Peoples Daily Newspaper, Monday, August 06, 2012 by Peoples Media Limited

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

Vol. 8 No. 96

Monday, August 6, 2012

. . . putting the people first

Ramadan 18, 1433 AH

N150

Suicide bombing kills 9 soldiers, 2 civilians in Damaturu

 Ex-commissioner, Immigration officer murdered in Borno By Julius Ogah

suicide car bomber yester attacked a military checkpoint in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state, killing nine soldiers and two civilians, police said. “The lone suicide bomber detonated the bomb before the car he was in could be stopped, killing the soldiers and one civilian,” Patrick Egbmuniwe, the police commissioner for the state, told Reuters by telephone. “Another civilian died of his wounds in hospital shortly after.” Toyin Gbadegeshin, the state Police Command Public Relations Officer, confirmed an attack on a security patrol in Damaturu by gunmen. The police spokesman said “the gunmen laid in ambush for a security patrol team, using explosive devices, around Shagari low cost housing area”. He said some military personnel in the targeted patrol vehicle were injured and rushed to hospital for treatment. “There were also gunshots reported around the 'A' division police station,” he said. Contd on Page 2

Storming in front Bolt (second left) crosses the finish line first, ahead of fellow Jamaican Yohan Blake (second right) and bronze medallist Justin Gatlin (centre)

Devastating rainstorms coming, warns NIMET By Muhammad Sada, with agency reports

igerians should expect devastating rainstorms this month through October, the Nigerian

Yakowa laments insecurity in Kaduna >> PAGE 4

Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has warned. The warning came in a statement by Mr. Eleazar Obende from the agency's Public Relations Unit over the weekend in Abuja. The states that will be the

worst affected are listed as Lagos, Ogun, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Katsina and Jigawa. According to him, “in keeping with the mandate to monitor the 2012 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction

(SRP) and give updates as and when necessary, NIMET has observed wetter-than-normal soil surface moisture and groundwater conditions in some parts of the country over the past 12 months.

“The northern sector of the country will experience peak rainfall in August through October season, the effect of the wetter-than-normal conditions observed is the prospect of the Contd on Page 2

6-year-old child burnt to death in auto crash

Nigeria’s Ogoke makes boxing history at Games

Ramadan Timing for Abuja

>> PAGE 3

>> PAGE 41

See other towns on Page 3

Magrib 6.51

Alfijr 5.09

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

CONTENTS News Editorial

2-11 12

Op.Ed

Letters

Opinion

Metro

16-18

Business

19-20

Discourse

Education 27-28 Health

29-30

Swiss banks now move against deposits of stolen funds, says envoy

witzerland says it has put some measures in place to safeguard its financial system from the transfer of stolen wealth. Outgoing Swiss Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Andreas Baum, said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja on Sunday. He said that Switzerland’s financial system had improved since the controversy surrounding the loot of the late Nigerian ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha. “It is an area we have put a lot of work in. We realised that there

igeria has been advised to improve the standard of its healthcare facilities to discourage the rush by Nigerians for healthcare in foreign countries. The Indian High Commission to Nigeria, Ambassador Mahesh Sachdev, gave the advice at the weekend during the maiden Free Medical/Health Outreach provided by Primus Super Specialty Hospital for traders and buyers at Wuse market, in collaboration with the Health and Human Services Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory. While fielding questions from

International 32-34 Digest

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-47

Columnist

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU The Peoples Daily wants to hear from you with any news and pictures you think we should publish. You can send your news and pictures to: letters@peoplesdaily-online.com pictures@peoplesdaily-online.com contact@peoplesdaily-online.com

Phones for News: 070-37756364 09-8734478

“But there is still one ongoing case involving the son of Abacha,” Baum, however, added. The envoy, who described bilateral relations between Switzerland and Nigeria as excellent, nonetheless, bemoaned the low volume of their trade, which currently stood at 500 million dollars. Baum attributed the low level of bilateral trade between the two countries to “informal and unaccounted trade”. According to him, this is because a lot of Swiss products, mainly oil and pharmaceuticals, come into Nigeria via other

countries. “Some Swiss products come into Nigeria through the Netherlands; so it is sometimes difficult to have an accurate account of the trade volume.” Baum, however, stressed that plans were underway to improve on the bilateral trade, citing the visit of a trade delegation from Switzerland to Nigeria in 2010 as part of the trade improvement strategies. NAN reports that Baum, who assumed duty in Nigeria in 2008, is expected to leave the country sometime this month.

India advises FG to improve Clinton expected in health facilities Nigeria on Thursday journalists, Sachdev said this By Josephine Ella

Boko Haram: The loud sound of silence in Borno state, Pages 24-25

was a problem; the measures we have taken will prevent the transfer of stolen wealth to our country. “The Nigerian case is very important to us because the Abacha case helped us to improve our laws. “We have put in place measures to ensure that the Swiss financial system is not abused with the transfer of such assets. “We have returned around 500 million dollars (about N80 billion) of the Abacha loot to Nigeria. That was done during the time of my predecessor.

would alleviate the difficulties faced by Nigerians who go abroad for medical treatments and halt the attendant huge capital flights. He noted that the coming of Primus Super Specialty Hospital, Karu, as subsidiary of Primus Group India; which was brought as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative with the FCTA two years ago, is in the best interest of Nigeria. “I think I could mention that primus initiative was taken by the chairman of the Primus Group in light of the large number of Nigerians going all the way to India to attend to her hospital medical facilities”.

pecial Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President Dr. Reuben Abati has confirmed that the American Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, will be paying a visit to Nigeria on Thursday. Abati asked Nigerians to disregard the rumour that Mrs. Clinton had excluded Nigeria from the list of African countries she was billed to visit, said Clinton is expected to meet President Jonathan on how to elevate the status of US relations with Nigeria. Abati disclosed further that he had already received a request from the American Embassy

seeking for accreditation of the members of her entourage. Abati noted, “the reports in the media in the last few days that Clinton will not visit Nigeria because Jonathan travelled to Trinidad and Tobago as well as Jamaica are not true. “These stories about Clinton not visiting Nigeria are not true; she is visiting the country on August 9 and will meet with the President.” Clinton is currently on a 10-day working visit to Africa, and besides visiting Nigeria, other African countries on her itinerary include Senegal, South Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Malawi.

Suicide bombing kills 7 soldiers, 2 civilians Contd from Page 1 “We are still working to collect the details of the incident,” the police spokesperson said. Members of the extremist Boko Haram sect are believed to be behind the attack. A suicide bomber had on Friday attempted to blow up the mosque where the Emir of Potiskum, Mohammadu Ibn Abbali offered prayers in which the bomber died instantly while seven others including policemen were injured. Meanwhile, former Borno state’s Commissioner of Environment, Alhaji Kadiri Kaza’a; and a senior Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) officer, Mohammed Lawan, were on Sunday shot dead at their residences by suspected gunmen before their wives and children at Bayan Railway Quarters and Gwange wards of the metropolis.

The attacks and killing of Kaza’a, according to an eyewitness, occurred in the early hours of Sunday, while that of the serving immigration was about 8am. Both tragic incidents happened before men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area. Confirming the multiple attacks and killings in Maiduguri, the Borno state Police Public Relations Officer, Gideon Jibrin said the retired government official and immigration officer attached to the Passport Office at the Customs Area were that morning trailed to their respective residences by the gunmen, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect. He said when the attackers reached their residences in Bayan quarters and Gwange wards of the metropolis, they asked for the

whereabouts of the commissioner (Kaza’a) and immigration officer (Lawan, 56). On whether arrests were made, he said no arrests were made, but investigations had commenced, adding that information provided by some residents could assist in apprehending the suspected assassins that continue to target policemen, other security agents and traditional rulers in the state. In a related development, the Joint Task Force (JTF) on “Operation Restore Order” (ORO) has faulted media reports on bombardments in Maiduguri. JTF Field Commander, Col. Victor Ebhaleme, told newsmen Sunday in the state capital that reports of bombardments in the city “are totally untrue; nothing like that has happened. “I have been in charge of this operation since it began and we

have never had any bombardments,” Ebhaleme said. He pointed out, however, that the JTF had embarked on a “massive cordon and search operation” for hidden weapons in parts of the city. “What happened is that the JTF conducted cordon and search operation in search of weapons in some areas,” he explained. “We conducted the operation in many areas but especially near the Shehu of Borno palace, and we recovered lots of hidden arms.” The JTF field commander, who declined to give the exact number of arms recovered, said that the exercise was ongoing. Mr. Ebhaleme, who also decried claims of multiple blasts in the city, stressed that the JTF was in control and appealed to citizens to go about their lawful businesses.

Devastating rainstorms coming, warns NIMET Contd from Page 1 occurrence of above-normal rainfall, which may lead to surface run-off and that ‘the flooding incidents that may accompany further one-day high rainfall”. The agency noted that similar incidents were recorded in some

parts of the country few months ago. It will be recalled that NIMET, in its situation report (SRP), released in February, said that there would be a normal rainy season across the country. The SRP, however, noted that “although there will be

normal rainfall season in many parts of the country for 2012, that normal rainfall trend in any area can cause flooding and associated consequences. “Such consequences are mainly because of the people’s attitude of dumping refuse in

water channels and the drains.” It, however, advised government and people in the states to endeavour to clear drains as there was a high prospect of high intensity or long-lasting rains occurring during August to October, as predicted.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 3

Six-year-old boy burnt to death in auto accident in Ibadan A From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

six-year- old boy was yesterday burnt to death in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital as he was trying to jump down from a bus which caught fire at Mufu Laninhun area of the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. The deceased was among the 18 passengers on a bus coming from Lagos, but which ran into flowing fuel from an articulated lorry which

had earlier in the morning fallen by the side of the road. The unidentified boy was among the four children of a mother on the bus. While the mother escaped unhurt with two of the children, one was lightly burnt while rushing out of the bus, while the last one, whose clothe caught a barrier, eventually jumped down, but into the raging fire from the flowing fuel. It was gathered from a septuagenarian retired soldier, Mr.

Goke Awodele, who witnessed the incident that the articulated trailer was found around 7.30 am, to have fallen by the side of the road, with its side on the median of the expressway. Meanwhile, when the Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Olabisi Ilobanafor (DSP) was contacted as at the time of filing this report, she promised to make an enquiry into the incident for confirmation.

Warring Alago, Fulani tribesmen sign peace pact From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

he Fulani and Alago tribesmen in Doma Local Government Area (LGA) and Ekye development area of Nasarawa state have signed a peace pact, bringing to an end the hostilities that have existed between the two parties resulting in the death of over 78 persons. Peoples Daily reliably gathered that the ceasefire agreement which was reached at a peace meeting organised by the Doma council authorities, became

necessary following the persistent skirmishes involving Alago farmers and Fulani herdsmen. Recently, a middle-aged man was allegedly beheaded in the area, raising fears of heightened hostilities, with the Alago farmers scared of going to their farms, while the Fulani herdsmen have been declared “persona non grata” in Doma LGA. However, in a peace process brokered by the TMC deputy chairman, Doma LGA, Blessing Osede, said that the two parties have agreed to the peace

agreement, pledging not to interfere with the economic activities of one another. The seven point agreement was signed by three leaders, each from the Fulani and Alago in Doma and Ekye while three representatives of Doma LGA among them the deputy chairman also appended their signatures. Speaking with newsmen in Lafia, the deputy chairman, who stressed that in the event of any breach of the agreement, leaders of both parties would be held responsible, noted that the parties had agreed that “henceforth, there shall be peace between them”.

DANA crash: Kidnapped foreigners: Nigeria NLI holds forum intensifies search operation for victims’ our search for the kidnappers and By Muhammad Nasir, the abducted four foreigners”. with agency reports families Another naval officer, who By Josephine Ella

he Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI) at the weekend in Abuja organised an information forum for the families of the June 3, 2012 DANA plane crash in Lagos state which killed all 153 passengers on board. The forum which was held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Maitama, was attended by representatives of the deceased families, a panel of discussants including a qualified pilot/ aviation law expert, social psychologists, psychiatrist/ clinical psychologist among others. Speaking on the forum, the Chief Executive Officer of NLI, Mr. Yinka Oyinlola said the forum was the organisation’s little contribution to avoid future air accident and ensure that air safety standard in Nigeria was instituted. He explained that NLI was a network of credible, accomplished Nigerians coming together to drive positive change in Nigeria. According to him, the organisation believes that it could complement whatever the government is doing by ensuring compliance with regulatory provisions and hold people accountable.

igeria has intensified its search for four foreigners kidnapped during a deadly attack on a vessel belonging to an oil services company. A statement issued yesterday by a Nigerian Navy Spokesman, Commodore Kabir Aliyu, to AFP said “the suspected pirates stormed the vessel belonging to the Sea Trucks Group early Saturday in the Gulf of Guinea, an area that has seen a sharp spike in the number of reported maritime attacks over the past six months.” He said, “we have intensified

declined to be named because he has no authority to speak to reporters, said that the search for the foreigners has continued in the creeks and waterways in the region. “We are leaving no stone unturned in our efforts to get back these four foreigners who were kidnapped aboard the vessel. We are redoubling our efforts,” he said. A spokeswoman for Sea Trucks Group, which provides support vessels to oil companies operating in Nigeria, said yesterday that her company was focused on the safe release of the hostages.

Boko Haram to Jonathan: No dialogue, embrace Islam From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

amaa tu Ahlis Sunnah Lil Daawati wal Jihad, popularly called Boko Haram, has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to resign saying it will not dialogue with the Federal Government. The group, in a half-hour video made in Hausa and posted on YouTube foreclosed any negotiation with any government representative and called on President Goodluck Jonathan to resign, as well as

accept Islam. The group’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, said in the video, that it doesn't kill “women and children,” but those “who have offended us, arrested our people and killed them.” The group also claimed that evil acts were committed some people in its name and that it would go after such people. The group also rejected any plans by the Federal Government to legislate on the number of children Nigerians can have, describing such proposal as “blasphemy.”

RAMADAN TIMING Day 18 Towns

Magrib

Alfijr

Aba Abakaliki Abeokuta Abuja Akure Argungu Ankpa Auchi Azare Bama Bauchi Benin Bichi Bida Birnin Gwari Birnin Kebbi Biu Calabar Damaturu Daura Dutse Enugu Funtua Gombe Gwoza Gumi Gusau Gwadabawa Hadejia Ibadan Ife Ilorin Jalingo Jere Jos Kabba Kafanchan Keffi/Nasarawa Kaduna Kano Katsina Kontagora Lafia Lagos Lokoja Maiduguri Makurdi Malumfashi Minna Port Harcourt Ringim Shagamu Sokoto Warri Yola Zaria Cotonou – Benin Ndjamena – Chad Niamey – Niger Younde – Cameroun

6.49 6 .4 7 7.06 6.53 6 . 57 7.08 6.49 6.54 5.45 6.31 6.44 6.56 6.53 6.58 6.56 7.10 6.33 6.44 6.38 6.53 6.49 6.49 6 . 57 6.40 6.31 7 .0 5 6.58 7.06 6 .4 7 7.04 7. 03 7.04 6.36 6.52 5. 4 7 6 . 57 6.50 6 .4 7 6.54 6.52 6 . 57 7.01 6 .4 7 7 .0 5 6.54 6.33 6 .4 7 6 . 57 6 . 57 6.49 6.52 7.04 7.06 6.55 6.32 6.54 7.08 6.36 7 .1 9 6.30

5.09 5.09 5.26 5 .0 7 5.18 5.10 5.08 5.14 4.50 4 .37 4.56 5.19 4.58 5.12 5.08 5.13 4.38 5.10 4.43 4.55 4.55 5.10 5.03 4.50 4.39 5.10 5.03 5.08 4.50 5.23 5.20 5.19 5.00 5.04 4.59 5.14 5.02 5.02 5.04 4 . 57 4.59 5.13 5.02 5.26 5.11 4.38 5.04 4.59 5.09 5.15 4 . 57 5.24 5.08 5.19 5.22 5.02 5.31 4.41 5.19 4.58

RECOMMENDED DU’A FOR DAY 18 Pray 2 6 Raka’at Nawafil in 3 sets of 2 Raka’ats each, In every Raka’ah, after the recitation of Al-Faatihah, recite any other Sura. After the Salaam recite 100 times: “Allaahumma Swalli ‘Alaa Muh’ammadin Wa Aali Muhammad.” Then say this DU’A: Allahummah-dinee feehi li-saalihil a’amaal waqzhilee feehil-hawaa-iji wal-aamal bi ma fees-suduurilaalameen swali ‘alaa Muhammadin wa aali Muhammad. Meaning: O Allah guide me to do good deeds, in this month; take a favourable decision in the matter of my needs and desires, O He who is such that there is no need to draw His attention by making a request or by giving information, (because) He is aware of that which every human being longs for security in his or her heart; send blessing on Muhammad and on his pure and purified children. Source: Mafatihul Jinan

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 4

‘Ushe’s nomination will end marginalisation of Zuru emirate’ From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

he National Patron of Zuru Emirate Development Association, Rt. Reverend Emmanuel Kana Mani, yesterday, said that the nomination of Brig. General Bitrus Boka Ushe as a minister will bring an end to the 13 years of marginalisation suffered by the emirate since the return of democratic rule. Speaking to newsmen in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, Mr. Mani, who doubles as the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Maiduguri, described the nomination of Ushe to fill the vacant position of Minister for Defence as a welcome development. The cleric alleged that the area had suffered series of injustices in public appointments both at the state and federal levels, saying now that an experienced retired military officer from the zone was being considered for a top position, the cries and anguish of his community would soon be over. The association’s patron, frowned at the statement credited to the Kebbi state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) purported to be rejecting Ushe as the ministerial nominee, saying the motive of the opponent is to misinform the public and influence the nomination of Mr. Ushe.

Senators not sponsored on overseas trip – Abaribe By Richard Ihediwa

he Senate has described as blatant falsehood, reports in a national daily that the Ministry of Aviation sponsored senators to overseas trip. Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who stated this in a statement yesterday, decried the report as sinister fabrication aimed at tarnishing the image of the Senate. He said the Senate is currently on recess with many of the lawmakers already on lesser hajj adding that the said ministry did not at anytime sponsor a foreign trip for them. According to Abaribe, “The story is not true. It is false but only aimed to draw the senators out and lower them in the estimation of the public. “So, it is a blatant lie and a sinister fabrication to say that Aviation Ministry is taking the senators on overseas trip. “The deployment of an outright falsehood by the authors to purport that distinguished senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria were sponsored by the Ministry of Aviation on overseas trip were not only denigrating, but a wicked resort to blackmail. “Senators are currently on holidays with their families and are not (according to the report) going to any sponsored trips by Aviation ministry.

From Agaju Madugba with agency report

aduna state governor, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa has said potential investors have continued to shun the area because of the current security challenges in parts of the state. According to him, “investors who want to come and invest in Kaduna run away whenever they hear of reports about the security situation.” Yakowa spoke at the weekend during a Ramadan breaking of fast meeting with reporters, at the Kaduna secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ). He urged the media to help government in order to resolve the security problems explaining that his administration decided to establish the peace and reconciliation committee as part

Yakowa laments state of insecurity in Kaduna ... Approves N310m for victims of post-election crisis of measures to bring about lasting peace in the state. Yakowa further said that the Muslim community should use the opportunity of the Ramadan to intensify prayers for peace to reign in the entire country noting that there cannot be sustainable development where there is no peace. In another development, the state government has approved N310 million to assist people whose properties were destroyed during the 2011 post-election

crisis, Gov. Patrick Yakowa, has said. Yakowa said the amount was approved to fulfill part of the recommendations of the Justice Mohammed Uwais Commission of Enquiry, which investigated the immediate and remote causes of the crisis. Yakowa said that places of worship and owners of houses and property destroyed during the disturbances would be assisted as part of efforts to reconcile the people.

He said another committee, which was under the state Deputy Governor, Alhaji Murkhtar Yero, had been set up to implement programmes with the subsidy funds expected to accrue to the state. Earlier, the Kaduna NUJ Council Chairman, Malam Yusuf Idris, expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the Yakowa administration in alleviating the suffering of the people and project implementation in the state.

L-R: Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Sokoto state governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, and National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki, during their visit on Saturday to commiserate with the governor over recent bomb blasts in the state.

Nigeria, Jamaica to establish joint business forum By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

s a consequence of President Goodluck Jonathan’s last week’s visit to Jamaica for her Independence Day celebrations and bilateral talks with the nation’s leaders, the two countries are now in the process of establishing a JamaicaNigeria Business Forum. The forum is meant to explore opportunities for greater investment, trade and business linkages between both countries. According to a communique

*** Jamaican leader to attend Nigeria’s centenary celebrations in 2014 issued in Kingston, Jamaica over the weekend, President Jonathan and Prime Minister Simpson Miller also discussed the resumption of the Nigerian Technical Aids Corps Programme (TAC), under which Nigerian Professionals had, in the past, been deployed to Jamaica to share their know-how and expertise in fields such as nursing, education and woodcarving. President Jonathan and Prime Minister Simpson Miller expressed concern over the status

of Jamaica-Nigeria Technical Cooperation in Oil, as the JamaicaNigeria Oil Facility had been suspended. They agreed that both countries would explore cooperation in this area once more, as well as in the supply of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). “President Jonathan and Prime Minister Simpson Miller acknowledged the need for further attention to be given to the Jamaica-Nigeria Bilateral Air Services Agreement.

It continued: “The existence of an Agreement on Cultural and Educational Cooperation between both countries was also highlighted in view of the great cultural affinity between Jamaica and Nigeria. President Jonathan outlined the plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the formation of modern Nigeria in 2014 and noted that this would be a yearlong series of heritage events at which Jamaica’s participation would be welcomed.

Terror attacks: CNPP urges Wamakko to remain focused By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

he Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has urged the Sokoto state governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko not to be distracted by the recent terror attacks on the state but to intensify the developmental programmes of his administration. A statement by CNPP’s Secretary General, Willy Ezugwu, said the suicide bombing of the zonal

headquarters of the Nigeria Police, Marina, in Sokoto metropolis, the office of Police Officers’ Wives Association, near Unguwar Rogo divisional station and Arkilla Divisional Police station, were uncalled for and have increased concerns about the spread of terrorism in the country. “This is a new low in the chronicle of insecurity that is besetting the nation because Sokoto state hitherto offered some sense of assurance that not all the states in the north are

under terror attacks. The suicide bombings in this state are thus alarming especially because they have the potential to interfere with the ongoing developmental strides in the state”, Ezugwu said. Ezugwu also commended Wamakko for the laudable progress he has made in the state, pointing out that the governor is a role model for other governors, particularly urging those in the north to emulate him. He further noted that the Wamakko administration should

strongly consider expanding the adult education programme of the state to include capacity building and skill acquisition for youths, saying it has the potential for mopping up the idle hands that could be recruited for future attacks. Against this background, he called on opposition political parties in Sokoto state to rally behind Wamakko to combat the security threats in the state and to make his administration succeed in the interest of the people.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Ramadan: Female lawyers ask prisoners to seek God’s mercy From Iliya Garba, Minna

70 prison inmates in Minna, the Niger state capital, have been advised to use this period of Ramdan to ask for forgiveness for the various offences they committed and focus their minds towards change so that society will accept them . The chairperson, International Federation of Female Lawyers (IFWL), Niger state chapter, Hajiya Mairo Mann disclosed this over the weekend when the association visited the prison inmates, saying "let the holy month of Ramadan serve as a retreat to all of you to change to better persons". She said that the prison serves as reformatory for the inmates, to enable them contribute to the development of the nation. "Nothing has gone wrong that cannot be redeemed". Hajiya Mann also promised that in the next outing, the lawyers would extend their hands of human kindness to orphanage, reformatory schools and less privileged ones in the society during Christmas. The chairperson lauded the prison officials for showing understanding with the inmates and advised them to adhere to the rules and regulations of the prisons. Responding, the assistant Conptroller of Prisons, Minna, Umaru Tanko Chiri, expressed happiness for the gesture and asked other well meaning Nigerians to emulate it.

Argungu emir appoints Kadi as chairman of Islamic school board From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

adi Tukur Sani Argungu has been appointed as the first chairman of Board of Trustees of the newly established Madarasatul Nasril Islamic School in Argungu with a charge to dedicate himselfto the discharge of his duties and responsibilities. A press statement issued to Peoples Daily and signed by the Board's Secretary, Alhaji Garba Musa Tungar Marina at the weekend, said Sani was inaugurated by the Emir of Argungu in Kebbi state, Alhaji Samaila Mohammed Mera. it stated that after the resolution by the Emirate council, the Argungu emirate resolved to appoint members of the board of trustees for the first time as part of the emirate's cardinal aim of establishing the school. The statement added that the school is for boys and girls. It listed other members of the board to include: Alhaji Ibrahim Usman Manzo, Alhaji Suleiman Mohammed [Dikkon Kabi], and others. Terms of reference contained in the statement include: to advise the management of the school and guide the school authorities on important managerial issues.

PAGE 5

Truck drivers groan under day time ban in Lagos From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

rivers of trucks have expressed displeasure over the law restricting the movement of trailers on Lagos roads between the hours of 6am and 9pm. Some of the drivers who spoke to Peoples Daily in Lagos, yesterday, agreed that the ban on trailers may have ripple effect on the economy and people of the state. The Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola had on Thursday signed into law the bill

restricting the movement of trailers on Lagos roads between the hours of 6am and 9pm. Mr. Muda Adefitila a driver, said the ban also exposes truck drivers to the dangers of night driving. The new law spells out what constitutes traffic offences in Lagos state as well as the penalty each attracts. According to the law, trailers, with the exemption of fuel tankers and long passenger trucks, are now prohibited from entering into or travelling within the metropolis from 6 am to 9pm.

Violators risk seizure of their vehicles and payment of N50, 000 fine or six months imprisonment. Another salient provision of the law is the prohibition of eating, counting money, making phone calls and engaging in other dangerous activities while driving, prescribing a fine of N30,000 for violators. Other highlights included the ban on operations of commercial motorcycles and tricycles on major bridges, Ikorodu Road, Funsho Williams Avenue, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos-Badagry Expressway and Lekki-Epe

Expressway. It also compelled commercial bus drivers and their conductors to wear identification tags while property owners are also compelled to report cases of abandoned vehicles in their vicinity or risk punishment. Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) are empowered to administer breathalyzers on drivers to detect their drunkenness while owners of commercial vehicles are compelled to obtain operating licenses from government.

