Peoples Daily Newspaper, Nigeria

www.peoplesdailyng.com

Vol. 10 No. 29

Thursday, February 7, 2013

. . . putting the people first

JTF arrests mastermind of Bayero attack >> PAGE 2

Nine-year-old ‘gives birth’ >> PAGE 35

Rabiul Awwal 26, 1434 AH

N150

Jonathan’s absence stalls FEC meeting >> PAGE 3

Opposition parties conclude merger, float APC

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A

fter several weeks of meetings, the opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) have finally resolved to emerge as the All Progressives

Congress (APC).

“The adoption of the new name is to satisfy the urgent national need for a party that will give the disillusioned citizens of the country a recipe for peace and stability,” a communiqué signed by representatives of the four political parties said yesterday at the conclusion of a meeting which they started earlier on Tuesday

in Abuja.

Stressing its commitment to the principles of internal democracy, the party said that it would focus on issues that concern the wellbeing of Nigerians.

The communiqué also affirmed that the party is determined to bring corruption and insecurity to an end and that, “part of its priority will be to grow

the economy and create millions of jobs through effective education, housing, agriculture, industrial growth, and this will check the increasing mood of despair and hopelessness among Nigerians.

“The resolution of these issues, the restoration of hope, the enthronement of true democratic values for peace, democracy and

justice are those concerns which propel us.”

The party noted that it was set to occupy the Presidency in 2015 and will, “restore the dignity and position of Nigeria as a country of pre-eminence among the committee of nations.”

The merger initiative was postponed on Tuesday owing to Contd on Page 2

AFCON: Super Eagles reach first final in 13 years

By Patrick Andrew

N

igeria announced its return to the zenith of African football in what was the Super Eagles' most impressive performance at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations with an emphatic 4-1 drubbing of the Eagles of Mali in the first semi-final decided yesterday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa.

The Super Eagles last hit the final in 2000 when as joint hosts with Ghana narrowly missed the trophy losing on penalties to Cameroon. Ever since, the Super Eagles have had near misses: were semi-finalists in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2010. In between they lost in the quarter-finals in 2008 and never made the finals in 2012.

Playing with fervour, the Contd on Page 2

PD INDEX

6th Feb., 2013

CBN RATES $ £ EURO CFA RIYAL

BUYING 154.74 242.87 211.09 0.3029 41.25

SELLING 155.74 244.44 212.46 0.3229 41.52

PARALLEL RATES EURO £ RIYAL $

BUYING 208 254.50 42 157

SELLING 210 257.50 43 158

Nigeria's players celebrate at the end of the 2013 African Cup of Nations semi-final football match against Mali, yesterday in Durban.

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

CONTENTS

JTF arrest mastermind of Ado Bayero attack

News

From Edwin Olofu, Kano

2-10

Editorial

12

Op.Ed

13

Letters

14

Opinion

15

Metro

16-18

Business

19-22

S/Exchange

23

S/Report

24-25

Earth

26-27

Update

28-29

Cooperate with Wada to succeed, Rep tells kinsmen, Page 37

Newsxtra Int’l

30 31-34

Strange World 35 Digest

36

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-46

Leisure

47

Columnist

48

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

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

Phones for News: 070-37756364 09-8734478

O

peratives of the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in Kano, in the wee hours of yesterday, apprehended the mastermind of the deadly attack on the Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero.

A security source who declined identification told our correspondent that the suspect identified only with his nickname ‘Babawo’, was arrested in Chiranchi in Dorayi quarters following a tip-off by a

resident of the area.

Our source said a combined team of mainly men of the Department of State Security (DSS) and soldiers stormed the area and cordoned it off, blocking access in and out of the place.

He added that the attack was planned and hatched in Babawo’s residence immediately he was arrested a search was conducted in the house and four AK 47 rifles were recovered with several live ammunitions.

The operation that led to the

arrest of Babawo equally led to the arrest of four other suspects within 24 hours among them a student of Bayero University Kano who was said to have participated in the attack while another suspect was picked around Yankaba area, adding that in all, five persons are cooling their feet in detention in connection with the attack.

Our correspondent further gathered that the security agents are keeping the arrests close to their chest to avoid the rest of the members of the gang from fleeing.

It would be recalled that Bayero was attacked by unknown gunmen and five persons were killed in his entourage. Although the emir escaped unhurt, he is currently receiving medical attention in London.

However, efforts to confirm the story were not successful as calls put to the JTF spokesman, Captain Ikedichi Iweha were not answered.

In the same vein, the Kano state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Idris didn’t respond to phone calls from our reporter.

INEC admits irregularities in Kano by-elections

By Ibrahim Kabiru Sule

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has acknowledged hiccups during the last week’s Kano House of Assembly by-election in Gaya and Garko local government areas.

The commission said it received reports of assault, intimidation and harassment of voters and election officials, and confirmed that “field reports available to it revealed that mobs of armed youths disrupted the electoral process in some areas”.

This was contained in a statement from INEC signed by its press secretary, Kayode Idowu, yesterday.

The statement further disclosed that its electoral officials faced harassment, threats and intimidation just as some supervisory officials of the commission were assaulted by some thugs.

“The Commission is highly

disappointed that the culture of thuggery, intolerance and unruly conduct by partisans yet bedevil the electoral process in our country.

“Regrettably, reports also showed that despite the overwhelming show of force by armed youths during the Kano state by-election, security agents

failed to intervene. INEC is concerned that under the circumstance, the elections were conducted in an unwholesome atmosphere that interfered with voters’ exercise of their freedom of choice”, lamented the statement.

INEC has thus called for the quick action against such acts as they are capable of subverting free,

fair and credible elections in the country, and appealed to security agencies to be vigilant so as to put a stop to the activities of election thuggery.

The election became necessary following the murder of the two members of the Kano House of Assembly representing Gaya and Garko.

Mini-bus restriction remains suspended in FCT

By Josephin Ella Ejeh

T

he Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), yesterday announced that suspension of the restriction order earlier placed on the operation of mini-buses within the FCT remains in force.

A statement signed by Nosike Ogbuenyi, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of FCT, yesterday, stated that the FCT minister, Senator Bala Mohammed had earlier directed the suspension of implementation

of the policy to allow time for further enlightenment of stakeholders involved including the operators, commuters, FCT residents and the general public.

The statement said the minister directed that the grace period be extended as the FCTA puts palliatives in place while sensitisation campaign and education of all commuters, operators and all stakeholders of the policy continue.

“A meeting of the implementation committee of the policy, comprising major

stakeholders such as leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Self-Employed Drivers Association (SECDA), Abuja Urban Mass Transport Company Limited (AUMTCO), representatives of the FCT Administration and others took place yesterday at the FCTA secretariat in Area 11, Abuja to strategize on better ways of implementing the policy. The meeting reconvenes on Tuesday next week”, it stated.

AFCON: Super Eagles reach first final in 13 years Contd from Page 1 resurgent Super Eagles rekindled rather masterly their scintilating performance against the Elephants of Cote d' Ivoire as they tamed the Malian Eagles with technical discipline that bordered on composure, teamwork and sheer individual brilliance.

Goals from Elderson Echiejile (his first for the Eagles since he was capped in 2010), Brown Ideye, Emmanuel Emenike and Ahmed Musa ensured Nigeria routed Mali in the battle of the Eagles.

Fantamady Diarra pulled one back for the Patrice Carteron tutored side in the second half, but it proved no more than a consolation.

From the referee's blast of the whistle, Nigeria took the battle to the Malians with short, but tailored passes with the intent to sizing up the resolve of their physically advantageous opponents.

It worked as they began to dominate in the midfield where Mikel Obi inmobilised Seydou Keita (whom the Malians had hoped would deliver the passes from the middle) forcing the Malians to resort to long thrusts that the defence marshalled by Godfrey Oboabana and Kenneth Omeruo easily dealt with.

On the quarter hour, Mikel showed his trademark flashes of brilliance with a raking long pass that opened up Mali’s defence and allowed Emenike to latch on the ball and hit his first low drive on target, but goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa made a good save.

The Chelsea man kept the pecker up seven minutes later with a riflery of a shot that missed the top right by mere inches. The Malians did attempt to unsettle the Super Eagles using their aerial superiority but the defence stood firm and repelled all incursions.

Then came the breather.

Super Eagles' livewire Victor Moses reproduced his trademark dribbling skill as he took Adama Tamboura to the cleaners with twisting runs and floated a pass daring enough for Elderson Echiejile to turn in with a diving header.

Four minutes later the Super Eagles made it 2-0. Emenike, who proved a handful for the Malian defence was picked out by Onazi and outpaced his marker before providing a low cross that Brown Ideye back-heeled into the net.

The Super Eagles completed the first half route when Mamadou Sissoko deflected in Emenike's free-kick after wrongfooting his goalkeeper as the ball watzs into the far corner.

Undaunted, the Malians attempted to redeem themselves but all such efforts were in vain as the first half ended.

On resumption, the Malians took the battle to the Super Eagles with increasing tensity as did the

downpour. However, the Eagles were content to soak up the pressure while launching daring counters.

It paid off. Substitute Ahmed Musa (who came on for injured Brown) was again intelligently picked out by Mikel and dashed down the right frank ahead of two defenders and neatly tugged the ball between the legs of the rushing Samassa for Nigeria's fourth goal.

The other Samassa on the pitch, striker Mahamadou Samassa, had a great chance to pull one back for the Eagles in the 72nd minute, but he was denied by a fine save from Enyeama.

However, three minutes later Cheick Diabate set-up fellow substitute Fantamady Diarra to at least put Mali on the score sheet at 4-1.

With the victory, Nigeria booked Sunday's final ticket and will play the winner between Ghana and Burkina Faso.

Opposition parties conclude merger, float APC Contd from Page 1 the demand by members of the ACN and CPC merger committees that the representatives of APGA and ANPP be involved, to give the resolution a national outlook and acceptable to all the stakeholders.

Ten governors from across the

opposition political parties including Rochas Okorocha of APGA, all the ACN governors in the south west, Kashim Shetima of ANPP, among others had met behind closed doors on Tuesday in Lagos, where they endorsed the merger plans.

According to Shetima of Borno state who read the communiqué on behalf of his colleagues, “we, the governors of Borno, Ekiti, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Yobe, and Zamfara, rose from a meeting in Lagos House Marina (Tuesday), having reviewed the

situation in our country, and we resolved that to rescue Nigeria is a task that must be done.”

The new party is expected to be registered after formal presentation of the resolutions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 3

L-R: Senator Chris Ngige, Senator Kabiru Gaya, Chief George Moghalu, Chairman, CPC Merger Committee, Alhaji Garba Gadi, Chairman, Merger Committee, Chief Tom Ikimi, Chairman, ANNP Merger Committee, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, Chief Olusegun Oshoba, and Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, during the announcement of the new party, All Progressive Congress (APC), yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Mahmud Isa

Jonathan’s absence stalls FEC meeting A

Suleja bombing: Suspects know fate Feb 11

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

T

he weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting did not hold yesterday due to what Presidency sources attributed to be the imminent cabinet reshuffle which President Goodluck Jonathan would have personally announced.

The FEC is the highest decisionmaking body of government, presided over by the President with the Vice-President, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Head of Service and all the ministers in attendance.

The Vice President presides over the meeting in the absence of

the President.

But the President had to travel to London and Paris to confer with the British Prime Minister, David Cameron and the French President, Francois Hollande, on matters of vital interests to Nigeria, Britain and France, according to Dr. Reuben Abati, the presidential Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.

The source did not say whether the President left a clear instruction that the FEC meeting should not hold in his absence but Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo yesterday presided over the meeting of the Defence Industries Corporation of

Nigeria (DICON) attended by Minister of state for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada, and Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade.

Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Ita Okon Bassey Ewa, and Minister of State for Niger Delta, Darius Ishaku who were apparently not aware that the FEC meeting would not hold, arrived the State House before the usual time of 10 a.m.

Though no official reasons were given for the cancellation, the source also hinted that a number of the ministers whose memos were expected to be treated at the FEC meeting travelled with Jonathan.

Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday fixed February 11, 2013 to rule on the nocase submission of the six suspects standing trial for allegedly bombing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Suleja, Niger state on April 8, 2011.

The suspects who are facing a five-count charge bordering on sundry acts of terrorism are: Shuaibu Abubakar, Salisu Ahmed, Umar Babagana Umar, Mohammed Ali, Musa Adam and Umar Ibrahim.

Trial judge, Justice Bilkisu Aliyu, fixed the date after the suspects' counsel adopted their written addresses which were opposed by the prosecution.

Counsel to Abubakar, Umar and

Three robbery suspects, two civilians killed in Borno From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

T

he troubled city of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, witnessed two separate attacks yesterday, claiming the lives of three suspected armed robbers and two unidentified civilians.

In the first incident which occurred in the morning, unknown gunmen stormed Gamborou Ward and shot dead two

persons.

Eyewitness account revealed that three young men, armed with AK 47 rifles, drove to the area in a tricycle and parked behind the residence of their targets.

"We were seated outside, chatting with friends when we suddenly saw three young men, armed with rifles. We quickly scampered for safety as the men fired several shots in the air", a witness, who declined identification, said.

The witness claimed that, after fleeing inside his house, he peeped from a window and saw the victims lying on the ground, while assailants fired several shots at them.

Similarly, later in the day, a soldier attached to the Joint Task Force, (JTF), shot dead three suspected armed robbers.

The men of the underworld reportedly met their waterloo while fleeing after allegedly robbing several shop owners in

Hausari Ward, Maiduguri metropolis.

Our correspondent reports that recently, hoodlums suspected to be armed robbers, have been terrorising traders in the popular commercial centre of Babban Layi and carting away millions of naira.

When contacted, spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa confirmed the killing of three armed robbers, but said was not aware of the other incident.

Demolition threat: Victims want Senate to mediate

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

A

gainst the background of the 37 estates which the Minister for Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Bala Mohammed, recently threatened to demolish, the victims yesterday called on the Senate to dialogue with the FCT authority on their behalf, with a view to giving them a soft landing.

The victims, while meeting

yesterday with the FCT authorities and Senate Committee on FCT, blamed the irregularities arising from land allocation on the confusing method by which lands are allocated in Abuja.

Speaking at the meeting, the President of Association of Estate Developers, Bode Afolayo, urged the Senate to help sanitise the land allocation system in Abuja, saying that the current system has made

many unsuspecting Nigerians to become victims.

In his speech, the FCT Director of Development Control, Yahaya Yusuf, said that if the FCT fails to punish the offenders, people will not learn.

Also in his speech, the chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, Smart Adeyemi, said though the victims have no genuine paper from the Development Control

department of the FCT, caution should be taken in implementing the law.

