish, he jumped into the compound. Being lazy, he didn't even bother to bend. He used his hands to pluck the mangoes and his feet to catch the fish.

Stuffing both in his bag, he ran home. "Here, I have brought some good food today," he said to his wife, taking out the fish and some mangoes from his bag.

At first, his wife was excited to see such delicious food as they had not eaten mangoes and fish for a long time but then she thought, "He never goes to work; how did he manage to bring home the mangoes and the fish?" She took the bag from her husband and asked," Where did you get these

from, dear?" The husband said with pride," I stole them from the temple compound." The wife was shocked to hear this!" Earlier my husband was lazy, now he has become a thief too! How shameful!" she thought.

So, the clever wife decided to teach her lazy husband a lesson. She pretended to be happy and said," Good that you stole from the temple compound; there are plenty of mangoes and fish there. I will prepare a delicious feast today. Go and take a bath in the meantime."

With happy thoughts of the feast, the man went to take a bath while his wife went into the kitchen to cook the fish. As she prepared the meal, its mouthwatering aroma spread in the entire house. "Hair can't resist the temptation!" thought the lazy man, finishing his bath, quickly.

His mouth began to water. "Come quickly, dear!" called out his wife.

"The food is almost ready."

Just as she heard her husband's footsteps, she quickly untied her hair, picked up the pan of fish in

her hand and stood up.

As soon as her husband entered the kitchen, he saw a horridlooking figure staring at him.

"How dare you steal from my temple?" yelled the wife.

"W...What! Your temple!" asked the man, scared. "Yes, I am the Goddess of the temple," replied the wife, angrily. "I saw you stealing from my mango tree and my pond! Now I have taken possession of your wife's body and I am going to kill you!"

Hearing this, the man fell to his knees and begged for mercy."

Then go and throw this vessel of fish into the pond and promise me you won't be lazy anymore, and that you will work hard, and that you will never steal again," said the wife. "I promise, O Goddess!" said the man.

He threw the vessel of fish in the pond and vowed never to steal again. From that day on, he was a changed man and not lazy anymore. Thus, the clever wife had taught her husband a valuable lesson.

Young Kelvin Essien

ACTIVITIES Using any colour of your choice, paint the image below. Name all the objects you see and show it to your parents for correction. Cheers!

CREA TIVITY CREATIVITY

How to make a calendar What you need: A spiral sketch book A thin wire Beads Adhesive and scissors Old magazines Stationery: Pencil, eraser, sharpener, ruler and cardboard Colours: Pencil / Crayons or paints and sketch pens What to do: Step1: Take a spiral sketch book to make the calendar (preferably A4 size). Divide the

first page into two parts.

In the space above, stick in cut out pictures from old magazines and below that make your calendar for the month of January. Make all the squares of the same size and big so that you can use the extra space in each square to plan for that day.

Check out the list of holidays and the day you have a holiday, mark that day with a different colour in your calendar.

Similarly make the pages for

all the other 11 months.

Step 2: Now on a separate sheet of paper make your timetable. Take a cardboard strip two inches wide and of the same length as the calendar.

Stick one edge of the timetable on half of the cardboard strip and paste the bottom of the last page of the calendar on the other half.

Step 3: To hang the calendar, take a wire of approximately four inches and put a thick bead at one

end while twisting the end such that it does not come out. Make a loop and subsequently put another bead at the other end and coil the wire again.

Every month you will need to unwind the wire to take it out and turn your page. You can stick pictures, draw, make a collection, and write quotes, etc‌ just about anything on the space above your calendar-cum-planner.

So begin your new year with a new start.

PAGE 24

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Kannywood Muhammad Sani Idris popularly known as Moda, is one of the foremost comic actors in the north. In this interview with Nasiru Isa Mu'azu, he shares his views about the challenges of the industry and possible solutions to the problems. o w did you get the name Moda?

I got the name in 1982 when I visited a sister during the holidays. I met a group of kids making fun of one of their friends by calling him Moda because he was crying and I intervened by telling them that Moda is my name and they should stop calling the boy by that name. When I got home, I wrote the name on my T-shirt that I used for sports and surprisingly some 30 years after, most people do not know my real name.

How long have you been in the film industry?

I started when I was in secondary school in 1979. Then, we had clubs and societies in the school and that was when I developed interest in acting.

When I left school, I started with small drama groups but my acting career proper began in 1984 when I started featuring on television drama and films.

What made you decide to specialize in comedy acting?

I actually play other roles but comedy happens to take the larger part of my acting career. As I said, I started in the school and we were all boys and whenever we had performed, the boys dressed up like girls in order to act female roles and as such it became something that I was known with.

With time, I became an expert in comedy.

Can you give us a rough estimate of how many movies you have done to date?

Four or five years ago, a student from Usman Dan Fodio University Sokoto, used me as subject matter for her and when we started counting, we got over 100 movies and you can imagine from then to present how many more must have been shot. If I guess right, I think I have done over 200 films.

Most of your fans do not really know you beyond being a comedian and what do you do when you are not acting?

I was born in Kauru local government area of Kaduna state, on January 27, 1964 and that makes me 48y years old. I started work with some companies and eventually got a government job. Presently, I am on the staff of the Kaduna state Ministry of Culture and Tourism where I am in charge of the drama department of the ministry. I started work at Kauru local government. The former Military Administrator of Kaduna state, Col. Jafaru Isa was the one who brought me to the ministry because he was impressed with a drama we performed during one of his visits to the local government. But at the moment, I am also a student at the Ahmadu Bello University. I have three wives and eleven children.

As for my fans, I have always been

seen as a comedian and never had any problems with them until the film "Wasila." In that film, I played the role of an adulterer and I got a lot of calls from my fans telling me that me that what I did in the movie was wrong.

Some of them actually went as far as raining insults on me while some others even attempted to beat me up.

But for me, I felt that I had achieved what I set out to do in the film which is to portray the actions of my character as bad and the reaction of my fans made me glad that I achieved the aim.

Some people do not realize the fact that certain roles in movies are designed to pass a message to the public.

Two weeks ago I met a fan who called me an adulterer and it could be annoying sometimes for people you do not know to walk up to you and insult you because of a role you played. I want my fans to understand that the roles we play in our films are not a reflection of who we are in real life. I would like to apologize to all my fans who felt insulted by my response to them but they should realize that I am not the characters I play. After every movie I drop the character I played and revert to my real self of a husband and father to my family.

When I am in front of the camera, I drop the person of Muhammad Sani and wear the character of a police officer, a mad man or any other roles as the film

Muhammad Sani Idris requires. Now, where I play the role of police officer, for instance, should my fans continue to believe I am a police officer?

What I want my fans to understand is during acting, there are other people present, so in the film of "Wasila" while I was playing an adulterer, the camera crew and the director were all present watching us. People should not think it is real, it is just a role that actors play as members of the crew are present watching every action and once we are done with the acting, we become just like everybody else.

When I am not working, I am usually at home with my family or I

take them out to parks and other places or go out on a picnic. As an actor you usually do not have any privacy because a lot of people see you on television and you become a role model for some people. As an actor, you need to be patient with your fans.

How do you cope with your female fans, especially those who are interested in more than admiration and how does your family react to such cases?

Well, with my family, I have explained to them the kind of work I do and they understand that I associate with a lot of women. I have already instructed them to answer my calls

even if they are female callers. A of girls come round with all sorts of stories just to meet me. We are also teachers apart from being entertainers.

What would you say are the major problems of the industry?

There are various problems and one major one is the issue of girls who come to join the industry. Some of these girls are married or they ran away from home and we need to ascertain the reason why a girl would want to join the industry. This attitude of not checking the girls that want to join the industry will one day get us into trouble. I am presently the chairman of the Artist Guild Kaduna and I try to make sure we check out all the girls intending to join us. We should endeavour to protect innocent girls from male predators by making sure their families know what they are up to. Another problem is in our stories as we tend to focus so much on love matters.

There are other contemporary issues that we can use as subjects such as terrorism, the issue of polio and corruption. Love is not the only thing as far as far as I am concerned.

Another thing is that some of the actors should learn to humble themselves because without the fans, you cannot be a star or a celebrity.

I think that government should come in and provide incentives and technical expertise to improve on our production. The government should try and set up scholarships for the artists and technical crews to acquire more knowledge regarding the technical aspect of our job.

Sarewa will take Kannywood to international community —Habiba The Kannywood movie industry has no doubt produced bright and shinning stars in the northern part of Nigeria, although its potentials still lie untapped. In this interview with Miriam Humbe, the Executive Producer of Sarewa Africa, a Hausa language TV reality show soon to come on the airwaves and founder of Habiba Gazelle Foundation, Hajiya Habiba Abubakar Ismai'l says Sarewa Africa is going to sell Kannywood to the world to the extent that Kannywood stars will be highly acceptable all over the world. Savour …….

I

n t r o d u c e yourself to our readers. Who is Hajiya Habiba Abubakar Ismai'l?

Hajiya Habiba Abubakar Ismai'l is the founder of Sarewa Africa.

Sarewa Africa is a musical talent hunt TV show for the Hausa speaking people in Nigeria and in Africa as a whole. It is conceived under the auspices of Habiba Gazelle Foundation, a non-governmental organisation founded by my humble self based in Abuja.

What is the focus of your nongovernmental organisation, Habiba Gazelle Foundation?

Habiba Gazelle Foundation is committed to the upliftment of vulnerable persons in the society, through medical provision and support to widows, widowers and orphans, provision of scholarships to less privileged children and social support to the needy. We also empower the youth by providing skill acquisitions to the unemployed ones to make them self reliant.

What objective is Sarewa Africa set out to achieve?

Sarewa Africa is all about talent hunt which is intended to promote

Hajiya Habiba Abubakar Ismai'l and Senator Bello Maitama Yusuf pose beside the star prize of a brand new KIA Cerrato car to be won in the newly launched Hausa talent hunt reality TV show, Sarewa Africa in Abuja on Wednesday Photo: Miriam Humbe art in Northern Nigeria. We believe that by Sarewa Africa through art, we can uplift the standard of music, dance and drama within the contemporary market. Sarewa

Africa Television project therefore, is a conscious dream that started over twenty four months ago with the aim of providing the necessary platform for talented youth to find their voice,

Nollywood

Entertainment

Am still regarded as adulterous because of my role in "Wasila" —Moda H

PAGE 25

express their talent as well as support the talented youths to build a career in music and acting in Hausa language. Sarewa Africa embraces everyone all over the country, as long as they speak Hausa.

Why is the Sarewa Africa project coming on at this period of time?

It is because I noticed that all along, we have been supporting the youth through scholarships by paying their school fees, basically. We also took a look at society and observed the unemployment situation and the prevalent spate of violence which is common among the youth; you will see that the root cause of it is traced to unemployment. So we thought we should come up with a platform that will give them a forum to express themselves. Those unheard voices should be able to come out. The themes will range from non-violence, romance, unity, non-violence corruption, political stability and any other areas capable of enhancing development in our society.

So who are the people who will qualify to participate?

The participants must be youths who are aged between 18 and 30.

Those above this age range are over aged. This is because we are looking at developing the young up-coming talents and not the ones who are already well known in the industry.

The TV reality show is going to be featured in Hausa language because this is the language that is being

spoken all around the 19 states of the northern part of Nigeria and elsewhere in the country. Hausa language is also used to preach in Churches, which helps to bridge the gap occasioned by diverse languages in the north. In the market places, Hausa language is generally used in buying and selling. After Swahili in Africa, Hausa language is the most commonly spoken language because it is spoken in Ghana, West and Central Africa as well as in Northern African countries.

When are the auditions expected to commence?

The auditions will commence in January or first week of February in all the 19 states of Northern Nigeria, which are going to be zoned. The interested participants will have to pick up a form at the cost of two thousand naira only.

When is the show expected to hit the airwaves?

We are still doing a whole lot of the underground work for now but all I can say is that we are looking at hitting the airwaves in April 2013.

The grand finale will be held in Abuja in July or August hopefully but for now; we are still putting things together to give Nigerians a show they will value in times to come.

On what TV stations are the show expected to be aired?

It will be aired on our local stations and extend beyond. We expect it to go all the way, but for now, we are still talking with the TV stations that will

be airing the show. As for the details, we will make them available in the media as we progress. But I want to assure that Sarewa Africa is going to be an annual event from now onward.

What prizes are there for the winners to take home?

The prizes are a brand new Cerrato KIA car. We unveiled it on Wednesday last week at a press conference. It was unveiled by my father, Senator Bello Maitama Yusuf, the Sardauna of Jigawa. There is also a N2 million naira cash prize to be won as well as a recording deal.

Nigerians have had to worry about TV shows of this kind like the Big Brother Africa which most parents have complained about as having negative influence on the morals of the younger ones. In Sarewa Africa, what are the viewers to expect?

The viewers should expect that we will keep to our high moral standards.

We know our values in the north to be precise. We are not going to merge men and women in a particular place. Parents should feel free to allow their children participate. We know where we come from, we know what our values are and we are going to strictly adhere to our core values, which are our heritage and a legacy, handed over to us. We do not want our northern values to burn out like a candle light but we intend for it to go beyond our generation.

Alleged fraud: Inyanya declared wanted …as Inyanya's peeps deny Police's involvement T h i s is definitely not a good one for the Kukere crooner, Iyanya Mbuk who has become a toast of every music lover within and outside the shores of the country.

The reason is because, the has been listed on the wanted list of the Police at Mile 3 Division, Port Harcourt, over a fraudulent act perpetrated by him.

According to Nigeria films.com, the R&B singer turned Pop act Iyanya allegedly said to have defrauded popular show organizer of 'Nite of A Thousand Laughs, Opa Williams of N1.7m being payment for the singer's performance at two events.

The entertainment news portal learnt Iyanya was paid the said amount to perform at two 'Nite of a Thousand Laughs'events which held in Benin and Port Harcourt.

The Kukere singer missed both shows intentionally.