L-R: Executive Secretary, Abuja National Mosque, Alhaji Ibrahim A. Jega, Deputy Chief Imam National Mosque, Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed Magari, Chairman, Committee on I'tikaaf, Sheikh Muhammad Kabir Adam, and Ameer FCT I'tikaaf Welfare Committee, Sheikh Hussein Abdallah-Rahman, during the annual seminar on Ramadan I'tikaaf, yesterday, at the Mosque, in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

FG upbeat on completion of silos in Bauchi From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

he Federal Government has reiterated its determination to complete the N1.5 billion grain silos executed in Bauchi state under the National Food Reserve Programme (NFRP). Mr. Ademola Adeyemi gave the assurance in Bauchi at the weekend when he led a delegation

from the Presidency to inspect the grain silos project at Wailo Village in Ganjuwa local government area of Bauchi state, He said the aim of the visit was to see the level of work done and assess the level of acceptance of the project by the state government towards the project and expressed happiness at the interest shown by the state government on the

project. Responding, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Alhaji Tasi'u Mohammed, said the project would create jobs for the teeming youths and expressed happiness with the quality of work done so far. Mohammed said, out of the amount committed to the project, about 80 percent of it has been paid

to the contractor while the remaining N100million would be paid as soon as possible, assuring that the state government and the team would impress on the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources to facilitate the settlement of the outstanding amount of the project without delay to ensure its completion on schedule. He called on the host community to cooperate with the contractors for the successful execution of the project.

Conduct I’tikaaf based on Qur’an-Cleric By Muhammad Nasir

uslims have been called upon to perform itikaaf based on the dictates of the holy Qur'an and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The calls was made yesterday by Sheikh (Dr.) Ahmed Maqari, Deputy Chief Imam National Mosque, in a lecture titled "Towards Conducting an Acceptable Itikaaf" organized by the Management of the National Mosque, Abuja, noted that Itikaaf is an act of worship which serves as one of the ways of being

closer to Allah, SWT, adding that any Muslim who indicates intention to observe it, must take it seriously by knowing the guidelines for its performance. Considering the importance of this aspect of worship, Maqari shed more light on the significance of itikaaf. He said,it is an act of Ibadah(worship) in which one confines him or herself in a Mosque in devotion to prayers, dhikr(praises of Allah names), recitation of the glorious Qur'an, salatinnabiyi(prayers for the Prophet), leaving all worldly Affairs and activities for a limited

number of days while fasting. It was reported that Prophet Muhammad, PBUH performed Itikaaf for the last ten days of every Ramadan up till the year he passed away. Sheikh Maqari however urged Muslims to perform Itikaaf as practiced by the Holy Prophet, PBUH. Also speaking at the forum, Malam Muhammad Kabir, Chairman Organizing Committee on Itikaaf and Deputy Imam, National Mosque cautioned Muslims to avoid actions that would invalidate their Itikaaf like intentionally leaving the mosque without any

genuine need to do so, disbelief in Allah, having sexual intercourse and other related acts, eating and drinking in the day time. Menstruation or post-child birth bleeding also vitiates Itikaaf. Meanwhile, Executive Secretary, National Mosque, Alhaji A. Ibrahim Jega stressed the need for intending mu'takif to abide by the rules and guidelines enshrined by the management of the National Mosque where every mu'takif must be registered for both security and planning purposes and would be issued Identity card for proper identification.

PAGE 6

PEOPLES DAILY, MON DAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Edo PDP in disarray over Oshiomhole's victory From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

do state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been thrown into confusion following the victory of the incumbent Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, who won on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). While the state chapter had resolved to challenge Oshiomhole's victory in court over his alleged ineligibility, a chieftain of the party and former Minister for Defence, Maj. Gen. Godwin Abbey (Rtd.), has dismissed the court action as a waste of time and resources. Abbe, who spoke on a private television programme in Benin recently, counseled the PDP governorship candidate in the July 14th election in the state, Maj. Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (Rtd.), to instead join hands with Oshiomhole to develop the state. According to him, the Edo governorship election remains the freest election in the country in recent time, urging Airhiavbere to wait till 2016.

MMIA not blacklisted DG NCAA From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

he Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren yesterday debunked reports that the Murtala Muhammed Airport has been blacklisted, describing it as a hoax and malicious falsehood. According to him, "A competent source from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of USA has denied any knowledge of the report, which its author alleged originated from the USA Secretary of Transportation''. He also said that the TSA confirmed that the last security assessment found Murtala Mohammed International Airport to be in compliance with ICAO security requirements, adding that a similar scam was posted in Venezuela two months ago reflecting the blacklisting of its airport. ''We wish to inform the general public to disregard the posting. Nigeria has since become a CAT ONE nation and TSA Security Certification compliant, in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and Nigerian Regulatory requirements''.

L-R: Patron, Akwa Ibom state, Ikono Ini, Development Association, Abuja chapter, Elder Francis Ukoh, association Vice-President, Mr Ehraim Akpan, and President, Obong John Umoren, during the inauguration of the new executive of the association, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Jonathan congratulates new Archbishop of Lagos By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

resident Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins, over his formal investiture as the Archbishop of the Catholic ArchDiocese of Lagos following his

appointment to the position by Pope Benedict XVI. A statement signed by Presidential spokesman, Dr Reuben Abati said: "As he assumes the high ecclesiastical position worthily held for almost four decades by Cardinal Anthony Olubunmi Okogie, President

Jonathan wishes Archbishop Martins continued divine guidance and blessings. The President prays that God Almighty will grant Archbishop Martins the good health, fortitude, courage and wisdom he requires to successfully lead the larger laity and clergy of the Catholic Church

in the Arch-Diocese of Lagos." President Jonathan assured Archbishop Martins that the Federal Government will continue to work with him and other religious leaders to promote religious tolerance, inter-faith harmony and peace in all parts of the country.

Kwara govt prunes down Okada unions From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

he Kwara state Government on Sunday screened out 58 out the 65 existing association of Okada unions across the state, issuing a compulsory mandate that none of the riders should operate outside the new group. This mandate which was handed down after series of meeting with the new body of Okada union, Joint Okada Rider Association (JORA), is in addition to new security code jacket, which the state government, in collaboration with security agencies has designed for distribution to the members of the association for easy identification and curtailing of crime in the state.

This development emanated after the aggrieved members of the association went on rampage on Saturday protesting against the ban placed on them by the state government on major roads in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital. While briefing Journalists after the meeting with the leaders of the new body, the Special Adviser to the Governor of Transport and Utility, Bibire Ajape, named the seven groups under the state body as the Kwara State Motorcycle Express Riders Commercial Service Association, Kwara State Emirate Riders Association OKADA Chapel, National Union of Road Transport Workers (OKADA Chapel). Others, accrording to him are

Kwara State Happiness Okada Riders Association, Kwara State Heritage OKADA Riders Association, Kwara State Champion Okada Riders Association and Kwara State Awareness Okada Riders Association. Ajape also warned that the ban would take effect from September on Ahmadu Bello Way, Murtala Muhammed, Abdulazeez Attah, Umar Saro, Fate, Obbo, New Yidi, Zulu Gambari, Iloffa, Offa, Lanjorin roads and the whole of the GRA. He said "as mentioned earlier, these measures which are only immediate steps, are designed to curtail the emerging security challenges and curb carnage on our roads. They are not to punish anybody or any association.

"To demonstrate his love and care for the people and ameliorate the impact of the ban on commuters in the affected areas, His Excellency, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed approved an interest free loan to provide 250 tricycles to the youths. The tricycles were not only insured free of charge by government but as highly subsidized rate. "Government has since discovered that most of the people involved in the rampage yesterday are not known to the recognized associations which are law abiding. They are not unlikely sponsored by disgruntled elements bent on destabilising and causing confusion between the peace loving people of the state."

Kuramo beach re-opens after demolition of illegal structures From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

he Kuramo Beach in Lagos, shut down to allow for demolition of illegal structures and evacuation of illegitimate occupants, has been reopened. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, reports that activities at the beach, such as picnics by tourists, are yet to pick up in earnest. A NAN Correspondent, who visited the beach, observed that only a few picnickers and tourists were seen at the beach. Besides, operators of cabins were seen waiting eagerly for customers,

apparently because many people are still unaware of the beach's re-opening. NAN recalls that the Kuramo Beach was shut down on July 5, while illegal structures and hoodlums were removed from the scene by a task force that comprised police and naval personnel, as well as government and beach management officials. Some of the cabin operators, who spoke with NAN,said that the beach was now safer and better, while commending the government for carrying out the demolition of illegal structures on the beach. Mr. Abiodun Olawunmi, a bar manager, told NAN that he decided to open a pub at the beach now because

the government's action had restored sanity to the place. Olawunmi said that although customers had yet to start coming, he was glad that the beach was now peaceful and conducive for tourism. Mr. Oluwasegun Bello, who has been operating a bar at the beach for nearly eight years, stressed that the removal of hoodlums from Kuramo Beach was very beneficial. ``The beach is safer now; you can leave your mobile phone or any other property outside and sleep off; you will definitely meet it untouched. ``Everything is orderly at the beach now; no more area boys harassing our customers,'' Bello said.

Sharing similar sentiments, a picnicker, Mr Seun Alade, commended the orderly state of the beach nowadays and urged the operators to provide recreational facilities such as beach games at the beach. However, Mr Michael Onuwafe, the Secretary of Kuramo Beach Tourism Association, said that the demolition of illegal structures had given the beach a facelift, stressing that the association now maintained 58 cabins. ``All the operators are now willing to meet the government expectations. The rules and regulation of beach must be obeyed; the rule only permits three operators per cabin.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 7

Tipper owners threaten to sue FCE over students’ damage of 22 vehicles From Dimeji KayodeAdedeji, Abeokuta

he Association of Tippers and Quarry Owners of Nigeria, Ogun state chapter at the weekend, threatened to drag the authority of Federal College of Education (FCE), Abeokuta to court, over the allege damaged of 22 vehicles by students of the institution during a protest following an auto crash Our correspondent recalls that on Friday, a tipper allegedly rammed into a cab conveying some of the students, which resulted in the rumoured death of five of the students, hence pandemonium broke out and students of the institution trooped to the road and set ablaze no less than four trucks and damaged 22 trucks. The incident which occurred in front of the campus’ gate, prompted the state police command to deploy an Armoured Personnel Carrier, APC, to disperse the rampaging

students. It was later confirmed that no student died in the crash. Addressing newsmen at their garage in Obantok, Abeokuta, yesterday, the national vice chairman, Association of Tipper and Quarry Owners of Nigeria,(ATQON), Ogun

state chapter, Chief Fashola Ojewunmi said, despite that nobody died, the students still invaded their garage and destroyed vehicle windscreens even though the driver of the trailer that rammed into the students was not a member of the

association. “When the students invaded our garage, it was like a war, we have to run away to nearby police station and the students started breaking our vehicles valued at N2.750 million. “We have reported to the police and the provost

of the college has visited our garage to inspect the level of damage done by their students” he said. He disclosed that the association would soon serve the college a list of its demands over the damage, failure of which,according to him, would lead to legal action

against the college. Spokesman for the institution, Mr. Bola Adesina, while reacting to the threat, said the management would not join issues with anyone, just as he commended the prompt intervention of the Police and the State Government in the melee.

Pension boss wants Jonathan to probe pension administrators From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

he chairman, Bauchi state Local G o v e r n m e n t Pensions Board, Alhaji Danladi Abubakar has appealed to President Jonathan to declare a state of emergency on pension administration in the country. Abubakar who made the call while briefing newsmen at the weekend in Bauchi, said it was pathetic how pensioners suffered before they are paid in the country. He called on the President to give 24 hours ultimatum to pension administrators in

the country to settle arrears owed pensioners and security personnel who sacrificed their lives for unity, peace and progress of the nation. “If they refuse to pay, he should sack them and appoint others, if he will continue to do that, it would restore sanity in the payment of pensioners since the money meant for the payment of pensioners are there in billions but the mangers of the scheme do not release the m o ne y ” . He said non payments of retirees, benefits in time was a major problem leading to insecurity in the country, because the

worst affected were the military retirees and other security operatives as well as civil servants. “If care is not taken, there is fear that the Federal Government will be doing nothing but payment of pensioners since majority of Nigerian Workers started work in

1976 and majority of them have now reach retirement age”. The Chairman Bauchi state Local Government Pension Board also revealed that Federal Government owes over N 2.3 billion to local government pensioners in the state.

According to him, the Federal government is expected to pay 5 percent of the pension but the debt had accumulated due to irregular payment of the contribution by the federal government as and when due and advised the government.

Fayemi assures timely completion of projects From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

overnor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state has assured the people of the state that all ongoing road projects in every part of the state would be completed as scheduled. Fayemi who gave the assurance while answering questions during his monthly media chat, “Meet Your Governor”, disclosed that he has extracted commitment from some contractors to work at nights to ensure that projects are delivered on time. The governor also emphasized that his administration has never

deducted from allocation going to the local councils in the state. He said councils get what is due to them from the Federation Account. The Ekiti helmsman who was commended by callers on the programme for the various populist programmes of his administration, revealed that some of the road projects are almost ready for commissioning. On inconveniences faced by residents of AdoEkiti, the state capital, where massive road construction is going on, Fayemi pleaded for patience and understanding. While stressing that “there can be no gain without pain”, Fayemi

expressed confidence that everybody in the state will laugh last by the time the projects are completed. Speaking on the Operation Renovate All Schools in Ekiti (ORASE) policy, the governor expressed regret about the sorry state of many public schools in the state. Fayemi who noted that 100 out of 183 secondary schools in the state would benefit from the first phase of the programme argued that his administration is ready to ensure conducive environment for learning in public schools. He disclosed further that his administration has ordered 40,000 units of school furniture for onward distribution to public secondary schools.

HAJJ: Katsina releases N357m for accommodation From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

he Katsina state government has released the sum of N357 million for the securing of befitting accommodation for its pilgrims to this year’s pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. The executivedirector, Katsina State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Aminu Danbaba disclosed this yesterday in an interview with news men. He noted that the

accommodation secured for the pilgrims in Makkah was close to the Holy Kaabah where he said the pilgrims could comfortably trek for their daily prayers and other Hajj rites. According to him, to prepare the pilgrims for a successful hajj operations, a five week training programme has been organised for potential pilgrims in each of the 34 local government areas of the state. Danbaba stated that at each of the training

centres, there would be six resource persons, two Islamic scholars and immigration officers. Others include Health officers, NOA rebranding officers and Hajj operations officers , adding that this would solve most hiccups encountered during the exercise. The director who admonished potential pilgrims to make good use of the training exercise to enrich their knowledge, warned that the board would not condone indiscipline.

PAGE 8

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Lâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;R: Former World Court Judge, Prince Bola Ajibola, Guest Lecturer, Imam AbdurRahman Ahmad, Speaker, Ogun state House of Assembly, Hon. Suraj Ishola Adekunbi, Ogun state Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, his wife, Mrs. Olufunso Amosun, Chief Judge of the state, Justice Olatokunbo Olopade, and Chairman,Â Ogun state ACN, Alhaji Tajudeen Bello, during a special Ramadan Iftar, yesterday in Abeokuta.

L-R: Pastor S. Daramola of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Ibadan, Mr. D. David Daramola, Mr. Ezekiel Daramola, Rev. Timothy Akanbi of Faith Baptist Church, and his wife, Mrs. Rebecca Daramola, during the special thanks giving service of their marriage, yesterday at the Faith Baptist Church Lugbe, in Abuja. Photo: Joe Oroye

Scene of a collapsed three-storey building, on saturday, at no. 4 Ekere street in Rumubiakani, Port Harcourt, Rivers state. Photo: NAN

L-R: Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, Commandant, National Defence College, Rear Admiral Thomas Lokoson, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Defence , Hon. Bashir Adamu, and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Mohammed Dikko Umar, during the graduation ceremony of Course 20 participants of the National Defence College, on Friday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

PAGE 10

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PRONACO backs Ogoni autonomy From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

L-R: Minister of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia, and Director-General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, during an advocacy visit by the minister to the NOA headquarters, on Friday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

he leadership of Pro National Conference Organisation (PRONACO), has backed by the declaration of the Ogoni people at the weekend for political autonomy and self determination of their people and territory within Nigeria PRONACO in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos by its spokesperson, Olawale Okunniyi said the time has come for the indigenous peoples and federating units in Nigeria to deliver their people and territories from the pilfering and violent centralised structure operating in the country Okunniyi said the Ogoni peoples’ declaration for self determination and political autonomy is long awaited and the only way to go. While calling on other indigenous peoples in the country to urgently support and follow the wise step of the Ogoni people, PRONACO commended the Ogonis and their umbrella body, Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, MOSOP on their vision to invoke the United Nations Charter on the self determination rights of indigenous peoples.

Flour price increase causes bread scarcity in Port Harcourt Kano govt revalidates P ort Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, may experience scarcity of bread due to an increase in the price of flour. A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey in the city, revealed that some bakeries had closed shop while others now produce at low capacity due to the high cost of

flour, the major item used in baking. The survey showed that the price of a 50-kilogramme bag of flour had risen to N7, 400 from its former price of N6, 200. Consequently, the price of bread has recorded about 20 percent increase, with a “luxury” loaf now selling for N280 as against

N250 while the biggest size of bread now costs N350, from its former price of N300. “We now sell the size next to ‘luxury’ at N160 instead of the normal price of N140,” Mrs. Christiana Akpan, a bread seller, said. She said that the commodity was fast becoming expensive and

scarce because of the rising cost of flour, adding that it was becoming difficult for some bread sellers to buy much quantity for sale. Akpan disclosed that regular buyers of bread had reduced their patronage, saying: “even families, who need bread everyday and still manage to come and buy, do not buy as much as they used to”. (NAN)

…As Auchi records increase in bread price

uchi community in Etsako West local government area of Edo state, has recorded an increase in the price of bread, a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) survey, has revealed. Also affected in the price increase are snacks, including meat-pie, egg-roll and sausages. The new price regime for the food items, which now has a loaf selling for between N170 and N180

as against its former price of N150, began few weeks ago. The price of one egg-roll has gone up to N80 from N60 and other items also recorded between 15 percent and 20 percent price increase. Sellers of the products attributed the increase in prices to bakers, who they said, added money to the cost of the items. Similarly, the bakers

Aviation minister, officials embark on roadshow in China, US, Canada By Muhammad Sada

viation Minister, Princess Stella Oduah, alongside few select officials of the ministry and some CEOs of parastatals under the ministry have embarked on a foreign investment drive to woo foreign investors to key into the transformation and infrastructural development of the aviation sector in Nigeria. The event which was disclosed to our correspondent by the Special Assistant, Media, to the aviation minister, kicked off on Saturday, and is coming on the heels of the one held in Abuja for potential local investors shortly after the conclusion of the

International Conference on Aviation Safety in Africa. The Abuja Roadshow is already generating tremendous interest from local investors, bankers and other financial institutions that are willing and ready to commence construction/ development at the conclusion of all negotiations and due process certification. During the foreign trip, Investors' Road Shows would be staged in some selected cities across China, the United States of America and Canada where ''Investment Baskets'' would be opened to reveal the huge investment potentials that abound in the Nigerian aviation industry.

attributed the rise in the price of the confectioneries to increase in prices of flour and other baking materials. A baker, Mrs. Sadenu Alimat, told NAN that the price of a 50kilogramme of flour had risen from N6,500 to N9,000, adding that prices of other baking items had also increased. Another baker, who pleaded anonymity, blamed the increase

in price of flour on the recent pronouncement by the Federal Government on compulsory 20 percent cassava flour content in bread making in the country. Reacting to the development, some residents said that it would increase the hardship faced by the people and appealed to the government to urgently reappraise its policy on cassava bread. (NAN)

NPC flags off domestic GDP in the national data computation inclusion framework would enhance the By Muhammad Sada

he Federal Government has flagged off the computation of the states Gross Domestic Product (SGDP) for the South West region, a programme which is an initiative of the National Planning Commission and the Federal Bureau of Statistics with support from the Governors’ Forum. Mr. Shamsudeen Usman, the Minister of National Planning, who inaugurated the programme in Lagos at the Government House, Ikeja, said the computation was part of Federal Government’s strategy at stimulating the economic development of the states. The minister said the computation of SGDP and its

data’s comprehensiveness and promote the predictability of the national economy. “The computation and the inclusion of State’s Domestic Product (SGDP) in the national framework data will also promote accountability and create awareness of the outcomes of efforts at the subnational levels. Usman said the published data of states GDP would also serve as a basis for effectively benchmarking the economies of such states and facilitating their rating by rating agencies and added that, a road map had been put place for the implementation of the SGDP project which would be done in two phases and would be completed in June 2013.

inherited road projects From Edwin Olofu, Kano

ano state government has revalidated the award of contract for all the road projects inherited by the current administration in the state, the Commissioner for Lands and Physical Planning, Muhammad Nadu Yayaha, has said. The commissioner who was speaking over the weekend to newsmen, said on assumption of office the new administration decided to review the contracts awarded for road projects. Yahaya added that a committee of consultants was set up to review all the contracts, saying the effort is to ensure prudence in managing the resources of the state. He further revealed that the effort paid off because the committee, after thorough work, was able to save about 40 percent from the initial amount set aside for the projects. “Those roads include Sharada Road, Bank Road, Independence Road, Daula Road and so many other roads all the roads that we have inherited we have revalidated them all. “On one road a lone we made a saving of over N700 million a road that was given at N2.7 billion and we made that saving that shows you how serious these things are, and on same quantum of work, some of those roads we inherited were not near completion the only one that was close to completion was that one close to Kantin Kwari, but the same contractors agreed to go back to site...” he said.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 11

Okada riders Land tussle: Kwara Speaker to intervene between Govt, IEDPU through all legal means. They of the new land policy in the go wild over From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin government. The Speaker of the Kwara also asserted that the action of State to 2009 noted that the he Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly gave government has thrown the policy affects the entire people ban in Ilorin State House of Assembly, the indication in Ilorin while people of emirate into poverty of the State but assured that he Barrister Abdulrazak From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

undreds of commercial motorcyclists popularly known as okada at the weekend went wild across Ilorin, the Kwara state capital over the immediate banning of their activities along major roads in the metropolis by the state government and replacing them with tricycles distributed to beneficiaries at the cost of N397,000. However, the state government has suspended the ban for four weeks to ensure that the affected members of the okada riders association were properly prepared for the law that would be enacted. The motorcyclists who barricaded Offa Garage Road, Agbo Oba, Taiwo Road, Murtala, Unity and other roads within the state capital, carried different placards describing the state governor in unprintable words. Meeting with officials of the protesters at the Government House on Saturday, Governor Ahmed explained that the ban was not punitive but meant to ensure security of lives and property on some routes in Ilorin. While speaking with journalists, the state chairman of the Commercial Motorcyclist Riders Association, Alhaji Toyin Alase, thanked the state government, but expressed displeasure with the restriction order saying that their members could not make much money from the feeder roads.

Bauchi to partner WAEC in fight against exams malpractice From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

auchi state government has expressed determination to join hands with the West African Examination Council (WAEC) to fight examination malpractices in the state. The Bauchi state Commissioner of Education, Alhaji Ibrahim Mohammed Aminu stated this when the WAEC Branch Controller paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Bauchi, saying the partnership became necessary at this period when exams malpractice became the order of the day . According to him, students no longer pay attention to their studies but prefer other social activities in schools and dubious means to get good results, adding that the state government would work with WAEC in proper monitoring and supervision of students throughout their examinations in the state. The commissioner then urged WAEC to ensure appropriate marking and monitoring of exams in time to give students chance to further their studies. Earlier speaking, the Branch controller of WAEC in the state Mr J N Ndama said he was with the commissioner to explore areas of collaboration in developing education in the state.

Atunwa, has declared his intention to intervene in the face off between the Kwara State government and the Ilorin Emirate Descendant Progressive Union [IEDPU] over the implementation of the new Land Act by the state

addressing newsmen in his office. It would be recalled that IDPU had a forthnight ago placed an advertorial in a national daily expressing its displeasure over the implementation of the new Land Use Act in the state and vowed to reclaim their land

while ‘outsiders’ were given the said seized land. The new Land Use Act according to the union, was capable of inhibiting the middle class group in the Emirate, having access to affordable shelter. Atunwa who traced the origin

would employ dialogue in the bid to see areas where amendment could be made in the Act. He said land usually generates reactions across the globe and called for caution among the stakeholders in the bid to ensure amicable resolution of the controversy.

L-R: Business Editor, Peoples Daily newspaper, Malam Aminu Imam, Director General, National Environmental Standards Regulatory and Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr. Ngeri Benebo and Head, Business Development, Peoples Media Ltd, Malam Abdulraman Husseini, during a visit by the officials of the media house to NESREA, on Friday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Nasarawa set to decongest traffic gridlock along Karu axis From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

he Nasarawa state government has identified the deliberate distortion of the Karu Masterplan by encroachers as the cause of the traffic gridlocks being experienced by motorists along the Masaka-Mararaba axis. Owing to this, the government will soon embark on land reforms and urban renewal programmes, especially in the Karu area. Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura stated this at the weekend while making an

assessment tour of the area, adding his administration would soon establish a traffic warden unit and mobile garages to control car parking in a bid to ease the suffering of commuters. According to the governor, the original Karu masterplan, which has been distorted, would be restored. “We have come to take stock of the kind of peculiar problem that has refused solutions and we have discovered that a lot of people do park their cars on the shoulders of the road, we have also discovered that part of the setback is that spaces which are

supposed to be cleared for cars to either park, or dedicated for shops are illegally occupied by makeshift shops and movable display outfit”, he stated. Governor Al-makura, who said his administration is ready to sanitise Mararaba to avoid encroachment on the highways, argued that the move was to compliment the efforts of the FCT, in easing movements and business activities around Abuja. Noting that the Karu International market was part of the total package to address the problems, the governor pointed out that contractors had

commenced bidding for refurbishing of the market and building of new shops. He said that as soon as this was done, traders would be moved to the market to pave way for construction of another lane. Another measure taken to tackle these problems, according to the governor, was the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Federal Government and Nasarawa state to set up a joint planning commission to overlook the planning of Karu area in order to ease activities within and around FCT.

Community leaders told to embrace lasting peace in Plateau

ommunity leaders and other stakeholders in Plateau state especially in Jos, the capital, have been told to embrace community-led peace initiatives, aimed at restoring permanent peace to the city. Participants at a forum on community-led peace initiatives, organised by the Yakubu Gowon Foundation (YGF), gave the advice on Saturday in Jos. They said that the peace initiatives would hasten the peace process in Jos and its environ, noting that stakeholders must keyin for the initiatives to be realistic.