He argued that morality should always be considered, especially when the impact will negatively affect the poor masses.

On this basis, he challenged the victims to come with their documents with a view to prosecute those that issued the documents if they are fraudulent.

Ali, Mr. Kelvin Okoro argued that the evidence against them did not support the charge and contended that there is no sufficient evidence to support the charge.

Counsel to Ahmed, Adam and Ibrahim, Nureini Suleiman said the evidence against his clients were hearsay, which he said is in admissible in law.

But the Prosecution counsel, Thompson Olatigbe urged the court to discountenance the argument and dismiss the no-case submission because the evidence against the accused persons were weighty.

‌as Court hears contempt proceedings against EFCC boss today An Abuja High Court will today entertain an application seeking to commit the chairman of the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde to prison for allegedly disobeying the order of the court made on March 8, 2012.

The plaintiff, Innocent Onwu, in his application for contempt of court order is asking for an order of the court committing the EFCC boss and Mr. Friday Ebelo to prison for contempt and or disobeying the orders of the court.

He also wants an order of the court directing the Inspector General of Police to arrest and take the respondents/contemnors to prison for contempt of court.

The plaintiff averred in his affidavit that on October 31, 2011, he filed a Motion on Notice before the court for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights against the respondents and that on March 8, 2012, the court delivered a ruling in the matter he filed against the respondents.

PAGE 4

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY, 7, 2013

Again, tension in Nasarawa community as soldiers kill 18 cows From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

R

esidents of Bassa community of Kokona local government of Nasarawa state were yesterday evening, thrown

into fear as trigger happy soldiers stationed at Amba village, allegedly shot and killed 18 cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen in the area.

Confirming the incident to our reporter yesterday, a

traditional ruler in the area, Malam Salihu Munkaila, the Galadiman Bassa, said the soldiers who were drafted to maintain peace in the area shortly after the communal clash that saw to the sacking

of Bassa and other communities, travelled two kilometres to Tabagindi hamlet, where they shot and killed the cows.

As a result of the shooting, according to the community

leader, returning displaced persons were gripped by tension, with some set to leave the area again, with leaders of the Fulani community in the area prevailing on their youths not to seek revenge.

Malam Salihu added that after killing the cows, the soldiers arrested one unidentified herdsman and took him away.

He said the matter has been reported to the authorities

Bricklayers threaten to blacklist Dangote cement From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

L L-R: Host, Prof. Pat Utomi, Chairman of the occasion, Mr. Felix Ohiwere Feature Panellist, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa'ad Abubakar, Guest Governor, Mr. Peter Obi of Anambra state, and Governor, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state, during the 10th CVL annual lecture on "Leadership and Values: The Challenges for the Next Generation of Leaders", yesterday in Lagos.

Kerosene dealers beat up Civil Defence cops in Jigawa From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

F

our men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), were beaten to pulp by kerosene black marketers and fuel attendants at the Dutse NNPC Mega Station in Jigawa state, while their vehicle's wind and rear screens were smashed following a disagreement.

Investigations revealed that the NSCDC personnel earlier stormed the NNPC Mega Station outlet to see how the sale of kerosene was being carried out. On their arrival

however, they discovered that shoddy deals between the marketers and the officials of the NNPC station were going on.

It was further gathered that the men of the NSCDC directed the kerosene sellers to adhere with the approved agreement of selling only a jerry can per person so as to enable other people procure the commodity – a situation that was said not to have gone down well with the attendants.

According to an eyewitness at the NNPC station who simply gave his name as Mr.

Sylvia, an argument erupted between the security operatives the sellers who thereafter ganged up against the security personnel and a fight erupted. Outnumbered, the operative were beaten up and one of them received a knife cut as well.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested the suspected culprits involved in the incident.

Effort to contact the state commandant of the NSCDC, Mohammed Mahamud Fari proved abortive as he was not on seat while his phone was busy for a long time, he was reported

to be in the hospital attending to his men who were receiving treatment.

However, one of the senior officials of the corps who spoke on anonymity confirmed that four of their personnel were brutalised at the mega station and are currently receiving treatment at the Rashers Shekoni Specialists Hospital in Dutse.

Meanwhile an emergency meeting was convened by the Chief of Staff of Governor Sule Lamido were all the groups were invited to the Government House.

Barkin Ladi, Riyom crises suspects under trial – STF

T

he Special Task Force (STF) in Jos, has revealed that three out of the 21 suspects arrested in connection with the July 7, 2012 attacks in Barkin Ladi and Riyom that lead to the death of Senator Gyang Dantong and the former Plateau state Majority Leader Hon. Gyang Fulani are currently undergoing trial at the Plateau State High Court Barkin Ladi.

STF spokesperson, Captain Salisu Mustapha said yesterday while briefing journalist at the STF headquarters in Jos, that the suspects were arrested "sequel to the operations carried out to apprehend the perpetrators of the attacks, with the help of new strategies introduced to enhance the operational capabilities of STF troops with a view to enhancing security

in Riyom and Barkin Ladi".

According to him, "the remaining suspects arrested by STF are on open arrest while investigation to ascertain their level of involvement is still

ongoing".

The STF said it recovered from the suspects weapons including "three AK 47 rifles, 14 locally made pistols, a sub machine gun, six locally made

short guns, 516 live rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 534 live rounds of 7.62mm (SP), 170 live cartridges a sword, a dagger, cut lasses and three drilling screws".

FG to reposition DICON

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

T

he Vice President, Arc Mohammed Namadi Sambo, has received reports of various subcommittees of the Presidential Committee on the Review of Structure, Operation and Activities of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON).

Receiving the reports yesterday in the State House, Abuja, Sambo reiterated the

need for public sector partnership in the area of research, production of armament needed by the armed forces and commercialisation.

He noted that the armed forces should be careful in choosing the right partner, adding that government does not want the involvement of many agencies to avoid confusion in the process.

The sub-committees that presented its report were

Defence Technology, Research and Development; Legal and Regulatory Issues; Funding, Market Development and Procurement Plan, and, Private Sector Participation and Technology Acquisition.

Vice President Sambo set up another committee headed by the Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada to harmonise the position of all the four sub-committees for the main committee to present to Mr. President within two weeks.

agos State Bricklayers Association, yesterday, staged a peaceful protest to some media houses over allegations bothering on insensitivity by the management of Dangote Cement and shoddy treatment of their members.

General secretary of the association, Mr. Akinmoladun Olaniyi, said they had to embark on the protest because Dangote Cement has neglected their members who constitute its highest users, adding that all efforts to get the attention of Dangote has not been fruitful.

He said: “The fact remains that the association is the highest patrons and users of Dangote Cement throughout the state, with over 40,000 members, 500 zones, 57 sub-head offices who are directly involved in the sale of the product.

“85 percent of cement used in Lagos is from Dangote and he did not deem it fit to better the lives of the end users”.

The members who carried placards bearing different inscriptions called on the cement giant to address their plight, failing which they will blacklist its products in the state.

Olaniyi stated that despite the support from it members in ensuring that the products get good patronage, Dangote Cement had not made any impression in their lives.

He said: “Up till date the association still lacks a befitting secretariat and other basic amenities of life.

There is nothing to improve our health as our members toil in the sun and rain endlessly making billion of naira for Dangote Cement.”

The General Secretary remarked that having written several letters and sent representatives to Dangote Cement, their request had not received any good response, adding that rather, its members were treated with ignominy.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

NMA talks tough on National Health Bill From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

T

he Nigeria Medical Association, (NMA), Edo state branch has renewed its call for speedy passage of the National Health Bill before the National Assembly.

The call was made during an inspection and monitoring of several private health facilities in the state by a team of health practitioners from the state Ministry of Health led

by Edo state chairman of the NMA, Dr. Emmanuel Ighodaro and the director of medical services of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Dr. Helen Eboreime.

The NMA boss said the determination to eradicate quackery and charlatans from the medical profession occasioned by the vacuum created in terms of manpower cannot be controverted and assured that if the Bill is passed, health care services will be easily accessed and more affordable by every Nigerian regardless of financial status.

“If you look at the tertiary health centres, the teaching hospitals, the general hospitals, what they normally receive as patients are mismanaged patients from most of this privately owned hospitals manned by quacks parading themselves as doctors”, he said.

PAGE 5

Bauchi NLC/TUC give 21-day ultimatum over salary deductions From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

T

he Bauchi state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), have given Bauchi state government 21 days ultimatum to hasten the refund of the 1% deducted from civil servants’ salaries for funding vulnerable children and orphanages in the state.

This was contained in a statement issued by the two

unions after their state executive council meeting in which they deliberated on the compulsory deduction by the state government as observed in the January salary of workers.

The unions warned that if the state government failed to stop further deductions from the workers’ salaries or failed to refund the already deducted 1%, they have no other option than to call on the entire workers in the state to embark on total strike until their demands are

fulfilled.

The statement observed that the deduction was never the resolution of the entire workers in the state, neither were labour leaders consulted on the matter before the commencement of the deduction.

The unions warned that they are not against financing or assisting any projects for the orphanages in the state but not through compulsory deductions from workers salaries in the state.

Youth corps members execute projects in Jigawa From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

O

ne of the corps members posted to Jigawa state, Mr. Jibreel Shuaibu Zabbo, has executed CDS project of empowering youth with hair cutting skills, provision of a new kiosk at Tudun Mahauta and provision of technical drawing materials to Government Science Technical College, Birnin Kudu.

Another corps member, Mr. Efere Ejiro Creda, has also carried out the de-worming of 542 children in Sundumina and Yalwan Damai; given an awareness talk on antenatal and post natal care; and distributed 50 mosquito nets to pregnant

women.

The Jigawa State Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Mr. Ishaya Dede who applauded the gesture by the two corps members, also described Birnin Kudu local government council as being in the forefront in assisting NYSC members across the state.

He made the remarks during the commissioning of the personal community development service projects undertaken by two corps members in the area.

Mr. Ishaya Dede called on the corps members to always cooperate and develop the habit of executing CDS projects for the benefit of the host community.

Nigerians urged to resurrect the spirit of 1914 amalgamation From Mike Etim, Uyo

A

s preparation for the country’s centenary celebrations begins, Nigerians have been reminded to resurrect the spirit of 1914 amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates by the colonial masters by ensuring that the country continues to remain united.

Governor Godswill Akpabio gave the charge in Uyo during the opening of the 12th National

Biennial Conference of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) at the Uyo Sports Stadium with the theme “A People with a Mandate”.

Akpabio remarked “Lord Lugard and his wife completed their mandate in 1914 by uniting the Northern and Southern protectorates, which emerged into our country, Nigeria today. So our mandate as Nigerians is to seek peace at all times in order to keep the country together...”

Stop ridiculing Nigeria’s justice system, judges warned From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

N

igerian judges have been warned to desist from treating corruption cases with kid gloves by defending the sanctity of equity and the nation’s justice system. The warning was issued in a press statement by a group of anticorruption civil society groups under the aegis of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL).

In a statement signed by its executive chairman, Debo Adeniran, CACOL said its intervention has become imperative following recent

developments in the nation’s judicial system where cases that border on fraud and diversion of public funds are handled in less than transparent manner and with levity.

According to the coalition “we are worried that corruption cases stalled or dismissed in our courts have always speedily sailed through in London courts and in other jurisdictions. We are worried that our judicial officers especially our judges are giving the impression they are there to do the bidding of the very corrupt persons before their courts while the victims are harassed and intimidated.

L-R: President Goodluck Jonathan, being welcomed by president mohamed morsy eissa al-ayat of egypt, during president jonathan's visit to cairo for the 12th session of the islamic summit conference, yesterday.

Kogi Assembly urges teachers to re-brand From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

F

ollowing the hue and cry across the nation over poor output in the education system, the Kogi state House of Assembly has called for the rebranding of teachers to meet higher standards.

The call was made yesterday at the plenary through a resolution from a motion raised by Hon Henry Ojuola, representing Yagba East in the Assembly.

The Assembly called on

government at all levels to be involved in ensuring full implementation of its policies geared towards improving education through primary to tertiary institutions to meet the world order on functional education.

The House observed with worry, that most teachers nowadays are not equipped enough to groom pupils for future challenges, bemoaning a situation where teachers give out wrong indices in their note of

lessons and teaching aids. The members called on the ministry of education to screen teachers properly before issuing employment letters.

The Assembly enjoined the Ministry of Education to be vigilant through constant visits to schools and avoid compromising standard stressing that with the poor quality of students right from primary to tertiary institutions nowadays, the future of children would be in jeopardy.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Police arraign three for alleged theft of treated mosquito nets

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he police yesterday arraigned three men before an Apapa Chief Magistrates'Court in Lagos for allegedly stealing treated mosquito nets valued at N500, 000 belonging to the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.

The accused are Abulmakik Haruna, 21; Segun Zakarah, 23; and

Tunde Ayoola, 25.

The accused, who reside at No. 56, Raimi Street, Amukoko, Lagos, are facing a two-count charge of stealing and conspiracy.

They, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Police prosecutor Soji Ojaokomo told the court that the accused and others now at

large, forcefully opened a container with No. MSKU 9043992 containing treated mosquito nets loaded in a lorry with Reg. No. XU 360-AGL and stole the nets.

"The accused and those still at large, after they forced opened the container, loaded with the treated mosquito nets, stole some bales valued at

N500, 000, property of the American Embassy, Abuja," Ojaokomo said.

He said the offences, which were committed on Jan. 12, at about 1 a.m. at Liverpool Roundabout, Apapa, Lagos, contravened the provisions of Sections 285 and 409 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Oluyemisi Adelaja, granted each of the accused bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.

Adelaja directed that the sureties should show evidence of tax payment to the Lagos state government, and adjourned further hearing in the case to Feb. 25. (NAN)

Kogi governor charges soldiers'spouses on selfreliance From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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Wives of FCT mini-bus drivers protesting yesterday at the National Assembly, in Abuja, over the ban of commercial buses by the Federal Capital Authority recently.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

By Stanley Onyekwere

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easons have emerged over why the Federal Government's delay in implementing the recommendations of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) report on the environmental degradation going on in Ogoniland, of the Niger-Delta region of the country, was due

Why FG is 'foot dragging' over UNEP report, by HYPRP boss to President Jonathan's insistence that the report be subjected to thorough evaluation before its implementation, so as to avoid disharmony in the land.

According to the national coordinator, Pollution, Restoration Project (HYPRP), Mrs. Joy Nunieh-Okunnu, after the government

discovered that the report had recommendations that ere contrary to the provisions of laws of the land, and in order to do the right thing, it had to critically look at what they had recommended before implementation.