The latter which was held three nights back, on New Year's Day precisely, featured a performance from rapper Olamide and was hosted by Bovi while Iyanya is believed to have traveled on the

same flight (allegedly paid for by the show organizers).

Guests had waited for the singer to step on stage and thrill as the highly publicized show had promised a performance from him but he was conspicuously missing.

Nigeriafilms.com gathered that the singer shunned Opa Williams' event, performing instead, at another show in Omuma Local Government Area, also in Port Harcourt which also featured Timaya.

"We were all disappointed, we waited in vain. As soon as Bovi announced he was not going to show up, everybody started leaving", a source who attended the event held at the open ground of the Hotel Presidential, PH said.

Yesterday morning, sources say Policemen from the Nigerian Police invited Iyanya and his manager Ubi-Franklin Ekapong for questioning over the matter which was reported by the show organizers led by Opa Williams.

The officers could only get UbiFranklin to station but Ubi said, "yes I was at the Police Station this morning, we have decided to

return all money paid to us, it's not a problem."

Ubi further explained, "We were paid to attend and perform at the Benin and Port Harcourt shows but we missed both due to reasons beyond our control. We missed the Benin gig because we were in Ghana as at that time and we arrived pretty late for the PH gig.

We however had issues with initial

Yoruba movie star, Komolafe buried amidst tears

T

h e remains of the late Yoruba movie actress Bisi Veronica Komolafe was laid to rest on Friday, after a burial mass held at the St. Mary Catholic Church, Salvation Okeepaadi, Ibadan, Oyo state with family, close friends and colleagues in attendance. The deceased Lagos State University graduate passed away on December 31st 2012.

Thespians who came to pay their last respect to the deceased Lagos State University graduate include Bimbo Oshin, Bolaji Amusan, Ireti Osayemi, Taiwo Hassan, Femi Adebayo, Iyabo Ojo, Muyiwa Ademola, Yinka Quadri, Soji Taiwo and many others.

'She has done her own part what

about you, she has done what she could do on earth, nobody knows when death would come, we should all do good so we can make heaven', the officiating priest, Father Benedict told the congregation.

Some of the stars seen at the service include Iyabo Ojo, Femi Adebayo, Muyiwa Ademola, Dorris Simeon, Ireti Osaretin, Taiwo Hassan, Yinka Quadri, Soji Taiwo.

Others are Nike Peller, Yomi Fash Lanso, Tayo Adeleye, Bimbo Oshin, Bolaji Amusan, Rose Odik, Ayoola Adebiyi, Akin Olaiya, Wale Korede, Leye Adesili Kuti, Bimbo Thomas, Jide Adegbite, Shola Akintunde, Jokotoye Big Val, Sharafa Olabode and Deji Koko.

payment from the show organizers also, so we needed to forfeit one for another."

However, Nollywoodgossip learnt when contacted Iyanya's associates including Frank, his manager said: "That's not true.

Police was never involved. We didn't attend his show, so he requested refund and we paid.

That's all."

Nigerian Idol wraps up auditions, selects 90

A

f t e r months of intense searching, the curtains have drawn on the first phase of Nigeria's biggest music reality show, Nigerian Idol. The last two days of auditions saw the show hit the bottomless talent pools of Benin City and Lagos, giving fans some of the most exciting auditions of the show yet. And now that auditions are over; the tension is building as Idol moves to the next stage of the competition that is always make or break for many hopefuls-the elimination rounds.

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Hollywood/Bollywood

Priyanka extremely stressed about playing Mary Kom P riyanka Chopra has some big films on her to-do list, this year, one of them being Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s biopic on boxer Mary Kom. The actress knows she’s the best, however, PeeCee is a little nervous about playing the boxer.

“I’m really excited, but I honestly don’t know if I can pull off any film before I get on to it. There’s always a

Priyanka Chopra

sense of nervousness.

I’m extremely stressed about the Mary Kom biopic because it’s such a huge name to live up to,” she says. Meanwhile, the actor is also starring in another Big B remake.

“Everybody comes to me with Mr Bachchan’s remakes and I end up doing them. I’m excited about Zanjeer as well.

It’s turning out to be a really interesting film and I hope people like it as much as Don and

Agneeepath. It’s a very different character from what J a y a ( B a c h c h a n ) ma’am had played in the original.”

After the release of her debut music single last year; Ms Chopra is being touted as a rockstar.

Priyanka says, “I’m just onesong old. I’m not some pop star or rockstar.

It’s just one song and I have no delusions about that. I am a debutante and it’s my beginning.”

Aishwarya to loose weight for her comeback film!

F

Steve Jobs Naomi Campbell 'injured bio film set for and mugged' in Paris April release

T

he first film based on the life of legendary Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be released in April, according to a distribution deal for “jOBS” announced yesterday.

The “biopic” starring Ashton Kutcher as Jobs, who died in 2011, will premier later this month on the closing night of the Sundance Film Festival, according to independent distributor Open Road Films.

Steve

T

he 42-year-old supermodel was knocked over and robbed by goons, as she tried to hail a cab, the New York Post reported.

Campbell suffered a torn ligament in the incident and reported the matter to the French police.

It is not known what the robbers stole from her, but it's believed that they were targeting the expensive jewellery that she might have been wearing.

Her billionaire boyfriend, Vladimir D o r o n i n , immediately flew her to Vail, Colorado, by private jet, where she was treated by J. Richard Steadman, one of the top orthopaedic surgeons in the world.

Campbell has been using a wheelchair and crutches to get

around following the attack.

The source said that she has not spoken publicly about the assault nor told friends at the request of French police.

Naomi Campbell suffered a leg injury after she was violently attacked and robbed on a Paris street last month, according to sources.

ormer Miss World and actress Aishwarya Rai who became a mother after giving birth to a baby girl last year, has been criticized for her weight issues ever since she gave birth. But now, since the beautiful actress wants to make a comeback into films, she has decided to shed a few kilos.

Friends close to Aishwarya Rai have said that she has resumed her yoga lessons and also physical training lessons at home, probably for a comeback in acting. As per rumors, it's said that Ash is in talks with filmmakers and her comeback film may go on floors by mid 2013.

Aishwarya's last film before motherhood was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish, which starred Hrithik Roshan.

While reports are not true about her comeback, Ash is enjoying being a mother and is spotted with her baby everywhere.

Earlier, it was said that she would make a comeback with Karan Johar's next film, but those rumors have been quashed

Aishwarya Rai

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6 JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 27

Homes Keep jewelry from littering your dresser I

f you have jewelry boxes littering your room dresser, then you probably need to store jewelry in a different way.

The tangled mess of necklaces, earrings and bracelets may prevent you from finding your favorite item, and may even ruin the finish on some of your pieces.

Spending an afternoon evaluating and reorganizing can improve the look of your room dresser and your outfit.

If you have a lot of jewelry, move away from smaller jewelry boxes and try a larger jewelry storage systems like jewelry cases and jewelry organizers. Gather all your jewelry into one location and separate the jewelry you wear regularly from the jewelry

that you are saving for special occasions.

For valuable, rarely worn jewelry, store it in a safer place such as safety deposit box at a bank. You can also store important documents there, helping to justify the storage fee and affording you peace of mind.

Depending on the amount of jewelry you have, you may want to purchase a jewelry organizer to store your jewelry for easy every day access. Choose from jewelry armoires, jewelry cabinets, jewelry organizer bags and jewelry boxes. If you have more earrings, make sure your jewelry organizer has enough earring holders. If you have a lot of silver, make sure that your

jewelry organizer has antitarnish lining.

Choose some pretty jewelry cases or crystal bowls at your local drug store that you can keep on your bathroom vanity or bedroom nightstand. When you take off your jewelry at night, such as your wedding ring, you can easily put it in a crystal bowl or jewelry case.

It is easy to forget what you have if you don't have easy access to all your jewelry first thing in the morning. Store your jewelry with matching pieces together and different colors separated so you can easily take a look at what you have and pull what you need out first thing in the morning. ehow.com

Keep your jewellery well stored with the Avery

Personalised jewellery rolls give you plenty of room to store your jewellery

Wood boxes with cloth lining are best to keep your jewellery dust-free

PAGE 28

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Cuisine

Pots & Pans

With Hajiya Ramatu Usman Dorayi

Tsamiya receipes for sweet, sour taste Tamarind, popularly known as Tsamiya, in Hausa is a sticky, sour-tasting fruit that grows in large brown pods on the tamarind tree, a common fruit tree that grows all over Asia, Mexico and most parts of Northern Nigeria. The fruit is removed from the pods and must be separated from the seeds when you want to use it.

The taste of tamarind fruit is very sour, so whatever recipe you're making will need sugar or some kind of sweetener. The texture of tamarind is very sticky and paste-like, and the colour is dark brown. In Thai cooking, tamarind is used for a variety of dishes, from famous Pad Thai noodles to fish and chicken dishes. Tamarind is also a common ingredient in Indian and Mexican cuisines.

Unlike in northern Nigeria where tsamiya is not well preserved and commercialised, in other places it is made into a ready-to-use cooking paste and

comes in a jar or plastic tub-like container, with the paste usually quite strong and condensed. Tamarind paste or tsamiya can be found in some Chinese/Asian food stores. In Asian countries it can even be purchased online.

Tamarind paste is easy to use with the right recipe. Just add straight to your recipe.

Tamarind paste is usually cooked in with other ingredients, but can also be mixed into uncooked foods for a sour taste. If it's a runny paste, you will need to add more in order to achieve the right flavour, like in making kunun tsamiya.

Taste-test your recipe to achieve the right sweet-sour balance, adding more paste or more sweetener until you're happy with it. Vinegar and lime juice are a common tamarind substitute and work well in some dishes like Pad Thai Chicken.

Refreshing tsamiya drink Ingredients: Fresh tsamiya, kanin fari, citta (local spices) 2 tins of sugar and water.

Method: Wash tsamiya, put in a clean pot add citta and kaninfari, add sugar, water and boil. Allow to cool down and squeeze the tsamiya with your hand, then sieve and add water and ice block or refrigerate, serve cold.

Tips to marinate shrimps with tsamiya Preparation: Use a sharp serrated knife and cut a slit along the back of each shrimp to devein them. Do not remove the shells. Wash the shrimps and dry them carefully. Dry them as much as possible, as this is meant to be a dry dish. Put all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl together with the shrimps and tsamiya paste and mix to marinate. Leave for at least 3 hours in the fridge.

Cooking: 1 ) Heat 2 Tbsp of cooking oil over high heat.

2 ) Fry the shrimps until all the moisture from the shrimps and the marinade have evaporated.

3 ) Keep frying until the prawns turn brown.

4 ) Add 1 Tbsp of sugar and ½ tsp

Shrimps in tsamiya sauce

of salt.

5) Fry for a few more minutes until the salt and sugar have mixed well with the shrimps. The shrimps are ready when they look slightly burnt. Serve with white rice and stew.

Tsamiya soup

Tsamiya marinated chicken ready for barbeque

Tsamiya (Tamarind) with oxtail and white rice, a Malaysian cuisine

PAGE 29

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6 JANUARY, 2013

Womanhood

Children learn better through practical applications From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

M

r s . Bose Adesola Adedeji, is the proprietress of ADRIN School in Ilorin, Kwara state. She is one of the lucky women that can connect their success to the men in their lives.

She said her story cannot be complete without describing the positive impact her husband made in her life.

An educationist, she graduated from Oro College of Education, Oro where she obtained her National Certificate of Education, NCE in 1984."

According to her, NCE holders had the privilege of going for youth service scheme.

"I think our set was the last batch in 1985. I did my youth service at Keffi, then in Plateau state but now Nassarawa state.

"I then proceeded to University of Ilorin, Kwara state where I got my Bachelor in Education, B.Ed. in 1996. I taught at St James primary school, Offa and Bishop Smith's memorial College, Ilorin," she told our reporter.

Mrs. Bose hails from Offa local government in Kwara state. She is happily married with kids to Mr. Isaiah Oladele Adedeji, popularly known as OLA SAT, a successful business man from Oyan in Osun State.

She said she had always had passion for teaching which had been her clarion call since the beginning of her career. "I had been a seasoned teacher, with passion for the job. "Before we built the school, I was a teacher until I retired from active service some years ago."

She said the idea to build a school was conceived by a family friend. "A family friend of ours gave my husband the idea to run a school. "They did not know that as an educationist, I was nurturing the idea for a long time, so when my husband discussed the issue with me, I saw it as a dream come true."

Surprisingly, the school was constructed in few weeks.

According to Mrs. Bose, "the construction of the school took us just six weeks, with the contractor working day and night."

On what kind of educational system she operates, she said the school is undertaking the Montessori system because in her years of teaching and the experience she had gathered, she has realized that, children learn faster and better through

Mrs. Bose Adesola Adedeji practical applications.

She said, "Some pupils who may seem educationally backward may not really be dull; it may be that it is the learning environment that does not suit their nature. "For instance, there were some pupils who were withdrawn from other schools to our school here in ADRIN, the primary two pupils from other schools couldn't read and write but when they got to our school we introduced them to our system and within three weeks they were able to read and write and today they have been able to blend and are doing perfectly well."

According to her, good foundation is what matters to a child in life. "It is what the child would grow up on; it is on that foundation that their teachers will build upon. The foundation level is very essential, just like in building a house, the quality of the foundation determines the weight of structure it can carry," she explained.

On whether the school had been properly registered, Mrs. Bose had this to say, "We registered with the Kwara State Ministry of Education; they came for inspection of our facilities and finally gave us permission to commence admitting pupils and teaching them based on our curriculum."

She said, "At inception, we

had 14 pupils but today we have 24 pupils and we are still taking in pupils because we still have more than enough facilities to accommodate them.

On reasons why she connects her success story to her husband, she answered by narrating how she met him "We actually met in 1984 while at the College of education and later got married in December, 1985.

"Since then he has been so wonderful. "He never gave me reasons to regret meeting him."