The Chief Executive Officer of the YGF, Mr Dan Tenshak, said that the forum was aimed at reviewing the peace efforts of the foundation by interacting with leaders of various communities in Jos. “Yakubu Gowon himself took a walk round communities during his birthday last October to appeal for peace and he held meetings with those communities to discuss the way forward on the restoration of peace. “Each community made a commitment of ensuring a sustainable peace and also building a bridge for return of peace in the

trouble areas.’’ Tenshak said that the YGF would continue to explore available avenues to ensure that the people of Jos once again lived and worked together as it was in the past. “The question is: what are the communities doing on their own after all the dialogues, conferences and workshops on peace. Peace is a collective responsibility of every individual.’’ Also speaking, Prof. Naven Gambo, the Director, Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, University of Jos, said that peace would never exist where there was

no justice. “Social justice is very critical to the building of a peaceful community, once there is no justice, you can only promote what is called grave-yard peace. “ No community can make any genuine progress if it will not interact with people from other backgrounds because nobody is an island.’’ The participants were drawn from Anguwan Rogo, Anguwan Rukuba, Nasarawa Gwong and Kabong Communities, which are the flashpoints of the violence in the city. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 12

EDITORIAL

The London Games: It isn’t going well for us T

he opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games - the 30th Olympiad - sharply contrasted with its predecessor - the Beijing Games four years earlier. Whereas Beijing deployed technology to capture the essence of modernity, the London Games' opening depicted humanity in its historical advancement from the age of nature to the industrial age and the post-industrial era. How apt that was! Sport has a special hold on the imagination. The Olympic Games epitomize just that: they leave long lasting memories, and they level out socioeconomic barriers by providing a veritable platform for talents from different backgrounds to show what stuff they are made of. The run-up to the Games did not go unblemished, however, as Britain struggled to overcome logistics challenges including security concerns and traffic hiccups in addition to an ever growing budget. That notwithstanding, the London Games have been unique in more ways than one. Firstly, the host city is the only one to have had that privilege of hosting the Olympics for the third time in modern history. Secondly, women athletes from Brunei, Qatar, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are making their debut at the Games. Altogether, there are 10, 490 athletes from 204 countries, and out of this number, about a half are women whose participation in the Games testifies to the success of the International Olympics Committee's (IOC) gender parity campaign. But the Games have not been without controversies. There always have been. At the last count, nine athletes were suspended for alleged doping violations.

Also eight badminton players were dismissed for faking matches. The xxxth Olympiad is the first Summer Olympic Games in the age of Twitter. Interestingly, the IOC has discountenanced the use of social media for unsavory purposes such as using to denigrate others and it has demonstrated its resolve by swiftly by tossing defaulting athletes out of the Games.

“

Sadly, reports emanating from London have been anything but pleasant. Our hope for medals in table tennis dissipated as all four entrants crashed out barely 48 hours after the opening ceremony, ditto in boxing (male), canoeing and weightlifting. On Saturday, our sprinters (both men and women) crashed out of the 100 metres races at the semifinal stage So far, performances on the field have been marching expectations. Records are being equaled and new ones set; new heroes and heroines are emerging. Africa expects nothing but an improved performance from a haul of 13 gold, 13 silver and 12 bronze medals at the Beijing Games, which was far less than what the three top countries China, USA, Russia (51, 38, 23 gold medals respectively) – won. Team Nigeria, in particular, has had a stellar preparation. Nonetheless, a far

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

greater number of athletes were exposed to better overseas training than the last time; training allowances were provided however late they may have come; the reward system put in place is in response to a popular demand, and Nigeria is only competing in sports the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) believe the country has comparative advantage. The modest expectation of Nigerians, therefore, is that Team Nigeria should strive to equal or better the feat achieved at Atlanta ’96 Games which is Nigeria’s best performance since it started participating in the Games in 1952. Team Nigeria then won two gold, one silver and three bronze medals out of the total of 23 medals in the country’s 60 years of Olympic participation. Sadly, reports emanating from London have been anything but pleasant. Our hope for medals in table tennis dissipated as all four entrants crashed out barely 48 hours after the opening ceremony, ditto in boxing (male), canoeing and weightlifting. On Saturday, our sprinters (both men and women) crashed out of the 100 metres races at the semi-final stage. Peoples Daily, however, believes Team Nigeria could still place the country on the medals table, but to achieve this the technical and administration personnel must leave no stone unturned to ensure that the athletes are neither distracted nor given room to excuse a below par performance. Officials of Team Nigeria must endeavour to ginger the taekwondoists, wrestlers and others yet to step out to vie for medals at the Games to dig their feet in for a performance that would fetch them goodresults.

OUR PEOPLE

OUR VISION

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

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

HEAD, ADVERT /MARKETING HUSSAINI ABDULRAHMAN, CNA

ACTING EDITOR, W EEKEND RICHARD IHEDIWA

GM PUBLICATIONS ABDULAZEEZ ABDULLAHI

HEAD, LAGOS BUREAU ADESOJI OYINLOLA

MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION HASSAN HAMMANYAJI

“To be a reputable, profitable, innovative and technologically reliant media company offering world class services and products”

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

By Ifeanyi Izeze

t is laughable for people especially disgruntled political enemies of President Goodluck Jonathan to assume he is clueless about the mirage of malaise beseeching this country. His problem is that rather than confront issues with facts openly available to him, he tries to appease the very people he should be confronting. This was how he has managed the now cancerous problem of boko haram and now the shameful stealing of our crude. This thing would have been tackled effectively before now that the crime has become very sophisticated. In what could be best described as outright insincerity, President Jonathan on Monday 23 July 2012 in a Jamboree-like confab cried out over the despicable act of crude oil stealing saying: “It is a very bad news and I believe that Nigerians and foreigners who indulge in the act need to throw their heads under the pillow because all over the world it is only in Nigeria that crude oil is stolen. We are not the only oil producing country; why is it that it is only in Nigeria that people steal crude oil? This must stop”. What does the President actually mean? The same federal government few months ago ceded the huge maritime security contract to Global West Specialist Agency, a company belonging to an erstwhile warlord, Chief Government Ekpemukpolo, alias Tompolo with the mandate to protect/secure the nation’s coastal stretch especially the flank from

PAGE 13

Crude oil theft: again, Jonathan and his familiar mistakes Delta state down east. Is it not shameful that this crime goes on everyday even when we have the Navy, Marine Police, JTF, SSS and now, the Tompolo Arrangement? And why is the President not speaking to this group in a matterof-fact manner? The President does not need a carnival to call to order the perpetrators of this embarrassing crime of stealing crude oil from facilities in the Niger Delta. These people are well known to him and his security chiefs and he should not pretend about that. It is impossible and I mean impossible for anybody to come into the creeks of the Niger Delta or even near shore in the area to take crude oil to vessels berthed father away offshore if there are no “house rats guiding the bush rats to where madam keeps the fish.” Before the President Umaru Yar’adua’s amnesty programme for the Niger Delta militants came into effect, crude oil stealing and pipeline vandalisations were blamed on militants’ activities. When the amnesty came, the business dropped to near zero and this is the truth. But subsequently, there came a renewed interest in the crime and in a scope that is nothing compared to what obtained before the Yar’adua’s amnesty package. So the question is: what went wrong?

We have to tell ourselves the truth if we are really serious as a people. Recently, the media was inundated with stories and counter-stories over the supremacy tussle between the two major erstwhile public face of the repentant militants- Tompolo and Boyloaf. The problem was who should be rightly addressed

The same thing happened when the President as the commander- in -chief failed at the onset to look eye-ball to eye- ball with the known perpetrators and sponsors of boko haram to extract conformity to the rules of peaceful engagement. Now splinter groups are emerging everyday in the ranks of the book haram and it

“

There is nothing like the navy has failed; the issue is not that. The partnership is legal but not an usurpation of the powers and responsibilities of the Navy. If we guard this coastline it will boost our revenues, and the reforms we are doing are to bring about a change as the leader of the Niger Delta militants: a title which Tompolo currently enjoys to the distaste of Boyloaf. Do we need further explanation? Meanwhile, Tompolo was supposed to be providing security and/or intelligence on bunkering activities and tampering of crude oil activities in the coastal areas.

has become very difficult to even pin down any particular group. This could have been averted. The U.S. diplomatic cable leaked by WikiLeaks had earlier warned that “no other major oilproducing country loses as much revenue from illicit oil bunkering as Nigeria, largely because the political elite and militants (oil

thieves) profit from such operations.”Do we need a leaked U.S cable to know or rather tell ourselves the truth that illegal bunkering in Nigeria, represents significant economic activity with serious ramifications for the nation’s economy, security, and even our democracy not to mention its adverse, most times irreversible, impacts on the environment? Who are these people (illegal bunkerers) and who are they working for? Every tanker, boat or barge is well registered somewhere either in Nigeria or any other country. So who owns these vehicles and the villagesized oil receptor marine vessels/ tankers that receive Nigeria’s stolen crude oil farther offshore from our coastlines? Does it mean the security agencies don’t interrogate those arrested if for nothing, to gather intelligence to help unravel the real culprits behind this illicit business? Let nobody make mistakes about this: crude oil stealing in Nigeria is not by miscreants in the Niger Delta. Powerful Hausa/Fulanis; Igbos, Yorubas etc are all involved and outsiders of the Niger Delta may even be more involved than the Niger Delta people. According to media reports quoting oil operators in the Contd. on page 14

Untangling Bakare and the president By Tunji Ajibade

e rankles the security apparatus this time. That is the Save Nigeria Group, SNG, leader, Pastor Tunde Bakare. It has to do with what he said that some people overheard. So he was invited to have a chat with the State Security Service, SSS. It was a chat. Yes, a chart and no more than that because it lasted for one hour and ten minutes, and the pastor had walked away smiling. Gone may be the days you report to these guys in the intelligence business and return with broken bones. Anyone disagrees? Alright, what was that Bakare said? “How to change government peacefully and make society better” No, it was not what he said. It was the title of every other thing he said. SSS boys had a cold after African Independent Television, AIT, reported its own version of that. It is the business of SSS to develop a cold when anyone’s words come with that tone. In order to be sure they heard him right, Bakare was invited to explain what he said from the pulpit of the church where he is the Overseer. It was a case of playing safe for the security boys, because the title sounds like something for a lecture, not a sermon. And so it was when the pages were opened. “Mr. President may be doing his best but the impact is not felt

anywhere except in the bank accounts of oil vultures, his corrupt political allies and corporate cowboys,” Bakare had said. And he continued. “We have a patriotic duty to educate our people and we will continue to do that until light replaces the darkness in foggy minds, since education is considered a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.” Yes. Lecture. Not a sermon. He went on to state that: “the catalogue of scandalous mismanagement of national resources, the unbridled stealing of public funds, and the bewildering exposure of the level of corruption in almost every arm of government as well as governmental agencies and parastatals, call for a change of guards” Later, Bakare would talk on AIT. His fear, he stated, is not in any other thing but in the poor man who carries placard to protest on the street, because poverty would not let him sleep, and as for the wealthy, the fact that the poor is awake keeps him awake, too. This state of the country makes him fear that the nation is on the brink. And he had gone ahead to mention that since a president finds himself in power, not because he had prepared to be in power, but because a predecessor prepared the ground such that he found himself in power, then such a president should resign if the weight of the problem is too much for him to

bear. The debate may take off from here. Yes, Bakare’s view on the unenviable state of the nation are valid, but there is something simplistic in the solution he has proffered to solving the problem. African leaders don’t leave, not even when their terms are up. That is one. One upon a time, an ill-disposed leader here didn’t leave even though the nation was on the brink as a result of inaction. From that perspective, Bakare has only made a proposal, he proposed a theory, which, with his level of understanding of the African mentality he knows no sitting president would heed. And if those security boys have had any other serious business to do, they would not have bothered to invite the SNG leader in the first place. Back to other issues. Bakare referred to the few that grow fat, benefitting from the system, and from whatever positive efforts the president has made in behalf of citizens. That means he recognizes that the president is not solely responsible for the travails of the nation. Credit. It all makes his view a balanced one. But that is the crux of this piece is. Before one goes ahead, and because Nigeria is doing something at the moment to its constitution while a nation such as Israel is trying to write a constitution for the first time since it declared itself a nation

some sixty years ago, moving this debate forward makes it useful to quote from what a writer published in The Economist. “At a deeper level, however, it is the political system itself that is chronically dysfunctional. When Israel was a newborn country fighting for survival, it had no time to devise an appropriate political model, so it went for pure proportional representation, practised almost nowhere else in the world.” And about this, another writer said, “This system has been depleting Israel’s political energies for decades: it radicalised the territorial debate, debilitated the economy, obstructed long-term planning, derailed government action, distracted cabinets, diverted budgets, weakened prime ministers, destabilised governments, enabled anonymous and often incompetent people to achieve positions of great influence and responsibility and blurred the distinctions between the executive and legislative branches of government. Perhaps most crucially, it has led talented, accomplished, moral and charismatic people to abandon the political arena to the mediocre, unimaginative and uncharismatic people who currently populate it.” Chickens roost everywhere. There is no point emphasizing that the latter writer meant, rather

than putting pen to paper, documenting salient issues in a constitution for Israel, the problem with the nation is a systemic one and it should be so tackled. Now, the question can be asked, considering the state of the nation before 1999, the state of the nation since 1999, would the resignation of one man resolve the myriads of problems overnight? The blame stops at the table of the man on top of it all at the end of the day, but does one resignation automatically changes the nation? There is no doubt that a huge chunk of the blame for the unenviable condition of this nation lies with the leadership. That is demonstrated by the fact that a few individuals have been in position and have, in their little corners, demonstration how much things can be moved forward when the head insists that “business can not be as usual. One would admit that situation concerning corruption in this nation, for instance, has got to the level where ‘shock’ is the only way to describe how much lack of action has attended the scandalous revelations. Even when investigation is said to have been concluded and people who collected fuel subsidy fund without importing fuel were in court, the Attorney-General of the Federation made Nigerians conclude that the government Contd. on page 15

PAGE 14

By John Igoli

t is obvious that there is a new disease in town and we are not ready to go for the cure. This disease is not just deadly, it has become death itself. It is the hatred of a fellow Nigerian and the country. In times past such inbuilt attitude (where it exists) generated fair challenge and made individuals or groups to aspire to greater heights in academics, business and politics, but nowadays, this is no longer the case, it has become eliminate your perceived enemy at all cost! The rate at which Nigerians are being killed, bombed, burnt, shot or die in hospitals or other health related deaths, on the roads or via air disasters, one may begin to wonder: who will be left to enjoy MDGs or the vision 202020 when (if ever) they become a reality? Today the life of a Nigerian is worth less than the naira and it is in no way comparable to a mobile phone or even a recharge card. The joke is said of an African leader (whose country was being ravaged by an epidemic), when asked ‘what is the death rate in your country’? He replied ‘one per person’! We may no longer be talking of life expectancy in Nigeria but death delay. If one cares to listen there is wailing and mourning in almost all families in Nigeria By Umar Ardo

lhaji Bamanga Tukur, the National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has missed the point in his reported 12-point agenda, aimed at repositioning the party. According to news reports, the 12point agenda consists of Triple-R, Triple-E and Triple-D. Although reconciliation, equity and justice are mentioned, the central focus of the agenda is terrorism, energy crisis, insecurity, corruption, environment, food security, education, defense and diplomacy. While these constitute critical challenges, but with all due respect to the party chairman, I thought these are what PDP formed a government to perform. To me these are clearly

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

A new disease in town except of course in those of our monies are released or the This is the current mind set leaders whose families are extra projects approved, where will of our leaders hence they only protected or are safely living they be taken to? Soon you will issue statements when abroad. hear of a bi-election to elect a calamities befall Nigerians and Sometimes you have to senator to replace the slain one that is when it gets their wonder, is there anybody left in and people from the zone will attention or their attention is Jos? With a dragged to it. As senator of the has been f e d e r a l s ug g e s t e d republic killed elsewhere, the Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text as if he had no people and protection. leaders of Jos or messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written These killers Plateau state contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 c o u l d must sit down words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and cynically ask and talk even if a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed every other under the to: Nigerian, highest security police or army cover until a The Editor, protection? p e a c e Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, Ask the agreement is 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. senator. The reached. Other Email: let ters@peoplesdaily-online.com remaining two fatalities caused s e n a t o r s by the now SMS: 07037756364 should have faceless Boko relocated H a r a m , home to begin a process of ending come out to contest even when kidnappers, Niger delta militia these mindless killings but your the issues that led to the death of or other such sectional groups guess may be right, they are safer their former senator has not been or even road accidents and in Abuja. They ought to have told addressed. This is when this petrol tanker explosions must be their colleagues and the federal hatred turns from fellow tackled with all due sense of government; concerning all the Nigerians to oneself! And this is seriousness, respect and value development plans for my people? the deadliest form of the disease. for the Nigerian life. They won’t need it now. Ignoring the issues on ground, In the uncertainty, insecure But they will continue which are prepared to consume environment and confusion we arguing for funds, location of you, and pretending that all is live under now, our leaders still schools and industries and other well, or that the problems will talk about development, government projects. When those resolve themselves naturally. sourcing for foreign funds,

WRITE TO US

Bamanga Tukur again got it wrong on his 12-point agenda outside the purview of the party and squarely the responsibility of government. It is either the party feels that the government it put in place to undertake this responsibility is failing in its duty to adequately tackle these challenges or the issues are not contained in the PDP manifesto. But I know for a fact that all these issues and many more are contained in the party’s manifesto; it could well then be that the party is not satisfied with the performance of its government

and need to buoy the government up. However, this also has the risk of literally creating parallel governments in the polity. I think what the party leadership needs to do is to use the several channels open to it to quietly make its input to the government on such purely governmental matters and concentrate on issues relating to the re-building and restrengthening the party such as ensuring the standardization of party membership and Registers, creating level-playing field and

Crude oil theft: again, Jonathan and his familiar mistakes Continued from page 13

country, about 1 million metric tones of crude oil was stolen in the first half of this year alone. Let’s do some calculations: One metric tonne of crude oil (Bonny Light) contains on the average about 7.2 barrels of oil, so one million metric tonnes would amount to 7.2 million barrels of crude oil. Then at $120 per barrel conservative average for the spot market price, this volume would yield about $864 million in the first half of this year alone for the oil thieves. And you still say this is a village or Niger Delta militants’ thing. Haba! As reported in the media, the Minister of Transport, Senator Abdullahi Idris Umar, in a BBC Hausa service interview, said

travelling to woo potential foreign investors etc. when it is now almost impossible to maintain the smallest farm business in Nigeria! Our leaders should realize that developing Nigeria should not cost the lives of Nigerians or the country. It is time we tackle this disease fully: The hatred of one ethnic group for another, one religious sect for another, one militia for another, one politician for another, one aspirant for political positions for another (even academic positions are not left out), one mobile phone network for another or even down to family units must be stopped or cured. The government must encourage pertinent individuals or highly placed politicians from hating themselves. These are people who by their actions, or inactions, are denying Nigerians public peace, justice, equity and accountability. They are also the ones corrupting the simple process of budget and expenditure and create fertile grounds for this diseased hatred to develop. We must start with ourselves because the cure for this disease is in us John Igoli can be reached on igolij@yahoo.com

although the Federal Government has always declared that the security of Nigeria’s coastline is ultimately the prerogative of her Navy, Global West Specialist Agency will also consult for the government in securing the Nigerian coastline. “We did not say that the company will take over responsibility of the Nigerian Navy, the company’s job is to just buy the vessels and other components needed in securing the coastline. And the partnership reached has nothing to do with them taking over functions of the Navy. “There is nothing like the navy has failed; the issue is not that. The partnership is legal but not an usurpation of the powers and responsibilities of the Navy. If we

guard this coastline it will boost our revenues, and the reforms we are doing are to bring about a change.” So if this be, between Tompolo and the Navy, President Jonathan should compel them to tell us why this national embarrassment has continued unabated and even escalating. This is the option the president should take to avert the Niger Delta returning to the spate of arms confrontation that prevailed in the creeks before the amnesty programme of the Federal Government. And the President should do this quickly. Ifeanyi Izeze can be reached on iizeze@yahoo.com (2348033043009)

equal opportunities within the party by being fair and just to all its members and aspirants in all manner of elections to elect either party EXCO or nominate party candidates for all public offices, guaranteeing internal democracy within the party, maintaining party discipline, sanitizing election processes within the party and above all enforcing the rule of law in the formation of all party Organs and implementation of all party activities. To me these are the central responsibilities and duties of the party that need urgent attention of the Party Leadership. Their diligent resolution will automatically help to resolve the issue of aggrieved members and facilitate for easy reconciliation. To me, nothing short of these will solve the current problems bedevilling the PDP; certainly not delving into purely governmental affairs will help the party, no matter how well intentioned! How can the party leadership earn the respect of members when it is seen to be clearly colluding with illegitimate party organs against the vast majority of its members? For example, the Adamawa state chapter of the party purportedly being led by Alhaji Mijinyawa Kugama, is manifestly illegitimate not just because INEC wrote and contend so, but also because Kugama, on

behalf of the state EXCO, had gone to a court of law and sworn to an Affidavit asserting that he was given a second and final term in March 2008 which would and that the term was going to end in February, 2012. Amazingly, however, Kugama and his team are today said to have been re-elected for a third term against the provisions of the party constitution which stipulates only two terms and no more. Being from Adamawa State, the National Chairman is fully aware of this serious constitutional breach; yet he is putting up with it. With such anomalies going on in the party, how can the National Working Committee (NWC) be taken serious by the nation? Adamawa is just one example, but there are many of such issues littered all over the country. One would have thought that a more serious NWC would engage itself in the resolution of such grave issues and stop delving into where it has no business. I think the National Chairman and the Members of the NWC, and their horde of Advisers should rethink, reflect and reconsider the 12point agenda and cut it to a 2point agenda – i.e. ensuring level-playing ground for all party members through justice and fairness; and enforcing the rule of law and constitutionalism in the party. Dr.Umar Ardo wrote in from Yola, Adamawa state.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

By Maduakonam Achuama

t lunch few days ago, Nigeria was the topic as I ate hungrily in a Mexican restaurant at Queen’s street Glasgow. The 2012 Olympics that were to start off that evening brought the memories of old when Nigeria conquered the world in football and other sporting events. Today, Nigeria has not even qualified for the Olympics football. My dear friend who bought me free lunch was almost in tears as he remembered the past of Nigeria and where we are today as a country. His conclusion was that the future of Nigeria is still bleak with the level of corruption and nepotism in our dear country. He attributed the root of corruption to oil which should have been our source of blessing but which has become the brewery for corruption as almost every one of our leaders does not care to serve but to sap the economies of our country for selfish personal enrichment. In order to increase my

PAGE 15

My heart bleeds for Nigeria friend’s pain and make him shed the tears that he was withholding with the power of a man who should not cry in public, I reminded him of the stories that were aired in NTA news last night: Young children of politicians stealing money as if there is no tomorrow. The parents having stolen to their fill and still stealing planted their children to keep the stealing syndrome going for their families. What else can one say, having heard how the children of Bamanga Tukur and one other politician with their friend stole over 1 billion naira within four calendar months? Oh my God. My friend started shedding tears. Being very wicked indeed, I increased his sorrow by reminding him that these boys are in their late 20s and early 30s. They are young boys in every sense of the word and younger than both of us. I reminded him of how we toil in

this country to get enough to feed ourselves and our families while small kids steal Nigeria dry and have more than they need. Why are we even complaining? We could go home and stay in Nigeria if we wanted than moan that we are working here like camels all but to just feed ourselves despite our postgraduate studies in various fields of endeavour. Between his tears, he reminded me of friends who have gone back to Nigeria and who stayed many months and even years and could not get even a job that would pay them enough money to transport themselves to their places of work. It was mostly those who are connected to the thieves in high places that got job as jobs were not based on merit but on knowing ‘him’ or ‘her’. After all, we are not dunces as we work for a very established UK bank and would not be given the opportunity to work for such

institution if we were in Nigeria. We did not come here, he reminded me, because we prefer this country but because we have no opportunities in Nigeria. “Enough of this my friend”, I cried; “allow me to enjoy this lunch you bought for me”. He looked at me with both sympathy and anger and reminded me that many people in Nigeria could not afford any lunch at all not to mention the decent Mexican lunch, with Magerita to wash it down, that we were enjoying. He told me of how he suffered in childhood and how his parents toiled and starved themselves to give him secondary and University education with the hope that he would get a job at graduation and assist in taking care of his siblings. He graduated and stayed 5 years searching for job all to no avail. A plot of family land was sold to send him to the

UK for studies. Having finished his studies over four years ago, he has found out like the main Character on Lonely Londoners that there are no gold on the streets of London or Glasgow. His parents must be disappointed in him. The pain in his voice was so strong and infectious that it broke the bulwark of my solid heart and gave me a shock of my life. I moaned for my country but not in the way my friend had. His generosity of heart and mind was so touching. Despite all lurking behind what we can see, he still beamed those characteristic glittering smiles of his when we left the Mexican. I may not shed physical tears for the situation of my fatherland as my friend did in the restaurant but surely my heart bleeds. Maduakonam Achuama, a member of Campaign for Breakthrough Nigeria, wrote in from Glasgow, UK

Still on the free books for Nigerian children (I) By Simeon Nwakaudu

rather distressing trend is gaining ground in the country. An ignorant and mischievous minority working desperately to hijack the mainstream media and public space for the sake of spreading destructive falsehood that President Goodluck Jonathan lacks the capacity to deliver democracy dividends to the people of the nation. Members of this minority club masquerading as leaders of the civil society without proper research delve into analysis that are founded on false premises, with the intent of promoting myopic and selfish interests that negate the overall public good. This was clearly evident in the opinion authored by one Ugochukwu Jim-Nwoko on the highly applauded free distribution of books by the administration of President

Goodluck Jonathan to less privileged Nigerian children. Even though Mr Jim-Nwoko prides himself as a budget and development policy analyst, in the said write-up, there was nothing to indicate that the piece was written with public interest at heart. Mr. Jim-Nwoko opened his analysis with false information. He falsely quoted the Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai as saying that the Federal Government has committed N68.6billion to the procurement of books for the Nigerian children. He claimed that the Minister said this during the National Book Distribution Flag Off on June 7, 2012 held Model Primary School, Maitama, Abuja. At no time during the National flag off at Abuja did any official of the Federal Ministry of Education or the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, announce

that N68.6billion was used to procure the books to be distributed. The Federal Ministry of Education made it clear that as a result of the importance attached to distribution of books to the less privileged Nigerian children in public schools, 15percent of the 2percent Consolidated Revenue Fund allocated for the implementation of the UBE programme was set aside for the provision of instructional materials. How this translates to N68.6billion can only be explained by Jim-Nwoko. For Jim-Nwoko to claim that the Minister of Education stated that N6.8bllion was used to procure these books is totally false and regrettable. For 2012, the Federal Government is distributing 14million copies of primaries one and two textbooks in English Language, Mathematics, Social Studies and Basic Science and Technology subjects. The

government is also distributing 4,920,593 copies of assorted library resource materials in junior secondary schools. These resource materials cut across all subject areas. Jim-Nwoko also raised the issue of the mode of the award of the contract for the books that have been distributed. The Federal Government resolved to stick with the major publishers who have been supplying these books since 2009 when this policy was kick-started. These are internationally recognized publishers who have been operating in Nigeria for decades. On the issue of the National/ North Central flag being flown at the high-brow Maitama district where Jim-Nwoko claimed that only the children of the wealthy attend, nothing could be further from the truth. Though located in Maitama, the host school, Model Primary School is a public school. Pupils of the school are the

often ignored down-trodden children of security guards, cooks, house-helps and cleaners. They are as less privileged as any other set of children in other rural and urban suburbs. However, the flag off was symbolic and participating children were selected from across public schools in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs. The teams already set up to distribute the books across the FCT and the states of the North Central geo-political zone were amply represented, while Education Commissioners and chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards from the 36 States of the Federation took part in the Abuja programme to key into the modalities to get the books to every nook and cranny of the country. Simeon Nwakaudu is the Special Assistant (Media) to Minister of State for Education.