This is coming on the heels of recent widespread criticisms trailing the perceived neglect

UNIABUJA crisis: Students berates varsity authorities over resumption, exams

By Stanley Onyekwere

N

igerian Universities Engineering Students Association (NUESA), University of Abuja chapter, have condemned the university management's decision to resume academic activities on Monday and fixing examinations for the 11th of February, without resolving the lingering problem of accreditation bedeviling the institution, which led to numerous protests by the students and subsequent closure of the school in November last year.

Expressing their dismay, the affected students who described the steps taken by the management

as putting the cart before the horse, said it had expected the management to have taken concrete steps to solving the problems before calling for resumption and examinations next week.

According to a communiquĂŠ read to newsmen by Ogwuche Anthony, a 500-Level Electrical Electronics Engineering student, the affected students from the Faculty of Engineering rising from a general congress last weekend, among other things resolved that the school should remain closed until lingering issues are resolved.

"The failure of the school management to tell us and the whole nation the extent to which it

has gone in solving these problems that led to the protest by the entire students of the university is an affront to our collective intelligence", NUESA declared.

Also, the students observed that the management's fixing of a meeting with the students on 8th February is equally ill-timed as they have had enough time to dialogue with the students since the university was shut down.

The Students said: "We passionately and openly appeal to President Jonathan to come to our aid in proffering a lasting solution to the problems and possibly pay a visit to the university to ascertain for himself the true situation of things at the school".

by the Federal Government to in implement recommendations in the UNEP report more than a year after its submission.

Recall the FG commissioned UNEP in 2006; and in 2009, mobilised to Ogoniland to carry out the 14-month study; thereafter, it submitted its report on August 4, 2011.

cquiring skills that would enable an individual to be self employed and self-reliant has been described by Capt. Idris Wada, the Kogi state governor, as panacea to solving the nation's rising unemployment profile.

Governor Wada made the disclosure at the end of a skill acquisition programme organised for army officers' wives and their dependants by the Defence Headquarters of the Nigerian Army in Chari-Megumari Barracks, Lokoja, yesterday.

Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, who represented the governor, said with the yearly turnover of fresh graduates into the labour market and the limited space for white collar jobs in the country, people can only get out of the unemployment challenge through skill acquisition programmes.

He added that with an abundant pool of hidden talents in all towns and villages in the nation, only a conscious skill acquisition policy that will complement formal education, can meet the nation's target of job provision and self reliance.

Earlier, Major-General Alphonse Chukwu, the Commandant, Nigeria Army Records, Lokoja, said the programme which aims at empowering spouses of army officers, could not have come at a better time.

Land dispute: Only court can exonerate your wife, Ilorin elders reply Saraki From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

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lorin elders who are challenging the purported sale of the Old Ilorin Id praying ground have told Senator Bukola Saraki that the only place to clear the name of his wife, Barrister Toyin Saraki, over the matter was in the law court and not on the pages of newspapers.

They also described as misplaced and an attempt to "deceive the public"Saraki's claim that his wife was "wrongfully and mischievously" joined as a defendant in the suit, insisting that Saraki's comment amounted to him arrogating to himself the powers of a judge who should determine whether or not Mrs. Saraki was genuinely joined.

The elders - Dr. Saliu Ajibola Ajia,

Dr. Saad Omoiya and Alhaji Saleh Duro Garba, spoke in a joint statement issued in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.

They are the plaintiffs in the suit recently filed before an Ilorin High Court in which Mrs. Saraki, amongst others, were alleged to have benefited from the alleged sale of land belonging to Ilorin community.

The media aide to Saraki, Akintoba Fatigun, had dissociated Mrs. Saraki from the named land and described the elders as mischievous.

Fatigun in a statement, said "reasons as to why Mrs. Toyin Saraki's name has been included are unclear, but the record is available to anyone willing to know that there was never a transfer or acquisition of the said land by Mrs. Toyin Saraki or anyone associated with her".

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Ekiti govt never approach judges for favour, says Attorney-General From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

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kiti state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Adedayo Akinlaja (SAN) has disclosed that the present administration in Ekiti State under the leadership of Governor Kayode Fayemi has never approached any judge in the state for favour on any case.

Akinlaja who stated this during an interaction with journalists in Ilorin said because of the believe of Governor

Fayemi on the independence of the judiciary, he only prepares his briefing and defend his case before a Judge.

The Commissioner for Justice who spoke on repositioning of Nigeria Judiciary said the Ekiti State government had lost so many cases in the state since he became Attorney General of the state because the state government didn’t intervene or requested a judge to favour it.

However, he said, the state

government was at liberty to appeal the cases stressing that the judiciary must be given total independence to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria who condemned corruption in the judiciary said the sector need to be properly funded, and play its major role in election petitions in order to establish justice as expected.

Speaking on the police

pension scams, Akinlaja said the judge not ought to have given Adburasheed Maina, an option of fine based on the gravity of offence stressing that Nigerians and the media have a lot to do by exposing decay in judiciary and government at large.

He added that the only way to strengthen democracy was to give judiciary its autonomy and fund it properly to avoid unnecessary interference by the executive.

Taraba: NOA expresses satisfaction with campaign From Yusha’u Alhassan, Jalingo

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araba state office of the National Orientation Agency NOA has expressed satisfaction with the response of the people to its campaign ‘’Do the right things, transform Nigeria’’.

State Director of the Agency, Mato Duku Yakubu made the remarks while speaking with our reporter in an interview.

He said by his assessment, people of the state have started responding positively to the campaign with a view to doing the right thing.

The state NOA Director said calls from various quarters of the State have also indicated that the people expressed delight with the campaign adding that it has reawaken their consciousness to time.

He stressed the need for the people especially civil servants to keep to time and to disregard the African time syndrome.

Yakubu said it was worrisome for civil servants to report to office at nine O’ clock in the morning when the official reporting time is eight O’ clock.

He said the Agency would continue to carry out the campaign to nooks and crannies of the State until Nigerians changed their perception to the scheme of things.

‘Never again’-Gov Ahmed slams Offa/Erin-Ile crisis From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

L-R: Deputy Corps Marshal, Operation, Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi; Corps Marshal, Mr. Osita Chidoka; and Deputy Corps Marshal, Policy, Research Statistics, Mr. Ayo Omidiji, during a news conference on the forthcoming silver jubilee anniversary, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

GOC lauds soldiers’ professional conduct

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he General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, of the Army Lagos, Major General Abel Umahi, yesterday lauded the relationship existing between the men of the 4 Brigade and the residents of Benin.

He also praised the professional conduct of the officers and men within the command.

Umahi gave the commendation during the handover ceremony between him and his successor Brig. Gen. Patrick Akem, on the brigade’s

ground.

The GOC said that he was impressed with the soldiers’ professional etiquette throughout his tenure.

“Since my assumption of office in March 2010, none of you was marched before me for unprofessional conduct.

“I also want to commend your conduct, especially with your relationship with the civil society.

“I implore you to extend the same cooperation to the new commandant”, whom he said, has the capacity to dismiss any erring

soldier.

Umahi said he succeeded as commandant because the officers and soldiers all worked and cooperated with him.

“My success, therefore, is also your success as there is no one man show in the army,’’ he said.

The GOC, therefore, urged the soldiers to extend the same cooperation to Akem, saying: “he is also a lawyer and which calls for more diligence on your part.

“But he will be compassionate and caring about your welfare at this level, but if there is anything

you will require from me as GOC, do not hesitate to come through”, he added.

Responding, Akem said he would endeavour to sustain the healthy relationship between the Army and other sister security agencies to ensure the peaceful co-existence.

He said his previous assignment as head of the Military Joint Taskforce in Jos and other military trainings had put him in good stead to handle his new assignment as Brigade commander. (NAN)

Group condemns Oshiomole’s dictatorial tendencies From Matthew Aramunde, Lagos

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n apolitical and nongovernmental organization, the Edo Consultative Forum (ECF), has berated the decision of the Comrade Governor to impose his cronies and apologists on the people of Edo State in the forthcoming local council elections describing his action as anti-democratic and regrettable.

Speaking with journalists at the Ikeja Headquarters of the

organization, National Chairman of the forum, Gilbert Oboh said the recent strange behavior of the governor was not only worrisome but highly embarrassing wondering why a man whose party touts democratic principles, would play to the gallery by flouting the same principles he assumably practices.

“I have in the past twentyfour hours been inundated with reports from my members in Edo State on the ugly

development that may tear the bond that had hitherto existed between the Governor, his party members and the Edo people”.

He wondered why the Governor would want to cause disenchantment in the Action Congress of Nigeria because he desires to please some decampees from the Peoples Democratic Party.

He said as an activistgovernor whose primus pares is justice and fairplay, Oshiomhole

should not disfavor those who had been loyal to him for his new found friends.

Speaking further, he said, the Forum having undertaken tours of the local council areas of the state and pleased with the developmental programmes on ground, threw their weight financially, emotionally and spiritually behind the Governor’s second bid because “we will always support good governance and the practice of democratic principles”.

K

wara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed has vowed not to allow recurrence of the Offa\Erin-Ile incident to happen in the state where people were killed and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.

Governor Ahmed who made this vow during the inauguration of Commission of Enquiry into the communities crisis insisted that anybody found guilty in the crisis would not be spared irrespective of his calibre in the society.

“About a fortnight ago, conflict broke out between Offa and Erin-Ile communities ostensibly over the location of motor parks in both communities. In spite of government’s efforts to nip the problem in the bud through the quick deployment of security agents to Offa and Erin-Ile and the involvement of stakeholders within and outside the two communities, the situation escalated into violence resulting in the loss of lives and damage to property.

“To say the least, the barbaric destruction of lives and property during the latest crisis is alien to our way of life and offends our honour as a people.

Let me therefore make it clear to all concerned: Never again will this kind of carnage be allowed to happen in any part of the state.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Applicants at the Federal Judicial Service Commission, yesterday in Abuja.

Sale of 120,000 litres of kerosene to households by NNPC/Capital Oil limited, yesterday in Gombe.

L-R: Minister of Education, Professor Ruqyyatu Ahmed Rufa’i, with leader of the delegation, Nigerian Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna, Air Vice-Marshal John Oshoniyi, during the institute visit to the minister, on Tuesday in Abuja.

L-R: ASUU Vice-President, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, Chairman, implementation monitoring committee between Federal Government and university unions, Dr. Wale Babalakin, Chairman, Senate Committee on Education, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, ASUU President, Dr. Issa Fagae, and secretary-general, committee of vice-Chancellors, Prof. Michael Faborode, during a meeting to resolve the unpaid allowances of university staff, yesterday in Abuja.

1

L-R: Secretary, Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), Bauchi state chapter, Comrade Bala Ayuba, and Chairman, Comrade Abdullahi Ningi, and others, briefing newsmen on discontinuance of 10% deduction from workers salaries, yesterday in Bauchi.

Photos: Justin Imo-Owo and NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 9

Wamakko pays surprise visit to MDAs

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overnor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko has charged civil servants in the state to fear Allah in the discharge of their duties.

He stated this yesterday when he paid an unscheduled visit to some ministries and parastatals in the state.

The governor urged the workers to be committed and

dedicated to their duties, adding that, workers are the backbone of any socio-economic development of any society.

During the visit, the governor’s first port of call was at the establishment office, around 8.30am. Governor Wamakko met only some few staff present, while the permanent secretary, and his directors were absent.

He directed the head of service who accompanied him on the visit, to issue query to them.

Also the governor visited the ministry of commerce and industries where he met only the permanent secretary and director of administration on duty while the commissioner and other directors were absent.

At poverty reduction agency,

Governor Wamakko also met the permanent secretary and director of administration present while special adviser of the agency and 11 senior staff were not on seat. He directed the head of service again to take disciplinary action against them.

Similarly, the governor visited primary school pension board where only the secretary

and director of administrations of the board were present while the chairman and all the full time members were absent.

At ministry of environment, the governor met the commissioner and director administration on duty while the permanent secretary of the ministry was absent.

Fashola commends contractor From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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L-R: Permanent Secretary Ministry of Justice, Alhaji Abdullahi Yola, Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Olusola Obada, and Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, during meeting on Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria ( DICON), yesterday at the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

NAFDAC destroys N139m fake drugs, food products in Abuja

By Stanley Onyekwere

A

s part of strategies to combat the re-introduction and proliferation of fake, expired, substandard and unwholesome food, pharmaceutical and other regulated products in the country, the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC),Tuesday, destroyed a total N139 million worth of products in Abuja.

Among the products destroyed were those seized or forfeited to NAFDAC’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT) office by hawkers, manufacturers and distributors, including government institutions, non-governmental organisations, professional association and companies in the FCT. Speaking at the destruction exercise carried at Dutse Makaranta Tipper Garage dump site, in Abuja, the Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, emphasized the agency’s resolve to safeguard the health of the public and combating the menace through prosecution of suspects, use of cutting edge technologies, improved national and international cooperation and sustained public enlightenment in the mass media as well as setting up grassroots consumer safety clubs and collaboration with traditional rulers.

Arrest anyone with arms, Kuku urges JTF

By Joy Baba

T

he special adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Committee, Mr. Kingsley Kuku has said men of the Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta zone have the right to arrest anyone caught with arms within the area.

Kuku stated this Tuesday in Abuja when members of the National leadership of the Itshekiri National Youth Council led by their national president, Mr. David Tonwe and the lawmaker representing Warri Federal Constituency, Mr. Daniel

Reneju, paid him a courtesy call in his office.

He also said that there is no third phase of amnesty programme, but however, his office currently carrying out the third and final inclusion of former militants into the amnesty scheme.

The amnesty boss further urged members of the JTF to apprehend any person caught in the criminal possession of arms and ammunition as his office has nothing to do with them.

According to Kuku, an arms verification team led by Air Vice Marshal James Gbum is presently in the Niger Delta to verify

claims of arms submission earlier made by those agitating for inclusion in the programme.

He said that the Amnesty Office was not involved in the collection of arms and ammunition for any group of repentant militants in the area.

The presidential aide also said that not everyone been integrated into the Amnesty Programme were involved in direct armed struggle in the Niger Delta.

“When amnesty was proclaimed, a few persons, even less that 5000 people were actually in arms while others were contributing to the arms struggle in several ways and all these must benefit”, he added.

Hajj 2013: Yero insists on proper Maharram From Mohammed Adamu, Kaduna

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aduna State Government has said all female intending pilgrims must have Chaperon (Maharram) before being registered for 2013 Hajj to avoid any hitches.

Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero made this assertion while receiving the 2012 Hajj report in his office.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna by the Director General, Media and Publicity Ahmed Maiyaki, the governor said Hajj exercise was not an easy task, but would continue to improve on it.