According to her, Mr. Isaiah, her husband financed the entire school project, "He is God fearing and devoted, he tends to understand people more and always wants to give them an opportunity to prove self. "If you are a good person, you will enjoy my husband and if you are found wanting, he will manage you until your bad ways fish you out."

She said one of the qualities that endeared her husband to her is his generosity. "He is more generous than I am, as for me, maybe because of my background in economics, I must see reasons for every penny I spend. In his community, they respect and appreciate him because he is very respectful and have feelings for his community and works towards its development."

On her message to parents concerning their wards she advised that, parents should consult professional educationists who will be able to guide them as to which way to go before they cross a child from one school to the other.

"Parents should know that, there are guardians and counseling teachers in schools, such people don't play sentiments with giving guides."

She continued, "You may appreciate their counsel financially or otherwise but what matters is, don't just take your wards to where you like, let them be where their foundationswill be solidly built and placed on the right pedestal in life."

Stressing further she said, "Sad enough, some parents spend real fortunes over their children but the results are not

forth coming, it is because they have not consulted well.

"Children are not equally gifted; some learn very fast, while some learn slowly. "After building them to a level, both the slow learner and the fast learner will reach the pinnacle in life where the difference will no more be noticeable. That is why foundation matters."

On her level of charge or how expensive her school is she said, "We charge considerably low among schools that operate within our standard. "The purpose of creating a school is not to make profit but to fulfill my vision and satisfy my passion for teaching."

According to her, she went into education with the aim to impart knowledge into the upcoming generation because they are the future of the country, She said, "I see all seasoned educationists having same vision. "As an educationist, it is believed that our rewards are in heaven, for those who know that there is heaven."

She however called that, for good teachers, their rewards starts right on earth. "There was this case of a politician who was given an opportunity to present a candidate for a political office and he just went straight to his old school teacher and gave him the slot, the hopeless old teacher got to that office, got a new lease of life and started looking younger," she narrated.

She said she knew teachers whose students, gathered to donate a living accommodation.

"Children know and do not forget whoever treated them well in the years they were growing up. Aside all that, children are Gods heritage; whoever tends them well cannot suffer, all these are the rewards we anticipate in our pupils not charging high school fees. "Very soon we would introduce scholarship scheme for exceptional students, to assist their parents," she concluded.

“

According to her, good foundation is what matters to a child in life. "It is what the child would grow up on; it is on that foundation that their teachers will build upon.

PAGE 30

Archives

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Do you have old pictures for memories?

Send them to julius2001_a@yahoo.com

Onitsha, Nigeria. Nigerian passengers embark and disembark during river transportation including canoes and ferries from the Niger River,

The Otaru of Auchi, The Ikelebe the 3rd, 1980, Benin, Nigeria

From left: Nigerian poet Christopher Okigbo with Chinua Achebe and Alex Ajayi.

Nigerian men pose for a picture in 1970s

Makurdi market and River Benue 1978

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 31

Leisure WORD SEARCH

With Augustine Aminu

Find the Christmas words from the bottom in the Christmas word search grid. The words can be forwards or backwards, vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. Circle each letter separately, but keep in mind that letters may be used in more than one word.

Christmas Word Search T

H S

U A L C A T

N A S

H B S

T N E M A N R O I

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C S I

CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS TREE DECEMBER DECORATIONS FAMILY GIVING HOLIDAY LIGHTS ORNAMENTS PRESENTS

DID YOU KNOW? Unless food is mixed with saliva you can't taste it

A Real Lagos Child

The average person falls asleep in 7 minutes 8% of people have an extra rib The smallest bones in the human body are found in your ear All the blinking in one day equates to having your eyes closed for 30 minutes Your foot has 26 bones in it The average human brain contains around 78% water Your brain uses between 20 - 25% of the oxygen your breathe Your tongue is the fastest healing part of your body A 1 minute kiss burns 26 calories

REINDEER RIBBONS SANTA CLAUS STOCKINGS TINSEL TURKEY DINNER TWENTY-FIFTH WINTER WRAPPING PAPER WREATH

You burn more calories sleeping than watching TV An average person will spend 25 years asleep The most common mental illnesses are anxiety and depression Your skin is the largest organ making up the human body Enamel is the hardest substance in your body The hyoid bone in your throat is the only bone in your body not attached to any other bone.

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

Proverbs and wise sayings " A bush fowls' playground is never appreciably spacious. " If the owner of a calabash calls it a worthless calabash, others will join him to use it to pack rubbish. " It is the boast of every juju priest that unless he dies, no thief can ever come to steal his juju away. " What affects the nose must also affect the eyes that must weep for it. " If a greedy eater is near a patient, such a patient can never survive. " There is no elephant that complains about the weight of its trunk. No elephant is burdened by the weight of its tusks. " When the elderly ones in a house travel, the younger ones quickly grow in experience. " It is when there is a stampede, that a person with big buttocks knows that he carries a load. " If a soup is sweet, it is money that cooks it. " If a child is not well-behaved, she is not sent by the mother to go alone to the market to buy things for her. " A glorious past is the work of a glorious man.

CARTOON

PAGE 32

F

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 29 — SUNDAY 30, DECEMBER, 2012

Compiled by Jamila Nuhu Musa

Statement rings 2013: What’s Trending?

J

immy Choo a n d o t h e r designers are m a k i n g waves with exquisite sandals, high heels, rings, they have it all.

From soft suede to turquoise stones, they are destined to turn heads in 2013.

Christian Louboutin Lady Peep Spikes Red Sole Pump DetailsThere’s something a bit transgressive about these spiked ruby red Christian Louboutin pumps. Shiny patent leather and an alluring peep-toe speak of this edgy effect..esigner

Malika Perforated Metallic Leather Sandal

Diva Crystal Cutout Sandal DetailsCovered in light-catching crystals, this precisely cut Diva sandal is jewelry for your feet. A cutout suede cage upper with faceted crystals, peep-toe..

No matter the colour, no matter the occasion, a metallic shoe is always a smart styling choice. Check out this perforated, peekaboo sandal. It is ankle-high cuff with back zip for ease of dress, strappy, covered vamp, metallic leather lining, footbed, and outsole, 5" covered heel.

Belle-Chain Fringe T strap

Chandelier Crystal Sandal DetailsInspired by a chandelier and every bit as luminous, this white Tabitha Simmons sandal is well suited to bridal looks.Thin satin straps weave together over vamp, revealing platform.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2012

PAGE 33

International Sudanese leaders Bashir, Kiir to meet in Ethiopia

T

h e r e are indications that leaders of Sudan and South Sudan are to meet to address disputes that brought them close to war following the South's independence in 2011.

Presidents Omar al-Bashir of Sudan and Salva Kiir of South Sudan are set to discuss speeding up the implementation of a deal reached last September.

The talks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, follow reports of renewed clashes on the disputed border.

Tensions over oil and security brought them to the brink of war last April.

Western governments have urged both sides immediately to withdraw their forces from what is intended to be a demilitarised border zone.

The two men have arrived in Addis Ababa and have begun separate meetings with Ethiopian mediators.

Oil dispute In September, the two men agreed to set up a demilitarised buffer zone, but some parts of the deal - such as resolving an ongoing dispute over oil - have yet to be implemented.

Former BBC Sudan correspondent James Copnall says that, at the time, the deal was hailed as a great step forward by the African Union and the UN, among others.

Both side blames the other for the lack of progress.

One of the most critical issues has been the halt in oil production in the land-locked South due to a

disagreement over pipeline fees.

The oil is exported northwards to Sudan where it can be refined. But since the shutdown of operations, neither country has been able to reap any economic benefit from the oil.

At the September meeting, South Sudan agreed to resume the production of oil but this has not yet happened.

Another point of contention is the flashpoint region of Abyei, which is claimed by both sides. It lies on their border and is inhabited both by nomadic herdsmen who are loyal to Sudan and other groups who are closely linked to the South.

South Sudan, where people chiefly follow the Christian faith or traditional indigenous religions, gained independence in 2011 after more than two decades of civil war with the mainly Muslim north.

Both sides also accuse the other of supporting rebel groups on its territory.

Inthedaysbeforethissummit,South Sudan accused its northern neighbour of fresh attacks near the border.

This, though, has become a pattern in the run-up to meetings between the two countries and is unlikely to affect the debates too much, says our correspondent.

The intention of the summit is to break the deadlock over the agreements which have already been signed, he says, adding that it is probably too much to ask for any progress on the outstanding issues.

Ivory Coast stampede death toll rises to 64 as govt. end inquest

I

v o r y Coast's health minister says the death toll in the New Year's stampede has risen to 64 even as the government on Friday was expected to close its investigation into the tragic incident.

According to the Health Minister Raymonde Goudou, three more people died in addition to the 61 who were killed from being trampled when thousands left a New Year's fireworks display. She said 26 people who had been missing after the chaos of the stampede were located in various

hospitals in Abidjan.

Goudou, who disclosed this to the press, said the government closed its investigation into the tragic stampede on Friday and will issue a report later.

Meanwhile, the Front Populaire Ivorien, the opposition party of former President Laurent Gbagbo, issued a statement criticizing Interior Minister Hamed Eakayoko for not taking adequate security measures for the fireworks display in central Abidjan on New Year's Eve. (AP)

Footage released by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham shows Malala saying goodbye to her nurses

Pakistani Schoolgirl activist shot leaves London Hospital

A

Pakistani schoolgirl activist shot in the head by the Taliban has been discharged from Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEHB) in Birmingham after being transferred from Pakistan following the attack in October, Last year.

Malala Yousafzai, 15, who was being treated at the hospital, will continue rehabilitation at her family's temporary West Midlands home.

The Taliban said it shot Malala, a campaigner for girls' education, for "promoting secularism". The shooting, in a school bus, sparked domestic and international outrage.

Malala was returning home from school in the north-western Swat district when gunmen stopped her vehicle and shot her in the head and the chest. She received immediate treatment in Pakistan where surgeons removed a bullet which entered just above her left eye

and ran along her jaw, grazing her brain.

Over the past few weeks, Malala has been leaving the hospital on home visits to spend time with her father Ziauddin, mother Toorpekai and younger brothers, Khushal and Atul.

The University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust said doctors believe she will continue to make good progress outside the hospital.

The schoolgirl is due to undergo cranial reconstruction surgery in late January or early February.

Dr Dave Rosser, the trust's medical director, said: "Malala is a strong young woman and has

"Nobody helped us for an hour" —Indian rape witness

A

Cross section of people protesting increasing incidence of rape in India

worked hard with the people caring for her to make excellent progress in her recovery.

"Following discussions with Malala and her medical team, we decided that she would benefit from being at home with her parents and two brothers.

"She will return to the hospital as an outpatient and our therapies team will continue to work with her at home to supervise her care."

Malala came to prominence when, as an 11-year-old, she wrote a diary for BBC Urdu, giving an account of how her school in Mingora town dealt with the Taliban's 2009 edict to close girls' schools.

t last, a male friend (name not given) who was attacked with 23-year-old student died in hospital two weeks after she was raped in a bus has revealed how Police and passers-by left the victim lying naked and bleeding in the street for almost an hour, in his first public comments on the case that provoked a global outcry.

The deceased student died in hospital two weeks after she was attacked on December 16 in a private bus in New Delhi, a city dubbed India's 'rape capital'.

"We kept shouting at the police, 'please give us some clothes' but they were busy deciding which police station our case should be registered at," the friend told the Zee News network.

According to him, he and the woman were attacked after they boarded the bus following an evening out watching a film.

They were thrown off the vehicle and left bleeding in the street for 45 minutes before a police van arrived, he said. Officers then spent a long time arguing about where to take them, he added.

"There were a few people who had gathered round but nobody helped. Before the police came I screamed for help but the auto rickshaws, cars and others passing by did not stop," he said in a studio interview, a blue metal crutch leaning on his chair. "It took an hour and a half for us to be taken to hospital," he added.

The attack prompted street protests across India and promises from the government of tougher punishments for offenders. Neither the woman nor has her friend been named. Five men were charged with her gang rape and murder on Thursday.

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Business Feature

Alison Madueke's dose of reforms for petroleum sector

2012 retrospect:

By Abdulwahab Isa

T

h e 2012 kicked off on a tough, hostile note.

Attempt by government to hike arbitrarily by over 100 percent pump price for a liter of petroleum commonly referred to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) had dragged the entire country on a two week sustained industrial strike. In this analysis, Abdulwahab Isa x-rays committees and reforms initiated at the instance of Minster of Petroleum, Dizean - Alison Madueke.

Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria and Lagos-nation commercial hub were completely enveloped exactly this time last year.

The cities were not hit by natural disasters warranting their stillness. But in a way, a revolt against government policy had touched raw nerves and it was been challenged, revolted obviously by the enlighten elements constituting majority of the inhabitants of Nigeria's symbolic cities.

Lagos and indeed Abuja are symbolic faces of Nigeria to the outside world. So when the two cities sneeze; outside world invariably catch cold.

1st January 2012 began on stormy note. The government in its wisdom of entrenching liberalization of the downstream oil sector announced deregulation policy first day of the brand year.

Expectedly, this was one action that set the tone for mass protests against planned withdrawal of fuel subsidy by the Federal Government and resultant increase in fuel price.

The intensity cum doggedness with which members of the organized Labour represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and members of Save Nigeria Group (SNG) prosecuted the two weeks protest left states' affairs paralyzed. Dialogue teams on both sides- government and NLC were constituted and a middle road solution struck.

1st January 2012 fuel hike and its attendant protest was a blessing in disguise. The episode set the tone for needed reforms including beaming searchlights on cumbersomeineffective fuel subsidy regimes that had endured in time past.

Nigerians were particularly piqued that over N1.7 trillion appropriated as

Minster of Petroleum, Dizeani Alison Madueke fuel subsidy to bridge price differential between imported fuel and local price had been serially abused by some oil marketers.