Untangling Bakare and the president Continued from page 13

might have engaged in wuruwuru in order to scuttle court cases when he did not show up in court on the first day of hearing, and would not send a representative. That, after playing around for months with the report of the hearing lawmakers had conducted on the same issue. However, the system – political and economic - in this nation is such that it would take a total overhauling to help a new president see his way through the myriad of problems, even if every president resigns his appointment. The reason is that neglect over the years has led to the collapse of institutions, and institutional independence. In the event, there are in place leaders and institutional keepers that are worse than the man at

the very top. This is one reason it is better to focus on institutions in this country when it comes to getting things turned around, rather than a man whose tenure would end in four years. Take, for instance, the appearance in court of the government with suspects in the fuel subsidy scam. It took the president sitting with some big wigs, talking of a multisectoral battle against corruption before anything could happen. Suspects were brought to court barely two weeks after the meeting. Yet, the reports had been with the appropriate antigraft agencies for months. The simple conclusion is that these agencies with all the power they derive from the constitution to go after corrupt officials only waited long enough to check out the body language of the presidency before

they took action. That has to be the case with kind of culprits involved. Even the son of the chairman of the ruling party makes the list. And there are situations when no one waits for the presidency, Rather, officials in charge of institutions are settled, and others simply sit down and watch, leaving their tasks untouched. Lately, the leadership of the National Assembly becomes so concerned that it suggests coming up with a law that would state the punishment for any government officials who fails to implement the provisions in the statutory obligations of his office. These officials have their statutory books, they are pressured to do otherwise rather than implement, but no one sanctions them. It is what gives

officials who approve subsidy fund for fuel importers to be so bold as to dash oil marketers money running into billions of naira when no fuel has been imported. There is the manner officials get appointed to offices, too. Political patronage which sees men with deep pockets paying for posts for their cronies. These are known practices. And in the end, what the nation gets is the kind of situation Bakare referred to. The point here is this: In order to move the nation forward from the stagnated position it has found itself, the solution is not in the individual that has found the weight of a systemic problem thrust on him, but in, collectively ensuring that institutions, and the individuals who man them are empowered,

set free such that officials carry out their duty as stipulated by law. One may want to urge lawmakers on with their bill on how to sanction officials who leave their statutory obligations unattended. In addition, forces with alternative views may continue to work such that the system is tidied up, the political process sanitized such that credible and capable individuals emerge on the political space. Added to this, the opposition will have to continue to work hard and ensure it throws out at the polls any leader it feels is a nonperformer. The opposition wouldn’t have benefited from the vacancy, if the current president resigned rather than be eased out after an election, would it? Tunji Ajibade can be reached on tunjioa@yahoo.com

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Councillor raises alarm over illegal sales of land in Nyanya T By Adeola Tukuru

he Councillor representing Nyanya ward in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Hon. Suleiman Mohammed has raised alarm over illegal sales of lands in Gbagalape co mmu nit y. Mohammed, who spoke to newsmen in Nyanya said that

he decided to draw the attention of the residents of within and outside the community to the illegal land deals, so that they do not fall victims to fraud. According to the councillor, the areas where the alleged fake land racketeers are selling land are phase 2 and 4 extension and Gbagalape community, where there are no free lands. He said when the issue was

brought to him, he confronted the AMAC Chairman, Hon. Micah Jiba, to know if he was aware that there were vacant land in Nyanya, which Jiba said the only land vacant has been earmarked for AMAC Estate. The councillor lamented that however, “some unscrupulous land racketeers who are trying to make money

by hook or crook are selling fake plot of land to people. He advised that anybody who intend acquiring a plot of land, should go to the council secretariat to verify before any payment is made, “because no complaint will be attended to, as far as AMAC is concerned, when the council has started allocating land in Gbagalape community for AMAC estate”.

Members of the Rotary Club, Abuja, Gwarinpa District 9125, Nigeria, in ‘a walk for life’ at the weekend in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

Court remands scavenger for stabbing two

scavenger, Bashir Bashir has been remanded for alleged conspiracy and causing grievous hurt. An Abuja Senior Magistrate’s Court presided by Senior Magistrate, Abdullahi Illelah ordered that the accused be kept in police custody till the next adjourned date. Police Prosecutor, Sergeant Philip Apollus had told the

court that on July 27, one Ismaila Mangiba and Abubakar Ajaganju reported the case to the Life Camp Police Station. Apollus said that the accused and eight others, now at large, on the same date, attacked the complainants at Angwan Beri Beri, Dape village. The prosecutor said that the accused and his gang stabbed the complainants with

machetes and cutlass. He said that the complainants sustained serious injuries and were receiving treatment at a hospital in Gwarimpa. Apollos said the offence contravenes Section 79 and 245 of the Penal Code. The accused, who claimed that he was sick, pleaded not guilty and asked the court to grant him bail.

The prosecutor objected to the bail of the accused, saying that the complainants were still receiving treatment at the hospital. He added that the accused did not have a fixed address. Illelah, said that since the accused needed medical attention, he should be taken to a government hospital and thereafter be remanded in police custody.

AMAC raises panel on revenue generation, monitoring By Adeola Tukuru

he Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Hon. Micah Jiba has inaugurated a six member standing committee to monitor and improve the council’s internal revenue generation. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, he pointed out that the revenue monitoring committee was pertinent as the council could not meet all the demands of the residents without generating funds independently. According to him, his administration decided to come out with a formula to constitute the monitoring committee to look at the different aspect of the revenue generation in the council. Jiba also said that the committee is empowered to recommend ways to block unnecessary leakage in generation of internal revenue in the council, stressing that it would introduce strategies that would enhance the council revenue base and educate the general public of the needs to pay revenue at all time. He advised the committee members not to abuse the confidence the council has bestowed on them, urging them to exhibit high sense of maturity, personnel initiatives and commitment in the discharge of their responsibilities. Responding, the Chairman of the committee, Dr. Ibrahim Umaru commended the council boss for counting them worthy to serve. He assured that the committee will carry out the mandate given to them with sense of humility, commitment and hard work to the best of their ability.

X-raying FCT’s education sector in the last two years The educational sector of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has had its fair share of challenges caused by the unprecedented population explosion in the territory. The implication has been the over-stretching of school facilities. Our correspondent, Josephine Ella, takes a look at some of the measures so far taken by the present FCT administration towards addressing some of the needs of FCT schools.

hen the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, was created by Decree No. 6 of 1976, the the Federal Capital Development Authority was also created not only to provide

the infrastructure but to in addition, provide the services including schools to take care of the ever increasing population of the territory. Thus, the development of Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city

began simultaneously with the provision of schools to meet the needs of the children or wards that came along with their parents or guardians into the city. However, the FCT

Education Secretariat was created as a Mandate Secretariat to handle the job of providing the educational infrastructure with qualified manpower to man them. Like others, the secretariat,

has since its establishment not been without it own challenges which had ranged from congested classrooms, inadequate manpower, classroom, over population, Continued on page 18

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 18

X-raying the FCT education sector in the last two years Continued on page 18 lack of chairs and desk etc. The Secretary, Mallam Kabir Usman admitted this recently, while addressing journalists at a media luncheon, when he said: “One of the biggest challenges education in the FCT is currently facing is in the area of provision of infrastructure”. However, he pointed out that this problem has to a large extent been addressed, adding, “as at now, there is hardly any public school in the FCT that does not have at least a new classroom block already in utilisation”. When the present FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed took over the mantle of leadership in 2010, he declared that transformation of the educational sector of the territory, was one of the agenda in his roadmap. As such, the administration has strived to make some stride since 2010, towards achieving the overall goal of total transformation. In a bid to tackle the problem of overcrowding in Junior Secondary Schools(JSS), the FCT minister, while reviewing the activities of education secretariat recently, revealed that an additional 24 JSS, which have taken-off, this academic year (2011/2012 Session), have been established. As it concerns the Senior Secondary Schools, the FCT administration said it has been able to establish 13 new Senior Secondary Schools around 2010 and they include GGSS Dukpa, GSS Kawu, GSS Byazhin, GDSS Dutse, GSS Apo, GSS HajjCamp, GSS Zuba, GSS Jabi, GSS Kabusa, GSS Pai, GSS Mpape, GSS Jikwoyi and GSS Dei-Dei. Senator Mohammed revealed that the administration has successfully converted 3 existing schools which are GSS GudunKarya, GSS Gawu and GSS Dangara to boarding. More so, 2,402 teachers and principals of JSS, according to him, have been trained in core subject areas too. The minister said that the administration has also recruited 1,700 staff and posted them to various Junior Secondary Schools across

Sen. Bala Mohammed the territory to improve the standard of education at the Universal Basic Education level. Further more on i n f r a s t r u c t ur a l development, the FCT education secretary revealed to journalists that in the last few months, the administration through the secretariat has “constructed a total of 1, 299 classrooms in primary schools, rehabilitated and renovated 309 classrooms and constructed fences for 32 schools”. According to him, a total of 114 classrooms have been constructed while 74 classrooms were renovated for some senior secondary schools in the FCT. In its quest to become ICT compliant, the FCT minister said during the review that the administration has also installed internet facilities at the Headquarters of the Universal Basic Education Board at Area 2, Garki I District, Abuja to ensure that education administrators are also up to date and conversant with the new information order. Similarly, he said boreholes with 10,000 litres overhead tank have been drilled in 39 schools while 1,316 sets of furniture have been supplied to the school. On capacity building, Senator Mohammed said the administration has repositioned the FCT Scholarship Scheme by upgrading its status to a

Board and has effectively been funding it to adequately cater for the needs of the residents of the FCT, especially the natives who are e d u c a t i o n a l l y disadvantaged. Thus, the board has successful disbursed 2009/2010 education assistance (scholarship) to 10,084 beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the minister said that the scholarship board has conducted screening of students in tertiary, senior, junior, non – formal education centres and primary schools successfully for 2011/ 2012 award session. In addition to the provision of internet facilities to 42 Senior Secondary Schools; establishment of elearning centres in 4 Schools; 80 sets of computer-systems and accessories, according to him, has been supplied to 8 schools. As observed by Usman, although these achievements seem remarkable, more need to be done and to facilitate this, he pointed out that the secretariat must begin to look inward too and source for the means to generate more revenue for the sector, aside funding from the administration. “We are currently studying a set of proposals and as soon as we get the necessary approvals, we will begin implementation but it must be said that our revenue generating measure will in no way increase the financial burden on parents,” he assured.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 17

FCTA to resolve Apo resettlement issue by Dec – Akinjide By Stanley Onyekwere

he Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), is determined to resolve the lingering Apo resettlement issue before the end of December 2012, says Minister of State for FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide. A statement by Special Assistant (Media and Publicity) to the minister, Mr. Oluyinka Akintudequoted her as saying while inaugurating a committee to look into complaints by the indigenes on cases of

omission of allocation of houses and plots. It said the minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, was deeply concerned over the lingering Apo resettlement problem, adding that the administration would proffer a winwin solution on the matter. “It is the wish of the Hon. Minister of FCT and my goal to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of everyone before the end of December 2012. The vision of the FCTA is to provide a befitting capital and a conducive environment for the Federal Government to effectively work’, Mrs. Akinjide said.

A man hawking pillows yesterday near Jabi motor park in Abuja.

The statement continued; “When the Federal Government is working effectively, the FCTA will also be effective as well as the whole of Nigeria. We don’t want a resettlement issue that brings disharmony or the Administration to ridicule. We want this issue to end this year.” Responding on behalf of the committee members, the Solicitor General and Chairperson of the Committee, Mrs. Helen Oloja, commended the minister for her commitment towards resolving the Apo Resettlement quandary.

Photo: Joe Oroye

NHRC boss kicks against demolition of Mpape, others By Stanley Onyekwere

hairman, Governing Council of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu has kicked against ‘forced evictions and arbitrary demolition of human settlements’ going on in several parts of Nigeria including Abuja. Odinkalu, who spoke against the backdrop of the move by the Federal Capital Territory Administration to demolish 19 communities in the territory, including Mpape, said in a statement in Abuja that the

commission proposes to initiate and adopt a set of guidelines against forced evictions and arbitrary demolition of human settlements in Nigeria. According to him, the commission’s attention has been drawn to a recent and increasing pattern of demolition of human settlements in different parts of the country respectively by federal or state authorities. “In all case of evictions and demolitions in the country, there have been allegations that due process was not followed, inadequate notice to the affected communities, no thought given to alternative accommodation or resettlement

of the affected communities, populations have been rendered homeless and destitute; and that governments have over-reached their powers with arbitrary and unjustifiable measures against poor people”, he alluded. He continued: “These allegations are serious and far-reaching. Commission will be investigating them and this public statement is issued without prejudice to the outcome of these investigations as the Commission will make adequate arrangements to hear from both the affected communities and the agencies of both State and Federal Governments involved”.

FCTA commences grain sales at 50 per cent discount By Josephine Ella

he Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), yesterday, flagged-off direct sales of the 2012 Buffer Stock Grains to Abuja residents at the Old Parade Ground, Area 10 in Garki at 50 per cent subsidy of the prevailing market prices in order to cushion the effect of the high cost of grains on residents. This followed the approval by the Minister of State for the FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide of 11, 548 bags of maize, 2,196 bags of guinea corn and 5,070 bags of millet all in 50kg sizes for sales to the public, area councils, government agencies and various farmer associations at the discount.

Consequently, maize and guinea corn are to be sold at N1,800 while millet are being sold at N2,250 per bag. While flagging-off the sales, Akinjide said that the FCT administration was concerned that prices of staple foods were usually high at this period of the year; hence it had over the years released stored grains from the buffer stock programme. “In keeping with its mandate, the FCTA has deemed it necessary to order the release of buffer stock grains to FCT inhabitants with the hope that as a short term measure, it will reduce the high costs of staple food items,” the minister said. She revealed that currently, the buffer stock storage capacity is about 1250mt, adding that the FCTA was working towards increasing the storage capacity by another 1000mt with the

completion and handover of the modern specialized warehouse at Tungan Maje. She charged all stakeholders to ensure transparency and fairness in the distribution and sales of these grains so that the objectives of the programme are achieved. Earlier in her welcome address, the Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, FCTA, Mrs. Olvadi Bema Madayi, said the administration remained responsive to the alleviation of the hardship faced by the citizenry who have requested that it intervene in the stabilization of the soaring prices of grains. ”The programme is the second tier of the tripartite food storage programme and is replicating the activities of the National Strategic Food Reserve in the FCT. The grains to be sold are subsidized to cushion the prevailing high prices,” she added.

African regional youth crime prevention confab for Oct in Abuja By Josephine Ella

ome 300 delegates comprising 52 youth leaders from African countries, 148 from all states in Nigeria, 70 adult leaders and 30 others are expected to converge in Abuja for the African Regional Youth Prevention and Development Conference slated for October 16-19, 2012 at the International Conference Centre. The event is being planned by a nongovernmental organization (NGO), Africa Centre for Citizens Orientation in collaboration with the Office of Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, International Telecommunication Union(ITU), Child On line Protection, USA and relevant stakeholders like youth wing of Christian Association of Nigeria and Muslim youth groups. Speaking yesterday at a press conference to herald the event, the convener of the conference with the theme ‘Safer, Secured and Developed Africa: Creating Opportunities, Reducing Challenges’, Casey Olugbenga Adeleye said it was aimed at proffering proactive solutions that would bring about a safer, secured and developed Africa engineered by the youth, who are the leaders of tomorrow. He lamented that youths have become an important agent in criminal activities, saying that the conference targeted at them would enhance a safer environment free of crime and violence in order to foster good citizenship and develop young people to proactively work together, creating resilient communities and country resistant to terrorism, crime and violence. This was as he noted that the “high level of crime and violence being experience across Africa pose serious threat to African emergent sociopolitical and economic development and results in the deprivation of the rights and dignity of citizens. He disclosed that the conference “would bring to the fore, issues of citizencentered crime prevention, security and durable peace needed for the growth and enhancement of Africa as well as economic and political development both at the rural and urban centres”. According to him, various papers and lectures would be presented by carefully selected resource persons among whom are the SecretaryGeneral, International Telecommunication Union, Dr. Hamadoun Toure, Geneva, Switzerland, Special Adviser to the President on Ethics and Values, Dr. Sarah Jibril, Chairman, Impendent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Barr. Ekpo Nta, a representative from the US embassy, Nigeria, culminating in resolutions and commitments etc. “They shall be in addition to core security topics, cover issues like creativity, innovation and sustainability which will help Africans especially young people catch-up with their counterparts in other regions of the world,” Adeleye said.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 19

INSIDE

BUSINESS Email: amunuimam@yahoo.co.uk

‘Nigeria to generate N310bn from non-oil exports’

he President of Bridging Point International, Mrs. Astrid Thierry, has said that the Federal Government may realise fresh $2bn (N310bn) from the non-oil exports before the end of the year. Thierry, who said this in Abuja during the commencement of the country’s New Exporter Development Project (NEDP), however, added that the revenue depended on the country’s ability to address its trade imbalance. She said the objective of the project was to help Small and Medium Enterprises with limited exporting experience to develop their capabilities. It would also help them to implement a horizontal and vertical integrated strategy to develop their products to acceptable export standards, she added. Thierry said that already, 60 exporters from the six geopolitical zones were being equipped with a sustained and systematic approach to penetrate the foreign markets. She said, “The NEDP will enhance the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC)’s export development and promotion strategy through a sector approach to evolving market realities. (NAN)

By Muhammad Nasir

equel to the presidential directive for crude oil bunkering to be stamped out of the country, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has expressed its determination to collaborate with other Federal Government agencies to bring to an immediate end crude oil theft in the Nigerian maritime industry. The Group Managing Director of the Corporation, Engr. Andrew Yakubu stated this when the Inter Agency Maritime Operation Committee paid him a courtesy call at the NNPC Towers, Abuja. Engr. Yakubu noted that NNPC as a corporate entity that

- Pg 20

. . .inaugurates card-less ATM services

Mob: 08033644990

NNPC, inter-agency committee pledge to check crude oil theft takes part in the maritime business both locally and internationally must raise up to the occasion along with other government agencies to confront and bring to book unscrupulous individuals that have deprived and depleted the nation’s economy as a result of their illegal maritime business. “The maritime industry significantly impacts on our industry and we really do appreciate efforts of Mr. President

to address particularly issues that border on crude oil theft. We are ready to support the various initiatives of the Federal Government so as to stem the embarrassing trend of illegal bunkering in the maritime industry,” Engr. Yakubu averred. According to him, “We know the impact of bunkering and crude theft on our economy and our environment. These are vices that we must collectively stamp out of our nation. We cannot claim

that we are helpless,” he observed. He decried the daily loss of several thousands of barrels of crude oil to illegal bunkering and said blocking of this leakage would go a long way in improving the standard of living of Nigerians. Earlier, the Chairman of the Inter Agency Maritime Operation Committee, Rear Admiral E. O. Ogboh said the committee was established a month ago to address the issue of illegal bunkering in the nation’s maritime waters.

L-R: Lagos state Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs Olusola Oworu, the state governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, and Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, during Lekki Free zone Investment Forum and opening ceremony of the Eko Expo 2012, last Friday in Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos. Photo: NAN

Cash-less Lagos: Inactive PoS terminals hit 62,095 From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

ndications are that there are about 62, 095 unused Point of Sale (PoS) terminals in the Cash-less Lagos initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) amid poor connectivity and downtime. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) Plc, Adebisi Shonubi said the clearing house had registered 151,717 PoS terminals on its platform but lamented that only 88,622 units had been deployed as at July 1, 2012. This, according to him, leaves 62,095 registered PoS inactive. He said: “PoS deployment had been on the increase since December 2011 and the cumulative number of PoS deployed and connected to the NIBSS stood at 88,622 as at July 1, 2012. “This represents an increase of over 100 per cent above the 5,992 recorded as at end of January 2012. The target of purchasing at least 10,000 PoS

terminals per vendor has been met for three vendors.” He said that registered PoS on the NIBSS network had reached an all time high at 151,717 at July, 2012. The CBN head of shared services, Chidi Umeano, said though registered PoS on the NIBSS platform had reached 151,717, the “gap between registered vs. deployed, is mostly due to lack of capacity on the part of the PTSPs to meet the demand.” A PoS terminal is an electronic device used to process card payments at retail locations.

This could have far reaching implications as it could hamper the success of the scheme aimed at reducing the amount of physical cash circulating in the economy and encouraging more electronic-based transactions. But the NIBSS boss highlighted infrastructure challenges such as power and telecommunications as major factors hindering deployment of PoS in Lagos. He specifically identified incessant GPRS network downtime as a major

CBN CFA € £ RIYAL $

BUYING 0.2709 190.5088 241.3029 41.2916 154.86

SELLING 0.2909 191.739 242.8611 41.5582 155.86

PARALLEL RATES £ RIYAL $

BUYING 243 43 154

SELLING 257 45 159

2015 for the deployment of over 400,000 PoS. It also hoped to accelerate PoS density in the country to 2,247 per 100,000 people by the end of this year. According to the CBN, the PoS density per 100,000 people in Nigeria is 13; India’s is 67; Uganda, 453; Namibia, 338; Malaysia, 1,063; and South Africa, 1,063. The target for Nigeria, according to the bank, is to meet Brazil’s PoS deployment rate of 2,247 per 100,000 people by 2015.

Management Tip of the Day

EXCHANGE RATES

2nd August, 2012

huddle to be crossed in PoS deployment, saying “every voice network downtime translates to GPRS downtime.” He blamed the telecoms operators for consistent PoS downtime and said many telcos had been engaged to provide workable PoS connectivity solutions. He said NIBSS had made available various technologies such as GPRS, Wi-Fi, CDMA, DSL, LAN to ensure reliable PoS operations. The CBN had set a target of

Give your organisation a marketing n successful organisations, measurement and reward makeover marketing isn’t one group’s systems encourage behavior

responsibility. Everyone should be constantly aware of who their customers are and what they want or need. To orient your employees towards marketing, you’ll need to persuade them that the best thing they can do for the

company (and themselves) is to think of new ways to satisfy the firm’s most profitable customers. Provide training that highlights the importance of a marketing orientation. Ensure that your performance

that builds long-term customer satisfaction. If you don’t have the right talent in place, bring in some strong outside marketers with substantial experience. Source: Harvard Business Review

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 20

COMPANY NEWS e-Tranzact’s profit increases by 81%

Tranzact Plc says it recorded 81 per cent growth in its profit after tax for the half year ended June 30, 2012. The profit is contained in the company’s result published on Friday by the Nigerian Stock Exchange

Nominations out for Nigerian telecom awards 2012

igeria’s most influential awards in the business and telecom sector, Nigerian telecom awards last week released the list of nominated companies to vie for the crown in this year’s competition.

Goldlink Insurance pays N929m on claims in Q1

nderwriting firm, Goldlink Insurance Plc says it would continue to make claims payment a priority in its relationship with numerous clients and insurance brokers.

Interbank rates jump as CBN tightens liquidity

igeria’s interbank lending rates jumped this week to an average of 17 percent from 14.08 percent last week after the central bank introduced further liquidity tightening measures to support the local currency and curb inflation. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) last week raised the cash reserve requirement for lenders in the economy to 12 percent from 8 percent and reduced net open foreign exchange positions to 1 percent from 3 percent to support the currency. The bank this week also barred banks that borrow funds from its repo window from participating in foreign exchange auctions and lending to others on the interbank naira market. Traders said the new rules

had spurred an upward movement in debt yields, including the cost of borrowing among banks. “A new CBN policy on restriction of cash movement between repo window and interbank lending and foreign exchange auction has impacted on liquidity in the market, causing cost of funds to jump,” one dealer said. The secured open buy back (OBB) rate jumped to 16.50 percent, from 13.50 percent last week, 4.50 percentage points above the central bank’s 12 percent benchmark rate, and 650 basis points above the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate. The overnight rate closed at 17 percent, up from 14.25 percent last week, while the call

FG to launch $600m Eurobond in 2013 By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

he Federal Governmentwill launch a new Eurobond to the tune of $600 million, with a Diasporas component next year. Nigeria issued a debut $500 million Eurobond in January last year, which was 2.5 times oversubscribed.

Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said this week that Nigeria planned to raise at least $600 million next year through a second Eurobond, which may have “a diaspora component.” “We will have a larger bond issue but we may decide that a portion of that should be directed to the Diaspora,” she said. “We

Odu’a Investment commissions N200m Almond Court estate

du’a Investment Company Limited has commissioned N200 million Almond Court Estate at Agodi area of Ibadan, Oyo state, through its Property Redevelopment Programme (PRP).

Union Bank profit swells by 68% in Q1

nion Bank of Nigeria Plc has announced its unaudited first quarter result for the period ended march 31, 2012 revealing a profit after tax of N 7.618 billion, indicating a sharp 68 per cent growth, from N4.513 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2011.

FGN Bond yields adjust higher

here was a slight adjustment higher in benchmark Federal Government (FGN) bond yields last week as investors as a result of the tighter liquidity environment on the back of the CBN tightening.

money rate rose to 17.50 percent compared with 14.50 percent the previous week. Traders said the market opened with a cash balance of about 19.60 billion naira ($121.66 million) on Friday, compared with a cash balance of 166 billion naira last Friday, reflecting the dearth of funds in the market. “We expect rates to remain at this level next week because we don’t anticipate any cash inflow and even if there is, it will have minimal effect in the market,” another trader said. Traders said cash flow to treasury bills and foreign exchange purchases next week will further drain liquidity in the market and impact on cost of borrowing among banks. (Reuters)

Inflation rates from Jul, 2011 to Jun, 2012 Max = 12.9 %, Min = 9.3% for period in display. Current Inflation rate = 12.9 % Source:CBN

have to watch what is happening with the global markets,” said Okonjo-Iweala, who held a nondeal road show with investors in February. “We want to make sure that we float this at a time when it will be successful.” According to her, she also wants to reduce domestic borrowing due to high interest rates in Nigeria and fears of crowding out the private sector. The central bank held its benchmark rate at 12 percent earlier this month and urged the government to curb borrowing and invest in infrastructure and jobs because signs for the domestic economy were “ominous.” She said the government would launch a sinking fund to retire maturing bonds and its goal was to bring domestic borrowing down to N500 billion ($3.11bn) a year in the medium term, from N744 billion in 2012. However, she added that the country’s overall borrowing was in good shape. “We probably have one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios in the world today, at about 19 percent of GDP,” she said. “External borrowing is 2.4 percent of GDP. I’m sure that’s probably the closest to zero you can find anywhere in the world.”