Yero assured that his administration would implement the recommendations of the team in the interest of the pilgrims and to sustain the state’s enviable record.

He said he was aware of some of the challenges such as use of the International Trade Fair Complex instead of the Hajj Camp, adding that with the final assistance given to the IDPs, the government expects them to vacate the place for renovation for use by pilgrims.

He stressed that the selection of officials would be on merit to give room for those

with service interest to partake in the exercise, warning that henceforth, the government would not tolerate indolence.

Earlier, the 2012 Amirul Hajj, Alhaji Manir Ja’afar, had enumerated some of the challenges of the team despite the success he said they recorded.

He identified the review of the law that established the board, the transit camp problem, early saving scheme, early appointment of officials and their numbers, and the choice of aircraft and contractors, as some of the problems that should be looked into.

he Lagos State Governor, Mr. Raji Fashola has commended Homes Deal Ventures Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling the construction of Agbowa-Ikosi housing units.

Mr. Fashola gave the commendation during an inspection tour of some of the state’s ongoing projects.

The governor who was impressed by the company’s innovation said that he was well satisfied with the manner the contractor was going about its job.

According to him, “Homes Deal Ventures has really impressed me by using a different model at the Agbowas-Ikosi area for the 144 housing units.”

Reacting to Fashola’s praise, HDV’s CEO, Femi Okenla said that the company would not relent in its efforts to lead in the company’s core business.

Police arrest prime suspect in Offa killing From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

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arely a week after the former chairman of Offa NASFAT Alhaji Bukola Lawal, was killed by unknown gunmen during Offa/Erin-Ile crisis, the Kwara State Police command has arrested an Oshogbo based transporter, Ganiyu Oyeyemi Ogunjobi at his hideout in Osun state.

The late Lawal who was owner of the Central Hotel in Offa, was hacked to death while his body was cut into pieces by gunmen who invaded his Hotel and later burnt him with car tyres.

Peoples Daily gathered that 13 policemen from Ilorin were drafted to Osogbo, the Osun state capital on Monday to arrest Ogunjobi, popularly known as ‘Fadeyi Oloro’, after a member of NURTW identified him.

A reliable source within the police revealed to journalists that Ogunjobi was the leader of mercenary gang that fought for a community and invaded Offa where they attacked Lawal’s Hotel and killed him along with his female staff.

While cofirming the development, the Police Public Relation Officer(PPRO),DSP Olufemi Fabode who did not identify the suspects by names, said three suspects were arrested in respect of the Offa\Erin-Ile crisis.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 7, 2013

Row over demolition of mosque at Mutallab Estate

By Abdulwahab Isa and Muhammad Nasir

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uslim residents in Barumark estate, Wuye in Abuja said the demolition of their makeshift mosque in the sprawling estate allegedly on the instruction of former Board Chairman of First Bank Plc, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, has left them with

no place of worship.

According to findings, Mutallab, the current Chairman of Jaiz Bank Plc -Nigeria’s first noninterest bank owns the estate which was constructed without provision for worship centers.

A resident who spoke to one of our reporters said there was no formal provision for amosque or church in the estate when it was

developed nearly two years ago.

He said that “it took close to two years of pleading with Mr. Muttalab before he finally allocated a space which doubles as playground for both Muslim and Christian kids”.

The resident who does not want his name in print said “all efforts to get him allocate a more appropriate space failed, and so the Muslims began to construct their mosque”.

“After spending over three million naira on the mosque, the Christians mounted opposition, saying the place was meant to be a playground for their kids and they called the attention of Abuja Environmental Protection Agency who came to pull down the structure”.

He said, in a bid to secure a place for prayers during the last holy

Kano state Governor, Engineer Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso (2nd right), presenting tools to one of the 112 youths who underwent six months vocational training, on Tuesday in Kano.

AKwa Ibom moves to check tricycles From Mike Etim, Uyo

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kwa Ibom State government has adopted strict measures aimed at checking the menace of tricycle riders ,otherwise known as keke, operating within the Uyo Capital Development Area (UCDA).

As such, it has set up a technical committee to register all the tricycles so as to open a data base for them through bio-metrics.

The tricycles would be allocated numbers for easy identification and be painted in the same colours.

At a stakeholders meeting summoned by the state commissioner for transport, Barrister Bassey Dan Abia and attended by some local government chairmen whose territories falls within the Uyo Capital Development Area, owners of transports, roads workers union of Nigeria, officials of the tricycle union and others in the

transport sector, the commissioner said the meeting became necessary because of the chaotic nature of the tricycles and the need to decongest Uyo of them.

He said the influx of tricycles on major highways in the state haves resulted in traffic hold ups and therefore went beyond government ability to handle the matter alone, hence collective effort was needed to end the menace.

The commissioner maintained

that his ministry in collaboration with his counterparts at Environment; and Housing and Urban Renewal were working to together to evacuate the tricycles from the major roads and re-route them to minor roads within the capital city.

In another development, the commissioner ordered that all the activities of illegal motor parks operating within the capital city be wound up and be moved to the four existing motor parks built by the state government within the capital city.

Nyako’s wife launches multi-purpose centre in Adamawa From Umar Dankano, Yola.

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he wife of Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa state, Hajiya Zainab Nyako, has urged the governors wives forum to rally round in empowering the Nigerian women folk for socio economic development of the nation.

Zainab Nyako said that there should be total revolution by governors wives in empowerment of women and youths by all tiers of government for brighter future.

She made the call while commissioning Mairamu Hall at Women Education Empowerment Initiative, WEEIN, centre in Yola ,which is her pet project named after the late mother of the governor,Hajiya Mairamu Nyako.

She said that the education of women and youths, would in no small measure, tackle poverty in Nigeria if all and sundry helped the youths to realise their potentials.

According to Nyako’s wife, "the main purpose of establishing WEEIN, is to address povertyrelated issues in the state and the

need for the women and youths in the state to challenge their latent potentials in various vocational activities that would better the lot of the people" .

Mrs. Nyako explained that the Mairamu Resource Centre has created a number

of departments, among which are tailoring, knitting, soap making, pomade making and other vocational activities being undertaken in the centre and that the participants were drawn from across the 21 local government areas of the state.

We’ll sue Kaduna govt over planned Okada ban- Shehu Sani From Nasiru Mu'azu Isa, Kaduna

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resident of Civil Rights Congress, Comrade Shehu Sani has said that the proposed ban on Okada in Kaduna state is undemocratic and is an infringement of human rights.

Comrade Sani who made the

statement during a chat with newsmen in Kaduna, observed that the ban was likely to cause more problems than solution, as “okada” it is the only means of livelihood for most families.

He said such decision was unsympathetic and unwise as 13 years of democratic rule has not provided the teeming people of

Nigeria with employment or basic amenities.

Comrade Sani said the Lagos state government’s has been taken to court over the ban on Okada.

He said, government intervention in providing tricycles or other vehicles was never enough, as such privileges were usually reserved for party stalwarts and those close to them.

month of Ramadan, Muslims constructed a makeshift mosque, consisting of a foundation and a carport cover which also served as Islammiya for kids.

He said the temporary mosque was demolished on Monday at the instance of Alhaji Umar Muttalab with no alternative provided.

Also speaking, resident, Mrs. Olusanya who claimed to be the Secretary of the estate, told our reporter that both Christians and Muslims live happily in the estate without rancour.

She said: “when the estate was constructed, there was no plan for a mosque or a church, but as people are living, there was a need for it.

The Muslim brothers decided to build a mosque in a place which was meant for children. When the FCT officials came, they said it was not part of the plan, and they demolished the mosque. Also, some of the residents said when they bought the property; there was no church or mosque in the place”, she affirmed.

She also confirmed that close to N3 million was expended by the Muslim Ummah to erect the demolished mosque, adding that the site was meant for playground.

However, the Muslims were given a temporary place meant for a two bedroom flat, and the construction of the structure started this week, she added.

“What we are actually thinking is to get a place for a mosque within the estate; however, if there is a need for a mosque or a church, they have to look for a place. The problem now is to find a space. Umar Mutallab also gave the Muslim Ummah a Duplex which they can be using for prayer in the estate, but it was converted for Islamic school for children.

A Peoples Daily reporter was at Maitama, Abuja office of Alhaji Muttalab to get his account on Tuesday but his Secretary who identified himself as Nura said his boss was attending a meeting and would travel immediately, thus foreclosing all avenues of getting him to comment on it.

Kogi Assembly bemoans illegal occupation of govt quarters From Sam Egwu, lokoja

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he intention of the kogi state government to make affordable accomodation on owner-occupier basis may hit the rocks as illegal occupants have taken over buildings at government quarters, in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.

In a motion of public importance raised by Suleiman Babadoko representing Lokoja 1 and supported by Shehu Idris,of Lokoja II identified the 500 housing units located along Oganaja road and the Otokoti housing unit along Okene-Kabba road in Lokoja.

According to him, all efforts by the building department of the ministry of land and housing to check the illegal junior police officers proved abortive even as ex-political office holders have since vacated.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 7, 2013

Even a decade long recession will be okay

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t's hard to ignore the similarities of our current crisis with Japan's financial crisis which began in 1990. Boom of the housing market and excess lending are feeding off each other, leading to a housing bubble.

Once popped, stock market prices were dragged lower and what is left was banks with unmanageable debts from a lack of lending standards. Then the economy went with it and what followed was 10 years of no growth in Japan's economy.

I remember last year when my friend from Japan who told me that his house is finally worth what it was when he bought it 20 years ago. It sure is scary to think about the possibility of this happening in the United States.

Then I thought about my friends, who were actually retiring last year. In 1990 (when the crisis happened), he was a mid level manager working hard in the corporate world. When the crisis hit and headlines of doomsday were appearing everywhere, I'm sure he was worried much like we are right now.

Unfortunately for him (and many other people), the

unthinkable (at the time) and the worst situation happened, causing Japan's growth to grind to a halt. Having lived through one of the worst economic eras of Japan's history and 18 years later, my

friend retired as the President in one of Toshiba's medical division. He has two daughters and lives comfortably in a beautiful part of Japan.

He came out of his national crisis great and here are a few

reasons why: He didn't throw up the white towel Many people gave up during that time and none of them came out better than my friend. While he lost money on

paper like everybody else, he stuck by his strong work ethics and came out of the crisis financially much stronger than he went in.

He didn't sell his house, stocks Unlike many of his friends, he neither sold his house nor his stocks. As he worked hard and accumulated more money, he put his money into more investments like saving accounts and stocks. While these alone didn't make him rich, it certainly didn't make him poor either.

He didn't panic or unproductive I keep saying this and I will say it again. I see so many people these days spending time worrying about their finances and not being productive. Stop worrying because business is as usual. Stay positive and work hard because good times will come again.

While it's difficult for anyone to predict the future, we can take comfort in knowing that people still prosper in bad times. Don't give up, don't panic and stop worrying. That's what my friend did.

Make money ‌ invest in funds offering tax-free dividends

A

re you still trying to find your feet in the investment community even when you have less than two months to the end of this year? Assuming you have crossed this stage, are you still in the category of people whose dividend value declines because of the attached tax. A clear one in this case is Withholding Tax (WHT) on dividend at 10 percent. Isn't that money pretty much to be ignored!

The message this time is that you must do your homework carefully before sinking large amounts of money into stock-market mutual funds in coming weeks through a taxable account.

By implication, you can make more money by investing in equities or funds that have tax-free dividends.

When you ignore this advice, you might wind up owing or paying taxes that could have been avoided. You may ask if there are tax-free dividends.

Interestingly, most dividends are tax-free.

For resident corporate entities, the following dividends are treated as taxfree. They are dividend

Quote You can fool all the people all the time if the advertising is right and the budget is big enough Joseph E. Levine

equity participation of the person in the company was made in foreign currency or by assets brought into Nigeria between January 1, 1987 and December 31, 1992; individuals owned equity share of not less than 10 percent in the company. Also, dividend brought into Nigeria by a Nigerian resident provided that they are received in convertible currencies and paid into a domiciliary account in a bank approved by government. You can use domiciliary account as an escape root for taxation!

payments by Unit Trust Schemes or Mutual Funds (for example IBTC Equity Fund and other likely funds); Dividend distribution by a pioneer company.

By pioneer companies, it means the first set of companies that start a particular business.

If you also discover something new and sustain it overtime, you are given tax holiday.

Other dividends that are tax-free are dividends distributed by an oil producing company. The oil producing company dividends are tax free

because about 87 percent of any oil company's net income is paid as tax. This is not inclusive on the royalties they pay.

Other tax-free dividends are dividends derived by a company from another company incorporated in Nigeria provided the equity is imported between 1987 and 1992; the corporate investor has a minimum participation of 10 percent equity holding in the company making the distribution.

Furthermore, other

D

Work for peace and be happy

o n o t i n t e r f e r e in others businesses Most of us create our own problems by interfering too often in others' affairs. We do so because somehow we have convinced ourselves that our way is the best way, our logic is the perfect logic and those who do not conform to our thinking must be criticized and steered in the right direction -- our direction. This thinking denies the existence of individuality. No two human beings can think or act in exactly the same way. Mind your own business and you will keep your peace. *Forgive and forget This is the most powerful aid to peace of mind. We often develop ill feelings inside our heart for the person who insults us or harms us. We nurture grievances. This in turn results in loss of sleep, development of stomach ulcers, and high blood pressure. This insult or injury was done once,

but nourishing of grievance goes on forever by constantly remembering it. Get over this bad habit. Life is too short to waste on such trifles. Forgive, forget, and march on. Love flourishes in giving and forgiving. *Do not crave for recognition This world is full of selfish people. They seldom praise anybody without selfish motives.

They may praise you today because you are in power, but no sooner than you are powerless; they will forget your achievement and will start finding faults in you. Why do you wish to kill yourself in striving for their recognition? Their recognition is not worth the aggravation. Do your duties ethically and sincerely. *Do not be jealous We all have experienced how

dividends that are tax-free include those dividends brought into Nigeria through government approved channels, dividends received from investments in wholly export-oriented businesses, dividends received from a small company engaged in manufacturing sector in the first five years of its operation.

On individual basis, dividend income received by residents is tax-free. Such dividend income are dividend paid a person by a company in Nigeria provided that the

jealousy can disturb our peace of mind. You know that you work harder than your colleagues in the office, but sometimes they get promotions; you do not. You started a business several years ago, but you are not as successful as your neighbour whose business is only one year old. There are several examples like these in everyday life. Should you be jealous?