Ministry of Petroleum Resources under the supervision Mrs. Dizean Alison-Madueke and its related offshoot parastatals- the NNPC, PPPRA, and Department of Petroleum Resources came under public scrutiny. The protests led to calls from Nigerians and interest groups for increased transparency and probity in the petroleum sector.

A Minister superintending over petroleum sector, AlisonMadueke took up the challenge.

She established four task forces catering different areas, but all geared towards promoting efficiency and transparency in the petroleum industry including the parastatals under the ministry.

The first was a Special Task force on the vital Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) -headed by Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, a bill meant to remove all encumbrances inhibiting the growth of oil and gas sector.

Another crucial committee constituted by the Minster in her quest to enthrone transparency, accountability

in oil and gas sector was Special Task Force on governance and control headed by Dotun Suleiman and another, Special Task Force on Petroleum Revenue chaired by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.

There was also a Task Force on National Refineries headed

by Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu. The Task force on PIB was the first to submit its report after the Olorunsola led technical subcommittee completed work after weeks of painstaking sessions. The Minister received the draft Bill and after extensive deliberations submitted same to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) after consideration before subsequent passage to the National Assembly for legislative action.

Though the PIB is before the National Assembly with deliberation very much going on it, unlike in previous experience when PIB was bogged down by tales of forgery and different versions in circulation; the new PIB was imbedded with security features and tamper proof attributes.

The current PIB comes with watermarks bearing Minister's handwriting on every page locked in with a code such that no one can add to or remove anything from it without the

code. All these features are designed to secure the document to avoid the type of duplication that led to the emergence of fake versions of the old PIB which created confusion in the National Assembly.

Commenting on PIB earlier in an interview, Mrs. AlisonMadueke said new PIB was drafted with equity in mind noting concerns of the international oil companies were taken into consideration so as to engender a win-win situation for Nigeria as well as stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

She listed some of the new provisions in the Bill to include those creating the Asset Management Company which will take over the management of the Joint Ventures from the NNPC which will be unbundled to make way for the establishment of a new company, the National Oil Company which will be competitive and profit-driven.

The last 12 months had been challenging for the Ministry and the Minister was on the spot evolving strategies to tackle them. A presidential directive urging adequate gas supply to power stations was one of those challenging moments.

To tackle the presidential directive which was in line with actualizing improved power supply, Minister of Petroleum Resources, declared a 12-month Gas Supply emergency plan designed to correct the misalignment cum challenges in the nation's gas to power aspirations. ``Delivery of gas to assure sufficient, uninterrupted supply to existing, as well as new thermal generating plants has been a special focus area of mine and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. Up to recent times, gas supply to power plants outstripped demand to the extent that significant volumes of available gas remained unutilised on a daily basis.

However a close analysis of the supply chain has revealed that over the last 10 years or so, there has been significant misalignment between power projects and gas supply sources,'' the Minister noted .

To address the misalignment, the Minister deployed a 12-month Domestic Gas Supply Emergency Plan. In collaboration with the NNPC and the gas producing companies, she deployed extraordinary measures to accelerate opportunities for quick wins in order to ameliorate the potential gap between gas demand and supply.

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

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Gov. Wada, hiswealth legs and ours Re: Sovereign fund

It is said that the antics of the monkey will eventually be his undoing when he jumps from one tree to another playfully and falls to his death.

Just looking at photographs of President Goodluck Jonathan's visit to Kogi state governor at a private hospital in Abuja set me thinking this new year and let me begin by saying that in the course of this year, I will talk. I will write.

I will agree and I will disagree and I intend to learn too but I will not relent on the conversation. I will in my little way speak the truth not just to those who hold power but also to those without power.

I intend to recruit more people to the discourse using the only medium available for me. I will be guided by the motto: no one is more Nigerian than us.

My admonitions will preach oneness, they will address our differences. I will hurt us, not with arms and ammunition but with the truth....This will be the little summary of my creed for the year 2013.

Having stated the above, let me return to my admonition of today. Idris Wada, is a controversial PDP governor of Kogi state.

Even his party was or is against him. I recall he is the same person that documents made the rounds, questioning his sanity. He has been at loggerheads with the state House of Assembly where there has been speakership tussle.

He has the inglorious honour of being governor of what I call one of the 'red states' (states always in the news for wrong reasons). Only recently, a former governor of the state was on the run from EFCC. Another former governor was a carpenter with questionable educational

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Email: letters@peoplesdaily-online.com qualification.

Idris Wada, was a victim of a motor accident, a Lexus bullet-proof luxury 4X4 but from all indications, the vehicle is not accidentproof. Wada made it on the list of governors with one form of misfortune or the other in 2012. According to reports, Wada was on his way back to Lokoja after an official ceremonies in parts of the state when one of tyres of the car burst. What happened next has since become a familiar story. He survived with a broken leg or thigh and minor wounds on other parts of the body. His ADC was not that lucky as he paid the ultimate price. May his soul find peace in the Lord and for Wada, I can only wish him a quick recovery.

But of what concern is Idris Wada's leg to you and me or to anyone for that matter?

However, I am not so happy that it is Idris Wada's leg only. I wish it was much more than that. Well, you may conclude that I have such a morbid thought but unfortunately, this may not be far away from what many other Nigerians think, especially those who have lost loved ones due to the reckless driving of government

convoys. Many who have broken had parts of the body may not wish Wada well. Just last month, the Gombe state governor's convoy killed two persons, and it barely received a mention.

The truth is that a look at the car involved in the car accident may give you an idea of the speed at which it was being driven.

Sometimes, one begins to wonder whether these government drivers and their bosses are on a form of suicide mission.

Where are they often speeding to, is the place leaving that location? Why is it that government convoys from local to presidential cannot obey traffic rules and why are they in a hurry to break our legs, hands, heads, flog us, and push us out of the roads? The same people they claim voted them and claim to be serving?

As I looked at the photograph of Idris Wada's encased leg as Jonathan visited him in the hospital, I did a mental calculation of the many legs of other Nigerians, the many legs of indigenes and residents of Kogi state who deserve but cannot get such presidential treatment

both.

These basic precepts are not lofty abstractions far removed from matters of daily living. They are laws of spiritual strength that generate and define our material strength. Patriotism means equipped forces and a prepared citizenry.”

The emphasis is mine.

Few days ago now that I write this essay that you are reading, I received in my university office a son of a past senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He told me that based on what he knew of Nigerian politicians from his privileged position, Nigerian public officials would only buy into my ideas of development if I can make them see the

personal benefit they may derive from such lofty ideas. On my hope that the Nigerian youth with whom I am resolved to engage for the future that I envisage would get the intended epiphany, he attempted, probably without intent, to pour cold water with those words which I paraphrase: “Sir, even if what you seek to accomplish would be to the ultimate benefit of the Nigerians, they must expect material benefits from you in order to sustain their interest.” This young man had very low opinion of politicians from my part of the country, about whom he revealed very discouraging facts.

It has become apparent that President Jonathan and many of our governors and

and attention.

The governor was modest enough though to say that he did not intend to fly abroad for medical attention, unlike many others in his category. But on the other hand, how many ordinary Nigerian can afford to get their legs treated at that private hospital in Abuja or even at the one they refer to as National Hospital, also in Abuja? Why can we not have at least 36 first class medical facilities in Nigeria along with specialist hospitals across the major cities?

Why is it that DNA, kidney transplant, CT scans cannot be done just about anywhere in Nigeria. Why should a CS operation cost as much as N70,0000?

The Igbobi Orthopedic Hospital at is about the only one of its kind in the whole of the Federal Republic of Nigeria leaving us at the mercy of local bone setters. What would have happened if it were your leg or my leg that was affected in that accident?

And, as 2013 begins, I hope, in fact I wish we can have a piece of legislation making it mandatory for government convoys not to exceed 100 kilometres on the roads.

I also wish to suggest that that we spend some more money to build first class health facilities for broken hands, broken heads, hearts and broken legs of ordinary Kogites and Nigerians at large. It is only then that we will know that Idris Wada has learned from the accident. It is only then that we may begin to appreciate that government means business.

Prince Charles Dickson Editor, burningpot.com

Building and equipping a prepared citizenry

By Leonard Karshima Shilgba

I

n the first inaugural speech of President Dwight Eisenhower of the USA on January 20, 1953, as he came to the conclusion of that speech, he said these memorable and insightful words: “We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.

We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose. We must be willing, individually and as a nation, to accept whatever sacrifices may be required of us. A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses

other public officials (elected or selected) do not lack knowledge of the good things they must do in order to equip the Nigerian citizens with both the knowledge and other resources required for adequate productivity on which societies thrive and survive. The exhibits are the numerous “vision” statements and “transformation agenda” that litter the shelves of government departments across Nigeria.

What they lack is the will or boldness required. Most importantly, they are afraid of embarrassing exposures because most of them are morally bankrupt and without

Contd on Page 37

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 37

Opinion Crucifying Suswam for the wrong reasons

By Cletus Akwaya

A

bdul Labaran Malumfashi, writing in the Peoples Daily of Saturday, December 22-23, 2012 did not leave anybody in doubt about his assignment to rundown the Governor of Benue State, Dr. Gabriel Suswam. In an article titled "Suswam Desperate Governor", Malumfashi wrote just about everything but specifically on nothing in his very desperation to deliver on the terms of his paymasters.

Suswam's alleged sin according to Malumfashi, is the security alarm he raised during a Church Service at the NKST Church High Level, to the effect that there is a plot by the Boko Haram sect to attack him. In view of Malumfashi, Governor Suswam should be crucified for making public, threats to his life by the dreaded Boko Haram militants.

Malumfashi, in actual fact labelled Suswam as a Governor in crave for media bliss by making sentimental comments that would draw either attention to himself or attract public sympathy as a cover up for what he called "low level of performance".

I find the comments by Malumfashi grossly infantile, journalistically immature and absolutely lacking in the apreciation of the serious security challenges currently confronting the nation. For those who know Governor Suswam very well, he is a leader who doesn't crave for undue attention as Malumfashi would want the world to believe. As an experienced and responsible public officer, Governor Suswam usually weighs his statement before making them.

He does not play to the gallery.

As the Chief Security Officer of Benue State, Governor Suswam is constantly availed intelligence briefs from the security agencies in the state. The nascent alarm on the threat to his life was based purely on

Contd from Page 36 good conscience.

Let us seek to understand our common leadership tragedy through the common utterances and expectations of the Nigerian on your streets, in your towns, at your places of work and in the schools.

“We must celebrate your political appointment because God has provided food for us,” (or its variants) is a common statement by Nigerians. They view appointment to a public office as an opportunity to make a living rather than to serve the people. The senator’s son told me about “compensation appointments” and invited me to Abuja during the Christmas break because, as he informed me, President Jonathan would reshuffle his cabinet and bring in new faces, obviously, to take their compensatory positions at the feast table. You had better believe that millions of naira would be spent by those “lucky” fellows on parties to celebrate their “achievement.”

The Nigerian who complains about the corruption of public officials would eagerly accept similar opportunities to engage in the same graft they complain about. When a friend of mine took leave of absence from his professorial position last year to become an “Adviser on strategy” to the governor of his state, a non-Nigerian professor colleague asked me, “is it better for him to leave his professorial position to take such position in his state?” I must confess that I did not know how to answer the question. It is dignifying to serve as an adviser to the governor of your state or president of your country if your

intelligence reports at his disposal. And unless Malumfashi has just arrived the country or has been on exile , it ought to be clear to him that nobody would treat with levity threats from Boko Haram, no matter how casually made. The Boko Haram militancy has shown by the previous attack on military establishments, police formations, Emirs, churchs etc, that its threats could be ignored to anybody's peril.

The rush by Malumfashi to crucify Suswam for simply making public, threats to his life indicates that he might as well be one of the silent few that have continued to it give veiled intellectual power to the Boko Haram insurgency. Otherwise, what is wrong with a Governor of a state or any public official making public, threats to his life especially when intellience agencies are actually aware of such threats? Or do we take it that as a public officer, Governor Suswam has no right to his life?

The truth is that Governor Suswam does have right to his life and as somebody who holds the mandate of the people of Benue to govern, he represents the hopes, fears and aspirations of five million people of the state. Whatever happens to him therefore, directly impacts on the state that he leads as governor.

It is on this ground that he earlier raised alarm on plans by political foes to kidnap him. At that time too the threats were real just as the recent one. Infact since assumption of office in 2007, Governor Suswam has had several attempts on his life. On one occasion, some gunmen opened fire on his convoy around Gudi, along the Akwanga - Keffi road as he travelled to Abuja. At another instance, some young men in a vehicle criminally ran into his convoy at Abinsi in the outskirts of Makurdi with the obvious intention to cause a crash of the Governor's car. On both instances, the security details on Suswam's convoy acted swiftly to save his life. During the electioneering campaigns for the 2011

general elections, the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) youth blocked Suswam's convoy on three different occasions but on each occasion were overpowered by the police escorts on the convoy. Only recently, in Vandeikya Local Government of Benue State while on a visit, a young man approaching Governor Suswam with a gun was apprehended by security operatives. The young man has since been charged to court by the Benue state police command. There have been several other attempts on Suswam's life. It will therefore, be foolhardy for Suswam to keep quiet when there is evidence of threat to his life. I can assure Malumfashi and his tiny tribe of retrogressive ideologues who celebrate anarchy and societal disorder that the Governor Suswam would never keep quiet to any threats to his life or the lives of the Benue people he leads.

Let it also be known that Governor Suswam has no political capital to gain by raising alarm over threats to his life neither is he in search of cheap popularity as the armchair commentator wants the public to believe. For the records, Suswam has a track record of an achiever. His achievements in rural infrastructural development - road construction, rural electrification, water, bridges etc have earned him acceptability and popularity among the Benue people. He does not need to and will never resort to such hoax as threat to his life to make himself popular in some way.