Earnings Report for Banks Source:Pro-share Nigeria

First Bank says foreign units adequately capitalised By Aminu Imam

oreign units of First Bank of Nigeria Plc, the country’s third-biggest lender by market value, are “adequately capitalised” and are not affected by a central bank rule that stopped lenders from funding offshore operations, its Chief Executive Officer, Bisi Onasanya said. “In the unlikely event that we will be affected, we are looking at various options, including reducing dividend payout” in those units, he said today on a conference call from Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. Banks in Nigeria must obtain new funds to recapitalize their foreign units and won’t be allowed to use money already raised by their parent companies, the Central Bank of Nigeria said on July 26. Lenders that can’t raise additional capital for foreign subsidiaries “in the host market” will have to close the units, the Abuja-based regulator said. First Bank holds a 75 percent stake in Banque Internationale de Credit, a lender in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and owns FBN Bank (UK) Ltd., which also has a branch in Paris, according to information on its website.(Businessweek)

. . .inaugurates card-less ATM services

he nation’s automated transaction has advanced further with the inauguration of a card-less Automated Teller Machine (ATM) transfer service by the First Bank of Nigeria Plc. The bank said in a statement that the service inaugurated recently, was aimed at rendering financial services from its ATM to people without bank accounts or payment cards. It said that the inauguration was inspired by the passion to serve and extend financial services to the “unbanked and under-banked.’’ The bank said that the fund transfer service was aimed at complementing the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and achieving financial inclusion of the “unbanked and under-banked.’’ The Managing Director of First Bank, Mr. Bisi Onasanya, said that financial inclusion remained a panacea for sustainable economic development, enhanced entrepreneurship and wealth creation. “With this innovative offering, our existing and prospective customers now have another platform to enjoy hitch-free money transfer services. “First Bank as a leading player in the sector is proud to spearhead the quest for financial inclusion as CBN targets unbanked 50 million Nigerians,” Onasanya said. (NAN)

PAGE 21

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Equity market records 0.99% gain in week on improved optimism

rading activities in the week closed northwards for the eight consecutive sessions as profitable transaction dominate the market in most trading days of the week amid improved optimism while the Exchange officially launches the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Lotus Islamic Index (NSE LII) which consists of companies whose business practices are in conformity with the principles of Shari’ah. Furthermore, trading activities on the Nigerian bourse closed positive as All-Share Index (ASI) inches up marginally by +0.04% to open the first trading session of the week positive while equity market resumed southwards movement to record -1.03% losses in the second session

as the negative transaction witnessed in the shares of Dangote Cement Plc also impacted market outlook negatively. The bulls re-surfaced in style as the third session to close optimistic by +1.16% due to renewed bargain activities witnessed across the main board. Market maintained the tempo in the fourth session as continuous bargain activities permeate the bourse amid improved breadth while ASI records +0.68% gain. Conversely, trading activities on Friday closed positive as sentiments remained optimistic. Consequently, the key benchmark index inches up by +0.15% while market closed the week with aggregate gain of +0.99%.

Further analysis on acquiring banks since transaction date showed that the share price of Access Bank Plc has recorded +50.30% gains with FCMB recording -22.05% losses while Union Bank Plc leads the chart with +111% gains. However, Sterling Bank Plc recorded -13.39% losses while ETI also closed negative with 12.51% loss recorded. However, the ASI in the week under review moved up by +0.99% to close at 23,523.15 as against an upbeat by +0.86% recorded last week to close at 23,292.80. In the same vein, the market capitalisation in the week appreciated by N73.31 billion (US$488.78 million) to close at N7.48 trillion (US$49.89 billion)

as against appreciation by N64.28 billion (US$428.53 million) recorded last week to close at N7.41 trillion (US$ 49.40billion). The total volume traded in the week closed at 1.36 billion units valued at N11.20 billion (US$74.68 million) compared with 1.63 billion units valued at N11.86 billion (US$79.09 million) exchanged in 20,983 deals last week. The volume transaction in the week when compared with the previous week data moved down by -16.43% as against upwards movement by +0.28% recorded last week. Weekly value also went down by -5.58% as against negative position of 0.24% recorded last week.(Source: ProShare)

NSE leads 15 Nigerian coys, dealers to London Expo global audience. The Exchange in statement said that the on-going London Olympics remains a veritable window for marketing quoted Nigerian companies. The Expo which is a key business related event at the Olympics is organised by Urban Inclusion and Regenfirst, in collaboration with the African and Caribbean Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise(AACBE). According to NSE, the Expo would provide participating companies the opportunity to exhibit their products, services,

and investment opportunities in Nigeria as well as correct some negative impressions about the nation. The General Manager and Head of Listings Sales & Retention, NSE, Mrs. Taba Peterside said “We are extremely excited about coming to London for the African and Caribbean Business Expo. “At a time when Africa and Nigeria in particular are attracting so much global business interest, the Expo is a wonderful opportunity for The Nigerian Stock Exchange to showcase itself and a selection of

its top listed companies and member stockbroking firms.” She said that it would give listed companies, stockbroking firms and the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) the opportunity for networking with potential clients, investors, and partners. “ Peterside said that the Nigerian brand faced a number of hurdles that create issues for domestic products, but argued that “the first challenge is to confront and overcome the perceptions that exist in the minds of people outside Nigeria. “ (NAN)

Improved earnings shield stocks from CRR hike Chief Executive Officer, NSE, Mr. Oscar Onyema

he Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), on Friday said that 15 companies and some capital market operators would participate at the African and Caribbean 2012 Business Expo in London. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes the Exchange as saying that the Expo scheduled for Aug. 4 to Aug. 9 would afford the companies opportunity to showcase their potential to a

From Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

espite last week’s decision by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to increase the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) to 12 percent from 8 percent, continued share appreciation triggered by impressive first-half (H1) results released by some blue-chip companies has kept the stock market sentiments on the positive. As a result of the MPC decision, the inter-bank rates hit the roof

a day after the CBN debited banks with about N500 billion following the upward review of the CRR – a development which was enough to affect market liquidity. Before the MPC decision, investors had moved funds to the money market in search for higher return, a development which moderated stocks rally. With more H1 financials expected this week, only last week, 18 companies had released their quarterly results which impacted the stock market by 0.86 percent week-on-week.

With the stock market already trending upward, analysts believe that this week will see another round of bull dominance, though with mix of bargain hunting and profiteering activities. Last week, the NSE ASI opened at 23,095.31 and appreciated by 197.49 points (0.86 percent) to close Friday at 23,292.80. Similarly, the equities Market Capitalisation that opened at N7.35 trillion appreciated by 0.87 percent to close at N7.41 trillion.

INVESTORS NEWS BEAT Unity Bank appoints Non-Executive Director

nity Bank Plc has notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange of the appointment of Mr. Semenitari Henry James as a Non-Executive Director of the Bank, effective July 19, 2012. This appointment has been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Mansard Insurance announces board meeting

ansard Insurance Plc, formerly known as GT Assurance, has notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange that its Board is scheduled to meet on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 to consider the Audited Financial Statements for the period ended June 30, 2012. Issues relating to dividend may be discussed at the meeting.

Lafarge WAPCO 12 records 57%turnover growth in H1 2012

afarge Wapco Plc reported H1 12 turnover growth of 57% YoY to N46.3billion as sales continued to soar on the back if an increase in volumes dispatched, even as factory gate prices remained stable during the period at ~ N1400 per 50kg bag.

Vitafoam appoints MD/ CEO, Executive Director

itafoam Nigeria Plc has notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange that at its Board of Directors’ meeting held on Thursday, July 26, 2012, the Board appointed Mr. Joel Olatoye Ajiga as the MD/ CEO of the company with effect from October 1, 2012. The Board also appointed Taiwo Ayodele Adeniji as an Executive Director which was effective July 26, 2012.

UAC half-year profit climbs to N3.5bn

U Source:Pro-share Nigeria

AC of Nigeria Plc said on Thursday its pretax profit for the first half rose 11 percent year-on-year to N3.5 billion, compared with N3.12 billion a year ago.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 22

Aviation Minister leads delegation on investment drive By Muhammad Sada

R-L: Adamawa state commissioner for agriculture, Mrs Lucy Ishaku, presenting a post-harvest and agro-processing machine to a representative of Adamawa Farmers Service Providers, Mr. Etan Buki, recently in Yola. Photo: NAN

Firms team up to boost African broadband By Muhammad Sada

TU and Nexpedience, a supplier of point-tomultipoint broadband infrastructure, are partnering to bring broadband access to Africa. Under the terms of the deal, Nexpedience will provide 180 new Expedience base stations worth US$1 million, to be deployed in six nations across the continent. The first nation to benefit from the new infrastructure is Burundi, with deployments also planned for Djibouti, Burkina Faso, Mali, Rwanda and Swaziland. Designed to withstand

extreme meteorological conditions and capable of providing up to 32 kilometres of sector coverage, Nexpedience’s base stations have been specifically designed for rural deployment. ITU’s Wireless Broadband Network in Africa project aims to develop and implement wireless broadband connectivity and applications that will provide free or low-cost digital access for schools, hospitals, and under-served populations in rural and remote areas Africawide. At the signing of the agreement in Geneva, Director

of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Brahima Sanou, emphasised the need to make developing countries part of the global broadband revolution. “This partnership represents another important element in ITU’s efforts to bring broadband technology to the world - even in the poorest nations. I am confident that this new partnership will accelerate broadband uptake right across the African continent, bringing the power of high-speed connectivity to users everywhere, from big cities to small villages”, he said.

Increased local production boosts Dangote Cement’s revenue By Abdulwahab Isa

eading Cement manufacturers, Dangote Cement Plc has, announced over 100 per cent upsurge in the sale of the locally produced product in the second quarter of the year as against the sales recorded in the first quarter, indicating a sharp reduction in the importation of the commodity. In its half year unaudited result released at the weekend, the company said its pre-tax profit, between January and June 2012 is N71.4 billion, a 22.8 per cent increase over and above the figure for the corresponding period last year while its revenue earnings grew by 26 per cent to N142 billion. Specifically, the company said cement sales went up by 26 per cent to 5.2mt with importation accounting for only one million ton out of the sales figure attributing this to Strong growth in revenue and profit as local production doubles and new capacity ramps up to end imports Dangote Cement Plc Chief Executive, Devakumar Edwin

said; “Our investments at Ibese and Obajana have helped Dangote Cement double shipments of locally produced cement that will help Nigeria towards self-sufficiency. The ramp-up of our new capacity is progressing steadily and we are increasing our distribution network to extend our reach in the market. In its operating highlights, Dangote Cement identified part of its key drivers for the result as

a marketing drive embarked upon which has led to the recruitment of 1,000 new distributors. It also lamented that gas supply issues continued in second quarter, but with improvements already taking effect. Dangote Cement is Nigeria’s leading cement producer with three plants in Nigeria and plans to expand in 13 other African countries.

delegation from the Ministry of Aviation has embarked on an investment drive to China, U.S. and Canada, a statement by Mr Joe Obi, the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, has said. The statement, issued in Abuja at the weekend, said that th e Mini st er, Pr inc ess S tel la Oduah led the delegation. It said that during the visit, investment road shows would be organised in selected cities across the three countries to attract foreign investors, with a view to redressing the infrastructure gap in the nation’s aviation sector. According to the statement, the initiative is coming on the heels of the one held in Abuja in July at the end of the International Conference on Aviation Safety in Africa. “ The Abuja road show is already generating interest from local investors, financial institutions, and bankers, who are ready to commence the construction of projects after the conclusion of negotiations and due process certification. “The huge capital outlay required to carry out significant transformation of the sector cannot be funded from statutory appropriations alone, hence the need to woo both local and foreign

Experts laud CBN’s directive over banks financing foreign credit facilities available in the subsidiaries Nigerian economy.

ome financial experts at the weekend commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for stopping banks from using their funds to finance foreign subsidiaries. The experts said in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the step would checkmate fraudulent practices and enhance sanity in the financial system. According to them, the banking sector has been overheated with persistent crises and the industry needs effective measure to restore investors’ confidence in the system. A former President, Finance Houses Association of Nigeria, Mr. Eddie Osarenkhoe said that the initiative was a welcome development that would make

Tax liabilities: Tribunal orders multinational firm to pay N5.75bn to FIRS By Muhammad Nasir

he Abuja division of the Tax Appeal Tribunal (TAT) has ordered TSKII to pay N5.14 billion ($35,938,087 dollars) as tax liabilities to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). The Acting Chairman of the Tribunal, Hon. Nnamdi Ibegbu (SAN), made the order following an appeal by TSKII,

challenging the FIRS Tax assessments in a contract for the construction of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG). Ibegbu also awarded N300, 000 against the TSKJN as cost of the three appeals decided in favour of FIRS. The company, TSKJN had filed three separate appeals with suits No TAT/ABJ/ APP1010/2008, TAT/ABJ/ APP/006/2006 and TAT/ABJ/

investors to make up the deficit.” the minister was quoted as saying. The statement further said that investors would be persuaded to key into the development of the proposed four new international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Kano as well as the development of aerotropolis around the major airports across the country. An aerotropolis is an urban plan in which the layout, infrastructure, and economy is centred around an airport, existing as an airport city. “The proposed aerotropolis model holds immense benefits to Nigeria, the citizenry and the economy as it will promote regional transformation and economic growth. “It will also open up other sectors to reduce over-reliance on oil revenue, promote culture and tourism, enhance safety and the rapid transformation of the industry,’’ it stated. The road show is expected to attract not only potential foreign investors but also aviation experts and professionals from Africa, Asia and America. It said that senior officials from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) were expected to attend the event.

APP/017/2010 before the tri buna l. In the appeal to the Tax Appeal Tribunal by TSKJ II against the FIRS assessment, the company challenged FIRS refusal to amend its assessments for 1997-2002 and additional assessment raised by the Service and 550, 556.74 dollars tax liabilities for 2008 and 2009 tax years among others.

Osarenkhoe said it was regrettable that banks mobilised money from the public and divert it to run subsidiaries at the expense of giving loans to customers. According to him, the funding of bank subsidiaries with public funds has made the financial sector incapable of discharging its financial obligations to the customers. Osarenkhoe said that many banks had been hiding under the universal banking system to siphon money for personal use and negatively affected the industry. He said that corruption in the banking sector led to the financial crises in the banks. “The CBN’s ability to implement and enforce the directive will bring sanity and reduce capital flight out of the country,” he said. Dr Samuel Nzekwe, former President, Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, said the move by CBN would curb money laundering. “ The collapse of the capital market was due to actions of the bank executives to divert money and buy shares in the same bank to finance their subsidiaries,” Nzekwe said. It could be recalled that the Deputy Governor, CBN Banking Operations, Mr. Tunde Lemo, in a forum in Lagos said CBN would stop banks from using their funds to finance foreign subsidiaries. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

Boko Haram: The loud sound of silence in Borno state M

y first discovery as I disembarked from the defunct Nigeria Air ways Boei ng 73 7I t hat July evening was the heat. It was around 6pm but even at that time of the day, the hea t co uld ‘ fry a n eg g’. Mai dugur i, ca pita l of the north eastern state of Borno is remembered more for its hea t. Bu t for some one coming from the equally hot North West, the heat should pose no problems. However, the four years spent in com parati vely temper ate Zaria, on the southern tip of the nor th we st, had ‘weakened my immunity’ to hea t. Ma idugu ri po sed ini tially ch allen ges but then, I quickly adjusted and roused myself to the reality on the g round . No t tha t I had any choic e, anyway: I was in town for the man dato ry o ne y ear nat iona l se rvic e after graduating from university. That was in 1981. Maiduguri of those days was , lik e any aver age Nige rian tow n, where you could go out to catch some fun , if you are the adv entu rous typ e, t ill the wee hours of the morning. And fun was a lways in abu ndance in M aidugu ri. Ind eed, one of th e ma jor attractions of Maiduguri for mos t fun lover s was the daily rendezvous at various joi nts w here you get traditional Sudanese music aplenty. A trip to Maiduguri

While military action may quell the eruption of violence and killings in the northern part of the country, effective civil action to tackle poverty is needed to rebuild a lasting peace, writes Abdulrazaq Magaji. the n would be i ncomplete with out a visit to som e of these tourist attractions the tow n bo asted of. No B oko Har am, n o gun -tott ing security personnel kicking down doors in hot pursuit of insurgents; and you need not ste al glances acr oss y our sho ulde r, be cause nob ody was laying ambush to spill you r blo od in the stra nge belief that murder was the cer tific ate t o un lock the doors of paradise. But then, there was more to Maiduguri than the love for tra ditio nal S udan ese music or mere adventure or any of those things capable of catc hing the fan cy o f a young man. One thing that struck me early in the day was the hea lthy mix of religion and ethnicity. Like Maiduguri, the state capital, other towns in the northern par t of the sta te c ould be termed, for want of a better adj ecti ve, p redom inan tly Islam an d Mus lim. The southern part which is home to indige nous Christ ian populations of the state, and, indeed, there are m any of the m, enj oyed and st ill

scene of a Boko Haram bomb attack in Maiduguri, Borno state.1

enj oys a goo d mix of indigenous Muslims. Which exp lains why M aidugu ri, the state capital has a large concentration of indigenous Chr istia ns as well as Christian settlers from other parts of the country. No one was threatened on account of religion or ethnicity. On a personal note, top on the list of long sta ndin g fr iend s I made in Maiduguri 30 years ago , and who I still relate wit h, ar e no n-Mus lim ind igene s of Born o sta te. Unt il th ree y ears ago, no resident of this beautiful city cou ld h ave i magin ed t hat Maiduguri would be turned on its head. How sad! Under our very eyes and, Maiduguri and other towns in the nort h ea st h ave changed from places where first timers felt at home into a h uge killing field wh ere you visit at great risk. Young graduates deployed to Borno sta te, s ome o f wh om, like myself 31 years ago, would hav e cons idere d open ing shop there, have now been den ied that chanc e. L ast year, youth corps members dep loye d the re w ere

Governor of Borno state, Kashim Shettima

hur ried ly ev acuat ed. The scheme has been suspended in Borno and the adjoining

Yob e. An other hurr ied evacuation took place at the Uni vers ity o f Mai dugu ri, whi ch s erved as our orientation camp 30 years ag o, w hen scar ed administrators were forced to send stu dent s ho me. The se e vacu atio ns w ere nec essi tated by r epea ted threats by some people that claim Western education is sinful. The main fall-out of the pov erty d riven viole nce acr oss t he no rth is th at, today, it is constantly on the rad ar o f sec urity age nts because some people, on the mis placed assu mption of fighting the cause of Allah and Islam, could th row bombs at worshippers. The ups urge in an archy in hit herto peac eful and harmonious Maiduguri and other parts of the north east, in spit e of a s tate of emergen cy, has got to the stage that some traditional, religious and politi cal leaders who summoned the cou rage t o con demn t his dea dly a nd m ispla ced cam paign wer e dub bed apo state s and killed. The killing of Modu Fannami, a colleagu e in the 1 981 Gra duat ing C lass of Ahm adu Bello Univ ersi ty,

Zar ia a nd g over nors hip candidate of the All Nigeria Peo ple’s Part y (AN PP) quickly comes to mind. Other moderate voices, for fear of bei ng ki lled, took the c ue: they either c lammed up or hur ried ly sn eaked out of

town. Som e ind ivid uals and gro ups h ave t aken the initiative to get round the problem. One group, now mor ibund , goe s by the acronym, BELT, or Borno Eld ers a nd Le aders of Thought. Hurriedly formed to find a political solution to the an archy and m ade up of s ome of t he m ost authentic patriots you can get in the land, BELT, for very obvious reasons, never fou nd it appro priate to condemn the curious style pro pagat ing Islam , a religion of peace, through non peaceful means. Peace will return to the north east but not on the terms and conditions set by BELT and similar groups. It will also not come on the terms an d condit ions set by gun w ield ing rev ivalis ts. L ike ot her Nigerians, they may have one grous e or the ot her aga inst the state or its agents but the idea of taking up arms , os tens ibly to Islamise Nige ria, issu ing ult imat ums, killing inn ocent citi zens and creating a fear and terror induced atmosphere is the lea st of the opti ons ava ilab le to the aver age Nigerian to seek redress. As it is today, there is no state in the so ca lled ‘Mus lim nor th’ that has no nonMuslims who are indigenous to that state. It is even safe to say that Borno has the largest indigenous nonMuslim population of any state in the entire Muslim north. Killing them and

Dasuki Sambo, National Security Adviser (NSA)

Joint Task Force (JTF) soldiers on patrol in Maiduguri

bombing their places of worship is not a passport to paradise. And for those who may, for some reasons, be inclined to suicide bombing as a way of pressing their case, it is assumed we all know the clear Quranic injunctions that talk of an abode in the hottest part of hell for those

who take their own lives. We are not even talking of taking the life of others, be they Muslims or non Muslims. Mark my words! Sooner or later, the military will succeed in dislodging the Boko Haram, kill or arrest its leadership and disperse what remains of its followership. But this will not restore peace, be it lasting or short lived. Real peace, which will guarantee the regular pilgrimage of those of us with strong emotional attachment to Borno and her wonderful residents, will come through pro-poor developmental programmes that will take the wind out of the sail of potential trouble makers and render violence less appealing. With the right leaders, Nigeria has all it takes to keep potential insurgents out of business and reverse the foolish but avoidable march towards becoming a failed state. This is certainly impossible when the treasury has been hijacked and is being mindlessly looted by a privileged few. Abdulrazaq Magaji is a writer, journalist and former history lecturer, living in Abuja, Nigeria. He can be reached at magaji777@yahoo.com

Boko Haram’s leader, late Mohammed Yusuf

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 26

By Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde

ontrarily, the Qur’an calls mankind to reason. A practical demonstration of that is that acceptance of its message should be based on conviction, not compulsion. (2:256) After conviction and acceptance, the Qur’an exhorts people to knowledge (96:1,3) and contemplation (34:46) as its message is meant for people who know (41:3) and for the purpose of reasoning (43:3). Through contemplation over its verses, human reason is guided and accorded an infinite scope. In as much as faith is required in following the arguments of the Qur’an (27:86), reasoning (30:28) and knowledge (29:32) are also necessary. Thus the Truth of revelation serves as a light for human reason in the darkness of human ignorance while at the same time preventing it from straying away in the wilderness of ignorance of the past and the uncertainties of future. The Qur’an lucidly puts this in form of a question: “Can he who was dead, to whom We gave life, and a Light whereby he can walk amongst men, be like him who is in the depths of darkness from which he can never come out?” (6:122). Another aspect of the comprehensiveness of the Qur’an is how it makes man an integral part of the universe with guidelines and goals that run in harmony with those of other creations. Man is no longer alone living in wilderness, wondering whether there is any creation living elsewhere or not. He is not the species that destroys the environment for his mere luxury; neither is he the inventor of weapons of “mass destruction.” This peculiarity of the teachings of the Qur’an has made Islamic civilization distinct. The harmony, though, is not surprising because God in Islam, “is the Lord of all creations” (1:2), and “It is He Who is God in heaven and God on earth and He is full of Wisdom and Knowledge.” (43:84). Fifthly and finally, the Qur’an brought to humanity a true message of liberation from all forces of subjugation. In ideology it freed it from doctrines that are based on class interest or bias, hate or affinity, as exemplified recently by communism and ethnocentric creeds like Caste System, Nazism, Apartheid and, of recent especially, ethnic cleansing. Nothing like this was ever witnessed under Muslim civilization in various part of the planet. It also liberated mankind from spiritual exploitation by other people in the name of idolatry or priesthood. Finally, it liberated it from class domination.. The rich, the leader and the commoners share the same law. Unlike in other civilizations, like the Roman civilization, there is no law for the Romans and another for other peoples under the empire; there is also no law for England and another for the colonies; or as we are witnessing in the aftermath of September 11, a law for American citizens and another for foreigners. The kalimah, the epitome of Tauheed (monotheism) with which we are admitted into the fold of Islam, is a declaration of equality between all humans and that only God deserves obedience. By policies such as abolition of usury (interest), the establishment of Zakat, fair wages and gradual phasing out of slavery, distributive inheritance

Ramadan (III)

called al-Anfal. God has promised Muslims a choice, in compensation for their looted wealth in Mecca, between a caravan of 40 unarmed unbelievers returning from Syria and the booty of a battle with 1000 men from

Holy Kaaba, Makkah based on divinely fixed ratios, not on the wish of the deceased, etc, the means of economic exploitation and amassing wealth by the individual to the detriment of the society were blocked. Under its creed of liberation, it fought many battles in order to break the backbone of human subjugation. This earned it numerous enemies, past and present. This is the challenge that the Qur’an put before People of the Book – Jews and Christians and which they could not meet: “Say: “O people of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but God; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords and patrons other than God…” (3:64). When they refused and resorted to conspiracies against Islam, eight years later God accused them of polytheism: “They take their priests and their authorities to be their lords in derogation of God, and (they take as their Lord) Christ the son of Mary; yet they were commanded to worship but One God: there is no God but He. Praise and glory to Him: (Far is He) from having the partners they associate (with Him). Fain would they extinguish God’s Light with their mouth, but God will not allow but that His Light should be perfected…” (9:31) The peculiarities of the Qur’an in terms of its effect on our lives are too many to be exhausted here. Let us make do with the five discussed above. Now for the Qur’an, containing all the above peculiarities, to be revealed in Ramadan is a special status accorded to the month. Every year it comes round to remind us of its teaching. No wonder therefore that the Qur’an is most read during

the month either as personal recitation, or as in commentary session or during the taraweeh or Qiyam. I used to ask why, not until I realized that God chose Ramadan for its revelation and the Prophet himself used to revise it before Gabriel every year during Ramadan. Every year therefore Ramadan offers us the opportunity to learn more about the Qur’an, check the strength of our memorization of its text, in addition to the abundant reward of recitation. This is a gift that no other month has given us and which no other religion can provide its adherents.

plundered. Many times the faithful were eager to retaliate. But God knew their position and, for the long-term strategy of the Message and the spiritual training they were undergoing, they were denied any permission to revenge throughout those thirteen years but to concentrate on prayers and Charity (4:77) After their migration to Medina, permission was granted for the sake of defence and for the larger objectives of liberation of mankind and freedom of religion: “To those whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are

“

To those whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; - and verily, God is Most Powerful fro their aid; (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right, - (for no cause) except that they say, “Our Lord is God Victory On the 17th of Ramadan, the first year of Hijrah, the month presented another gift to Muslims that was decisive to the establishment of Islam. That was the day the famous Battle of Badr took place. Badr was a turning point in the history of Islam. In the preceding thirteen years Muslims have suffered persecution in the hands of the Arab autocracy in Mecca. They have been tortured, exiled and killed. They were economically boycotted and when they fled to Medina their wealth was

wronged; - and verily, God is Most Powerful fro their aid; (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right, - (for no cause) except that they say, “Our Lord is God.” Did not God check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of God is commemorated…” (22:39-40). Badr was to be the first major encounter between Muslims and their opponents. Details of the battle is given in chapter eight of the Qur’an

Mecca: “Behold, God promised you one of the two (enemy) parties, that it should be yours: ye wished that the one unarmed should be yours but God willed to justify the Truth according to His words and to cut the roots of the unbelievers; that He might justify Truth and prove Falsehood false, distasteful thou it be to those in guilt.” (8:7-8) The Muslims thus came out with only 313 soldiers, lightly armed, and nothing else but their faith. On the other hand, the Meccans gathered an army of a thousand soldiers and over 100 horses. They left their homes “insolently and to be seen of men, and to hinder (men) from the path of God.” (8:47) They were allured by Satan who assured them, saying, “No one among men can overcome you this day, while I am near you.” (8:48) The Prophet sought the help of God and he promptly got it: “a thousand of the angels, ranks on ranks” (8:10), a light sleep that gave them calm and a rain that purified them from the stains of Satan and gave them anchorage (8:11). The decisive victory of Badr demystified the Arab aristocracy and opened the route to other victories culminating during the lifetime of the Prophet with the Conquest of Mecca. Within a decade Arabian idolatrous nobility was crushed forever, sinking along with it the influence and conspiracies of Jews and Christians in the peninsula together with their monopoly over revelation, literacy, knowledge and weapon industry. The Prophet was ordered to announce the flight of falsehood: “And say: “The Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by it nature) bound to perish.” (17:81) Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde is a renowned columnist based in Jos

PAGE 27

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Kebbi sets up school for people living with disabilities

ebbi State Government has established a new school for people living with disabilities in its bid to address street begging in the state. The principal of the school, Malam Umar Aliyu, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday. According to him, attendance has not reached the desired level especially by the blind adding that deaf pupils were more committed to learning than the blind ones who preferred street begging. “The policy of free education is being enjoyed by people living with disabilities, recently government has sponsored a blind student for studies in Australia,” he said. He said 700 students had been catered for by the state and that their education from primary to tertiary institution within and outside the country had been sustained. Aliyu called on parents of the physically-challenged to allow their children to benefit from the policy as that would benefit the society in the long run. (NAN)

Kano govt plans teaching hospital for new university

ov. Rabi’u Kwankwaso of Kano State said the state may convert the Murtala Muhammad Teaching Hospital and the new diagnostic centre, constructed by Pfizer into teaching hospitals for the newly created state university. A statement signed by the Director of Press and Communication at the Government House, Malam Halilu Dantiye, quoted the governor as speaking while receiving a progress report on the construction of the centre. He said that the centre was being built as compensation to the state for the Trovan test tragedy which settlement was effected recently. Kwankwaso revealed that the state’s Northwest University would benefit it immensely in terms of research and training. The statement also indicated that the governor was looking at the possibility of converting the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital into a teaching hospital as well. NAN reports that the committee charged with the responsibility of overseeing the construction of the new diagnostic centre has said that the centre would be completed in the next few weeks. (NAN)

L-R: Chairman Board of Trustee, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETF), Dr. Musa Babayo, Executive Secretary of TETF, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Major- General Chukwuemeka Onwuamaegbu, and former Commandant of NDA, Major-General Abel Alkali, during the monitoring and commissioning of special TETF projects at the weekend in Kaduna.