No. Remember everybody's life is shaped by his / her destiny, which has now become his/her, reality. If you are destined to be rich, nothing in the world can stop you. If you are not so destined, no one can help you either. Nothing will be gained by blaming others for your misfortune. Jealousy will not get you anywhere; it will only take away your peace of mind. *Change yourself

according to the environment If you try to change the environment single-handedly, the chances are you will fail.

Instead, change yourself to suit your environment. As you do this, even the environment, which has been unfriendly to you, will mysteriously change and seem congenial and harmonious. *Endure what cannot be cured This is the best way to turn a disadvantage into an advantage.

Every day we face numerous inconveniences, ailments, irritations, and accidents that are beyond our control. If we cannot control them or change them, we must learn to put up with these things. We must learn to endure them cheerfully. (www.moneyning.com)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 12

EDIT ORIAL EDITORIAL

O

The politicisation of the attack on Emir of Kano

n Saturday January 19, 2013, the convoy of the Emir of Kano was fatally attacked by unknown gunmen leading to the death of at least six people. As condemnable as the attack was, the attempt by the Presidency to politicise it was even more so.

Soon after the 19 January attack on the convoy of the emir, there was an outpouring of grief and condemnation from across the social divide. Notable Nigerians, including all former Heads of State and Presidents, religious leaders and politicians, instantly condemned the atrocity. In his reaction to the attack, General Buhari,in a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the CPC, RotimiFashakin, noted that, "This is indeed one attack too many! Let it be stated that insecurity of lives and property in any clime is a measure of its level of development. This aptly explains why the Nation's constitution, in section 14, places security and welfare of the people on the Government. As Citizens, we look forward to the time that this cloud of insecurity shall be lifted and all Nigerians (of whatever religious persuasion and ethnic extraction) shall be free to pursue happiness and living anywhere under the Nation-space in tranquil setting. God bless Nigeria".

The President of CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, who also spoke through his Media Assistant, Mr. Kenny Ashaka, stated that, "This attack reinforces CAN's call to the Federal Government on the need to do more in the area of securing Nigerians and Nigeria. Although Nigerians are yet to know those behind the barbaric act, I want to, again, appeal to northern political, religious and traditional leaders to say and do more in order to, practically, engage those responsible for the 'madness' going on in northern Nigeria and find ways to help end this nightmare."

And former Military President, General Ibrahim BadamasiBabangida was no less sparing in his comments about the attack, observing that, "It is not in doubt that our dear country is undergoing serious security threats on a regular and unbroken basis.

The reported cases of terrorist attacks are becoming frightening and seriously call for security alert by all and sundry.Despite spirited efforts by government, it is disturbing that this ugly trend has refused to

“

This attempt by the Presidency to politicize tragedies in our midst was not the first time. If we flash the October 2010 Nigeria Independence Day attacks depart from us, reason why government must change tactics and methods in handling this security challenge. I wish to advise the Federal Government to exploit the option of dialogue with members of the insurgent groups in order to arrest this prevailing drift in our national security.The use of force has proven to be inadequate and ineffective to checkmate this ugly trend".

The Emir of Kano was not the first traditional ruler in the north to be attacked by unknown gunmen.The Emir of Muri and

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the Shehu of Borno had been attacked, and a bomb had once been detonated near the palace of the Sultan of Sokoto. These incidents happened before the attack on the Emir of Kano.

But surprisingly, among these and other comments, the Presidency could only find fault with the statement of General Buhari, with the President's Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, saying that "the statement by General Muhammadu Buhari, his party the CPC is unfortunate, reckless and opportunistic".

What is more, Okupe, in what has become the Presidency's penchant for flippant remarks, added that, "Though the attack itself is regrettable, it is difficult at present to blame it on the Boko Haram or terrorism or in fact on some criminal elements within the society that hid under the spate of insecurity in the state to perpetuate this heinous crime."

This, by our understanding, can only mean that the Presidency believes that the opposition may have something to do with the attack.

This attempt by the Presidency to politicize tragedies in our midst was not the first time. If we flash the October 2010 Nigeria Independence Day attacks, when the President quickly absolved the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which not only claimed responsibility soon after the attack, but had in fact sent out warning of its intention to bomb the Eagle Square venue of the ceremony. The eventual conviction of the leadership of MEND in Nigeria and South Africa and Okupe's reaction to General Buhari's comments on the attack on the Emir of Kano are proof of the desperation, including using tragedies, of the Presidency to find faults with the opposition. This is certainly how not to run a focused administration.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 13

Why President Jonathan should sue the British

By Ose Oyamendan

P

oor Goodluck Jonathan. He thought all he had to do to get Nigerians singing "good luck to you, good luck to me" again was to grow and sustain the economy - a thankless job at the very best of time.Now he has to worry about people shouting questions to him about things he has no clue about. And, this time, it's not even his fault or that of his fathers. Or our fathers for that matter. The poor president just can't catch a break. Fix the power situation and some dudes will soil it with bribes. Fix the roads and planes will start falling from the skies. Go on CNN and tell the world Nigeria is working then come home and hear the damn critics claiming it's not working and with pictures to back it up.

Now Jonathan, who looks great in a military uniform by the way when you place him next to President Olusegun Obasanjo in a military uniform because everyone looks great when compare to a pot-bellied soldier, has to worry about keeping Nigeria together.

In case you've been on planet Pluto, here's a newsflash - Nigeria is 100 next year. A great news given what the country has been through and is still going through.

But, a mustached mercenary, soldier and colonial administrator pre-dampened what should have been a joyous year by stating that

By Dele Agekameh

S

ince the campaign by the French army to free northern Mali from the iron grip of the Islamic fundamentalists began few weeks ago, the Nigerian government has been labouring to justify joining the fray. The Malian government was rendered dysfunctional in March, last year, by a military coup, which toppled the government of President Amadou Toumani Toure. Amadou Sanogo, a captain and leader of the coup, had called for external help to enable the war-weary Malian army stop the advance of the rebels who had taken over a number of key towns in the North of Mali.

His pleas were ignored.

Instead, the African Union, AU, suspended Mali. The AU later struck a deal with the coup leaders to allow President Toure to resign.

Part of it was to restore civilian rule, which finally saw Dioncounda Traore, the Speaker of the Parliament, sworn in as the Interim President on April 11, 2012. The army thereafter retreated from the North of the country, thereby giving a free reign for a plethora of armed groups to fill the void. These are disparate armed groups all of which have different aims and motivations. Islamists, many of whom had been displaced from Libya after the fall and eventual death of Muammar Gaddafi in October 2011, soon joined them.

The Islamist insurgents, who are tested fighters, and well

the country would expire at its centenary. You could have dismissed that if it was not made by an Indian-born, Englishman called Frederick John Dealtry Lugard. To those of you who went to night school, unlike those of us who failed our way through day school, that man is the one and only Lord Lugard, the founder of what is now Nigeria.

The same Lugard whose future wife, the Dame Flora Lugard, gave Nigeria her name. Think Nigeria is a strange name. It could have been worse. The white folks thought about calling it "Central Sudan" amongst others before the good Dame stepped in and said, "what a minute, this real estate property under the good old Royal

Niger Trading Company needs a name that would be an 'agglomeration of pagan and Mohamedan States'". Yup, we were once pagans and Mohamedans!

Then we got religion and got plundered, reorganized into confusion and got a name! You gotta love history.

Wanna know how I know all these? Because I've been researching my country on and off for the last five years. Smart people can do it in six months but you should see my school certificates. I've been researching the history of Nigeria hard because I want to make a definitive documentary on the Nigerian nation someday soon. It still disturbs me that Nigeria is

“

Now, this has become Jonathan's problem. He must solve the economy.

And, he must clean up the mess Lugard and the British left. All in the year before the elections that he's not sure he's gonna run in! I know what I'll do if I was Jonathan. I'll sue the British. That should teach them a lesson and also keep the heat off me for a while

probably one of the most "advanced" countries in the third world that still allows itself to be defined by the western world.

That's gotta change. When he was the media aide to President Umar Yar A'dua, my brother and friend, Olusegun Adeniyi, tried hard to make a change in that direction.

But, death interfered. Now, maybe we have another shot with the centenary.

In my research I have discovered that the British had no plan for Nigeria. The country was a bookkeeping necessity. The northern protectorate was having a budget deficit, most likely due to poor harvest. But, the southern protectorate was flushed with cash. So, to balance the books, Lugard came up with the ingenious idea of putting both protectorates together into one company, sorry country.

I can hear the Lords from the British empire chatting about the Nigerian problem over tea, biscuits and a little bit of whiskey under the calm skies of northern Nigeria in the second decade of the last century. Lord Lugard probably looked at some guy called Sir something and says, "the books are looking pretty red, old chap."

Sir something probably takes a sip of whiskey and nods as he says, "bloody hell, it is. I'm down to one tea bag a day." "We have to do something before the natives suspect we're not geniuses and sons of God," Lugard must have

Mali is not Afghanistan equipped with weapons and free cash, soon overwhelmed other militias and took over the whole of Northern Mali. This started the 'balkanization' and bastardization of Mali as various World Heritage Sites, which abound in the rebelheld areas, were systematically desecrated and destroyed. Tied to an Al-Qaeda group in the Maghreb, which in itself, is a franchise of the original AlQaeda, the quest of the Islamic fundamentalists was to foist their own brand of stringent Sharia laws on the whole of Mali. Of course, this portends danger for Mali, the entire West African subregion and the world at large.

All the AU could do was to engage in mere rhetoric while the extremists dug deeper. By January, this year, the rebels started making preparations to launch a final offensive on the south of the country. This would have brought the entire country under the control of the extremists. This would have also emboldened AlQaeda in North Africa to secure a launch pad for destabilizing the weak governments in Africa, especially West Africa.

Now, poor Mali has come under the jackboots of foreign troops fighting to 'liberate' it from the clutches of Islamic fundamentalists. The French government, its former colonial master, took the lead by dispatching its troops, which stopped the rebels from advancing

to the south of the country.

Through ceaseless aerial bombardments, they have captured all the rebels' strongholds. But the French troops will not be available to go all out on any ground assault to totally cleanse the place of the remnants of the rebels who may have taken sanctuary in the desert. Nigeria is at the head of the more than 3,000-strong African forces under the auspices of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, which have been arriving in Bamako in trickles to undertake the ground offensive.

Nigeria is bedevilled by deadly exploits of some extremists believed to have ties with the insurgents in Mali. Though the attacks are confined to the northern part of the country, its debilitating effects on the entire country and the West African subregion is being felt rather than imagined. Therefore, the logic of Nigeria's involvement in Mali is that it is quite easier and cheaper, in terms of human and material resources, to fight terrorism outside the shores of the country than within. In other words, it is far better to confront the growing 'Al-Qaeda' influence in Mali and smash it than wait for the insurgency to be exported into the country through the porous borders in the north.

But one problem remains. The African troops in the Mali

campaign will require enormous assistance from external bodies in terms of training, weapons and other logistics of war. It will be recalled that during the war in Liberia, some of the African troops, which were brought into the theatre of war, were grossly under-equipped.

They had neither boots nor weapons to fight because most of the West African leaders prefer to keep their army ill-equipped to stave off coups against their regimes.

The question is what becomes of the rebels who have abandoned their positions in the north and taken to their heels? They are probably locked up in the vast deserts and mountains of northern Mali where they could instigate

snickered. Sir something probably replied, "I say we jump ship. We've plundered enough to keep old England running for a few more years."

"No. I say we join the north and south together. The damn pagans down south have more money than they need," Lugard must have intoned. "I hate those bloody brats with their hot blood, halfknowledge and mouth running like diarrhea," Sir Something must have spat out. "We've got the soldiers and guns, remember," Lugard must have laughed.

And, voila , you got Nigeria!

Economic problem solved, Lugard and his British colonialist went about drinking their tea and whiskey and left future generations with a headache of what to do with dozens of facial marks and tongues that bore no resemblance. People like my great-grandfather came up with a great solution - marry one from each parts.

That was great until we have what the media call a "population explosion". Now, this has become Jonathan's problem. He must solve the economy. And, he must clean up the mess Lugard and the British left. All in the year before the elections that he's not sure he's gonna run in! I know what I'll do if I was Jonathan. I'll sue the British.

That should teach them a lesson and also keep the heat off me for a while.

Ose Oyamendan is a USAbased Nigerian filmmaker. guerilla warfare at their whim to destabilize Mali from time to time.

They could have also taken refuge somewhere in the Sahel, where they could regroup and carry out attacks on any part of the West African sub-region. This is why everything must be done to forestall the rise of another Afghanistan in Africa.

The recent pledge of an initial $50 million to the estimated $1 billion fund for the war effort in Mali by AU members in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, underscores the seriousness of the Malian crisis.

Therefore, the adventure in Mali is in Nigeria's interest, the interest of the West African sub-region, Africa and the whole world to deal extremism a decisive blow in order to achieve sustainable peace and progress.

Dele Agekameh is a publisher and company executive

“

The recent pledge of an initial $50 million to the estimated $1 billion fund for the war effort in Mali by AU members in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, underscores the seriousness of the Malian crisis. Therefore, the adventure in Mali is in Nigeria's interest, the interest of the West African sub-region, Africa and the whole world to deal extremism a decisive blow in order to achieve sustainable peace and progress

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 14

Re: Hypocrisy of yesterday's men

By Amene Ter'Hemen

M

r. Reuben Abati, I read your article of February 2, 2013 and I was angered that you described yourself few years before he joined the Jonathan government and made it look like you were describing someone else. What these people you described as "yesterday's men" are doing today, you also did before Jonathan invited you over. Are you telling us you were wrong then? When they were in your place, you were in theirs. Now you are where they were and they where you were.

In your opening paragraph you started by naming the people you wish to talk about: "A loosely bound group of yesterday's men and women." This is hardly surprising. You, like everyone else in this government, have developed a penchant for namecalling, a habit that has robbed you of every element of respect I once had for you (the you is plural meaning you, Abati and all the others in Jonathan's administration with that same habit).

I think you are being unreasonably arrogant with your so called achievements. Is government no longer a continuum where you build on the foundations of past ones? And if you did build on another's foundation, why do you make it look like you did everything yourself?

This next issue made me to wonder if indeed you wrote this

lies? No name piece or someone calling will else did and change anyone's appended your impression about name to it: "...

Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text this, only the now they are debate will. For messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written busy looking for as long as you money that is contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 refuse the debate not missing words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and you have with their teeth. a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed something to When questions to: hide. By the way, are asked, they why is this claim they The Editor, government invented the Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, always afraid of ideas of due 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. d e b a t e s process and anyway? How Email: opinion@peoplesdaily-online.com accountability". did they defend Haba, Abati, SMS: 07037756364 the papers, this sort of thing projects, theses shouldn't come from a figure like you. This mud me a break! We all know who you for all the degrees they have? One slinging shouldn't be associated with are referring to here, and she has more thing, looking at the way this an occupant of a public office. No placed her credibility on the line by government spends and plans to matter how angry you get, please calling for a debate. If you know and spend even more, no one needs a put a lid on it next time. You vent are convinced the money is not seer to see that the money is truly such anger on someone who missing, what's holding you from gone.

Now you have exposed the lies criticised you and yet turn around meeting her up the podium to to say you welcome criticisms? Give disgrace her for the world to see her of your government that it is

WRITE TO US

“

I would rather have a yesterday's man behave badly than have a today's man behave in a manner unbecoming of an occupant of public office. It is alright that you see yesterday's men behaving badly, I see that too; what I don't understand is how you managed to miss the lies that today's men have been spinning right under your nose. May be it is alright for today's men and women to lie, that is why you have not noticed their lies

serious about fighting corruption.

If these people have thick files of corruption, what is your government doing about prosecuting them? It is the duty of your government to nail them. For you to write now when the government is almost two years, that individuals 'have thick corruption files with EFCC' is a self indictment that your government only makes noise about fighting corruption, but it in real sense pampers corruption; keeps a lid on the corruption profile of individuals just to keep them in check but exposes them as corrupt if/when they take a stance that runs against the government. This is not surprising at all, your principal said recently that corruption is not our problem but that our attitude is our undoing. I guess that explains why it is not necessary to 'tackle corruption frontally'.

Frankly, Mr. Abati, I would rather have a yesterday's man behave badly than have a today's man behave in a manner unbecoming of an occupant of public office. It is alright that you see yesterday's men behaving badly, I see that too; what I don't understand is how you managed to miss the lies that today's men have been spinning right under your nose. May be it is alright for today's men and women to lie, that is why you have not noticed their lies.

Mr. Abati, you can sing the achievements of the administration from now to eternity, but the fact is we the masses that dwell at the end of the line know better than to bite into this sugar coated cake of stone you are offering us.

Amnene Ter'Hemen is reachable on LinkedIn

Constitution amendment my foot

By Godwin Onyeacholem

F

rom the perspective of the intriguing phalanx of erudite advocates of a brandnew constitution, there has always been a robust feeling that it won't be long before the flawed wagon of constitution amendment, or is it review, begins to show signs of falling to pieces. The well-publicised machinery for delivering the real document obviously wasn't trusted and still can't be, taking into account its very defective assembly. And as anticipated, a tortuous journey outlined and executed by the National Assembly under the stuffy air of parliamentary pomposity is in a fix. For all intents and purposes, constitution amendment has become a misadventure caught up in the whirlpool of a pending doom.

In times like these, nothing else reechoes other than the celebrated sarcastic line of a former President who enjoys the divine favour of being genetically packaged with an astonishing insolent charm. I dey laugh!

It's not as if the legislators were not warned that the outcome of the exercise on which they wasted the taxpayer's money going round 360 constituencies in a misguided mission of consultation with constituents would redound to their discredit. But they would not listen to the voices of reason. In

their typical patronising manner, they rode roughshod over alternative viewpoints and their sponsors and generally behaved as though Nigeria had nothing but legislators. To their eternal embarrassment, however, events have begun to prove them wrong.

The sudden cancellation of the presentation of the report of the constitution review committee of the House of Representatives by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal as a result of alleged falsification of some of the submissions from the constituencies by certain members of the committee, has vindicated those who hold the view that nothing of substance will result

from the exercise.

They reckoned for sure that the country's parliament, being largely occupied by questionable characters whose specialties are election rigging, manipulation and all kinds of underhand dealings, cannot be entrusted with the serious responsibility of producing the organic laws that would drive the spindle of good governance and sustainable development.

The legislators, always putting their own interests ahead of every other consideration, were never going to be honest about issues surrounding anything, not to mention the constitution. Reports say the plot for the alteration of the

“

The sudden cancellation of the presentation of the report of the constitution review committee of the House of Representatives by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal as a result of alleged falsification of some of the submissions from the constituencies by certain members of the committee, has vindicated those who hold the view that nothing of substance will result from the exercise

House committee report to favour some members and their region was being hatched as the consultations were going on. The leopard truly never changes its spots. And a hog remains a hog whether in England or in Nigeria.

No matter how much it's cleaned up, it will always thrust its broad, greedy snout in the mud and wallow in it. This is the makeup of the Nigerian legislator. With the story of a "doctored" amendment committee report now gone viral, where is the credibility of any document that the National Assembly eventually presents as the constitution of the Nigerian people? Isn't this vile act of alleged forgery a further affirmation of the distrust located in members of the federal legislature as honest representatives of the people?

Truth is, this self-serving National Assembly can't produce a constitution for this country.

Of course, those who argue against amendment would now be excused if they go about thumping their chests and saying they got it right. And they did, indeed. Not because the National Assembly lacks the powers to effect an amendment or because they are a dishonest bunch, but because an amendment is not what Nigerians want this moment. Going by the dominant mood of the people, only a new constitution written by an elected constituent assembly, or

one which draws its origin from a national conference - sovereign or not - and takes its authority from the people would signal the hope for a positive fresh beginning.

There cannot be a better way to kick-start an ailing socio-economic and political entity. There has to be a formal discussion and agreement on how to live together as a people and how to advance the cause of this collective enterprise for the benefit of all.

That Nigeria remains a badly run, malfunctioning country with a fraudulent constitution which the so-called politicians never saw until after the 1999 elections is distressing enough, but for a body of legitimacychallenged lawmakers to assume bogus sovereignty and arrogantly insist that only their own way of doing things would prevail is to keep a date with catastrophe.

The senators and the honourables would do well to come to terms with the fact that this country is living on the edge. There is no doubt their scandalous rejection of proposals for a new constitution of the people is nothing but personal. And with this fresh tale of manipulation (rigging) in their report of a delusive venture, you have only been served the appetizer. Wait for the real menu in 2015.

Godwin Onyeacholem, a journalist, can be reached on gonyeacholem@gmail.com

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 15

Street hawkers are victims, not villains

By Tochukwu Ezukanma

A

city is not just a collection of buildings, streets and public spaces arranged by architectural, engineering and urban planning standards. It encapsulates and expresses the totality of a people's way of life.

Therefore, Nigerian cities are invariably expressing the totality of the Nigerian way of life, that is, the Nigerian reality.

Street hawking in Nigerian cities is a manifestation of the Nigerian reality - a direct consequence of an evil mix: a corrupt and irresponsible political class and a spineless and passive citizenry.

An imaginative writer's description of Nigeria will inescapably include the avarice, corruption and economic bungling of the Nigerian power elite and the vibrancy, resourcefulness, resilience and docility of the Nigerian masses. The greed, thievery and bungled governance of the power elite ruined the economy and undermined a principled distribution of the national wealth. And the masses, in their passivity, accepted to vegetate in abject poverty in a land of plenty. Passive, yet, resourceful and resilient, they honed survival skills worthy of those that inhabit the poorest and/or war-devastated countries of the world; they took to eking out a living under the most miserable circumstances.

Consequently, in Nigerian cities, apart from scavengers (men, women and children) rummaging through trash dumps for edibles, reusable items and sellable scraps, street hawkers

throng the streets hoping to survive by selling to motorists and pedestrians. In the blazing sun, along the streets of Lagos, children that should be in school, women (some of them with babies strapped to their backs) and able-bodied men dart through slow moving traffic, selling bananas, groundnuts, water, soft drinks, CDs, etc.

The presence of such desperate, primitive poverty that spawned garbage foragers and frantic street hawkers in the economic capital of an oil-rich nation, amid the massive corrupt enrichment and extravagant lifestyle of the political elite, should have evoked the pity and roiled the conscience of the governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola. But like the generality of the Nigerian power elite, he is indifferent - contemptuously indifferent - to the ever worsening economic woes of the Nigerian masses. Consequently, not only that he is unconcerned about the economic plight of these Nigerians trapped in insufferable, dehumanizing poverty, he, in his ill-conceived urban renewal policy and its wicked implementation methods, unleashed Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) officials against them.

KAI officials, in their voracity, are feeding off the misery of street hawkers. They confiscate their goods, some of which they expropriate for personal use or resell. They arrest them and extort money from them (they call it bail). They pursue and herd these innocent people (including women and children) around like animals.

They brutalize them as though they are slaves. KAI officials'

cruelty, viciousness and brutality conjure up the image of slave drivers hounding fugitive slaves.

General Dwight Eisenhower was quoted as saying that "to knock people over the head is assault, not leadership." Similarly, to beat up people, steal their goods and extort money from them is criminality, not law enforcement. There is nothing as legalized or legitimized criminality. The coldhearted excesses of KAI Brigade may have the approval and authority of the law of the state but it is still a crime to beat up defenceless men, women and children and steal their money and wares.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said that "any system that substitutes it for he is an unjust system." The pronoun for man is he and the pronoun for animals and inanimate objects is it. To treat human beings like animals or pieces of wood or stone is substituting it for he. Governor Fashola presides over an unjust system because his administration treats human beings like animals.

To stand in the sun for just one hour can be disconcerting.

Therefore, those who stand in the sun endlessly hoping to earn little money from hawking CDs, snacks, soft drinks, etc are neither having fun nor exploiting the system.

They are poor and helpless individuals consumed by the drudgery for daily survival. They are victims of a kleptocracy that ruined the economy and subverted a rational distribution of the national wealth, and thus, consigned a disproportionate percentage of Nigerians to waste away in gate-less poverty. They

deserve encouragement, not punishment.

To punish people for hawking on the street is as wicked and insensitive as punishing people for sleeping on the street. People sleep in the street because they are homeless and utterly destitute. So, while sleeping in the street might constitute an environmental eyesore, it presents the society with a problem that needs to be accommodated in the short run and solved in the long run.

People engage in street selling an excoriating and hazardous trade that exposes them to the risk of being seriously hurt or killed by moving vehicles - because they are unemployed and financially strapped, and have nothing better to do with themselves. So, while street hawking may constitute an environmental blemish, it presents the society with a problem that needs to be sympathized with and solved.

To fixate on the environmental

smirch of street hawking and feign ignorance of the incontrovertible fact that street hawkers are victims of social injustice and economic dislocation is mindless hypocrisy. To continue to compound the problems of those already struggling with shackling poverty by roughhandling them and stripping them of their money and destroying their means of livelihood is unmitigated wickedness.

Please, Governor, direct KAI officials to focus on salient environmental and disciplinary issues in this lawless, chaotic and dirty city (where grown men and women urinate, and even, defecate on the street) and leave street hawkers alone. After all, they are Nigerian citizens, who, though poor and voiceless, deserve to be treated with respect and allowed an opportunity to earn a living and provide for their families.

Tochukwu Ezukanma can be reached on maciln18@ yahoo.com

“

The presence of such desperate, primitive poverty that spawned garbage foragers and frantic street hawkers in the economic capital of an oilrich nation, amid the massive corrupt enrichment and extravagant lifestyle of the political elite, should have evoked the pity and roiled the conscience of the governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola.

But like the generality of the Nigerian power elite, he is indifferent - contemptuously indifferent

Regulating terms of apprenticeships in this country

By Comrade Edwin Ekene

F

or any country to be great, its citizens must be industrious! There should be adequate, implementable legislation to guide the conduct of the citizenry. In the olden days, when a child had grown enough he was sent to school or given out to any family relation or friend to either acquire skills or learn how to trade. The duration of the apprenticeship was normally 2 to 4 years, depending on the agreed terms of engagement. The young man leave his parents and move into the city to live with his master.

This practice has produced many great industrialists, technicians and renowned traders in the country.

However, like other sectors which have been neglected, this particular process of training a child to be self reliant outside the four walls of institutions of higher learning, has transmogrified to something else. Today, we have masters and servants who have abused the process. We have servants who after serving their masters between 7 to 11 years, instead of been settled by their masters to start life a fresh, the socalled masters will accuse the servant of committing one offence or the other which they will rely on to deny the servant a befitting settlement worthy of his sacrifice and potentials. The story is the same every where such practice

exists in Nigeria.

The tragedy of this practice today is that, some heartless individuals will move from the various cities down to the remote areas where access to better life is a pipe dream, to meet parents who have no idea of how to bequeath good life to their children and start telling them fictional stories about life in the city and how they plan to transform the life of these children if only such child would be released to them. The unsuspecting parents who have lost touch with realities will gladly release the young child to them.

The innocent child will stay with them for about 4 years without any document stipulating how long the child will stay before he is

settled. In this age of information super high way, the child is denied access to communication so that his parents or family will not reach him to know how their child is faring. The master of the child will keep telling the child's parents that all is well, whereas as is not well.

When the child insist on reaching his people as a result of advancement in age, and the master discovers that, the child's parents are no longer happy with the deceptive promises they were lured in to by these heartless masters, they will then look for one unjustifiable or unfounded allegations to level against the boyservant. Hence, they will drive the child out of their houses empty handed. The whole years the child

“

As a young man who grew up in different cultures and religious environments in Nigeria, I know one truth common to all religious and moral teachings in the country: Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.

This is because we cannot sow evil through our thoughts, words and actions and expect a miracle

spent serving his master becomes a waste, because there is no valid document to tender in the court where he could seek justice.

According to Carlin Georgescu, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the adverse effects of the movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights: "Justice is distorted when the victim pays for the conduct of the accused". Therefore, the rejected servant becomes hopeless, and worse still, age would no longer be on his side to start life from the scratch. In an effort survive and look like his peers, such child begins to nurse negative thoughts and imaginations. It was Friedrich Nietzsche who said: "That which does not kill us makes us stronger". As a result of the frustration encountered from his master, such person becomes hardened and some of them who cannot see light at the end of the tunnel, resorts to what we say in journalism: "If it bleeds, it leads".

Nonetheless, these classes of neglected Nigerians are co-citizens whose rights are protected by the constitution. Should we continue to turn blind eyes and paying sealed lips to the plights of the downtrodden in our society? According to Martin Niemoller, a German anti-Nazi activist, he said: "First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a

Communists. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionists. Then, they came for me and they was no one left to speak out for me".

Last Christmas, many Nigerians were afraid of travelling from their places of residence to their communities because of one anti-social behaviour or another!

As a young man who grew up in different cultures and religious environments in Nigeria, I know one truth common to all religious and moral teachings in the country: Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. This is because we cannot sow evil through our thoughts, words and actions and expect a miracle!

There should be legislation detailing procedures and rules guiding apprenticeships in the country. The law establishing the National Agency for the Prevention of Traffic in Persons NAPTIP should be amended to include these set of Nigerians who has been dying in silence in its oversight functions.