As a patriot with the maximum commitment to the continued corporate existence of Nigeria, Governor favours any opportunity with Boko Haram group and indeed any other aggrieved persons in the polity for the country to make progress. As Vice Chairman of the northern Governor Forum for over three years, Governor has been working tirelessly behind the scene with other stakeholders to address the nations security and other challenges and

will continue to do so in the interest of the people of this great country. Even though he is ready to pay whatever price in the service of his country, Governor Suswam will never be intimated or cowed to silence should there be any form of threat to his life in the course of service to his Fatherland.

I am still at a loss as to why Malumfashi, is infuriated with Suswam's request for prayers from members of his congregation.

As a Christain, the Bible enjoins all the faithful to pray for one another. Governor Suswam's reference to the unfortunate demise of Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State in a plane crash on December 12, 2012 and the fate of Governor Danfulani Suntai of Taraba State who has been hospitalized following a helicopter crash in his address was to drive home the point that anything can happen to anybody no matter how highly placed hence the need for prayers. It is unfortunate that our probationer commentator Malumfashi, turned the import of Suswam's statement upside down to give it the bent of religious bigotry.

Let it be known that Governor Suswam is highly accommodating of other faiths even though he is a Communicant Christain. It is on record that Governor Suswam spends millions of naira every year in government funds to sponsor Muslims to the Holy Pilgrimage in Mecca. He stands out as the Governor who has built a mosque in the state to enable them practice their faith. The most recent of such was the Makurdi Central Mosque commissioned by the Sultan of Sokoto about five months ago.

On this score Malumfashi, has failed in his diabolical mission to tag Suswam a religious bigot.

In conclusion, I advise Malumfashi to look elsewhere for his pay and avoid the temptation of Suswam bashing for a fee.

Dr Cletus Akwaya, Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs to Governor Suswam sent this piece from Makurdi

Building and equipping a prepared citizenry advice will be useful and accepted and if you have access to those who have appointed you rather than being invited into the club simply to feast at the table when the employer does not truly have need of your so-called advice.

We have hundreds of advisers in some states, and only 365 days in a year or only 260 work days in a year (assuming there are no holidays). How many minutes of quality time would a governor have to spend with those advisers in a year? Hours before I sat down to write this piece, I heard that President Jonathan had asked for prayers and advice from Nigerians. The President does not need more advice; he must have the courage to work with the many pieces of advice many of us have freely provided on education, revenue generation, accountability, smart governance, job creation, provision and maintenance of infrastructure, fiscal responsibility, etc. In fact, a patriot, Dele Momodu, volunteered recently, a sequence of open letters to Jonathan to help him improve on the quality of leadership he has apparently failed to provide. On prayers, I request Nigerians to ask God to bring strategic discomfort to Jonathan, to ruin the cordial relationship he has maintained with his evil godfathers and fellow thieves, and to bring him public humiliation. And if these would not force him to action, then, that God would send him on exile far away from the Aso Rock Villa. Jonathan deserves neither pity nor advice. He deserves hard times that force a

timid president to throw off fear, and a corrupt president to repent, make restitution, and resign.

Are Nigerians ready for a new nation?

When, out of curiosity, I read through some of the comments by some Nigerians on my essays about Nigeria, I am sad at how some of them think that the solution to our social decadence is the splitting of Nigeria into smaller units. Even if that is the ultimate destiny, unless and until we have mutually enlightened ourselves and prepared our people on the two principles that President Eisenhower spoke about, we may only thereby succeed in spreading the concentration points of social conflagration and unease, and not cure the ailment.

“History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid,” said President Eisenhower. This is the first principle Nigerians must learn about.

Freedom cannot be sustained by the weak and timid. Our resolve is very weak. I have received numerous text messages and mails from readers assuring me of support but I am not sure I need “support.” Rather, Nigerians need the social orientation that will strengthen them, for a man of knowledge increases in strength. One reason why the political opposition in Nigeria has remained weak is because of its impatience and lack of investment in social education. While the opposition is distracted by the simple pastime of excoriating attacks on the government, it

lacks coordination in social education of the people: what resources are available to the governments in Nigeria; what percentage of public resources is spent on a few public officials; how much inflation of cost of public projects there is; what powers under the Constitution do the people have, etc. These are some of the questions that the opposition needs to assist the people answer. I also know that millions of Nigerians do not have access to the internet but the opposition has an opportunity here.

The vacuum of neglect created by ruling political parties across Nigeria must be quickly filled up by the opposition. Irregular conferences in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt or Kaduna by some opposition parties and civil rights activists will not be enough. Along with rallies and town meetings in towns and villages across all local government areas in Nigeria, the opposition must put together professionals such as medical doctors, environmentalists, civil rights lawyers, and social workers to provide services and assistance to the people, free of charge well before elections and in spite of expected electoral fortunes. In these revolutionary efforts, informed and principled scholars and columnists can be invited to educate the people and address questions that the people may have. There are no short-cuts for the social transformation of a people. The various social groups on social media circles provide veritable recruiting grounds for volunteers.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5— SUNDAY 6 JANUARY, 2013

with Sonde Abbah asonde@yahoo.com 0803-2159-249 (sms only, pls)

PEOPLE & PLACES

Lady Gaga in style T

raditional African garments impart the proud aura of royalty from a far-off land. The pleasing appearance and comfort of African clothing appeal to many races as shown by Lady Gaga in this picture. Clothing for women in Africa mainly constitutes a variety of styles of prints and colours. The free-flowing Kaftan for instance is the dress style of many, others go for Wax wrappers, plain materials, tie and dye etc. A well-fitted Kaftan is worn by the African royalty, queens and women belonging to prominent families.

The colors of the Kaftans vary greatly, with women opting anything, right from the light earthy tones to the vibrant, striking colours such as red and violet. The prints are usually very large and consist of traditional tribal designs and symbols.

Ancient Africans used a variety of tie and dye designs too on their clothes. Indigo plant was mainly used for dyeing the traditional African clothes wear.

Mohammed Itodo's Heart of Gold

C

hief (Dr) Mohammed Itodo, the CEO of Boundary Plaza Hotel, touched not a few hearts recently. At his hometown in Otukpa, Benue state, the PDP chieftain "spoilt" some widows, indigent students, elders, and the less privileged alike with sundry gifts.

"It's my own little way of giving back to the society and thanking God for his mercies," said the man recently honoured with the MON award by President Jonathan, and who was also given a traditional title by the royal father of Idomas (Och' Idoma). "whatever I can do for humanity in general and my people in particular, that I will gladly do".

Lady Gaga

Alhassan's Altruistic Assignment I shaq Alhassan Qauranmata is passionate about a few things.

Take justice and fair play, for instance.Jjust as the Bible intones that the people rejoice when justice reigns, Alhassan strongly believes that Nigeria would be a better place when unity, justice and fair play reign supreme.

Little wonder Alhassan and his fellow officials at Zazzau Unity Association (ZUA), Zaria, Kaduna state, threw their hat into the ring when hundreds of ABU Zaria workers were sacked in controversial circumstances last year. He took up the gauntlet without fear or favour, just as he and ZUA have been championing the common cause since 2011.

What motivates him? "We at ZUA believe that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice

ALTRUISTIC MISSION: Alhassan

everywhere, to quote that philosopher," he told this reporter recently. In other words, whether only Zazzav members are involved or not, his altruistic assignment must be undertaken to logical conclusion. In the interest of justice and fair play, he emphasises.

“

Alhassan strongly believes that Nigeria would be a better place when unity, justice and fair play reign supreme

GOLDEN HEART: Chief Mohammed Itodo

For our children's sake

I

nstead of people taking their kids all the way from here (New Nyanya in Nasarawa state) to distant Abuja for shows, I thought it would be better to organise the same sort of shows for them here."

And with that noble idea, Meeg Global Concept was born. Ever since then, New Nyanya has not been the same,

"

Glory Odiba

what with Edwin John and Glory Odiba electrifying the land with sundry shows, including the "Children Fun Fair" held last December.

"We want to make children happy," said Glory, a professional dancer. Her partner, Edwin John, added: "We want to show that youths like us can also do something worthwhile for

Edwin John

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Feature How the Fulani got their long pointed nose L ately I have developed fascination for e v o l u t i o n a r y psychology. Funny thing is, I don’t even believe in evolution.

Perhaps my fascination stems from the fact that I’ve never really studied the details of the subject and so am finding it new and interesting, or maybe it’s simply because of the sheer audacity with which they tell stories that supposedly happened millions of years ago. Often they tell about something that happened to some people,say, thirty seven thousand three Hundred years ago at the beginning of winter, they tell you what the people were thinking at the time(seriously), the decisions they took, where they migrated to, etc. all the while maintaining a very straight face. For me, stuff like that cracks me up more than some of the best comedies out there (but I guess that has something to do with being bookworm-ish, so don’t blame me if it doesn’t work for you).

I am currently reading Geoffrey Miller’s, “The Mating Mind”: How sexual choice shaped the evolution of human nature”. In it Dr. Miller, amongst other things, tried to explain how the Fulani, a Negroid race, managed to evolve physical features that are in sharp contrast with those of other Negroid races. Caucasian features he called them. He was referring to the Fulani’s long pointed noses, their

relatively thin lips, sometimes straight hair, and their lighter skin.

But before I explain what Miller said, let me first put his book in perspective. The Mating Mind is a book about the theory of Sexual Selection.

Miller used this theory to patch up some of the many loopholes in the theory of Natural Selection. The theory of Natural Selection (sometimes described as ‘survival of the fittest’), was first proposed by the English scientist Charles Darwin and it is the theory upon which the entire narrative of evolution is built. According to the theory, life began with simple unicellular organisms and in their battle to survive against predators, against the weather; they develop new skills, new features, and over time they essentially transmute into more complex beings.

Man, according to that theory, was a part of that process – a culmination of sorts.

Therefore every organ and every skill that we have today are just positive side effects of the many years of fierce struggle for survival that man, as specie has undergone. The trouble with this assertion is the fact that there are many skills that we have today that cannot be explained by the Survivalist argument. Take painting for instance, how could it have helped man to survive? Or poetry, or music, or comedy, etc., these skills obviously evolved to meet other needs that are not survival related. It is these

loopholes that Miller attempted to fill using the theory of Sexual selection.

Sexual selection is mainly concerned with how organisms choose their mating (sex) partners. According to Miller, some of the traits we have today evolved as a result of sexual selection and not natural selection. He cites numerous examples in the book to support this. He states for instance, that the average male (human) sex organ is about 3 to 4 times the size of that of our evolutionary ancestors – the Apes (including gorillas). I have to confess here that I was absolutely astounded by this discovery because ordinarily, I would’ve thought that it should have been the other way around. Miller gave the example of the peacock with its very colourful tail: the colorful tail is supposed to have evolved because of the peahens’ (female peacock) preference for peacocks with colorful tails. So even though a dull tail blends with the environment and is better for the ultimate survival of the peacock (from predator attacks), they went ahead to evolve colorful tails – at great danger to themselves –just so they could satisfy the sexual yearnings of their females.

So the same applies to the Fulani. Miller used the Gerewol festival to buttress his argument. The Gerewol, is a very ancient tradition of the Fulani. Today it is only practiced by a very tiny segment in very remote locations (thanks to Dan Fodio, Umar Tall, Modibbo

Muhammad al-Khobariy, and all the other Modibbe, Mallum’en, Shehus, Sekous, etc. that stood their ground, stamped their feet, and did everything it took to ensure that only the good cultures survived). It’s actually the love festival that lasts several days. It involves a lot of dancing and flirting between men and women. The climax of the festival is a beauty pageant (oh yes! Fulanis invented that) with a slight twist. At the Gerewol, it’s the males that actually put on

“

The Gerewol, is a very ancient tradition of the Fulani. Today it is only practiced by a very tiny segment in very remote locations (thanks to Dan Fodio, Umar Tall, Modibbo Muhammad alKhobariy, and all the other Modibbe, Mallum’en, Shehus, Sekous, etc. that stood their ground, stamped their feet, and did everything it took to ensure that only the good cultures survived) Young men at a gerewol festival

makeup and wear clothes that accentuate their beauty and line up to be appraised by girls.

The winner, sort of like the prom king (yes! we invented that too), can get any girl that he desires. Each of the girls then picks a guy they fancy.

The selection criteria are always the same: long pointed nose, big eyes, tall slender frame, etc. The pairs then retire to a night of raunchy passion.

The pregnancies and the “love children” that result from the ‘one night stands’ do not carry any stigma in society. So only the guys with the desirable features get a mating partner and hence more opportunity to spread their genes. Repeat that over many generations and what you get is a whole ethnic group spread all over West Africa with the same features that teenage girls liked many centuries ago. See why I like evolutionary psychology?

Moral of the post: If you are Fulani, whenever you stand in front of a mirror and you see a long pointed nose then know that your ancestor has caused several other men a lot of misery for his getting selected by a girl at their expense. If on the other hand, you see a normal African nose in its full glory, then congratulations for being a living, walking proof that Professor Geoffrey Miller is wrong after all.

Contributed by Mohammed Awal A h m e d , gainaako.wordpress.com

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 41

Weekend

Catalonians were lucky to escape defeat —NFF Stories by Albert Akota

T

h e first Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Victor Umeh has said that the Catalonian football team was fortunate to have escaped defeat by the Super Eagles.

The Catalonians were forced to a 1-1 draw by the Super Eagles' on Wednesday night in an international friendly played in Spain.

Report has it that the friendly match was part of Eagles buildup to the 2013 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) taking place in South Africa from Jan. 19 to Feb. 10.

Umeh revealed that Ike Uche, who practices his football with Villarreal FC of Spain, missed some scoring chances that would have placed Nigeria ahead.

"Our boys found their rhythm in the second half of the game, I must tell you that the Catalonians escaped defeat because when Uche came in, the game changed and our strikers started living up to expectations.

"We are not saying that the team has arrived; this is just a friendly match. The goal margin is not necessary, it's a way of

sharpening the players and a way for the technical crew to know which department to fortify," Umeh said.