JAMB approves supplementary admissions for 5 new courses T By Maryam Garba Hassan

he Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, announced that the board had approved supplementary admissions for five new courses at University of Agriculture, Makurdi. A statement by the Public Relations Officer of JAMB, Mr Timothy Oyedeji, in Abuja, said Ojerinde made the announcement at the Council Chamber of the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi.

According to the statement, the board would immediately commence the process of admissions for the new courses. It added that the five new courses approved for admissions in the university’s College of Management are B.Sc Marketing and Co-operatives, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Ojerinde added that JAMB would ensure that only qualified candidates were offered admission to the five courses, thus increasing the carrying capacity of the institution.

Ojerinde who described the proposed Computer-Based Testing as “the best thing to happen in the conduct of public examination in Nigeria”, added that the proposed ComputerBased Testing slated for 2013, would ensure that the university, as an eexamination centre, improves its ICT facilities to meet the required standards. The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Daniel Vershima Uza, thanked the JAMB Registrar for the visit and commended the good working relationship between the two institutions, the

Nigeria’s attendance at World University championships shaky — NUGA

he organisers of the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) FUTSAL Championship on Friday made a passionate appeal to Public and Privately-owned organisations in the country to assist its budding talents. The body’s Secretary, Bola Orodele, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that NUGA FUTSAL was still searching for funds to enable its players to participate in the World University Championships. “We are still looking for money; we have been requesting and appealing since the maiden edition was held in July, that we need the assistance of corporate organisations.

“Without money, we cannot go for the competition and this is the first time we will have the opportunity to go for the World tourney,” he said. NAN reports that the 13th World University Championships is scheduled to hold from Aug. 19 to Aug. 25 at the University of Minho in Braga, Portugal. Nigeria will be participating in the WUC for the first time and 26 players were selected at the maiden NUGA FUTSAL Championships held from July 9 to July 11 in Lagos. Meanwhile, Harry Balogun, General Manager, Funturf International, one of the organisers, has urged potential sponsors to assist the association

to actualise its objective of showcasing the prowess of its FUTSAL talents. “It is a big challenge trying to source for funds because Funturf came up with this idea that our students should also participate, but we are still not getting any response. “I don’t want to sound pessimistic, but if we don’t get any response soon enough, the hopes of the organisers, the discovered talents and their coaches will be dashed. “It will make history that our university students participated in the championships because Five-A-Side is a relatively new sport in Nigeria,” he added. (NAN)

statement added. The statement further stated that the Chairman of the Governing Council of the university and the Chairman of the University Council, Mr. Emmanuel Toro, promised the council’s support for the improvement of ICT facilities as required by JAMB.

UNIBEN tops in Webometrics Varsities ranking

he Webometrics ranking of world Universities carried out in July has placed the University of Benin (UNIBEN) first in Nigeria and 31st in Africa. A statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of UNIBEN, Mr Harris Osarenre, at the weekend said, UNIBEN took the lead in the Webometrics ranking in January this year. The statement added that the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, came second while the University of Ibadan came third in the ranking. However, the statement did not mention the criteria used in the ranking. According to the statement, the Vice Chancellor of UNIBEN Prof. Osayuki Oshodi, said he will strive to make the institution the best in the country.

PAGE 28

5 students protesting death of colleague hit by truck

ive students of the Federal College of Education, Osiele in Abeokuta, were injured when an articulated vehicle ran into them on Friday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the students were protesting the death of their colleague and set five articulated vehicles ablaze in the area. The Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in Ogun, ASP. Muyiwa Adejobi, told NAN that the students had been taken to hospital. Adejobi said the truck, conveying granite, was coming from a quarry on the Ibadan Abeokuta expressway when it ran into the students close to the gate of their institution at about 5.30 p.m. “The students had been burning discarded tyres on the highway leading to the town and this made movement of persons and vehicles difficult for about an hour. ” The PPRO said the protest was hijacked by miscreants who looted some shops and harassed “As I speak, our men are on ground to maintain law and order. People should go about their normal business without fear,” he said. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

UNDP decries dearth of data on public school enrolment in Nigeria By Maryam Garba Hassan

he Country Director of the UNDP in Nigeria, Mrs. Ade Lekoetje, has expressed concerns over the unavailability of reliable data for public schools enrolment in the country. Lekoetje who said this development is hampering assistance efforts by the UN, made the observation on Thursday in Abuja, when she paid a courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Muhammed Modibbo. The country director however

lamented that UNDP observed that at the state and national levels only statistics on school attendance are on ground adding that the global economic crunch had necessitated the need for UNDP to monitor its intervention programmes, particularly in developing nations. ‘As record keepers of the activities of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), it was relevant that there was access to information to any of the MDAs at any point”, she said. Lekoetje added that the UN was

concerned that the dropout rate for basic education in the country was slightly on the increase. “We discovered upon our arrival that there is the problem of statistics in the public schools in this county. We want to know the baseline for which we can assist,” she said. Responding, Modibbo decried the exit of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) in the funding of primary and secondary education adding that the Federal Government had approved the expansion of the mandate of the commission to incorporate secondary education and that the

executive is on the process of forwarding a bill to the National Assembly to amend the Act establishing the commission,” he said. According to him, this development is as a result of the clamours by some interest groups for the establishment of a separate commission to cater for secondary based education. He noted that budgetary appropriation for each state in 2012 was N852 million but states were required to provide their counterpart fund before they could assess the intervention grants.

Bayelsa to give automatic employment to Izon language graduates

he Bayelsa government on Friday said that graduates of Izon language would be given automatic employment by the State Government. The state’s Commissioner for Culture and Ijaw National Affairs, Dr Felix Tuodolo, made the announcement at an orientation programme for diploma students of Izon language at the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), Amassoma. According to him, the gesture is to encourage the teaching of Izon in both primary and secondary schools in the state. He said that to popularise the Izon Language Project, the study of the language as a full-fledged course would commence at the Centre for Niger Delta Studies at the NDU next academic session. Tuodolo said that graduates of the Izon Language School would be awarded national diploma at the end of the programme. To underscore government’s seriousness in the project, he said that candidates who enrolled at the Izon Language School at the NDU would be offered scholarship throughout their study. He also said that Gov. Seriake Dickson was passionate about the study of Izon and the propagation of Izon culture. The commissioner said that everything possible would be done to ensure the success of the Izon Language Project. (NAN)

L-R: National President, Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Michael Alogba, FRCN presenter, Mr. Yahaya Umar, Secretary General of NUT, Obong Ikpe Johnny Obong, and NUT National Treasurer, Dr. Nasir Muhammed, during the union "State of the Nation's Education Sector" life radio programme, recently in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

UBEC boss tasks faith-based organisations on quality education By Maryam Garba Hassan

he Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr Muhammad Modibbo,), has challenged faithbased organisations on the delivery of quality education in the country. He made the call in Abuja while receiving members of the women wing of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in his office. He said that he has been looking for the opportunity to interface with major faith-based organisations on education which he said is the responsibility of all adding that government

alone cannot take responsibility for education. “We must bring everybody interested in partnering with government in the development of the education sector together and I strongly believe that without religious inclinations, we will not achieve the desired result”, he said. According to him, the support and partnership between faithbased organisations and government was necessary for the immediate transformation of the education sector adding that there were a lot of challenges that destroyed the education system in the country. Modibbo further explained that the Education Research

Development Council recently clarified their position on a misconception that Islam and Christian religions had been marginalized in the new curriculum. According to him, the new curriculum had taken into consideration the need for children to undertake faithbased lessons to enable them have a better grasp of basic education delivery. “Before now, we did not have inter-religious crises, something somewhere is prompting what is happening in the country. This is definitely outside religion since the two major religions preach peace and this is what education is about,” he said.

Modibbo pledged the UBEC’s support for the association’s initiatives aimed at improving the quality of education delivery in the country. Earlier, the acting National Chairperson of the Association, Mrs. Leah Solomon, said that the association was in UBEC to seek partnership in pursuance of improved standard of education in the country and to seek for the financial assistance of the board for its school project. She however commended UBEC’s commitment in providing access to quality education and conducive learning environment for schools in all states of the federation.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 29

World Breastfeeding Week: Doubts, misinformation persist By C. Onyebuchi Chukwu

orld Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is celebrated in over 170 countries in the world from 1 st - 7 th August every year. As the greatest outreach vehicle for the protection, promotion, and support of breastfeeding including optimal Infant and young child feeding practices, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) launched its first WBW campaign with the theme: “Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative” 20 years ago. Following the Innocent Declaration of 1990, UNICEF/ WHO launched the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFI) in June 1991 to combat malnutrition and other related conditions that lead to increasing rate of infant and young child morbidity and mortality. Innocent Declaration of 1990 had 4 targets but in 2002, the joint development of Global strategy for infant and Young child feeding set additional targets for reaffirmation. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Understanding the Past- Planning the Future: celebrating 10 years of WHO/UNICEF’s Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding”; the week-long event has the Slogan” Save the Child, Give breast milk.” The week is expected to monitor the implementation status of global strategy on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) at national, state and community levels as to recall what has happened in the past

20 years in order to celebrate successes/achievements and to showcase the country’s work at global level, while calling for action to bridge the gaps in IYCF policy implementation through reinforcement of public enlightenment for better commitments from government, policy makers, stakeholders, and mothers/ caregivers. I can say that Nigeria is on track in promoting optimal IYCF practices: Some of our intense activities since 2010 till date include: • Assessment of 96 designated Breast Feeding Health Facilities (BFHF) in 12 States (Edo, Anambra, Delta, Imo, Ogun, Yobe, Lagos, Benue, Kaduna, Borno and Zamfara) • Inauguration of Breast Feeding Support Groups (BFSG) in the Federal Teaching Hospitals of the 12 States. • Training of 360 Health workers on the10 steps of Successful Breastfeeding. • Dissemination of the updated IYCF policy, guidelines and training manuals which has led to the capacity development of 50 master trainers in the northern and southern parts of the country on Community IYCF. • Integration of IYCF in the curriculum of the schools of Medical, Nursing and midwifery curriculum in Nigeria. • Training of Code watchers on Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes (BMS) at all their offices by NAFDAC, thereby enforcing the regulation on Codecompliance as well as sanctioning violators. • The establishment of crèches

Health Minister, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu

in workplaces as a support to working mothers and provision of flexible working breaks for mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for 6 months. Now that all eyes are on Nigeria as a member of Scale Up Nutrition (SUN) movement, President Goodluck Jonathan being a CoChair for Contraceptive Logistics Management System and the Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a member of the UN Lead group for Malnutrition Control, we should deliver on our commitments in order to realize our MDG targets as well as Vision 20:2020. We need to re-educate our mothers, sisters, and wives, many of whom have been misinformed on the principles of infant and young child feeding. We therefore need to reinforce their knowledge and help them to overcome any subsisting doubt

about their ability to feed the baby solely from breasts within the first 6 months, without even water. The support from all of us may be as official as providing crèches in workplaces and enforcing regulations on the provision of crèches in work places and on maternity leave to female employees, or as simple and personal as support with house chores to reduce workload for breast feeding mothers Our infants and young children need support from families, friends and the community to survive, grow and to develop their God-given potentials in life. In the same vein, a mother needs support to breastfeed and ensure optimal feeding practices for her children’s growth and development. As soon as an infant attains 6 months of age, adequate age-appropriate complementary food that is

locally sourced can be added to the breastfeed while baby continues to breastfeed till 2 years or beyond. The advantages of this optimal IYCF practices is enormous. In line with the 20years commemoration of WBW, 10 years of Global strategy of IYCF development and the global leadership of Nigeria in several UN initiatives, all national, state and Local Government policy makers are urged to give Nutrition a budget line in their capital vote. Private sectors and individuals are called to increase their support to mothers/ caregivers in achieving the gold standard of optimal infant and young child feeding practices, as to enable us realize and sustain our MDG targets through this high impact, low-cost intervention. C.O. Onyebuchi Chukwu is Nigeria’s Minister of Health

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Breastfeeding and Ramadan P

regnant or lactating women’s needs for energy and nutrients are more critical than the similar needs of men. There is also a possibility of health complications to the pregnant woman and the fetus or the lactating mother and the breastfed child if these energy and nutrient requirements are not met. Scientific facts on breastfeeding Research tells us that shortterm fasting (not eating) will not decrease milk supply, but that severe dehydration can decrease milk supply. There have been a few studies on short-term fasting and breastfeeding. Prentice et. al. studied women in West Africa who were fasting for Ramadan (no food or fluids between 5:00 am and 7:30 pm) and found that milk volume was not affected but milk composition did change to a certain extent. The researchers noted that the women appeared to super-hydrate themselves overnight when fluids were allowed to lessen daytime dehydration. The breastfeeding woman’s body appears to make several metabolic adaptations during short-term fasting to ensure that milk production is not affected. Keep in mind that for mothers who have sugar metabolism problems (diabetes or hypoglycemia) or other health problems; fasting could be risky (for mom). Breast feeding - fasting exemptions Muslim women who are pregnant or breastfeeding may be exempt from fasting if they feel that their health or the baby’s health would be By Fahmida Hashem

abies who are exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life contract significantly fewer infections than babies fed from bottles, and get less sick even when they do get infected, according to a study published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood. “This research is very welcome and adds to the growing weight of evidence about the many benefits of breastfeeding,” said Janet Fyle of the United Kingdom’s Royal College of Midwives. Researchers followed 926 new mothers and their infants for the first 12 months, tracking infections and breastfeeding habits. All participants lived in Greece and had access to highquality health care throughout the study. In contrast with the low breastfeeding rates found in the United States, 91 per cent of infants in the study were exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life (as recommended by all major world health bodies). These infants were significantly less likely to

negatively affected by the fasting. The mother may be expected to compensate for the missed fasting at a later time or pay some expiation for not fasting. Since health issues are unique for each woman’s circumstances, do consult both your doctor and your religious advisor if you feel that you might have health issues that preclude fasting. Pregnant and breastfeeding

women have special permission not to fast during Ramadan if they feel that they or their babies will be harmed by it, but they are not prohibited from fasting if they feel they can definitely handle it. Health should be the prime consideration in deciding whether or not to fast. Take the fast one day at a time: it is not a competition with others but an act of worship.

Dietary recommendations The body has regulatory mechanisms that activate during fasting. There is efficient utilization of body fat. Basal metabolism slows down during Ramadan fasting. Hence, there is no need to consume excess food at iftar, dinner or sehri. During Ramadan increased gastric acidity is often noticed, exhibiting itself with symptoms

such as a burning feeling and heaviness in the stomach, and sour mouth. Thus, dietary fiber helps reduce gastric acidity and excess bile acids, prevents constipation. Consume sufficient vegetables at meals. Vegetables are a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, carotene, lycopenes, and other phytochemicals, which are antioxidants. Meat and beans are a good source of protein, minerals, and certain vitamins. Beans are a good source of dietary fiber, as well. Whole wheat bread, oat cereal or cooked rice are a good source of complex carbohydrates, and also are a good source of energy, some protein, minerals and dietary fiber. Fruits are a good source of dietary fiber. Intake of fruits after a meal is also strongly suggested. Drink sufficient water (not soft-drinks) to avoid dehydration. Fresh fruits and vegetable juice and soup help maintain water and mineral balance in the body. Milk and dairy products are good sources of protein and calcium, which are essential for body tissue maintenance and several physiological functions. The body’s immediate need at the time of iftar is to get instant energy for body functioning, particularly the brain and nerve cells. Dates and juices are good sources of sugars. 3-4 dates should be sufficient to bring low blood glucose levels to normal levels. Avoid spicy foods. Avoid caffeine drinks such as coke, coffee or tea. Besides being a diuretic, a sudden decrease in caffeine also can prompt headache, mood swings and irritability. Source: www.beautybeyondbreast.com

Breastfeeding boosts infant immunity more than vaccines acquire infections during their first year than infants who had been bottle fed, or who had been fed both breast milk and formula. When breast-fed children did contract infections, their illness was less severe than that experienced by bottle-fed children. These associations remained strong even after adjusting for potentially confounding factors including number of siblings or tobacco smoke exposure. “Mothers should be advised by health professionals that in addition to all the other benefits, exclusive breastfeeding helps prevent infections in babies and lessens the frequency and severity of infectious episodes,” the researchers wrote. Although health experts agree that breastfeeding is best for mothers and infants, mothers in many nations still face many obstacles to exclusive

breastfeeding, including short maternity leaves and even social stigma. “We know that breastfeeding is the default method of infant feeding for babies; good for mothers and good for the health of the nation,” Fyle said. “That is why we need to continue our efforts to ensure that we maintain a high rate of breastfeeding in the United Kingdom ... and to move away from some of the outdated and negative stigma that is depressingly still attached to it, specifically breastfeeding in public.” World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year from August 01 to 07 in more than 170 countries to encourage breastfeeding and improve the health of babies around the world. In Bangladesh, there are many surveys (government and private) conducted on breast

feeding programmes. Data from a national survey entitled “Surveillance on Breastfeeding and Weaning Situation and Child and Maternal Health in Bangladesh” were used to investigate the exclusive breastfeeding practice and to examine the factors having influence on child nutrition. Information was collected from mothers of 2,781 children between 0 and 24 months of age. It was found that 16 per cent of women still exclusively breastfed their children for less than 6 months. Of the children 38.1 per cent were stunted and 38 per cent were under weight for their age. Overall, 46 per cent of children were suffering from diseases. On the occasion of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012 - RIO+20 - in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 22 WABA (world

alliance for breast feeding ) in collaboration with partner IBFAN (International Baby food Action Network) produced a poster (the earth is our mother) to stress the fact that ‘The Earth - Our Mother - is in crisis!’ and ‘Over 20 years of evidence has shown how infant formula production, packaging and use are adding to this crisis and affect on breast feeding!’ We have a healthy, viable, nonpolluting, non-resource intensive, and natural alternative in breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a valuable natural world resource that is under threat from formula companies. We need to protect, promote and support breastfeeding in every country. So, feed the future. The writer is assistant coordinator, Nutrition unit of Eminence. fahmida@eminence-xxbd.org

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

ANALYSIS By Charles Onunaiju he forum on China-Africa co-operation (FOCAC), a collective consultative and dialogue mechanism between China and Africa, set up by the two sides in 2000, held its 5th ministerial conference in China's capital, Beijing for two days between the 19th and 20th of July. At the Great Hall of the people, adjoining the legendary Tiananmen Square, venue of the two day gathering between Chinese leaders and their African counterparts, Chinese President Mr Hu Jintao declared that "since the past 12 years since the founding of the forum, member states, maintaining unity and working together have made important progress in strengthening the mechanism of co-operation. The conference, themed, "build on past achievements and open up new prospects for the new type of China-Africa Strategic partnership", drew heavily from the satisfaction expressed by members in the joint declaration noting that all past commitments in the practical steps to deepen co-operation between the two sides were fully achieved. Since the past three years, China has maintained the momentum of Africa's largest trading partner with a total trade worth of 166.3 billion U.S dollars, three times, the figure in 2006. According to President Hu Jintao in his opening address, cumulative Chinese direct investment in Africa has exceeded 15 billion US dollars, with projects covering 50 countries. The African Union's Conference Centre and office complex built by China has been handed over while China's assistance to African has been growing steadily. The conference noted that at the last count, China has built over 100 schools, 30 hospitals, 30 anti-malaria centres, 20 agricultural technology demonstration centres in Africa and has fulfilled the commitment of providing 15 billion U.S dollars of a preferential lending nature to countries in the continent. Further appraising the dynamics of Sino-African cooperation, the conference noted that China and Africa have stepped up co-operation in people to people contacts and cultural exchanges which featured activities as Chinese/ African cultures in Focus, Joint Research and exchange plan, think-tanks Forum, people Forum and young leaders Forum. In addition to these activities, China has trained close to 40,000 African personnel in various sectors and provided over 20,000 government scholarships to African countries, while twenty pairs of leading Chinese and African universities have entered into cooperation under the 20+20 co-operation plan for Chinese and African

PAGE 31

Beijing summit on China/Africa: Widening the horizons of engagement institutions of higher learning. Against this background President Hu Jintao told the conference that "facts have shown that the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership is the result of continuous growth of the traditional friendship between the two sides. It meets the fundamental interests of China and Africa and conforms to the global trend of peace, development and cooperation". According to him, "the forging of this partnership has inaugurated a new momentum to China-Africa exchanges and co-operation" and he further expressed confidence that "the new type of China-Africa strategic partnership will embrace an even brighter future". Unfolding a package of practical co-operation in the next three years, the Chinese president announced that the government "will take measures in five priority areas to support the cause of peace and development in Africa and boast a new type of ChinaAfrica strategic partnership. The first measure is to expand co-operation in investment and financing to support sustainable development in Africa. To this end, the Chinese government will shell out a whopping 20 billion U.S dollars of credit line to African countries to assist them in developing infrastructure agriculture, manufacturing and small and medium-sized enterprises. These critical sectors that would receive China's concessional financing are generally acknowledged as the potential key drivers to any meaningful and sustainable economic development in Africa. Observers generally believed that Beijing has through this initiative touch on the fundamentals of Africa's development challenge. Secondly, China would increase assistance to Africa to bring the benefits of development to the African people and to this end; China would build more agricultural technology demonstration centres to increase production capacity. China also pledge to implement African talents programme through which it will train 30,000 personnel in

various sectors, offers 18,000 government scholarships and build cultural and vocational skills training facilities in African countries. Among further measures to be taken in this regard, China would send 1,500 medical personnel to Africa to provide free treatment for cataract patients and also help African countries enhance capacity building in meteorological infrastructure and forest protection and management and continue to carry out well-drilling and water supply projects to provide safe drinking water for the African people. Thirdly, China will support African integration process and help Africa enhance capacity for overall development through establishing a partnership with Africa on transnational and transregional infrastructural development. The fourth priority would be to boost and enhance people-topeople friendship and to this effect, China set up a ChinaAfrica press exchange centre" in China to encourage exchanges and visits between Chinese and African media and exchange of correspondents by media organizations of the two sides. And the fifth priority would be to promote peace and stability in Africa's development through the 'initiative on China-Africa cooperative partnership for peace and security through which China would provide financial support for the A.U peace keeping missions in Africa and the development of the African standby force. The United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Kimoon, who attended the conference, called ChinaAfrican forum a good example of south-south co-operation, enjoining African leaders to learn from China's experience in its economic growth and social development. Tanzania's foreign minister, Mr Bernard Mbembe, who led his country's delegation, called China the greatest ally of the continent of Africa, noting, "no matter whether a country was devastated by civil war, drought, floods or diseases, the Chinese will be their" President Jacob Zuma of

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Chinese President Mr Hu Jintao South Africa hailed the African-China new type partnership saying that it is the first ever of such international partnership to bring concrete benefits to Africa. Chinese foreign minister, Mr. Yang Jiechi told a news conference that the fifth ministerial conference had been a huge success and that the "package, covering investment, aid, social development, African integration, non-official contact, peace and security is more much broader and richer in content than before". A crucial and significant aspect of the Forum on ChinaAfrica co-operation, since its establishment in 2000 has been to enunciate practical items of co-operation within a specific period, usually a three year interval between one conference and another and a dutiful and prompt fulfilment of all specified items within the period outlined or even earlier. However, while the SinoAfrica co-operation has received resounding regards for its practical impacts and its

Thirdly, in the priority, China will support African integration process and help Africa enhance capacity for overall development through establishing a partnership with Africa on transnational and transregional infrastructural development.

outstanding feature of political equality and economic winwin framework, Western critics, still at a loss at the success of contemporary Sino-African relations, do their best to pour it a cold water. U.S Secretary of state, Mrs Hillary Clinton at the start of her 11 day Africa tour in Dakar, Senegal claimed without calling China by name that her country is committed to "a model of sustainable partnership that adds value, rather than extract it, adding that "the days of having outsiders come and extract the wealth of Africa for themselves having nothing or very little behind should be over in the 21st century". Still aiming a snippet at Beijing without the courage to call her by name, madam secretary. Who might be making her last call at the continent as Secretary of State said that "America will stand up for democracy and universal human rights even when it might be easier or more profitable to look the other way, to keep the resources flowing, claiming that not every partner makes that choice but we do and we will". However, if this is another tutorial to Africa, she should reread the letter written by Nigeria indefatigable military head of state, General Murtala Mohammed to U.S President, Mr Gerald Ford in 1975, that "Africa has come of age" and know quite well what she wants. At the action-packed Beijing conference last month, Africa's newest state, the Republic of South Sudan and the African Union Commission were formally admitted as members of the Forum on China-African co-operation, FOCAC.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 32

Zambian miners kill Chinese manager during pay protest S.Africa marks 50 years of Mandela's arrest

outh Africa unveiled its latest monument to Nelson Mandela yesterday, a new statue along a rural highway to mark the spot where he was arrested 50 years ago for his struggle against white rule. Mandela, now 94, was arrested as a young liberation fighter on August 5, 1962, near the town of Howick, just months after he founded the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). He had recently returned from a trip across Africa drumming up support for the new Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), or "Spear of the Nation." A modest monument at the site of his arrest was put up in 1996, but it will now be eclipsed by the monumental sculpture made up of 50 steel rods of between five and 10 meters high symbolizing the prison. When viewed from the right angle, a portrait Mandela steers into focus. A makeshift exhibition modelled from the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg - opened at the site last year, pending the construction of a proper museum. A coffee shop and souvenir vendors of beaded Zulu jewellery have already sprung up, as has a picnic spot where people can stage their weddings. South African President Jacob Zuma arrived in Howick, a small picturesque town 90 kilometers (55 miles) from Durban yesterday morning to unveil the monument. Mandela's life on the lam, dodging apartheid police while making appearances across the country, earned him the nickname "Black Pimpernel." He was arrested while traveling illegally to Johannesburg from Durban, where he had briefed ANC leader Albert Luthuli on his trip. Police found him disguised as a driver under the false name of David Motsamayi, in the car of the (white) theater director Cecil Williams.