Also, budgetary provisions for NAPTIP should be increased. The Federal Government should create a special scheme for these classes of Nigerians where they could easily raise funds to start their own businesses or workshops. This is the only way we can build a better society for all.

Comrade Edwin Ekene can be reached on edwinuhara@rocketmail.com

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 16

Three armed robbery suspects held in Kuje Prison J ustice Hussein Baba-Yusuf of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court yesterday ordered three men to be remanded in custody at the Kuje Prisons over alleged armed robbery.

Baba-Yusuf gave the order after the Police arraigned one Chukwuemeka Nze, 38; Emmanuel Madobe, 34, and David Obande, 28.

The Prosecutor, Mr John Ijagbemi, told the court that the three men were standing trial on a five-count charge of conspiracy,

armed robbery, possession of two pistols and 10 rounds of ninemilimetre live ammunitions.

Ijagbemi said that the accused and one David Ene now at large were also charged with illegal possession of two pistols and belonging to a gang of persons who habitually committed robbery.

He said that the offence contravene Section 1 (2)(a) and (b) of the Robbery and Firearms Act Cap R 11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section 2 of the same Act.

The prosecutor said that the offence was punishable under Section 2(4a) and Section 3 of the Robbery and Firearms Act Cap R11 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and Section 306 of the Penal Code Cap 89 Laws of Northern Nigeria.

Ijagbemi told the court that the three accused persons in collaboration with Ene, sometime in August 2011 in Garki 2, attacked one Shedrack Adejoh of New Karu Extension Abuja.

He said the accused persons

robbed Adejoh of his Toyota Camry car with registration number CN 386 RBC, N8,500 cash and a cell phone.

The accused persons all pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecutor, then prayed the court to fix a date for trial to begin.

“My Lord I shall be applying for a date to open our case for hearing in view of their plea,” he said.

Justice Baba-Yusuf, then adjourned the case to March 20, 2013 for hearing (NAN).

Iron bender charged for house breaking

By Beauty Amaike

A

n iron bender, Choji Danjuma, 18, of Duste village, Apo, has been charged before an Upper Area Court in Karu, for house breaking and theft.

The Police Prosecutor, Mohammed Garba told the court that, on January, 22, 2013, one Ilunuba Arinze of Duste village Apo came to Apo police station and reported that the accused of the same address broke into his house and stole his LG home theatre, pressing iron, one LG DVD player, rechargeable light, and school bags all valued N40, 300.

Garba said that during police investigation, one LG home theatre belonging to the complainant was recovered in the accused possession.

He further noted that the offence contravene the provisions of Section 347and 288 of the Penal Code.

However, the accused pleaded not guilty the charges.

The presiding Judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko granted the accused bail in the sum 50,000 and one surety in like sum.

He said that the surety must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

Kagarko adjourned the case to April, 1, 2013 for hearing.

Bricklayer, guard arraigned for criminal conspiracy, theft heaping sand into a tipper motor at Sabon Lugbe in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Mechanic allegedly damages client’s car beyond repair

By Beauty Amaike

A

30-year-old man, Asibuike Edeh of Apo by Jesus Avenue, Abuja has been alleged before a Upper Area Court Karu for dangerous driving.

Police Prosecutor, Mohammed Garba told the

court that on February, 2, 2013, one Mark Chukwunye of Apo Mechanic village Abuja came to the Apo police station and reported the accused.

Garba said that on the same date that the accused gave his 406 Peugeot car with the registration No Dz599ABJ for some minor repairs.

But the accused dangerously drove along Shoprite junction Apo Abuja and as a result of that he had an accident and the car was dangerously damaged beyond repair.

He said the offence contravene the provisions of Chapter 548 Section 28 Sub Section1 of the Road Traffic Act.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The presiding Judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko granted the accused bail in the sum of N200 with a surety in like sum and the surety must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

He adjourned the case to march, 8, 2013 for hearing.

Police arraign four for alleged shop breaking

T

he Police in Abuja yesterday arraigned four men before the Kubwa Upper Area Court on a three-count charge of alleged joint act, shop-breaking and theft.

Those arraigned were Aminu Bello, Hashiru Isiaka, Abdullahi Mohammed and Nuhu Mohammed, all residents of Dutse, Abuja.

The Police Prosecutor, Mr Danjuma Mohammed, told the court that the four accused persons allegedly conspired and broke into a shop, belonging to one Stephen Asuquo.

According to him, while in the shop, they stole two cooking stoves, one cooler, five pots, seven plates and one crate of eggs.

Mohammed said that the

matter was reported to the Dutse police station on February 2, 2013 by Asuquo, who is also a resident of Dutse.

He said that the offence contravene Sections 79, 356 and 288 of the Penal Code.

When the charges were read to them, the accused persons pleaded not guilty.

The prosecutor prayed the court for an adjournment to

enable the police get their witnesses together in order to prosecute the case.

The presiding Judge, Malam Munir Lawal, admitted the accused persons to bail.

“I admit the four accused persons to bail in the sum of N50, 000 each with one surety each in like sum. The case is adjourned to Feb. 18 for hearing,’’ Lawal ruled. (NAN)

By Beauty Amaike

T

he Police have arraigned two men, Gadiya Mike, 35 security man and John Dabu 25, bricklayer of Madalla in Niger state before an Upper Area Court Karu for criminal conspiracy and theft.

The Police Prosecutor, Mohammed Garba told the court that on January 25, 2013, that one Gabriel Aladeji of Madalla in Niger state came to Apo police station and reported the two accused of the same address.

Garba further noted that on January, 23, 2013, the accused conspired and stole his 150 pieces of planks valued at N150, 000.

He said that the offence contravene the provision of Sections 97and 287 of the Penal Code.

However, the two accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The presiding Judge, Alhaji Umar Kagarko granted the accused bail in the sum N160, 000 each.

He said that the surety must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

Kagarko adjourned the case to March, 3, 2013 for hearing.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 17

Residents call for strict enforcement of music video censorship rules

R

esidents in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) have called for strict enforcement of rules on censorship and classification of music and videos in the country in order to improve the image of the country.

Some of the residents, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, made the call in reaction to the recent alleged ban of eight music videos by the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

NAN recalls that the media had reported that the commission had banned some new musical videos from being broadcast in the country.

The report named some of the affected artistes as P-square, Wande Coal, Timaya, Flavour, D’prince, Goldie, Chuddy K and Tillaman.

The report said the videos were banned for containing offensive materials.

But the Nigerian Broadcast Commission (NBC) had denied the ban on the videos, while the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) claimed ignorance of the alleged ban.

Though the ban was said to be false many Nigerians are of the opinion that it was a wakeup call for the regulatory agency that had shown laxity in checkmating videos.

Mr Olu Obafemi, a legal practitioner, said the kind of video being churned out by artistes portrayed the level of decadence that was going on in the country.

He said it was unfortunate that the regulatory body appeared helpless as it was yet to wield the big stick.

According to Obafemi, the alleged ban is a wakeup call to all musicians on the need to go back to the drawing board and start on a clean slate.

He called on artiste to show respect for the culture of the society that had value for morality, uprightness and eschewed nudity.

A resident, Mrs Patience Ofonime, restated the need to regulate content, and said that it was not morally proper to produce video with nude persons for public consumption.

Mr Paul Hiikyaa, said that the kind of products being churned out in the country could say a lot about the country and citizenry.

He called on the regulatory body in charge of checkmating content of music and video to rise up to expectation and enforce the law. (NAN)

Bus conductors calling on passengers at the temporary bus stop at Wuse yesterday as the new FCT transport policy took effect in Abuja.

Photo: NAN

Sex workers, client in fisticuff in Nyanya T

he Police yesterday in Nyanya, Abuja, arrested two suspected sex workers and a man for alleged harassment and disturbing public peace.

One of the suspected sex workers told the News Agency of Nigeria ((NAN) that the man came to ‘enjoy himself’, but refused to pay.

“The man wanted to have sex with me. He agreed to pay N1,000 for one hour, but after I had pulled off my dress, he said he was no longer interested and refused to pay me.

“I called my friends to help me to collect the money because many of them come like that to investigate what we are doing here. Some will negotiate a price and pretend to answer a phone call and run away.

“The two of us were trying to get the money out of his pocket when the police came to arrest us,’’ she said.

The man told NAN that his wife had been in the hospital for over three months and that he felt like relaxing with one of

the girls.

“I was almost undressing when my wife called. I felt guilty and decided to pay the girl but she refused to collect money. She insisted that I must make love to her or remove my under wears for her to see my nakedness.

“The other ladies came into the room and push me out to undress me for people to see. They removed the contents of my pockets before the police came,’’ he said.

The leader of the Police patrol

team, who wants to remain anonymous, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the man would be taken to the station for disturbing the peace of the community and would be charged to court.

An eye witness, Mrs Sonia Akor, told NAN that the trio were arrested at about 7.30 a.m. for fighting.

“I heard the man screaming for help when I was going to Nyanya market this morning.

Someone must have informed the police about the incident’’. (NAN)

Insecurity: Fire Service to partner US Counter Terrorism centre

By Adeola Tukuru

T

he Federal Fire Service in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has assured that they are ready to cooperate with the US Centre for Counter Terrorism and other fire services in the country with a proposal that will bring down the level of insecurity in the country.

The Controller General(CG) Olusegun James Okebiorun gave this

assurance when the US Centre for Counter Terrorism team led by Mr. Charles Brown paid the CG a courtesy visit.

Olusegun had recalled earlier engagements the Fire Service had with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in the area of Joint Simulation Exercises which according to him had yielded positive dividends to the service especially in the areas of personnel skill

improvement and adequate preparedness.

The leader of the delegation said the visit was informed by the strategic place of the Fire Service as a major stakeholder and first responder in all emergencies.

He said the centre looks forward to sharing knowledge and experiences in relation to the NEMA joint table Top Stimulation Exercise to be held this month, February, 2013 in the FCT.

He said they had the mandate to visit stakeholders, ascertain number of personnel, equipment and to seek their cooperation in the joint Simulation Exercise to be coordinated by NEMA. "The essence is to stimulate jointly scenarios likely to happen, learn some lessons through corrections from our mistakes and put structures in place, re-strategize, get prepared and remain proactive at all times", he said.

Orphanage urges government to assist the needy

T

he proprietor in charge of the Poorest of the Poor Home (Anawin Home) in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Rev. Oresoa Selo-Ojeme, has called on government at all levels to come to the aid of the needy people in our society.

Selo-Ojeme, who made the

call in an interview with Peoples Daily in her office in Gwagwalada, also urged the government to carter for the welfare of orphans, so as to make them feel happy in the society.

She maintained that if the government of the day spends money to erect orphanage homes across the country, many

abandoned babies will be brought into the orphanage homes to be catered for.

She begged spirited individuals and highly placed people in the society to provide basic amenities for orphanage homes in the country in order to boost the well being of the privileged ones.

Her words: “Young girls used to come to the poorest of the poor home in Gwagwalada with unwanted pregnancy crying for help and shelter, so, with this if the government build more orphanage homes across the six area councils we will be able to accommodate the people with disabilities.

The proprietor explained that since the establishment of Anawin home in Gwagwalada, no assistance had been rendered by the social welfare unit of Gwagwalada Area Council.

Selo-Ojeme, however, commended the police in Gwagwalada for rendering selfless service to the home.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 18

Rosary College win American mathematics competition

By Adeola Tukuru

T

he Holy Rosary Girls’ College (HRGC), Gwagwalada has emerged winner of the American Mathematics Competition organized by the International Academy for the Gifted in collaboration with the National Mathematical Centre.

The college in a statement in Gwagwalada yester day said the first three prizes of the competition, gold, silver and

bronze were carted by students of the college.

Rev Stella Nwosun, the principal of the college who signed the statement identified, Attracta Obi, Chinasa Okwuego and Tolu Ogunsanwo as winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively.

Nwosu said similar excellent performance was recorded in the Education Resource Centre (ERC) examination for Pioneer Junior Secondary School Students in 2011.

“Not a single pass was recorded in the core subjects of Mathematics and English, the

results being wholly As and Cs and this feat is being replicated in subsequent examinations.

“Indeed HRGC is a school positioned on cutting edge of technology and cultural emancipation, making the MDGs a reality in every way,”

she said.

She attributed the success in the competition to dedication on the part of teachers and students of the college adding that the college would continue to accord priority to mathematics and other core subjects.

Abuja residents get special package for valentine celebration

By Muhammed Nasir

T

he Transcorp Hilton, Abuja has announced a special package celebrating Valentine’s Day scheduled to subsist beyond 14th February.

A statement by its spokesperson, Shola Adeyemo announcing the special offer listed the package to include, a “dining option of a 5-course romantic menu at the Zuma Grill specially created for the occasion by our Executive Chef Thomas Preidelt; Spoil your loved one with special sparkling champagne courtesy of Moet Chandon.

“And if you prefer the freedom of buffet dinner, our Executive Chef is also including a special touch of romance to the dinner buffet offering at Oriental, Bukka and Fulani Pool restaurants. Live band entertainment completes the romantic dinner offer”, said the statement.

To cap the evening, the Safari Night Club opens for a special romantic shindig tagged ‘Lovers Rock’. The DJ will be taking the guests on a romantic memory lane with the very best of love music.

When all the dining and dancing are over, lovers have the option of retiring to the comfort of our well-appointed Royal Room for a romantic night rest.

Transcorp Hilton’s Valentine’s Season ends on Saturday 16th February with a music-comedy show in the Congress Hall of the hotel.

‘Festival of Love’, is a comedy show specially packaged for lovers by famous comedian, Julius Agwu in partnership with the Transcorp Hilton

Women selling yam waiting yesterday in Bwari, Abuja.

Justin Imo-owo

Physician warns hypertensive patients over aspirin

A

Consultant Physician at the National Hospital Abuja, Dr Oluwagbenga Ogunfowakan, yesterday advised hypertensive patients to consult a doctor before taking aspirin.

Ogunfowakan told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that a doctor would need to calculate the cardiovascular risk of the patient to determine if aspirin should be prescribed.

He said that aspirin was prescribed for pain or for hypertensive patients to prevent the blood from clotting, which could result in a stroke or heart attack.

“Aspirin becomes useful to make their blood thinner, so that they will not develop heart attack or stroke. That is why they call it a blood thinner”, he said.

The doctor said that aspirin was prescribed based on the category of high blood pressure a person had, which could be primary prevention or secondary prevention.