According to him, the Eagles lived above expectations going by the outcome of a similar encounter played on Dec. 22, 1998 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys that ended 5-0 in favour of the Catalonians.

"The Super Eagles played very well and their goal was an excellent one; that of Catalonia came through a penalty kick which by my assessment was not supposed to be, If the expectation of many was that the Catalonians were going to beat us silly, then most of the players that played gave good account of themselves.

"We will not allow the result of this game to get into our heads and then we go to the AFCON and not perform, no," he added.

He said the FA would continue to arrange friendly matches for the Eagles to enable them perfect every strategy in preparation for the AFCON. The football administrator expressed optimism that the hard work of the technical crew would at last give Nigerians joy and happiness.

Stephen Keshi

Spor ts minister dismisses Baribote's alle gation Sports alleg

T

Bolaji Abdullahi

h e Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdulahi has responded to the allegations leveled against him by the ousted Nigeria Premier League (NPL) Chairman, Victor Rumson Baribote.

Baribote who was last year December kicked out as the NPL Chairman accused the Sports Minister for master minding his removal.

He also claimed that the Minister was responsible for the melee between the club owners and the sacked board.

The Sports Minister said that he was innocent on the removal of the Baribote led-board, adding that the decision was solely made by the 19 club owners' representatives that attended the 7th annual congress of the NPL last year in Abuja.

"I have no right to remove

Baribote as the NPL Chairman, but it was the decision of the club owners who came together and agreed at the congress that he must be removed for the reasons best known to them, and I was not the one who financed them or told them to do so as claimed

by Baribote.

"I have no club in the NPL and what does his removal got to do with me? I would advise him to go back for truce with the club owners because they were the ones who appointed and removed him," he explained.

The Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC) also reacted on the lack of sponsorship for the apex league in Nigeria and efforts he has made to rescue the situation.

"Glo said in their report that the Nigerian league is worthless, and I was mad, then I asked why

they were fighting to get the sponsorship deal when they knew it's worthless.

"Baribote knew I was protecting and supporting him and his board to get the deal done.

"Honestly, it was Total Promotions that won the sponsorship deal, but when the crisis started I had to call Glo for discussion. But unfortunately, it was as a result of Baribote's selfish interest in the Glo's N650 Million bid that made me ordered Glo to hold on.

"I have no issues with Baribote and I would advise him to support the Interim Management Committee as we must focus on what is fundamental and it is then we would move forward in sports development in Nigeria," he concluded

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Yobo, Elderson hit Faro camp E

agles Captain Joseph Yobo, Elderson Echiejile and several other foreign pros has joined the Eagles in Faro yesterday.

The Eagles captain, who was in Lagos last week on a charity drive but hit the Eagles training camp in Portugal yesterday evening.

Portugal-based defender Elderson Echiejile, who enjoyed a short break at his former base in France, is expected to drive down to Faro from his Braga base.

The left-back, who is set for his second AFCON, played a League cup game for Braga this week.

Also expected to hit camp yesterday are

WEEKEND FIXTURES Weekend fixtures Italy Serie A Catania v Torino Lazio v Cagliari Sunday Udinese v Inter Milan Chievo v Atalanta Fiorentina v Pescara Genoa v Bologna Juventus v Sampdoria AC Milan v Siena Parma v Palermo Napoli v Roma Spanish Primera Liga Levante v Athletic Bilbao Granada v Valencia D/Coruna v Malaga Sevilla v Osasuna Sunday Celta Vigo v Valladolid Real Madrid v Real Sociedad Barcelona v Espanyol Mallorca v A/ Madrid The FA Cup Brighton v Newcastle Crystal Palace v Stoke Tottenham v Coventry Wigan v Bournemouth Fulham v Blackpool A/Villa v Huddersfield Barnsley v Burnley Man City v Watford Leicester v Burton Albion Millwall v Preston Derby v Tranmere Crawley Town v Reading Southampton v Chelsea QPR v West Brom Peterborough v Norwich Bolton v Sunderland Nottm Forest v Oldham Blackburn v Bristol City Leeds v Birmingham Luton v W/hampton v Milton Keynes Sheff Wed Hull v Leyton Orient Middlesbrough v Hastings Utd Oxford Utd v Sheff Utd Aldershot v Rotherham Southend v Brentford Macclesfield v Cardiff West Ham v Man Utd Sunday Swansea v Arsenal Mansfield v Liverpool

Celtic defender Efe Ambrose and Padova of Italy midfielder Obiora Nwankwo.

Chelsea stars Mikel Obi and Victor Moses as well Real Betis ace Nosa Igiebor are expected to join up on Saturday.

Villarreal striker Ikechukwu Uche, who featured in the warm-up against Catalonia on Wednesday, Israel-based goalkeeper Austin Ejide and Juwon Oshaniwo are all expect on Sunday.

The Eagles next warm-up game is against Cape Verde in Portugal on Wednesday.

Flying Eagles converge for AYC

T Joseph Yobo

Barcelona eager to win Catalan derby

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he Catalans remain unbeaten in the Spanish league and have amassed a whooping 49 points from 17 games to top the log standings, nine points ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid.

Nonetheless, goalkeeper Victor Valdes says his side will look to continue with the form they showed during the first half of the campaign and will not fall into the trap of being complacent.

"We have not yet finished the first lap, the reality is that we have good cushion, but not a definitive one," Valdes told reporters.

"There is a long way to go and many points to play for. All teams deserve the same respect in a very competitive league, you cannot let up."

Barcelona will also be boosted by the return of Coach Tito Vilanova, who attended training on Wednesday after undergoing surgery two weeks ago.

Espanyol on the other hand are at the opposite end of the table and are currently in the relegation zone in 18th place with 15 points from 17 games.

However, the Periquitos will take a lot of confidence from their last two league matches where they managed to hold Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw before registering a 20 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

"The game at the Bernabeu is a reference point," said striker Sergio Garcia, mnbody expected anything and we got a draw we deserved.

"What counts in the end is what we do, as the team have a good chance to get something from there.

"We are in a good place, working hard, and we want to continue."

The last meeting between the two sides at the Camp Nou ended 4-0 in favour of Barcelona, with Lionel Messi scoring all four goals.

h e Flying Eagles will begin preparations for the 2013 African Youth Championship (AYC) when they open training camp in Abuja tomorrow.

Head coach, John Obuh has called up 20 players, as the side commences preparations for the AYC The invited players have been directed to report to the team's training camp in Abuja on Saturday.

"We always want to do the country proud.

We know what Nigerians want and that is the trophy in Algeria. We will strive to do our best in the championships," Obuh said.

The Flying Eagles are the defending champions and are drawn in Group B along with debutants Gabon, Mali and DR Congo.

The team will subsequently set up a training camp in Tunisia at least three weeks prior to the championship which kicks off on March 16 in Algeria.

The call-ups Goalkeepers: Samuel Okani, Jonah Usman, Jacob Abobo Defenders: Ikechukwu Okorie, Chizoba Amaefule, Shehu Abdullahi, Kenneth Omeruo, Aliyu Mohammed Goyi, Abubakar Hassan Midfielders: Moses Orkuma, Abduljaleel Ajagun, Ovboka Agboyi, Uche Agbo, Chidi Osuchukwu Strikers: Alhaji Gero, Yahaya Adamu, Bright Ejike, Umar Aminu, Harrison Egbune, Sikiru Alimi

Hammers await United as FA Cup begins today

H

aving established a seven-point lead in the Premier League over the festive period, Manchester United turns their thoughts to the FA Cup today when they visit West Ham United in the third round.

Cup-winners a record 11 times, United have not lifted English football's oldest trophy since 2004 and have seen Chelsea dominate the competition in recent years, winning four of the last six tournaments.

West Ham eliminated United from the FA Cup with a stunning fourth-round win at Old Trafford in 2001, and the Hammers could have a survivor from that game on the pitch if Joe Cole's proposed move from Liverpool is completed in time.

Manager Alex Ferguson has promised to rotate his squad as he seeks to keep his players fresh for the challenges ahead.

"We'll make a few changes for the cup tie," he said after Tuesday's 4-0 win at Wigan Athletic.

"We've got fresh players, though. Young Shinji Kagawa came on against Wigan and Tom Cleverley is fresh as he's not had a lot of football."

United's match at West Ham is one of four all-Premier League ties, alongside West Bromwich Albion's trip to Queens Park Rangers, Arsenal's game at Swansea City, and holders Chelsea's match at Southampton.

Chelsea were stunned 1-0 by bottom club

QPR in the Premier League on Wednesday and interim coach Rafael Benitez has admitted that his players are feeling the effects of the gruelling Christmas season.

Southampton, meanwhile, have shown signs of improvement in recent weeks after a difficult start to the season and avoided defeat for the third successive game by holding Arsenal to a 1-1 draw on New Year's Day. Manchester City, United's nearest rivals in the league, host second-tier Watford, with the FA Cup one of only two trophies they can now win after elimination from the League Cup and

Robin van Persie

the Champions League.

Mario Balotelli was in line to replace the injured Sergio Aguero at the tip of City's attack, but he may have jeopardised his chances of playing after being pictured in a furious training-ground row with manager Roberto Mancini.

With many of the competition's big names drawn against fellow top-flight sides, the chances of a major upset have been reduced, but seventh-tier Hastings United will hope to pull off a shock at Championship side Middlesbrough.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Welsh in bid for Kassam Stadium

L

o n d o n Welsh say they want to base themselves in Oxford permanently and are in talks to buy the Kassam Stadium.

Managing director John Taylor says they are in discussions with investors to help fund the move, which it is understood will be without Oxford United with whom they share the ground.

Welsh, who are in their first season in the Premiership, only moved to Oxford in the summer because their Old Deer Park home was too small for the top flight.

Taylor says they are looking for funding and have spoken to some major investors in Wales that are keen to help finance the purchase of the stadium, which opened in 2001.

Opener Nasir Jamshed struck his second successive century to help Pakistan to an 85run win over India in the second one-day international in Kolkata.

After India won the toss, Jamshed (106) and Mohammad Hafeez (74) shared an opening stand of 141, before the visitors were bowled out for 250.

Jamshed, 23, was following up the 101 he made in the series-opening six-wicket win in Chennai and his partnership with Hafeez lasted until the 24th over when Hafeez missed while trying to sweep left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and was bowled.

The hosts took until the 29th over to reach three figures and had already lost five wickets by then, before skipper Dhoni showed some late resistance, having been dropped Shoaib Malik at long-on off Mohammad Irfan.

Murray reaches semi-finals in Brisbane International A n d y Murray reached the semifinals of the Brisbane International with a straight sets victory over Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin.

The top seed beat the 26-year-old 6-4 7-6 (7-3) as he continues his warm up for this month's Australian Open.

US Open champion Murray struggled in his opening three-set win against John Millman but looked more comfortable in his second match of the year.

Murray won the first of three titles in 2012 in Brisbane, beating Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov with the loss of just four games.

The world number three went on to win gold at the London Olympics and his maiden Grand Slam at the US Open.

The Scot looked to have shaken off the rustiness evident in his second-round match against Millman as he sealed the first set with a single break.

Two double faults at 3-4 in the second put Murray on the back foot, but he held his nerve to hold and the set went to a tie-break.

Though Istomin opened up a 2-0 lead with an early mini-break, Murray won seven of the next eight points to close out the game in one hour 37 minutes.

W

Andy Murray Murray said: "For the most part it was pretty good quality. He served well for the majority of the first set, and especially well at the beginning the second.

South Africa beat France 2-1 in their Group B Hopman Cup tie in Perth after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired with a groin injury in the deciding mixed doubles.

Police moves detained Jalla to Lagos

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Azarenka blames bad pedicure for Brisbane withdrawal o r l d number one Victoria Azarenka has blamed a bad pedicure for forcing her out of her Brisbane International semi-final against American Serena Williams.

The Belarusian said she could not risk aggravating an infected big toe ahead of the defence of her Australian Open title, which starts on 14 January.

Azarenka, who won the Sydney International before claiming her first Grand Slam win at the Australian Open during a 26-match winning streak, has lost all but one of her previous 12 matches against Williams.

The top seed announced her withdrawal 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the match, stating that the infection had got so bad that she had needed to visit a doctor to have part of the nail removed.

Williams, a 15-time Grand Slam champion, will meet either Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia and Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko in Saturday's final.

PAGE 43

Harrison Jalla

layers' Union outcast Harrison Jalla, who has been in detention in Abuja since Friday, 28th December, 2012 has finally been moved to Lagos by the Nigeria Police for further interrogation and investigation.

Jalla, who illegally continues to claim to be the Chairman of a so-called National Association of Nigerian Footballers, was arrested at a Federal High Court, Abuja on 28th December and has been in custody of the Nigeria Police since then.

On Friday, 4th January, 2013, the Police moved the fellow from theFederal Capital, Abuja to Lagos as he countenanced tougher days ahead in custody.

It would be recalled that Jalla's NANF was officially expelled from the world players' union, FIFPro in November 2008, during the latter's Annual Congress in

Chile. This fact was confirmed to the Nigeria Football Federation via a letter signed by Stephane Burchkailer, General Secretary of the Division Africa of FIFPro, on 20th February, 2009.

Jalla had been declared wanted by the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Special Fraud Unit, Ikoyi-Lagos last year, and with the authority of the Inspector-General of Police. A warrant of arrest was duly obtained from Magistrate Court in Lagos State.

A principal stakeholder in Nigeria football, who did not want his name in print, said on Friday: "It is good that Jalla has been arrested.

He has constituted himself into a nuisance despite having no base or legitimacy, and has projected himself for many years as an enemy of peace. He should be severely dealt with.

445,100 in 2012, and Sport England chief executive Jennie Price said: "We need to give them a year to step up their game and prove they can deliver."

Petchey, 42, who reached number 80 in the world as a player and coached Croatia's Silvija Talaja to the world's top 20 and Slovenia's Tina Pisnik into the top 30, and also had a spell coaching current British number one Murray, believes British tennis needs to be "turned on its head".