Miners' pay at Chinese-run mines was lower than at other foreign-owned mines, a 2011 report said

ambian miners have killed a Chinese manager by pushing a mine trolley at him during a riot at a coal mine in the south of the country. A second Chinese was injured, as were several Zambians, during the riot on Saturday.

The workers were on strike at the mine in protest against delays in implementing a new minimum wage. They were angry their wages were lower than a new minimum of $320 (£205) a month paid to shop workers. Zambia's minister of labour

UN agrees aid flights into Sudanese rebel held areas

n agreement has been reached to allow aid to be flown into the South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions of Sudan, where hundreds of thousands of people are critically short of food. The UN, African Union and Arab League signed the deal with SPLM North rebels. But one senior rebel leader, Yassir Arman, said that the flights required Sudanese government approval. Mr Arman said permission for aid to the two areas had been blocked by Khartoum for nearly a year. The agreement was signed in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa late on Saturday. It calls for the immediate establishment of an assessment team to produce a report on conditions in Blue Nile, and in the

Nuba Mountain region of South Kordofan within two weeks. The SPLM North has agreed to an immediate cessation of hostilities to enable the assessment to take place and for the aid flights to get under wa y. Mr Arman said that between 300,000 and 400,000 people were in urgent need of aid. But he told the BBC: "A crossborder operation from Ethiopia and South Sudan would have been more effective than this operation. "This agreement puts the issue of access and sending assistance in the hands of Khartoum, and this is the main weakness of this agreement." The BBC was unable to reach the Sudanese delegation in Ethiopia for comment. Tens of thousands of Sudanese

have fled across the border into South Sudan to escape hunger and fighting. Mortality rates in one refugee

camp in South Sudan, Jamam, are nearly double the threshold for an emergency, the aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres has warned.

Some 120,000 people have fled the conflict in Sudan's Blue Nile state

Peacekeeper funds ‘stolen in Darfur hold-up’

rmed robbers yesterday stole more than $300,000 destined for the African Union-UN peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) in Sudan's troubled

Darfur region, sources familiar with the crime said. It is the latest incident in a recent upsurge of violence in Sudan's vast western region, where African UNAMID peacekeepers on a night patrol in Gereida (South Darfur), in this July 25, 2012 photo.

A sculpture of former South African President Nelson Mandela is presented on August 4, 2012 in Howick, south of Durban.

has gone to the Chinese-owned Collum coal mine in Sinazongwe, 325km (200 miles) south of the capital, Lusaka. "Wu Shengzai, aged 50, has been killed by protesting workers after being hit by a trolley which was pushed towards him by the rioting miners as he ran away

into the underground where he wanted to seek refuge," Southern province police commissioner Fred Mutondo told state news agency, the Zambia News and Information Services. "He died on the spot while his colleague is in hospital." Last year, the Zambian government dropped charges against two Chinese managers accused of attempted murder after they fired on miners at the Collum mine during a pay dispute. Chinese firms own several mines in southern African countries, including coal and copper operations. Copper mining is one of Zambia's main industries, providing nearly three-quarters of the country's exports; many of the mining companies are foreign-owned, and China has invested more than $400m (£250m) in Zambia. A 2011 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that, despite improvements in recent years, safety and labour conditions at Chinese mines were worse than at other foreignowned mines.

rebels first rose up against the Arabdominated Khartoum regime in 2003. UNAMID received reports that a bank vehicle had been robbed by armed men in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, said Christopher Cycmanick, a spokesman for the mission. There were no injuries but the robbers obtained "an undisclosed amount of cash," he said. Sources with knowledge of the crime said the robbers made off with more than $300,000, which was destined for UNAMID. The bank involved, Bank of Khartoum, declined to comment and there was no indication of who might have been responsible. Banditry, inter-ethnic fighting and clashes between rebel groups and government forces continue in

Darfur although violence is much lower than at its peak in 2003 and 2004 when the rebellion began. Last Tuesday in Nyala at least 10 people, many of them high school students, were killed when security forces opened fire during a demonstration against high prices, Amnesty International said. And on Wednesday a district chief died from gunshot wounds when his car was ambushed in Kutum, North Darfur. The next day, armed men began a looting spree that lasted about 12 hours at the offices of the World Food Program in Kutum, the UN agency said. The UNAMID mission has thousands of troops and police, with a budget of about $1.4 billion for 2012-13.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 33

Thousands rally against birth control bill in Philippines

hilippine nuns and priests led thousands of Catholics in a protest in Manila yesterday against a proposed law that would provide free contraceptives in a bid to curb population growth. The protesters, mainly dressed in red, gathered at a Catholic shrine to voice opposition to the planned legislation, which would also encourage families to have only two children in an effort to reduce poverty.

The proposal, which is expected to face a tough time getting through parliament, has angered the influential Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines which has led opposition and called yesterday's protest. Dolly Cruz, a 61-year-old pensioner, attacked the proposal as "contrary to the laws of God." "God gave humans the power of reason to decide what is right and what is wrong for

Some 7,000 Catholic people attend an antireproductive health (RH) bill rally in Manila on Saturday.

themselves," she said. Police estimated the crowd at about 7,000. President Benigno Aquino has strongly backed the law, saying in a statement before the rally that in a situation where couples "are in no position to make an informed judgment, the state has the responsibility to so provide." The Philippines annual birth rate has been steadily declining, but the government points out

that some of the poorest regions have the highest rates. The law would use a government health insurance fund to provide birth control pills, condoms and other contraceptives for free. It would give the poor preferential access to family planning services in state hospitals, while lessons on family planning and sex education would become compulsory in schools and

for couples applying for a marriage licence. The House of Representatives, dominated by Aquino supporters, is expected to pass the bill on Tuesday after failing to do so last year. But the Senate, parliament's upper house, must also pass the law and has come out strongly against it. Both abortion and divorce remain illegal in the predominantly Catholic Philippines.

China slams US over South China Sea criticism

OIC condemns Israel over violation of Palestinians' rights

R-L: President Goodluck Jonathan, discussing with Governor General of Jamaica, Sir. Patrick Allen, durng the Presiden's visit to the governor, on Friday in Kingston.

hina has summoned a US diplomat to protest his government's criticism of a new military garrison in the South China Sea. Zhang Kunsheng, the Chinese assistant foreign minister, summoned Robert S Wang, the deputy chief of the US embassy in Beijing, on Saturday to express displeasure with earlier US comments. The US State Department said on Friday that China's formal establishment of Sansha City, a garrison on a remote island about 350km from the country's southern-most province, was risking an escalation in regional tensions. The garrison, created two weeks ago, is intended to administer hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of water where China wants to strengthen its control over potentially oil-rich islands that are also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Afghan parliament dismisses key ministers

The move to establish the garrison has prompted protests from the Philippines, Vietnam and others

fghanistan's parliament has voted to dismiss the country's interior and defence ministers over continued cross-border shelling, which the Afghan government blames the Pakistani army for, as well as other issues. The parliament voted to remove the pair on Saturday despite promises to reinforce the border from both. Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has previously opted to keep ministers in their roles in an acting capacity after similar votes. On Saturday, Karzai's office said that he would decide on whether or not to dismiss the ministers following a national security meeting on Sunday. "Both ministers failed to receive votes of confidence and we ask President Karzai to introduce new ministers," said Abdul Rahoof Ibrahimi, Speaker of the House, after a bitter debate that underscores the problems in store for Karzai's administration ahead of 2014 presidential elections. The Afghan army has sent additional troops and long-range artillery to its mountainous border with Pakistan, as tensions continue to rise over cross-border shelling incidents.

he Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has condemned the continued occupation of Palestine by Israel over several decades, describing the oppression and sufferings of the Palestinian people visited on them by the Israeli authorities as abhorrent instances of human rights violations and affront to human dignity. He also expressed his concern over the violation of human rights of Muslim minorities outside the OIC, in particular the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, who are being persecuted and their human rights violated through murder, rape and forced displacement from their homeland, at the instance of the Myanmar government. In a statement issued yesterday to commemorate the designation of August 5, as the "Islamic Human Rights and Human Dignity Day", Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that the occasion was significant occasion for the OIC Member States to renew their resolve for protecting and strengthening respect for human rights in the Muslim world, noting that the day has acquired special significance this year as it corresponds to the holy month of Ramadan.

India floods kill 34, hundreds of pilgrims stranded

lash floods in mountainous northern Indian have killed at least 34 people and left hundreds of Hindu pilgrims stranded, officials said yesterday. Twenty-three workers at a hydroelectric power plant in Uttarakhand state died after water gushed into the facility on Saturday, state disaster management minister Yashpal Arya said. Arya said three fire department personnel died in a riverside village in the state, which is in the Himalayan foothills. "They were washed way from their fire station," Arya said, adding there had been seven other deaths in the region since the floods began early Saturday after heavy rains. The state's Uttarkashi district is a popular Hindu pilgrimage site and some 700 pilgrims who were visiting shrines in the area had been stranded by the floods, Arya said.

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

t least 19 people have been killed in south-eastern Turkey after a battle between soldiers and members of a Kurdish separatist group, the local provincial governor has said. Six soldiers, two government-paid village guards and 11 Kurdish rebels were killed in the fighting near the village of Gecimili in Hakkari province, Governor Orhan Alimoglu said on Sunday. The incident occurred near the Iraqi border early on Sunday, he said, adding that 15 soldiers

19 killed in clashes between Turkish troops and Kurdish rebels had also been wounded. Local media reported that the rebels fired on the army outpost in Hakkari with rocket launchers just after midnight. The military sent in reinforcement following the raid, using attack helicopters to fire on the rebels' escape routes, state-

run TRT television reported. The raid on the army post follows similar assaults in the Kurdish-dominated southeast that have prompted the army to launch an all-out offensive against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) bases in the area. The Turkish ground-and-air

operation, one of the biggest in years, was launched about two weeks ago to drive out the rebels in the town of Semdinli, also in Hakkari province. About 2,000 soldiers are involved in the offensive, private NTV television reported on Sunday.

"A serious and strong operation is under way in Semdinli," Besir Atalay, the Turkish deputy prime minister, said last week. Fighting between the Turkish state and the PKK has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984, when the group first took up arms.

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood endorses Romney’s US election bid

Eastwood said that he hoped Romney would be able to put a new tax system based on fairness into place

lint Eastwood, the Oscarwinning actor and director, has endorsed Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate, during a Sun Valley fundraiser. "I think the country needs a boost," Eastwood told The Associated Press as he joined other Romney supporters for the private campaign event on Friday. In February, Eastwood told Fox News that he was not supporting any politician at that time. Some saw the "halftime in America" ad he made for the Super Bowl as a nod toward President Barack Obama. Eastwood responded then by saying he was not "politically affiliated" with the president. "Now more than ever do we need Governor Romney. I'm going to be voting for him," Eastwood told Romney supporters on Friday night. "He just made my day," Romney said. "What a guy." Standing at Romney's side, Eastwood said he was filming

"Mystic River" in Massachusetts almost a decade ago when he first saw political advertisements featuring Romney, who was running for governor at the time. "I said, 'God, this guy, he's too handsome to be governor, but he does look like he could be president'," Eastwood joked. "As the years have gone by, I began to think even more ... about that." Eastwood, 82, said he hoped Romney would restore "a decent tax system that we need badly ... so that there's fairness and people are not pitted against one another as who's paying taxes and who isn't." The actor and director instantly became Romney's highest-profile celebrity supporter. Romney has also earned the endorsement of Oscarwinning actor Jon Voight and rock star Kid Rock. A campaign spokesman could not immediately say whether Eastwood would play an active role in the campaign.

Spain charges Russian nationals over ‘al-Qaeda plot’

Spanish judge has charged two Russian men with being members of an armed terrorist organisation and possession of explosives. The two men were detained last week along with a Turkish national, who was charged on Friday with possession of explosives. Spain's interior minister has described the two Russians - both of Chechen origin - as suspected alQaeda members. They have been jailed until a date is decided for court proceedings. The arrests are part of one of the biggest international operations against al-Qaeda to date, Spanish officials say. The three are thought to have been planning an attack in Spain or elsewhere in Europe, according to

Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz. The suspects were "extremely dangerous people", including one who was "a very important operative in al-Qaeda's international structure", AFP news agency quoted him as saying. Masked police escorted the two men (out of view) to court on Sunday The Turkish national was jailed on Friday but Judge Pablo Ruz granted police 48 additional hours to provide evidence to justify the detention of the two Russian suspects, reported leading Spanish newspaper El Pais. They were driven to court early on Sunday, escorted by masked police officers, reports said. While authorities accuse the Russians of being al-Qaeda members, reports suggest the Turkish national

- named by El Pais as Cengiz Yalcin is suspected of being a facilitator for the group rather than a member

The Supreme Military Council (YAS) said the 40 were among 55 top officers being discharged through retirement. Moves to promote the

For decades the Turkish military's shadowy grip on society was known as "the deep state"

two Russians were picked up on Wednesday as they allegedly travelled by bus to the French border.

The two Russian men were detained along with a Turkish national last week on suspicion of plotting an attack. The identities have not been officially released

Turkey retires 40 ‘coup plot’ generals urkey's military high command has retired 40 generals and admirals who are currently in custody on charges of coup plotting.

himself. He was detained at a flat in the southern city of La Linea, while the

arrested generals were suspended last year. Since 2008 hundreds of officers have been arrested for suspected coup plots against the Islamist-rooted government of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The investigations into the so-called "Ergenekon" and "Sledgehammer" coup plots have undermined the traditionally powerful influence of the military in Turkish politics. Last year the chiefs of staff resigned in protest at the arrests. Critics of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) say the investigations are politically motivated.

Venezuelans head to practice polls for October election

oters in some parts of Venezuela are being urged to go to the polls yesterday in a dress rehearsal for October's presidential election. The electoral commission hopes many of the 250,000 voters registered at the 55 centres selected will turn out. They will be using a new electronic system in October's election, which pits President Hugo Chavez against opposition candidate Henrique Capriles. It is expected to be the closest vote yet for Mr Chavez. If the election goes ahead as planned on 7 October, voters in

Venezuela will have to identify themselves by their fingerprints before they go on to vote using an electronic system. On a cloudy Caracas day, the electoral authorities turned out in force for the voting rehearsal at a school in the centre of the city. Dozens of soldiers were also on hand to take care of security as a few voters trickled in. The exercise was designed to test Venezuela's electronic voting system. Instead of a choice of presidential candidates, the test voters were asked to cast a ballot for their favourite among a number of Olympic sports.

PAGE 35

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

'Dead' man returns to village 23 years after going missing

Moslemuddin Sarkar is reunited with his brother Sekandar Ali

oslemuddin Sarkar had not been seen by his family since 1989 after failing to return home from his job as a dock worker in

Bangladesh's main Chittagong Seaport. Mr Sarkar, now 52, had in fact spent the majority of his exile in a Pakistani prison after

(Picture: AP/Zia Islam) attempting to enter the country without any travel documents. His family had long given up hope of ever seeing him again before receiving an anonymous

Wombat and kangaroo strike up unlikely seem to perfectly complement friendship one another, with Anzac being

nzac the joey kangaroo and Peggy the wombat are best friends after sharing a pouch together at a wildlife rescue centre in Victoria, Australia. At just over five months old, Anzac was rescued at a beauty spot near Melbourne and placed with Peggy to help him feel at home. Wildlife centre worker Lisa Milligan believes the inseparable duo are comforted by each others' movement and heartbeat when they go to sleep. The pair's personalities also

described as very social while his friend Peggy is more boisterous and cheeky. Ms Milligan said: 'There are lots of baby animals about at the moment, and they are orphaned for a range of reasons.' The shelter, founded in 2009 in response to a series of severe bush fires in the state, is home to a variety koalas, kangaroos and wombats found injured at roadsides. They hope their rescue work will help preserve Australian wildlife for future generations.

call from an official that he was alive in a Pakistani jail. 'We waited for months, years, and finally thought he was no more, explained his brother Sekandar Ali said. 'Otherwise, why wouldn't he inform us where he was?' He was freed from jail in Karachi on Monday and was immediately deported back to Bangladesh where his brother was waiting at the airport. Sarkar later returned to his home village of Bishnurampur in northern Bangladesh following an emotional reunion. 'I crossed the border to India in 1989 and went to Delhi after staying a few months in the Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya,' he explained. 'Later, I got married in Delhi. But I got caught along the IndiaPakistan border when I tried to enter Pakistan in 1997. 'I had no travel documents. I served 15 years in jail.' Ahead of his arrival, an excited resident revealed: 'The whole village is waiting for him. Everybody is concerned to know when he is coming, how it happened.

Moslemuddin Sarkar was presumed dead by his family (Picture: AP /Zia Islam) 'This is going to be a great reunion.' Pakistan and India have a history of bitter relations, with both countries having a zero tolerance policy on each other's citizens illegally crossing the region's borders.

You're my best friend you are: Anzac the kangaroo and Peggy the wombat

(Picture: Newspix)

Unlikely messengers, tough message Contd. from Back Page Kano and shooting policemen outside the Vice President's family house in Zaria. Far from serving as a restraint against fresh attacks, the month of Ramadan appears to have served as an impetus for renewed and intensified violence across the entire north. Ominously, suicide bombers attacked police facilities in Sokoto, just a few weeks after a suicide bomber attempted to take the life of the Shehu of Borno. Is there still the chance that this threat to the security and survival of the nation can be effectively and permanently curtailed? The vast majority of Nigerians will hope so, because the alternative is simply unimaginable. The JASLIWAJ insurgency is unlikely to subdue the Nigerian State and its citizens around its philosophy and vision. But the present administration will be hard put to defeat it comprehensively in the near

future because it is itself presently rooted on very weak foundations. Its entire game plan and tactics need to be overhauled. It is worrying that critical turning points may have been missed by the government in the manner it related or reacted to the insurgency. The insurgency may either have fragmented into many centers of activity which makes negotiations and dialogue difficult, or it has developed the sophistication to devolve substantial responsibility to members or units to operate independently. Or the insurgency itself has been infiltrated by rogue and opportunistic elements who operate using its methods to weaken the state further. It is still more worrying that the insurgency, or factions of it, have graduated to the use of more sophisticated weaponry, going by recent reports of seizure of such weapons. Citizens and communities resent being hostages of the insurgency, and are bitter at the

treatment they receive from security agencies. Most members of the Muslim clergy are compromised by partisan politics, which makes them liabilities as mediators. Northern Muslim politicians who were once accused of floating the insurgency as a political front are reluctant to get involved for fear of being accused of putting out fires they lit, or coming unstuck because they have no influence over the insurgency. Beyond boots and bullets, the administration has no real leverage in the communities which both habour and pay a terrible price for the insurgency. This is a major weakness, and is perhaps the issue Obasanjo and Babangida have in mind when they advise on the adoption of "involving and inclusive" approach. But the battle for the heart and soul of the nation as well as its future as a secure and united country must involve telling President Jonathan some hard truth. If these former leaders will

be of any value in mediating the many problems which confront this nation, they must also take back a message to the President. They should tell him that serial incompetence and unprecedented levels of corruption in his administration are depriving him of the capacity to lead the nation out of this difficult stage. Nigerians do not see evidence that President Jonathan can arrest the drift towards disunity; or rein-in corruption, or improve the quality of governance and quality of lives; or confront the JASLIWAJ insurgency, and tackle multiple ethno-religious conflicts, kidnappings, violent crimes e.t.c. They see an administration which is indifferent or insensitive, and which appears completely isolated from the citizenry. This is precisely why many Nigerians who love this country cannot see it surmounting its current problems, and why they are coming to terms with the possibility that bits and pieces of

it will be better off on their own. Presidents Obasanjo and Babangida's job of asking Nigerians to stand back from the abyss will be difficult to accomplish unless they recognize the very heart of the problem. This is the existence of a political leadership which shows no capacity to govern with vision, competence and honesty. There are genuine reasons why Nigerians should worry about the JASLIWAJ insurgency as a national, rather than a northern problem. There are grounds for worry in the manner governments impoverish, rather than improve the economic wellbeing of citizens. There is something wrong in the manner the economy is good to you, or you are pauperized, based only on where you live. A nation with these features has no future. But it can be fixed, and it should start from the present. A bad leadership cannot build a good nation. This is what Obasanjo and Babangida should tell President Jonathan.

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Fizzy drinks, frankly they’re evil, says leading biologist (I) B

iological scientist Dr HansPeter Kubis, who’s just led a study into what soft drinks do to our bodies, has reached some shocking conclusions. When you read what he discovered, you may well choose never to touch the fizzy stuff again. Once upon a time, fizzy drinks were an occasional luxury treat. Now, many of us think nothing of having at least one every day — maybe a lunchtime can of cola or a ‘natural’ lemonade from Pret. We use them as instant pickme-ups, and even as ‘healthy’ sports aids bought from vending machines at the gym. No trip to the cinema is complete without a supersize soft drink, either. It’s no surprise to learn, then, that our consumption of soft drinks has more than doubled since 1985 — from ten gallons per person a year to more than 25 gallons. We know this is not entirely good for us — but could sugary soft drinks be so dangerous that they should carry health warnings? This may sound alarmist, but new medical studies have produced worrying results. Even moderate consumption — a can a day, or just two a week — may alter our metabolism so that we pile on weight. The drinks also appear to increase the risk of heart disease, liver failure and hypertension. In children, soft drinks have been linked to addict-like

cravings, as well as twisting kids’ appetites so they hunger for junk food. Already, countries such as Denmark and France are introducing soft-drink taxes to cut consumption. In the U.S., around 100 medical and consumer organisations are now calling on the Surgeon-General to investigate the health effects of soda and other sugary drinks. Should we in Britain follow suit? Sugary soft drinks come in numerous guises — from ‘innocuous’ fizzy elderflower to ‘health’ drinks such as Lucozade and ‘sports’ beverages like Gatorade. Last year, we swallowed an astounding 14,585 million litres of soft drinks, an increase of more than 4 per cent in 12 months, according to the British Soft Drinks Association. Our spending rose by nearly 6 per cent to £13,880 million in 2010 — the fastest growth in the past seven years. We clearly like our soft drinks. But the medical evidence is stacking up against them. Last week, a study suggested they can cause weight gain and long-term health problems if drunk every day for as little as a month. The research, by Bangor University and published in the European Journal Of Nutrition, reported that soft drinks actually alter metabolism, so that our muscles use sugar for energy instead of burning fat. It seems that exposure to liquid

Fizzy drinks appear to increase the risk of heart disease, liver failure and hypertension. sugar causes genes in our muscles to change their behaviour, perhaps permanently. Not only do we pile on weight, but our metabolism becomes less

Fake it till you make it: Even a forced smile can reduce stress levels

efficient and less able to cope with rises in blood sugar, say the researchers. This, in turn, increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. ‘Having seen all the medical evidence, I don’t touch soft drinks now,’ says Dr Hans-Peter Kubis, a biological scientist and expert in exercise nutrition who led the research. ‘I think drinks with added sugar are, frankly, evil.’ In fact, the Bangor study is only the latest in a long line of reports warning of the link between soft drinks and serious health problems. A study in March, for example, warned that men who drink a standard 12oz can of sugar-sweetened beverage every day have a 20 per cent higher risk of heart disease compared to men who don’t drink any sugarsweetened drinks. The research published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation, followed more than 42,000 men for 22 years. Blood tests found soft-drink fans had higher levels of harmful inflammation in their blood vessels, and lower levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. The study suggested this may be a result of the sugar rush these soft drinks cause. This increased sudden sugar load on the body may also explain research which found

just two carbonated drinks (330ml each) every week appears to double the risk of pancreatic cancer, reported the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. Meanwhile, soft drinks with high levels of fruit juice may cause severe long-term liver damage, according to an Israeli study. People who drank two cans of these drinks a day were five times more likely to develop fatty liver disease — a precursor to cirrhosis and liver cancer. In the Journal of Hepatology, the lead investigator, Dr Nimer Assy, warned high levels of fructose fruit sugar in the drinks can overwhelm the liver, leading it to accumulate fat. Perhaps most disturbing is the picture emerging from various studies that suggest sugary drinks expose children to a perfect storm of obesity threats. Four years ago, researchers at University College London’s Health Behaviour Research Centre discovered a powerful — and lucrative — effect sugary soft drinks have on youngsters. The study of 346 children aged around 11 found drinking soft drinks makes them want to drink more often, even when they’re not actually thirsty — and that their preference is for more sugary drinks. Children who drank water or fruit juice in the tests didn’t show this unnecessary need to drink. The researchers expressed concern that this may set the children’s habits for life — in particular, giving them an ‘increased preference for sweet things in the mouth’, without compensating for the extra calories by eating less food. More recent research suggests fizzy drinks may sway children’s tastes towards highcalorie, high-salt food. Part of this worrying phenomenon was revealed earlier this year by Oregon University investigators. Their study of 75 children aged between three and five found those given sugary soft drinks avoided eating raw vegetables such as carrots or red peppers, but went for foods high in calories, such as chips. This did not happen when the children were given water to drink. The researchers said this wasn’t about simple fussiness. Instead, our tastes for food and drink seem to be shaped in a like-with-like manner. This discovery comes on top of an earlier finding, by heart experts at St George’s, University of London, that children and teenagers who consume sugary soft drinks are far more likely to prefer foods high in salt. Source: Dailymail.co.uk

PEOPLES DAILY, MODAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 37

ACN/CPC merger can't intimidate us, says PDP By Lawrence Olaoye

he Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said it would not be intimidated by the proposed merger of the frontline opposition parties in the country ahead of the 2015 general elections. The party in a press release made available to newsmen yesterday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, claimed that it remained the only national party with presence in all the 774 local governments and the 9,574 wards in the country. The PDP said it is not bothered

Land tussle: Kwara Assembly Speaker offers to heal govt, IEDPU rift

by the merger proposal saying that the people have the capacity to separate the wheat from the chaff at the next general elections. "We hear of alliance and mergers everyday. That is not new. Let us wait for 2015. Do you think Nigerians are fools? Do you think that Nigerians do not take notice of the character and tendency of individuals and political parties? The PDP is the only party that is committed to the continued existence of Nigeria and the welfare of its people. At the appropriate time, they will decide whether to entrust their great nation to the hands of regionalists, doomsday prophets and pro-anarchists or to the safe hands of the PDP. Ounce of common sense will prefer the latter," PDP stated.

The statement stated that "in 2011 as in other previous elections, the PDP took its campaign to every nook and cranny of the country where we sold our manifesto to the people while the opposition, who only visualise victory, work less and ever ready to shout and bay for blood of innocent Nigerians when the PDP wins, campaigned only in their conclave." The party added "The popularity of the opposition parties exits more on the pages of the newspapers and in the imagination of their leaders. The Action Congress of Nigeria, more a tribal association, deep in clique dictatorship and deceit, has no capacity to win any election elsewhere beyond the South West.

The CPC with only one state is engrossed in hero worship at a time collective heroism is the major propeller of democracy while the ANPP now on clinical oxygenation, has long lost bearing. So, where are the so- called opposition parties that would defeat the PDP in 2015," Metuh asked. PDP said it has delivered on several fronts including the stable petroleum products supply; the improved power generation and distribution; the on-going revitalisation of the moribund rail system; the re-energised and nondiscriminate war on corruption, improved road network among others. These achievements, Metuh said will campaign for the party by 2015.

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

peaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Barrister Abdulrazak Atunwa, has declared his intention to intervene in the face-off between the Kwara state Government and the Ilorin Emirate Descendant Progressive Union (IEDPU) over the implementation of the new Land Act by the state government. The Speaker gave the indication in Ilorin while addressing newsmen in his office. It would be recalled that IDPU had a fortnight ago placed an advertorial in one of the national dailies expressing its displeasure over the implementation of the new Land Use Act in the state and vowing to take its land back through all legal means. They also asserted that the action of government had thrown the people of emirate into poverty while outsider were given the said seized land. The new Land Use Act, according to the Union, was capable of alienating the middle class group in the Emirate from access to affordable shelter. Atunwa, who traced the origin of the new land policy in the state to 2009, noted that the policy affected the entire people of the state but assured that he would employ dialogue and wider consultation in the bid to see where amendment could be made in the act. The Speaker further noted that the agitation is seeking to changing development of land in the State and promised to ensure that stakeholders had round table discussion to resolve the impasse. The Speaker who assured all concerned parties that they would be given opportunity to express their grievances said they would later reach an enduring and amicable resolution of the matter.

PDP Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

CPC Chairman, Prince Tonny Momoh

ACN threatens court action against Nyako, Assembly over bill From Blessing Tunoh, Yola

damawa state chapter of the Action Congress (ACN)has threatened to institute a court action against the state House of Assembly and Governor Murtala Nyako should he assent to the Assembly's bill which seeks to legalise local government caretaker committees. The controversial bill provides for the constitution of an electoral college to elect caretakers who will pilot the affairs of the various local governments pending when the State Independent Electoral Commission conducts election. A statement issued by ACN's publicity secretary, Yohanna Mathias, described the passage of the bill as "unconstitutional, a negation of principles of democracy and blatant rape of the country's constitution."

The party urged Nyako to withhold his assent to "illegality" pointing out that sections 7 (1) and 8 of the 1999 constitution as amended were explicit on formation of system of administration at the local government level. "To our humble minds, this provision clearly exposes the naïve and naked ferocity of the illegality

of the bill by government." Mathias stated. ACN recalled that the State High Court presided over by the former Chief Judge, Justice Bamare Bansi had declared the constitution does not recognise any system of government in the local government tier except through democratically elected councils as provided by the constitution.

Corrupt elections beget corrupt leadership - Ardo By Augustine Aminu

former gubernatorial aspirant in Adamawa state under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Umar Ardo, has said the country will continue to suffer from leadership failure until it puts its electoral process right. He said the process and manner a government is elected into power dictates how it operates. Ardo who spoke to our reporter in Abuja also blamed the internal crisis affecting most political parties in the country on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The former Special Assistant to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, said "the current system is corrupt, unjust and undemocratic system. It is a sleaze. It has affected the system and millions of Nigerians" He continued "Like I have always said, it is not the government that is the problem, but the processes that brought the government dictates the way and manner the government operates. When government comes in through unconstitutional and fraudulent way, you don't expect them to be constitutional or upright." Speaking on INEC's role in ensuring a free and fair election, he said it is INEC's responsibility to ensure that political parties follow their constitution and the provisions of the Electoral Act in the process of electing their Excos and nominating their candidates. "In this regard, INEC has woefully failed. I give you an example, between 2008 to 2011, INEC wrote PDP four letters telling PDP that eight states in the country did not conform to the constitution and the guidelines in the formation of their Excos. Therefore those Excos are illegitimate and it asked PDP to go back and reconduct elections in those eight states in accordance with the provision of the guidelines and constitution of the party. PDP refused to do so," he said

Lamido links success of his administration to prudence

ov. SuleLamido of Jigawa has said that the success of his administration is based on the prudent management of resources. Lamido made the statement in Dutse on Friday while breaking the Ramadan fast with supporters of Peoples Democratic Party.

"I never took loans from any bank, institution or foreign organisation to execute projects and my government is not owing contractors. ``As soon as contractors complete their projects, our consultants evaluate them and we pay immediately,'' he said. The governor commended

the citizens for their support and peaceful coexistence and stressed that ``no development can take place in an atmosphere of violence and rancour.'' He promised to lead the people with the fear of God and give them their due by providing them the dividends of democracy.

PEOPLES DAILY, MODAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

PAGE 39

Ondo guber: PDP demands release of detained members By Lawrence Olaoye

ndo chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has demanded immediate and unconditional release of four of its members currently in detention over a recent bloody clash that erupted in Irele town of the state. The party also appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan and Inspector General of Police MD Abubakar to intervene in the spate of political clashes that pervade the state ahead of October 20th, 2012 governorship election. Speaking on behalf of the party

in Abuja at the weekend, Chief Stephen Akinmuda, PDP Chairman in Irele local government where the incident took place described as summary the arrest, trial and detention of Omojuwa James, Ayo Adenegan, Adeolu Poroye and Segun Adekunle all of PDP, a political handwork of Labour Party led administration in the state. Akinmuda, who alleged that the four were among several other PDP loyalists ambushed and attacked by LP youths on their way to a rally in Irele last week Sunday, expressed dismay that none of the attackers has been apprehended by the police.

He said incarceration of the PDP youths since last week Monday had constituted untold hardship to the respective families of the suspects where they are breadwinners. He also faulted the entire process on the ground that police was not allowed to go into full investigation of those involved in the attack, only to hand-pick his members and keep them in detention in flagrant disregard of fair hearing. He flayed the role played by an Akure High Court which ordered continued detention of the four suspects even when there was no evidence that they were

the aggressors. To further expose alleged political influence of LP in trial of the suspects, Akinmuda called on the Federal Judicial Commission and Ondo State Judicial Commission to salvage the judiciary in the state from the claws of those he described as politicians desperate to remain in office. Having personally witnessed the bloody attack where many were wounded and several cars burnt, the party chieftain said police had refused to act on information available to it on how one Tobi Nicholas, a member of LP and Irele Council Caretaker

Chairman, masterminded the attack. While narrating how over twenty policemen detailed to provide security at the rally eventually fled when they saw LP thugs brandishing dangerous weapons, Akinmuda however expressed pessimism in the essence of Police Permit secured before the event. It would be recalled that the rally attended by PDP guber candidate Chief Olusola Oke and other party stalwarts to receive about 2000 defectors from LP and ACN in Irele to PDP was almost aborted due to the clashes carried out by some irate youths.

PDP chieftain justifies disengagement of Yuguda’s aides

Gov. Obi reassures industrialists of government’s support

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

ov. Peter Obi yester reassured industrialists and the Organised Private Sector in the state of the support of the Anambra government in alleviating unemployment in the country. Obi gave the assurance while inspecting Kriscol factory at the Harbour Industrial Layout in the Ogbaru Local Government area. ``The ongoing resuscitation of industrial estates in the state remains one of the top priorities of my administration. ``Anambra has fully keyed into President Goodluck Jonathan's vision of creating employment and has continued to encourage and empower industrialists in the state. ``Mr President will commission some of the industries which his vision has brought to Anambra this month,'' Obi said. He expressed satisfaction that small and medium-scale enterprises now had access to credit facilities at less than 10 per cent interest through the governmentowned Bank of Industry (BoI). Chief Oranu Chidume, Chairman, Kriscol Nigeria Ltd., commended the governor for reconstructing the roads in the layout. He said that bad roads in the area had held Onitsha industrialists hostage for many years. ``Obi has continued to match words with actions and has demonstrated his total commitment in fast-tracking industrial growth and development in Anambra,'' Chidume said. He urged the people to ensure continuity of good governance, so as to avoid future regrets. Mr Steve Chukwuma, Transition Committee Chairman, Ogbaru council area, said that Obi's industrialisation of the state would impact positively on the people.

hieftain of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Danladi Abubakar Bauchi, has justified the disengagement of aides to governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state saying that it was done to restore peace between the political groups in the state. Abubakar who disclosed this while talking to newsmen in Bauchi yesterday, said that initially Yuguda appointed a seven man committee that has the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Chief of Staff, Speaker of the House of Assembly, State PDP Chairman and himself, he gave us the amount of money he will pay and asked us to get the people appointed as his personal aides from all the 20 Local Government areas in the state” He said after meeting, they identified 10 people from all wards in the state and the PDP party executives from the wards were to be included. According to him, after the committee’s assignment, one of Yuguda’s aides faulted the work of the committee and later had the mandate to conduct the recruitment of the aides. According to Abubakar, the aides went about the recruitment in dubious way, collecting money from the people before nominating their names for appointment. He added that because of the irregularities discovered by the government and lopsided nature of the appointments made, the governor decided to sack all the appointees in order to correct the anomalies done in the past. He said very soon Governor Yuguda would set up a committee to revisit the issue to ensure sanity and appealed to those affected to be patient as every effort was being made to correct the situation.

L-R: Executive Director, Services, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), Malam Idi Mukhtar, Managing Director, KRPC, Mr Bolanle Ayodele, member, Kaduna state House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Hon. Muhammed Shuaibu, and Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Hon. Haruna Inuwa, during an inspection of KRPC toxic waste dump, recently in Kaduna. Photo: NAN

ACN, others used our son to settle scores, Ugolor’s family cries out From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

amily members of Executive Director of Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, Rev. David Ugolor being detained by the police for alleged murder of Oyerinde Olaitan, the Principal Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state has said the ruling party, Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN) and other parties in the state merely used their son to settle political scores. Ernest Edosomwan, spokesman to the family led by Mr. Solomon Ugolor to Edo State Secretariat of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Edo State Council, described the detention of the suspect as illegal. He said the recent parade of six alleged killers of the late governor’s aide

by the operatives of State Security Service, SSS, Abuja, was a confirmation of Ugolor’s innocence, particularly when other unfounded proofs from another group of suspects arrested by the Police vindicated him. He said “It’s a political issue and our son should not be killed for political matters. The SSS and the Police, they are doing well. However, we want to appeal to them that he should be released to us. We see a lot of politics in the issue; that is the truth about it. We see his detention as being very illegal with unfounded proofs. We cannot phantom a situation where the SSS paraded some groups who have confessed to the killing of somebody, while another group will now come out or an individual will now come out to say, otherwise. We wonder how investigation is being done

in this country. ‘Why I said it was a political issue, first of all, I don’t want to go into detail of the conversation we heard with him. But we saw a situation where somebody confessed killing somebody in his house and the killer does not know the house-the home of the person who did the job, he does not know where that person lives, neither does he know the home of the person that sent him to do the job. ‘We perceive strongly that it’s Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN and other party’s matter which we don’t want to go into. But our son should be counted out of it, that is what we are insisting on,” Edosomwan said Mr Edosomwan wondered why Ugolor is being denied access to his personal doctor with a plea to police authorities to release the suspect unconditionally.

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY, MODAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

Igbo presidency not negotiable – Achuzie A

n Igbo presidency after the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan is not negotiable, says retired Col. Joe Achuzie, President General of Igbozurume, an Igbo sociopolitical organisation, said yesterday. Achuzie stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba, Abia. He said that Igbozurume, a political, cultural and social group, was being repackaged to achieve the feat, stressing that it was the same group that helped Gov. Rochas Okorocha to win Imo gubernatorial election in 2011. Achuzie said that was also the resolution at its 3rd National Executive/Steering Committee meeting held in Lagos in June that Igbos should have a shot at the presidency after Jonathan's tenure. ``It must be the turn of Igbos to occupy Aso-Rock at the end of Jonathan's tenure. ``Even though Jonathan still has the right to re-contest after 2015 by virtue of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That Igbos must not allow the chance to pass us by this time around after his tenure,'' he said. Achuzie, who is also the Ikemba Ahaba, said that Ohaneze had been in existence immediately after the civil war, but as cultural and social group which had made it difficult for Ndi-Igbo to come together to identify with one Igboman to be able to capture the presidency. ``The last person we had was Sir Mbanefo who tried with others

to create a situation where Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe should present himself when the military decided to give civilian the opportunity to vie for the August position. ``After Nnamdi Azikiwe's attempts, no Igboman had been allowed to venture near that position, the most we have is compensating us for assisting nonIgbo to get into that August position and what they gave us was a vicepresident. ``This, the present Igbozurume said no, it won't happen again. We will not give our allegiance or

support to non-Igboman anymore to lord or rule over us,'' he said. Achuzie said that the Igbozurume members were organising themselves politically, culturally and socially to be their brothers' keeper and to use the dynamic of ``Igboism'' which made Ndi-Igbo the darling of others who had ascended to the presidency to get others support too. ``We say enough is enough , we will not serve other people again, let other people reciprocate the actions and attempts we have made, let them show us that the help we gave them in the past was

appreciated by supporting an Igboman to become the president of Nigeria. ``And we will gladly make those group to be the vice president,'' he said. He said that Igbozurume as a body would not engage in partisan party politics but will relate to any political party that has a better chance for Igbos to actualise the presidential demand. ``Ndi-Igbo must decide who goes for us and should not accept imposition of Igbo candidates by other zones.

L-R: Plateau state Governor, Jonah Jang, Commander,Special Task Force (STF) Major-General Henry Ayoola, and Chairman, Riyom Local Government Area, Mr Samuel Gyang, during the governor's visit to the community and the family of late Senator Gyang Dantong, last Friday in Bachi village, Riyom LGA of Plateau state. Photo: NAN

Ondo guber: SDMP adopts Mimiko as candidate From Ayodele Samuel, Akure

he Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP) has adopted the incumbent governor of Ondo state and Labour Party candidate, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, as its flag bearer for the forthcoming October 20th governorship election in the state. The party announced this at the end of the party’s state

congress, which held in Akure, at the weekend. According to a communiqué signed by the party’s state Chairman, Korede Duyile and Secretary, Mr. Bayo Fajemilusi, after the congress, the party said the decision was taken as a result of monumental achievements recorded in the state by the governor. As an opposition party, SDMP called on the governor and

the ruling party for a working relationship, promising to work at all levels towards the victory of the governor at the scheduled election. “Bearing in mind the rate of development in the state in the last three and half years, there is need to cooperate with the incumbent governor to ensure that the rate would not only continue but be improved upon,” the communiqué

explained. Present at the congress were the party’s National Chairman, Chief Olu Falae; Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasonranti and National Secretary, Bashorun Sehinde Arogbofa, among others. The exercise was witnessed by representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies.

Community leaders told to embrace peace initiatives for lasting peace in Jos

ommunity leaders and other stakeholders in Jos have been told to embrace communityled peace initiatives, aimed at restoring permanent peace to the city. Participants at a forum on community-led peace initiatives, organised by the Yakubu Gowon Foundation (YGF), gave the advice on Saturday in Jos. They said that the peace initiatives would hasten the peace process in Jos and its environ, noting that stakeholders must

key-in for the initiatives to be realistic. Mr Dan Tenshak, the Chief Executive Officer of the YGF, said that the forum was aimed at reviewing the peace efforts of the foundation by interacting with leaders of various communities in Jos. ``Yakubu Gowon himself took a walk round communities during his birthday last October to appeal for peace and he held meetings with those communities to discuss the way forward on the restoration

of peace. ``Each community made a commitment of ensuring a sustainable peace and also building a bridge for return of peace in the trouble areas.'' Tenshak said that the YGF would continue to explore available avenues to ensure that the people of Jos once again lived and worked together as it used to be in the past. ``The question is: what are the communities doing on their own after all the dialogues,

conferences and workshops on peace. Peace is a collective responsibility of every individual.'' Also speaking, Prof. Naven Gambo, the Director, Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution, University of Jos, said that peace would never exist where there was no justice. ``Social justice is very critical to the building of a peaceful community, once there is no justice, you can only promote what is called grave-yard peace.

Zamfara chief judge decries quality of judgements by khadis

he Chief Judge of Zamfara state, Justice Kulu Aliyu, has directed the Grand Khadi to organise refresher course on application of criminal justice under the penal code for the Khadis (Judges of Sharia Court) The chief judge gave the directive on Friday during her visit to Mafara Satellite Prison in continuation of her official visit to prisons. Justice Aliyu noted that the Khadis were delivering judgements based on the wrong laws, saying that this often times led to miscarriage of justice. ``Some of these Sharia court judges deliver their judgement as if they never read the provisions of the law and have no recourse to the principles of fair hearing and justice in the discharge of their responsibilities." The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the chief judge's comment followed her discovery of cases of miscarriage of justice by the khadis in the course of her visit to the prisons. NAN also reports that a 30 year -old Kabiru Ladan was sentenced to one year imprisonment for stealing a Nokia handset worth N1,500 and this case emanated from the judgement delivered by a Khadi Ladan who had already spent five months out of his term, told the chief Judge that he sold the stolen handset for N500 and used it to feed his family. The convict was given 20 strokes of the cane and was set free, because according to the chief judge, the offence attracts a maximum of one month imprisonment in line with the provisions of thel Penal Code . Kulu Aliyu also set free one Aliyu Musa, convicted for stealing a sheep belonging to his cousin. Musa said that he sold the sheep for N19,000 out of which N15,000 was recovered by the court and that he paid additional N45,000 being the cost of the sheep approved by the Khadi of Maradun Higher Sharia Court, Malam Mohammed Madaci. He said further that Madaci also administered 50 strokes of the cane on him and sentenced him to six months' imprisonment. The chief judge then discharged the convict, directing the judge to report to the Grand Khadi in Gusau. Kulu Aliyu also released the following inmates: Buhari Aliyu, Samaila Tsalha, Mohammed Lawali, Babuga Sajo and Aliyu Abubakar, a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda.

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

. . . putting the people first

MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 2012

SPORTS LATEST

King Bolt retains Olympics 100m title

am aic a’s Usain Bolt sealed the legendary status he so craves after sprinting to a convincing victory in the men's Olympic 100m to retain his title yesterday. The 25-year-old world record holder turned on the after-burners at 60m to clock an Olympic record of 9.63sec, the second fastest time in history. But he fell short of his Beijing record of 9.58 seconds. Bolt has now run the three fastest 100 meters in history. Jamaican compatriot and training partner Yohan Blake, long tipped as Bolt's successor as the fastest man in the world, claimed silver after equalling his personal best of 9.75sec. Prior to the London Games, Bolt and Blake were far and away the front-runners in the 100 meters, with Bolt coming in as the world record holder in the event at 9.58 seconds. Despite that record, it was Blake who shocked the world last month when he edged Bolt in Jamaican Olympic qualifying, winning 9.86 to 9.88. Bolt heaped praise on Blake afterward, affirming Blake as a legitimate threat to dethrone him at the Olympics. American 2004 Olympic gold medallist Justin Gatlin completed his remarkable comeback from a four-year doping ban by taking the bronze medal in a personal best of 9.79sec. The United States had a superb showing in the qualifying rounds with former 100-meter world record holder Tyson Gay, Gatlin, a former Olympic gold medalist, and young star Ryan Bailey all winning their round one heats. Gatlin followed up with a very strong 9.82 seconds in the preliminary round – faster than both Bolt and Blake. Gay and Bailey both qualified at 9.90 and 9.96, respectively. Former champion Asafa Powell, the supreme talent who has continually flashed gold medal speed but played secondfiddle to Bolt in international meets, again failed to challenge for podium honours.

ADVERT: BUSINESS: NEWS: LAGOS:

0803 0805 0803 0805 0803

QUOTABLE QUOTE I want to call on the youths to stop engaging in drinking alcohol. You should form vigilante groups to climb the rocks and hills to protect women and children... from being attacked. — Gov. Jonah Jang to Plateau youths

Unlikely messengers, tough message Milk is always the same whether it comes from a black cow or a white one — Tanzanian proverb

ast week, Presidents Obasanjo and Babangida released a joint statement. That was news in itself. The two former leaders who, between them, had ruled this nation for about 18 years, have not enjoyed the best of relations in the last few years. They have tip-toed around each other, each wary of the other's scheming to lower his profile and diminish his standing as the dominant player on the political scene. President Babangida's ship which run aground in 1993, leaving him barely enough time to escape on a life raft was, in a rather fortuitous manner, responsible for the emergence of President Obasanjo as the PDP candidate in the 1999 elections. A largely northerndominated PDP and a military leadership which still haboured some Babangida influence had decided that a Yoruba man should be President, to make up for the abortion of the previous Presidential elections that may have produced Chief M.K.O Abiola as winner. Obasanjo would not have made the list of 100 preferred Yoruba politicians if Yoruba mainstream political opinion was consulted, but the PDP was not in the business of consulting Yoruba mainstream political opinion. So Obasanjo was dusted up and installed as the party's candidate, and won the elections with the strong push of the military (including Babangida) and the north. The Yoruba voted overwhelmingly against him. Until he had firmly secured a stranglehold on the party, Obasanjo never took his eyes off Babangida. Babangida himself had been badly wounded in the manner his rule came to a sorry end, but his tactical withdrawal was to last for only a few years. Powerful people who rule nations such as Nigeria never walk away entirely from power, or sleep with both eyes closed. They fight to stay relevant and influential, as much to protect themselves against their records and legions of enemies they would have made; as for reasons of simple economic survival. Obasanjo himself, having failed to reinvent himself through

311 689 606 327 454

7458 1765 3308 1969 0344

FIFTEEN MINUTES with Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed drbabaahmed@yahoo.com

Gen. Ibrahim Babangida the Yar’adua/Jonathan contraption he foisted on the nation, has been rapidly and dangerously losing ground. Jonathan's stand-alone Presidency was being effectively barricaded against him, and the political ground in the West had shifted away from him to the ACN. Similarly, Babangida's claim to national leadership which had been severely dented in the 1990s was further battered by the northern PDP consensus candidate misadventure. The two former giants developed feet of clay, and by the end of Jonathan's first year in office on a solo run, both looked pretty much like finished goods. Both watched as unprecedented levels of incompetence in running the affairs of state, incredible exposés on massive corruption and a crippling insurgency with dangerous religious undertones threatened to swallow the very foundations of the nation. The weaknesses of the Nigerian state were being exposed almost daily; the survival of the nation as one entity was being questioned widely and openly and elder statesmen and respected citizens were being reduced to letterwriting and twiddling of thumbs as the nation drifted apart and burned. In the aftermath of the post-election violence, many bridges had been broken, and

northern politicians in particular were being held responsible for the escalating violence. As former Heads of State and members of Council of State, it is quite probable that they had availed President Jonathan of their counsel, insights and experiences. If they did, Nigerians saw no evidence of it in the unchanging tactics and strategies which the Jonathan administration adopted towards the JASLIWAJ (a.k.a. Boko Haram) insurgency; or in efforts to reduce the scale of corruption, incompetence and impunity in the administration. In fairness to him, President Obasanjo had made a dangerous trip to Maiduguri and reportedly met with leaders of the insurgency. The trip not only ended tragically for some of those involved in its facilitation, but it became obvious that whatever he came away with, Obasanjo's experience did not feed the administration's thinking and responses to the insurgency. General Babangida too had been part of many meetings and consultations over the JASLIWAJ insurgency mostly by northern elders or such fora but the fact that northern Muslim leaders had long been accused of raising the insurgency as a violent strategy to destabilize Jonathan and regain power must have been a constant factor in his mind and involvement. Old man C.K Clark has renewed the innuendoes that leaders like Babangida and Buhari have some handle on the insurgency. If they do get involved successfully in bringing it to an end, they are accused of being it masterminds. If they do not they are accused of sustaining it. Presidents Obasanjo and Babangida, whose capacity to influence events in the nation has virtually expired, were the people who released a passionate joint statement appealing to Nigerians of all religions to turn the tide

against insecurity, violence and hatred. They advised religious leaders to utilize the Ramadan period to inculcate in Nigerians the spirit of mutual respect, humility and forgiveness. They warned of events that are threatening the very foundations and survival of the nation, a product of a century of labour of all Nigerians. These events are pitching Nigerians against each other, and subjecting millions more to untold hardship on a daily basis. They say the loss of innocent lives being experienced daily is unbearable, and that the nation is gripped by a regime of fear and uncertainty. Worse, they draw attention to a pervasive cynicism, even among millions of true Nigerian patriots, which questions the platform upon which the unity of this country rests. They warn that the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable, and advise that efforts by various governments in the country to confront the escalating security challenges across the country should be scaled up to be more involving and inclusive. The former leaders said a lot more, but nothing that has not been said over and over again by them or many others in a different context or fora. Reading the lengthy lamentation of the two elderly Nigerians one could see an effort to meet an obligation as leaders to offer counsel when it is needed. But you could also see the hand of President Jonathan in the initiative, which they acknowledge. Indeed, they say they will convene a session of all former Heads of State to find lasting solutions to the insecurity in the nation. The very careful language, which included avoiding a mention of JASLIWAJ (a.k.a Boko Haram) insurgency or dialogue between it and government belies the chronicle of desperate crisis which faces the nation, and which is clearly overwhelming the capacity of President Jonathan's administration to handle. Rather sadly, the nation will merely take note of another impassioned plea for peace and security, this time by President Jonathan using former heads of state as messengers. Even as the joint statement was being released, the insurgents were battling soldiers and police in Maiduguri, Potiskum, Sokoto, Contd. on Page 35

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos, Tel: +234-09-8734478. Cell: +234 803 606 3308. e-mail: contact@peoplesdaily-online.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141