The LTA had an average of 311 employees in 2012, spent £13.2m on salaries and more than £600,000 on pension and insurance costs. It also spent £12.3m on performance tennis.

Draper has been chief executive of the LTA since 2006. Only the LTA board has the

authority to replace him and an LTA spokesman said there was "absolutely no prospect" of this happening.

Petchey set to replace Roger Draper as LTA chief

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o r m e r British number one Mark Petchey would be willing to replace Roger Draper as Lawn Tennis Association chief - and for "substantially" less money.

Draper received a £640,000 salary last year, despite Sport England criticising the LTA's plans for participation.

Petchey, who used to coach Andy Murray, admits he would relish the job - if he was allowed to do it on his own terms.

Draper - who received a £200,000 bonus as part of his salary package - was heavily criticised when Sport England announced before Christmas that it would be giving the LTA only one year's grassroots funding.

The number of people playing tennis once a week had fallen from 487,500 in 2008 to

Mark Petchey

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUYARY, 2013

PAGE 44

PICTORIAL

Cristiano Ronaldo, Andres Iniesta or Lionel Messi will lift the FIFA Ballon d'Or on 7 January. FIFA looks at some of the comments made about the trio by fellow sporting celebrities in 2012.

In the latest Quiniela, Eduardo Alvarez predicts a loss at Mallorca may be the beginning of Atletico's downfall.

Nasir Jamshed's second consecutive century helps Pakistan beat India by 85 runs and clinches the one-day series

Red Bull's Adrian Newey says Sebastian Vettel's title campaign in 2012 has affected the team's preparations for 2013.

Joe Cole has completed his transfer to West Ham United from Liverpool, signing an 18-month contract at Upton Park to end an unhappy spell at Anfield during which he started only nine Premier League games.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 5— SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 45

Human Interest

Sani was abducted and found, but where are his parents?

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

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he pathetic tale of Sani Yusuf, 10, can be traced back to September, 2012, when he was abducted in Kano state and taken to Bauchi, and dumped in a forest.

Though he has been found it would seem that his problem is far from being solved because he is yet to locate his parents, four months after his ordeal.

Narrating his ordeal to Peoples Daily Weekend at the time, he said he was forcefully abducted by an unknown man on that fateful evening in Kano, who drove him in his car through the night to a far distance and then dumped him in a forest.

“That evening, while playing in my area, a man just appeared and forcefully carried me into his car. I was screaming for help but nobody heard me. He then drove his car for a long time, I knew it was a long distance, and threw me out of the car unhurt in a forest.’’

Yusuf said he was rescued by a Samaritan who saw him crying in the forest and took him to the ward head of Wunti L o c a l Government

where he was later told, was a local government in Bauchi State. He was taken to the hospital by the council when he took ill. ‘‘The man took me to the ward head of the area and I was taken to hospital after I fell ill. It was after I recuperated that I was interrogated and taken to the Local Government secretariat.’’

Our reporter gathered that after Yusuf was taken to the Wunti Local Government Secretariat, he was attached to a social welfare officer of the secretariat to further investigate his case.

The officer discovered that Yusuf is from Kumbotso Local Government of Kano State.

Yusuf was then accompanied by the officer in Bauchi to Kumbotso l o c a l government where he was also assigned to the social welfare

officer of the Kumbotso local government, Surajo Ado to enable him to be reunited with his family.

Yusuf has since remained in Surajo’s custody up to the time of filing this report.

Surajo told our reporter that when Yusuf was brought to the local government, he was interrogated and the boy seemed to give accurate information to enable the council

“

I am mystified by this case its, the worst ever handled by my office. We have been trying to get a clue as to who his parents are for about four months now but no progress has been made so far

locate his parents but up till now they have not been traced.

“Despite the information given by the boy we have not been able to locate them.’’

In describing his home, Yusuf said he is from Unguwar Ya’n lemo, Garin maikalwa in Kumbotso Local Government Kano State.

In his words: ‘’I was born in Kano, Kumbotso local govt.

My father’s name is Yusuf; my mother’s name is Zainab. I have 4 siblings- Kabiru, Shafa, Amir and Amira.’’ The boy said.

The welfare officer, Surajo said they took him to all the places he indicated but could not locate his people he mentioned. ‘’Based on the information he gave

us, we took him to the place and made inquiries but to our surprise, we couldn’t even locate their house and no one knew his parents.’’

“He mentioned Mallam Usman, the teacher of Kabiru, (Yusuf’s elder brother) in an Islamic School but we could not find him.’’ he said.

The welfare officer, Surajo said the boy could be from Ya’n leman from Hadejia Local government area of Jigawa State from his accent. ‘’this boy could be from Ya’n leman because he speaks like people from that area.’’

Surajo also told our reporter that he had liaised with the district head of Mai kailwa town, alongside his respective ward heads to help him in finding out the whereabouts of Yusuf’s parents but all efforts proved abortive. So the welfare officer wrote a letter in Hausa, dated 7th December, 2012 with reference number KBT/CD/ RP/1200/28 to the HOD community, Hadejia local government, Jigawa state through the Social welfare officer of Hadejia local government in the state to table the matter accordingly.

The letter made available to our reporter, contained a request to assist Kumbotso local government in finding Yusuf’s parents, narrating all the efforts the local government officials had made in this regard.

“We wrote to the Hadejia local government to assist us in finding the parents of this boy and we are still waiting for their response.

Surajo also described Yusuf’s case as quite unfortunate. He said it has never taken so long to locate parents on children who were rescued by the department.

“I am mystified by this case its, the worst ever handled by my office. We have been trying to get a clue as to who his parents are for about four months now but no progress has been made so far.’’ he said.

Surajo then urged parents to take good care of their children and always try to know where they are at all times so that they don’t get into such unfortunate situation.

He called on anyone who may read Sani’s story to contact the Kumbotso local government secretariat with a view to helping the boy go back home to his people. “The boy needs to be with his people, though he is being taken good care of, he still needs to be with his family” The social welfare officer lamented increase in abduction of children and recalled that it was in the same month of September last year, that a 13 -year old, Yusuf Mahmud, was brought from Bauchi State after he was abducted for 19 days and released in mysterious circumstances.

“Mahmud was kidnapped in broad day light at Na’ibawa ‘yan lemo, Kano State, early September, then he resurfaced after 19 days, so parents need to be mindful of what their children do and who they relate with”.

PAGE 46

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

Vox Pop

Reporter’s Diary

Nigerians task government on service delivery in 2013

My most embarrassing moments as a trainee reporter

As the world welcomes the New Year with numerous expectations and hope, a cross section of Nigerians who spoke to the duo of Suleiman Idris & Mathew Aramide tasked the Federal Government to be more proactive in dealing with the security challenges that are troubling the nation

Frank Odita Frank Odita, retired DCP and security consultant I expect the Police and other security agencies to be more proactive and more preventive as they tackle the issue of security in 2013. They should see themselves as the people’s security practitioner and should always behave responsibly in public most especially when carrying out their duties. And it is when they are seen to be doing this that they stand to regain the confidence of the public they are meant to serve which will guarantee the public volunteering information when required by the security operatives. The Police as government apparatus for maintaining internal security should so be adequately equipped in terms of their take home pay and general welfare and I have no doubt in my mind that in 2013 they will be equal to the task.

Security is not cheap, it is indeed a capital intensive venture and any amount sunk into it by government should not be regarded as too much.

Dr Osakwe, chairman crisis control organization The crime situation will

remain the same and that is if it is not going to be worse than what we are presently going through. I do not subscribe to the call for equipping the Police with sophisticated weapons because in the first instance, they are not by their civic duties, meant to deal with menacing crime that should be left to the combatant unit of the Police. At best the regular Police when carrying out their duties should have in their procession tear gas canister and baton. I say this with all sincerity of purpose that unnecessarily equipping the Police with all manner of weapons, has not only become an instrument of intimidation to the members of the public but investigation has also revealed that some unscrupulous men of the Police sell their weapons to armed robbers.

Barrister Gabriel Giwa Amu, human rights activist Our hope remains in the trust of the Almighty God to shield and

“

Except God guides the city man watches in vain otherwise how can one trust the government we are saddled with, how do you trust the crop of leaders that we have who can at best be described as inglorious scavengers.

guide us and biblically it is said that woe unto the man who puts his trust in another man and also that. Except God guides the city man watches in vain otherwise how can one trust the government we are saddled with, how do you trust the crop of leaders that we have who can at best be described as inglorious scavengers. How can you trust them to protect you?

Take a look at our international airports, you will see all over the place mobile policemen and for a first time visitor who is a European, the conclusion will be that the country is at war and even when there is a protest or riot, the primary duty of the police is to quell the riot or arrest the protest and not do that in a menacing manner.

Alex Otudor, security consultant We have to commend the Nigeria Police for a crime free festive season nationwide and to your question, the police have for long been as instrument of intimidation and harassment.

When the police tell us that they are the best when they go peace keeping, they fail to tell Nigerians that those selected for peace keeping mission are screened, retrained and indoctrinated as to what they will meet and what they are expected to do in line with United Nation requirements and the standard required by that body.

The Nigeria Police have however failed to tell Nigerians that a contingent of the force were sent packing from Sudan for alleged rape and other sundry offences. Fighting crimes does not need the brandishing of sophisticated weapons. The Police should beef –up its intelligence gathering, crime detection methods and investigation processes and become more proactive.

By Zainab Yahaya Kandi

W

hen as a fresh student admitted to read Mass Communication, my initial idea of the course was that it would have to do with a lot of talking as represented in the word,"communication."

However, later in the journalism component of the course, we were drilled in the theoretical concept of journalism as the activity or product of journalists or others engaged in the preparation of written, visual or audio materials intended for dissemination through public media with reference to factual, ongoing events of public concern. We learnt that journalism practice is intended to inform and educate the society.

And, beyond writing news items from press statements and communiques and covering events, I was able to realize that journalism could be far more than some of those ‘jargon’ (theories) we were taught in the classroom and my experience as a reporter on industrial training at Peoples Media Limited, publishers of Peoples Daily and Peoples Daily Weekend, has proved to be quite instructive and revealing.

On my first day at Peoples Daily, I was taken to the newsroom and for the first time, I realized that journalists are so organized, sitting in such a serene environment and working the various computers, perhaps writing news, I had wondered. I was also introduced to the General Manager who asked me certain questions to which unfortunately I could not provided answers and that was really an embarrassing moment for me. I was eventually attached to the Education Desk and the next day the head of the desk took me out for an assignment which turned out to be an interview session.

On the way to the interview venue, I became jittery, wondering how I could possibly face the person and start asking questions and expecting answers from a stranger! And,

even if I eventually summoned up enough courage, what kind of questions was I expected to ask and how was I expected to begin? I had to resort to silent prayers, asking God not allow me to fumble and find myself in a fresh round of embarrassing situation.

God actually answered my prayers because as we arrived the venue, my supervisor instructed me to observe her and to take notes in the course of the interview. That was exactly what I did and I also recorded the proceedings using my telephone handset. But towards the end of the interview session, from nowhere, my supervisor asked me if I had any questions to ask and her question hit me like a thunder bolt as I was not prepared for that task. No, Maam! I screamed, using my palms to cover my mouth as I did not even know when those words rushed out.

After the interview, I went home and did the transcription which was quite stressful and my supervisor was amazed at how fast I was able to finish it, type and sent to her email box. On another occasion she asked me to write on something on my own for publication and that it must be related to education. I did not know from where to begin the task but somehow, I was able to come up with a topic, did some research on it and conducted a few interviews and at the end of the day, I had something on unemployment and education.

For me, perhaps the most difficult part of my internship has been the unavoidable task of meeting with all sorts of people and interacting with them in the course of sourcing for news. I had never had such an exposure.

I have come to realize that with journalism, one cannot run away from meeting people, both high and low.

Indeed, from my brief experience so far, I have come to the conclusion that that journalism is both challenging and exciting and I cannot wait to finish my internship, return to school, complete my programme and make a full time entry into this noble profession of journalism.

“

Barrister Gabriel Giwa Amu

For me, perhaps the most difficult part of my internship has been the unavoidable task of meeting with all sorts of people and interacting with them in the course of sourcing for news. I had never had such an exposure. I have come to realize that with journalism, one cannot run away from meeting people, both high and low.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 5 — SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 47

From the Pulpit Walking with God This is the first edition of this column this New Year. I therefore want to say to you Happy New Year! What a great privilege I have to bring you the Word of God again this New Year.

This New Year you need to take a personal decision to walk with God. This should not be a year of playing games with God. You may have walked with God last year but you can't be complacent; you need to walk closer with Him. Joshua told the Israelites, "So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly.

Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord" (Josh 24:14- 15 NLT) Joshua's mind was a decided man; he couldn't care what others' decisions were. That should be your attitude too. You don't have to wait for your friends, your colleagues at work or your siblings. No! The Bible gives us examples of people who walked with God, and each of them took personal decision to do so.

Let me show you of some of them briefly. " Enoch walked with God. Gen 5:21-24 says, "When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 1.

THE CALL OF EZEKIEL In chapter three of Ezekiel God called Ezekiel to be a watchman. It is very important for us to know whether we are called of God or not. There are people who have not been called into something and they try to do it; that has no reward in heaven.

“I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied” (Jeremiah 23:21) If someone is not born again, God has not sent them to preach to other sinners. You need to examine yourself, whether God has called you and whether you are a true child of God. When God called Ezekiel, He made him a watchman over Israel, not over Egypt, Syria or over the whole world, but over the house of Israel. If God has called a person, and he does not know the limit and the jurisdiction where God has made him a watchman, he may be doing a work that will never be rewarded. That is why you have to understand what God has called you to do in the kingdom, and focus on it. Ezekiel’s assignment was special. You also ought to know what the Lord wants you to do, when it comes to special kind of assignments in the kingdom of God. 2.

CHRISTIANS’ RESPONSIBLITIES AS KEEPERS OF SOULS OF MEN Obviously, God has said through Jesus Christ that we should go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. But before you preach that gospel, you must accept and believe it yourself, and the gospel must have made a change or transformation in your life before you go to declare it to other people. This is what will give credibility to the gospel you are preaching. If you are born again, and

years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him. (NLT) Walking in close fellowship with God is the same thing other translations of the Bible call walking with God. So walking with God is walking in close fellowship with God. Notice that Enoch only started walking with God after the birth of Methuselah at 65 years of age. So we can safely say that he took a decision to walk with God only after becoming 65years old. It doesn't matter how old you are now young or old, you can take the decision to walk with God and develop a personal work with Him. " Noah walked with God. Gen 6:8-9 says, "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God." (NIV) Noah took a decision to walk with God in a wicked generation. He chose to be different. The Bible tells us the condition of his society then: "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time." (Gen 6:5 NIV) Gen 6:11-12 gives us more information on that so that you and I don't have any excuse not to walk in close fellowship with God: "Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways" (NIV) No matter what others do this year, decide to walk with

God. " Joseph walked with God. Joseph's walk with God made him not to do what will displease Him. In the midst of a corrupt people, Joseph chose to live for God. "Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways" (Gen 6:11-12 NIV) Because he steadfastly walked with God, "The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master" (Gen 39:2 NIV) When you walk with God, you will enjoy His presence in every situation. " Abraham walked with God. Abraham was 75 years old when he set out of Haran to obey God after the death of his father, Terah. (Gen 12:4) And in Gen 17:1, God told him "walk before me and be thou perfect" Abraham walked with God so intimately that he was called the friend of God. You can't be called somebody's friend except you walk with him. 2 Chro 20:7 refers to this: "O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?"

Your name can be added to this list if you will make a personal decision today that notwithstanding what others do or don't do, your past mistakes, your previous failed decisions etc. you will take a fresh decision now and walk with God this year. Don't forget, Enoch started his walk with God only after he was 65 years old. You don't have to wait till you are 65 years or give up because you are well over 65 years.

GREEN PASTURES

By Pastor T.O. Banso cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 Remember Abraham left Haran to finally obey God at 75 years. Are you up to 75 years? Even if you are, God has not excluded you from close fellowship with Him. He is eager and willing to receive you. "When Abram was ninetynine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, 'I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless'" (Gen 17:1 NIV) That was when Abraham was 99 years old, 24 years after he left Haran in obedience to God. I have asked myself many times what God thought Abraham had been doing since leaving his country, his people and his father's household to go to the land God wanted to show him. Our walk with Him on earth can never finish; it must be continuous.

Are you up to 99 years yet? I'm not sure you are. But whatever your age is, God wants you to come into fellowship with Him and develop a personal walk with Him. If you're not born again, you must give your life to Jesus. Will you take that decision today?

TAKE ACTION! If you are not born again, I urge you to take the following steps:*Admit you're a sinner and you can't save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as

your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life - your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start to attend a Bible-believing, Bible-teaching church.

There you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God. Kindly say this prayer now: "0 Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today. I invite Jesus into my heart today. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God" I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where you will be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May the Lord make you a Cedar Christian. May you grow into Christ in all things becoming all God wants you to be.

The call and ministry of spiritual watchmen (II) living a righteous life, the calling you have is to be a watchman. But remember that you must be sanctified and baptised in the Holy Ghost in order to be effective and powerful. What are the responsibilities of a watchman? “ ... therefore hear the word at my mouth and give Them warning from me” (Ezekiel 3:17b) That means first of all, you receive the word of God before you give it out to others. You have to study the word of God before you preach it. You must learn and believe that word of God before you proclaim it. A true Christian must have a regular time of devotion with God every day, and through this quiet time, he get the word of God ministered to his spirit.

This will be the source of his message of warning to his people. It is an insult to God to preach to others without listening to Him first. In counselling others, we cannot just tell them what comes out of our mind or out of our experiences; we must hear from God to be able to counsel aright. It is dangerous and presumptuous to counsel and direct people without consulting the word of God; we could lead them into error. So, the first responsibility of a watchman is to hear the word at the mouth of God and give appropriate warning or exhortation.

“When I say to the wicked, thou shalt surely die, And thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to Warn the wicked from his wick way, to save his life the same wicked man, shall die in his iniquity: but his blood will I require at thine hand” ( Ezekiel 3: 18) So then, the responsibility of the

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Pastor W. F. Kumuyi watchman is also to seek to save the sinners; point out the way of escape from God’s wrath and show the way of forgiveness, peace and salvation before the Lord. As a watchman, God expects you to tell the sinner exactly what he said – “thou shalt surely die” (Ezekiel 3: 18). If you hear this word and you do not warn them, God said he would require their blood from your hands.

If God is warning the sinner, and you are entertaining him, his blood will be upon you. If God is warning a sinner and you are petting and encouraging the sinner in his wicked ways, his blood will be upon you. Why do some people fail to warn sinners today? Well, it may be because they fear them more than God. It may be because of the fear that the sinner will reject the message. It may be fear and respect for the sinners that hinder preachers from warning them. It may also be that some preachers depend on these sinners for financial provision, and that is why they cannot warn them to turn from the error of their ways. Others do not want to warn the sinners because they fear to suffer for righteousness sake. It may also be that we ourselves are living defeated lives and because of the guilt

of sin we are carrying. We cannot warn others of their sins. It may also be because we lack the fire of the spirit and because of lukewarmness, the life of the sinner and his condemnation do not concern us. It may be that Christ is not actively living within us, so as to stir us to warn the sinners. It may be because we as pastors do not want to drive away our members by confronting them with their sins, we are more concerned about large number than having heaven bound citizen.

“Yet if thou warn the wicked and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel3:19).

The passage above reveals that whether they will hear and repent or not, we should just be faithful and declare the word of God as revealed by the spirit of God. “Again, when a righteous man doth turn from His righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumblingblock before him, he shall die: Because thou hast not given him warning, he shall die in his sin and his righteousness which he hath done shall be remembered: but his blood will I require at thine hand” (Ezekiel

3:20) The Lord expects us to warn even those who are backsliden, so that they will not perish. Why don’t we warn those who are backsliding? Once again, it may be because we fear their comments and criticism, seeing they already know the scriptures. It may be because this backslider has authority over us in our place of work, and because of the fear of losing our jobs, we keep quiet. Perhaps these backsliders are very argumentative and because you do not want to argue with them, you let them die in their iniquity. God says “...his blood will I require at their hand”. You are guilty of their blood if you do not warn them and prayerfully plead with them to turn from their wicked ways.

“Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man that The righteous sin not, and he doth not sin, he shall Surely live because he is warned: also thou hast Delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel 3:21) So then, the Lord is calling you to be faithful in declaring His word to all people around us. Warn them from their sins so that they will flee from the judgement of God. In Ezekiel chapter thirty three, God repeated it to Ezekiel, lest he forgets. God is also repeating the same thing to us lest we forget.

“So thou son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel therefore, thou shall hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from Me” (Ezekiel 33:7) So then you should declare the word of God, don’t worry about whether they will accept it or not; just be faithful in declaring the word.

BIG PUNCH “It is no longer news that the posters of Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s intention to stay put on the ‘throne’ – irrespective of his waning popularity- are already showing ubiquitous adornment of the spaces in and around the FCT” –CPC spokesman, Rotimi Fashakin reacting to the appearance of 2015 campaign posters of President Jonathan”

SATURDAY 5— SUNDAY 6, JANUARY, 2013

The danger of half pregnancy

W

e have said that the notion of Nigeria in perennial religious crisis is unsustainable. What probably is closer to reality is the notion we may propose: that Nigeria suffers from acute deficit of Religion, that is Religion in the sense we understand Islam. For Muslims there is a profound crisis of Religion. Too little of Islam creates not only a crisis of identity but also a crisis of being, and as such self realization and self actualization on the part of Muslims become near impossible.

The Muslim Ummah hangs in a limbo, in an implausible situation that can be described as half pregnancy. Islam is an organic structure, and to function well every part must be placed exactly where it belongs. When parts don't fit together, they can't make a whole. Otherwise there will be dysfunctionality and disproportionality. How to arrive at the right measure of Islam where Islam will function as an organic whole is the greatest challenge of the moment, and that right measure must be found, for the good of Muslims, for the good of all. It is this little Islam that has held Northern Nigeria, and distorting its character, perverting its course, sapping its energy.

We have observed earlier that every component of Islam is an impetus for human development, spiritually, materially as well as intellectually. We gave the example of salat, the Muslim worship, which did lead to breakthroughs in geography and navigation; mathematics and allied fields and, most importantly, the very idea of time. Hajj has had similar if not greater consequences. At a philosophical and ideological level Hajj represents an eternal dream of a common humanity, an ever recurring inspiration for political and social changes in the world, and, with its fine blend of spirituality and economy, a mine of opportunities for economic progress.

Nowhere is the economic benefits of Hajj epitomized more vividly, at least in the present time, as in the Tabung Haji of Malaysia. Taking his cue from the Quran which states that Hajj provides innumerable benefits for humankind, Royal Professor, Ungku Aziz, an eminent economist, produced a paper in 1959 titled 'A Plan to Improve the

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Economic Position of Future Pilgrims,' in which he suggested the establishment of a financial institution where Muslims could deposit their hajj savings untainted by interest or riba.

In1963 the Tabung Haji the Pilgrims Management and Fund Board, based on the model proposed by Prof Aziz, was established. The Fund's primary mandate is to organize the Hajj.

But in addition to that it is also charged with the task of enabling Muslims to save gradually in order to provide for their expenses in performing the pilgrimage or for other expenses beneficial to them, and also participate in investments in industry, commerce and plantations as well as real estates, according to Islamic principles.

From a very humble beginning with $50,000 in 1963, the Tabung Haji has blossomed into one of the most successful investment funds, and the largest non-banking saving institution, in the world. Managed always by some of the finest brains in Malaysia's financial industry with integrity and competence and in strict compliance with the principles of the Sharia, Tabung Hajj at present has five million depositors and $9 billion dollars in assets. Its activities, apart from Hajj, cover investments in commerce, industry, real estate, construction, hospitality and agriculture. In agriculture, its 200,000 hectare plantation alone, which processes 120 metric tons of palm oil per hour, employs about 580,000 workers. In real estate, part of its assets include about 12 sky scrapers gracefully dotting Malaysia's landscape, while it is currently building a new township, Bandar Enstek, in a joint venture, worth $3 billion.

Its investment in equity was put in 2009 at about $4 billion, while its investment in IPO and Islamic Development Bank Infrastructure Fund is in excess of $4 billion. In the banking sector, it holds majority share in Malaysia's Islamic Bank and Islamic Insurance Company. In hospitality, it has a travel agency, a hotel chain and the Global Services, which produces Sharia-compliant foods and beverages. Tabung Haji is also involved in Technology, and is currently busy with total integrations services, satellite technology and telecommunication services; and

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Pilgrims Management Fund Headquarters ship building. And in partnership with PETRONAS [Malaysia's National Oil and Gas Company], Shell and Mobil, Tabung Haji has moved into Deep Sea oil exploration. In short the Tabung Haji has become a major player in national development, and is being mentioned in the 10th Malaysian Plan. During the Asian financial meltdown of 1998 Tabung Haji bailed out many of Malaysian companies which came under pressure. It is being urged by Malaysia's government to venture into the world stage.

In the way it manages Hajj itself, Tabung Haji is unique. It is loved

by Malaysia, loved by the world.

All that Prof Ungku Aziz has done in proposing the blue print for Tabung Haji, was to apply his

intellect to discovering a most efficient and beneficial means of achieving some of the goals of Hajj, as stated in the Quran.

Malaysia sends about 27000 pilgrims to Hajj annually, Nigeria, 100,000; Nigeria's Muslim population is at least four times Malaysia's. Malaysia treats Hajj with utmost respect, a respect due ultimately to God: 'anyone who honors the sacred ordinances of God,' says the Quran [22:30] in particular reference to Hajj, 'will have good rewards from his Lord.' And just one institution devoted to Hajj and managed with integrity and proficiency has made so much impact on its own nation, and far beyond. Tabung Haji brings millions of Malaysians into the

banking fold, perfects the concept and practice of Islamic banking and Islamic finance, helps millions of small depositors, its primary clients, to meet their basic needs, especially education of their children, gives employment to millions, creates skills and expertise in so many areas, makes the nation more prosperous, while helping Muslims perform Hajj with joy and dignity. Such is the value of thinking and planning, of intellect and creativity in the practice of Islam. It may be noted in passing that Prof Ungku Aziz's daughter, Zeti Akhtar Aziz, is the current Governor of the Central Bank of Malaysia; God's reward is unceasing.

Tabung Haji is one way by which the economic and social benefits of Hajj may be derived.

Even so, it tells how much Nigeria could reap in terms of economic and social development if it had payed sufficient attention to Hajj, and showed respect due to God. There are numerous other ways available, if only intelligence and creativity are allowed free rein.

Think of Nigeria as a livestock nation, and imagine how much it can contribute to the animal and meat requirements of Hajj, and of Saudi Arabia and her neighbors; and how much Nigeria can get back in return.

Think of the food requirement of Hajj and imagine the contributions Nigeria can make in the supply of all variety of food and fruit, and how much economic benefits are there to reap. Think of the old Hajj Route, linking Nigeria to Cameroon to Chad to Sudan, and across the Sea to Saudi Arabia. This route alone can trigger an unprecedented regional economic development anchored on common culture and history. For example with an efficient rail system, goods from Nigeria will reach Sudan in just a day or two and from there to other parts of the world. An average of three weeks are required for goods to arrive in Nigeria by sea from Sudan. Using the Hajj Route you can achieve a sustained and continuous movement of peoples, goods, merchandise, ideas, benefits and prosperity.

The opportunities are limitless provided there is an absolute readiness to think, plan, and visualize. Too little Islam has given Nigeria too little in achievement.

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