“There are those we want to give primary prevention, that is even though they have hypertension, you want to prevent maybe a stroke or heart attack; those that have had this outcomes before, such as stroke and heart attack and you do not want them to have it again; you

call it secondary prevention.

“We have moved from just treating hypertension to preventing what we call cardiovascular risk because we see that hypertension goes hand in hand with so many other problems and if you just focus on the hypertension, you will be missing a very great problem.

“So some people that have hypertension can also have diabetes; they can also be obese and they can also have problem with their cholesterol; all these factors work together.

“Some of them maybe smoking; some of them maybe drinking and all these factors have to be brought together before you would be able to say this person should take aspirin or this one should not take aspirin.

“So for primary prevention, we have a formula for calculating the risk based on the level of the blood pressure; if the person has diabetes, if there is cholesterol that is above normal, if the person is smoking, is drinking, is obese, we bring all these factors together, not just the high blood pressure; and when we bring all these factors together, we calculate the risk.

“This is for someone that has high blood pressure but has never developed this problem; you want

to determine whether this person should take aspirin,’’ he explained.

Ogunfowakan said that in primary prevention, aspirin was prescribed after the benefits and risks had been calculated by the doctor. ‘’In medicine anything you want to do, if the benefit is higher than the risk then you have a reason to do it. But if the benefit is less than the risk it is better not to do that thing.’’

“There are people that have low risk; that is, by the time we calculate their risk level and it is less than 10 per cent, we say they are low risk. Now for people that are low risk there is no need to give them aspirin.

“Aspirin can make the blood thin, so if they do not have the risk of developing this clots and you are making their blood thin they can actually bleed. So you discover that the benefit of taking the aspirin is less than the risk of taking the aspirin. So for that category of people you don’t give them aspirin.

“If the risk after being calculated is between 10 to 20 per cent, what that means is that the risk and the benefit are the same, it is neither here nor there. For hypertensive patients, there is no need to give them the aspirin.”

The doctor said that some patients fell into the high risk

group and they needed to take aspirin.

“Now there are the people we call the high risk group, they are people that are having a risk of cardio-vascular risk events that is greater than 30 per cent.

“Those people have never developed stroke or heart attack but bringing their level of blood pressure, whether they are obese , whether they are smoking, drinking whether they have high cholesterol in their blood or whether they have a family history of somebody that has had heart attack before.

“By the time we bring all those together and we discover that the risk of developing this problem is more than 30 per cent we call them high risk group. For those high risk group, you have to put them on this aspirin and you put them on low dose aspirin about 75 mg of aspirin.’’

For secondary prevention, the doctor said the risk was not calculated because they were classified high risk patients and needed to be placed on aspirin to prevent another stroke or heart attack.

He, however, said if there were strong contra-indications that would make the use of aspirin unsafe, such patients would not be given the drug. (NAN)

BUSINESS

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Email: aminuimam@yahoo.co.uk

PAGE 19

INSIDE - Pg 20 Nigeria’s FDI hits N800bn in January

Mob: 08033644990

IFC offers Nigeria’s domestic capital market 12bn

By Etuka Sunday with agency report

T

heInternational Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group yesterday offered a Nigerian local currency bond totaling 12 billion naira to support domestic capital markets and increase access to local-currency finance.The money, which is approximately $75 million and called “Naija” bond, was the IFC’’s first nairadenominated bond and the first placement by a non-resident issuer in Nigeria’s domestic capital markets.

While

speaking, the IFC Vice President and Treasurer, Jingdong Hua said vibrant domestic capital markets would create access to long-term and local-currency finance for the private sector, adding that “the IFC Naija bond supports our efforts to deepen domestic capital markets in Africa, so they can sustain a thriving private sector in the

region.””The five-year bond was designed to appeal to a broad range of domestic investors looking to diversify their portfolios. Initially planned as a $50 million issue, the bond was increased due to strong investor demand. All investors in the bond are Nigerian pension funds, asset managers, and banks. The bond is priced at par with a yield

of 10.2%.”It is believed that the proceeds from the bond will be used to support IFC’s private sector development program.Also speaking, the IFC Country Manager for Nigeria, Solomon Adegbie-Quaynor said “the IFC Naija bond supports the efforts of the government and authorities to deepen domestic capital markets and grow the

corporate bond market in Nigeria.

A well-developed corporate bond market in turn can provide affordable, longterm naira funding to meet the financing needs for critical sectors such as power.””IFC’s committed portfolio in Nigeria stands at $1.1 billion, the largest country portfolio in Africa and the eighth-largest globally.”

Chanchangi airline decries high cost of aviation fuel From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

C

hanchangi airline yesterday decried the high cost of aviation fuel inthe country describing it as a major setback for domestic airlineoperations in Nigeria.Speaking with reporters, Lagos station manager of the airline, MrBabadiyia Ahmed, disclosed that about 70 percent of the operationalcost of airlines in the country expended on aviation fuel. Ahmed said a litre of aviation fuel JET A1 costs between N160 andN180 per litre, which has greatly affected operations in the country’slocal route adding that government had made attempt in the past tofind solution but nothing came out of it.

He urged the government to look into the challenges of aviation fueland resolve it for the advantage of both the airlines and thetravelling public.Ahmed noted that airline business is usually dull in the first quarterof every year as low traffic were recorded during the period. “The period we are in January and March is a bad season for airlinesand business in general because of budget implementation but it is badin the aviation industry and we are really bearing the brunch”.He said Chanchangi airlines is overcoming its challenges witharrangement already concluded for the arrival of its own aircraftadding that Owerri and Portharcourt routes which the airline hasabandoned will be resume as soon as the aircraft arrived.

“The plans are there and they are our routes, we planned to fly butthose five key routes, Portharcourt, Owerri, Kaduna, Lagos and Abuja.These routes we intend to build and build it well “According to Ahmed the airline was being repositioned for the beststressing that so many innovations have been introduced for customersdelight.

L-R: Public Relations Officer, Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN) Abuja branch, Chief Ibrahim. Aweta; Executive Chairman of LECAN Abuja branch, Chief Vitus Ofodum; National Secretary, LECAN, Dr. John Ekere Etim, and LECAN National VicePresident 1, Alhaji Abdullahi Edochie, during LECAN media briefing on issues concerning electricity generation, transmission and distribution, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

NEXIM Bank records decline in non-performing loans

By Abdulwahab Isa

T

he non –performing loans of the Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM), has come to N1.3 billion last year, from N14.6 billion in 2009.

The Bank’s Managing Director and CEO, Mr. Roberts Orya, who confirmed the status of the bank nonperforming loans pointed that loan recovery remains the greatest challenge to the banking sector. He said the

setting up of Remedial Management department by the current management aided substantially in the loans recovery effort. Orya said that there was “alarming decline in the quality of risk assets as the bank’s total loan portfolio as at 20 th August 2009 was N14.6 Billion out of which 72 per cent was non performing and within that category N10.03 Billion or 69.05 was classified as completely lost”.He said the current management has embarked on aggressive re-

positioning of the bank by refocusing it form a hitherto nonprofit orgnaisinsation to a commercial driving agency.

The new orientation, he said has translated to impressive performance in year 2010 with an audited profit of N189.00 million as against the loss of N5.460 billion incurred in 2009. “The bank has been able to leverage on its Balance Sheet to secure lines of credit from institutions like the African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim), The Export-Import

Management Tip of the Day

W

Don’t let failure ruin your dreams

hen you start a company, launch a new product, or take on a new job, you, of course, hope to succeed. But that’s not always the case. Next time you face failure, here’s how to make the most of it: Acknowledge sadness. It’s disappointing when your dreams

don’t come to fruition. Take time to grieve. If you sublimate the sadness, you risk losing your passion and getting stuck.

Jettison shame. Failure shouldn’t be a referendum on you. Pull shame out of the picture and label it as the waste that it is.

Learn the right lesson.

Experts say failure is the best teacher but you have to be more specific. Ask yourself: What valuable truth did I discover by failing?

Source: Harvard Business Review

Bank of India while it has collaboration arrangements with United States ExportImport Bank and other EXIM Banks. “Also, we supported Nigerian exporters majorly the small and medium enterprises (SME’s) with some engaged in Greenfield projects, to the tune of N23.33 Billion and issued Guarantees valued at $27.3 Million between 2009 and August 2012.

These interventions were in our target sectors with high growth potentials of Manufacturing, Agro - Processing, Solid Minerals and Services (MASS Agenda).

“With the turnaround of the Bank’s performance, Management ensured an appreciable return on the equity investment of the shareholders. Accordingly a Dividend for the 2010 financial year performance was declared and paid, which was the first time since year 2003 when Dividend was last paid” Orya said.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

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COMPANY NEWS Tulip Cocoa Processing Limited

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he Managing Director of Tulip Cocoa Processing Limited, located in IjebuImushin in Ogun state and Ikom in Cross Rivers state, Simon Conway-Jarrett, has disclosed that the cocoa processing company attracts $50 million foreign exchange to the Nigerian economy per annum, through the overseas marketing of cocoa products.ConwayJarrett, who spoke with pressmen at the weekend, at the cocoa factory in IjebuImushin, Ogun state, shortly after the signing of a tripartite multimillion dollar Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by Tulip cocoa processing, the Federal Government and Dutch Theobroma DV, also revealed that Tulip Cocoa export had been branded “Made in Nigeria”.According to him, “Tulip Cocoa alone provides $50 million per annum foreign exchange for the Nigerian economy and employs at least 200 people directly, and many more thousands indirectly, including around 30,000 cocoa farmers across the nation.

Oando

O

ando Nigeria PLC has extended its right issues till February 20th. The company said the extension is as a result of the industrial action at the offices of the Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST) which caused an outright closure of NIPOST’s offices nationwide, thus making it difficult for circulars to be dispatched to most of its shareholders.According to the company, the extension has been approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).The right issue of N4.5 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N12.00 per share opened on Friday December 28, 2012 but will now close on Wednesday, February 20.

Union Bank of Switzerland

S

wiss banking giant UBS on Tuesday reported a massive fourth-quarter loss and announced it is capping its largest bonuses to bankers after a difficult year in which it settled charges of manipulating interest rates.

The bank posted a fourthquarter loss of 1.89 billion Swiss francs, or $2.1 billion, bringing its full-year loss to $2.8 billion (N448 bn).UBS said it would cap its top bonuses at $1.1 million, half the previous cap. It said that a change in its compensation model changes the focus at the bank to medium- and longerterm performance, which it said should reduce risk and increase accountability.

Jonathan inaugurates Dangote, Elumelu, others into competitiveness council

T

he Federal Government, further demonstrated its determination to improve Nigeria’s global competitiveness ranking and revitalise the Nigerian economy with the inauguration of the Board of the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The inauguration of the 18member board, chaired by the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, is targeted at increasing productivity and sales for local businesses, and will lead to expansion and creation of more markets for products made in Nigeria.

Members of the Aganga-led board include the President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Chief Kola Jamodu; President, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; DirectorGeneral, Nigeria Economic Summit Group, Mr. Frank Nweke (jnr); Chairman of Heirs

President Goodluck Jonathan

Alhaji Aliko Dangote

Holdings and the founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation Tony Elumelu and Ms. Funke Adekoya (SAN).

Others are: Prof. Esogbue Augustine, Director Emeritus at the Intelligent Systems and Controls Laboratory; Ms. Ike Yvonne, an internationally acclaimed investment banker; and Publisher, BusinessDay,

Mr. Frank Aigbigun, among others.

The President said members of the council were selected to serve on the board on account of their proven integrity, unwavering patriotism and uncommon sense of duty.

The Minister of Trade and Investment said the council’s objective “is to enhance

he Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) have approved a senior loan of US $100 million (N16 billion) to Indorama Eleme Fertilizer & Chemicals Limited (IEFCL), to build and operate a gas - to-urea fertilizer plant located in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

The plant, according to the company, will serve markets in Benin, Brazil, Ghana, India, Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The project, it said, will allow Nigeria, which relies heavily (80 per cent) on imported fertilizer, to progressively become self-sufficient and a major exporter. Ultimately, the

project will act as a catalyst to support job creation in the area, in addition to striving towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the areas of food sufficiency and a cleaner environment.

With this project, the AfDB also promotes small and medium enterprise linkages through the distribution supply chain for the domestic market.

The project will create 3,854 jobs of which 250 are direct and 348 indirect local positions during construction and operation. Moreover, the IEFCL project will generate revenues for host communities, River State Government and Eleme employees as well as the Federal Government of Nigeria from

dividends, taxes and foreign exchange savings through import substitution.

The IEFCL plant, located in the existing Eleme industrial complex, will produce urea to be sold in export and domestic markets.

Other project components will include an 84kilometre pipeline and a multipurpose jetty and terminal infrastructure at Onne Port, 16 km from the project site. The complex is expected to be among the most competitive production sites given the low feedstock price and economies of scale.

Indorama Eleme Fertiliser & Chemicals Limited (IEFCL) is the Borrower and Project Company. It is owned by Eleme

Stories from Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

work and a host of other jobs available.

Explaining further on the role the company is playing to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country, Alhaji Mohammed said, in order to reverse the current trend in Nigeria whereby university graduates are trained to be

government-reliant, the company is training them to be self-reliant.

He noted that the company, apart from investing heavily in state-of-the-art factories, as well as in research and development, “is a high employer of labour both within Nigeria and the West African sub-region.”

Nigeria’s competitiveness by proposing policy recommendations that will create an economy that attracts domestic and foreign investments without focusing on, or benefitting any specific interest group or sector.”

He said, “The council shall be the focal body responsible for creating awareness on national competitiveness in the country, coordinating the efforts of both the Public and Private Sectors to improve Nigeria’s C o m p e t i t i v e n e s s , recommending relevant Policies and proactively monitoring and evaluating the progress being made at National and SubNational levels.

“This Council shall also liaise with councils of other countries on global competitiveness issues. This will go a long way in developing National Public Policy initiatives to address short, medium and long-term Competitiveness issues confronting the country.”

Fertiliser production gets N16bn boost

T

How we are creating jobs - Lubricant manufacturer

I

n a bid to provide sustainable jobs for the economy, Chairman/CEO Ammasco International Limited , Alhaji Ado Mustapha Mohammed, one of the major manufacturers of high quality lubricants and distributors of petroleum products in Nigeria,said his company is playing a leading role in creating employment opportunities for Nigerians and beyond.

Alh. Ado Mustapha Mohammed said Ammasco has so far employed more than 500 youths directly, adding that most of the graduates are employed into trade-related system, welder work, plumber

Nigeria’s FDI hits N800bn in January

F

oreign Direct Investments (FDI) in Nigeria has reached a record N800 billion in January this year.

This comes as prominent corporations from the United States of America, Canada, The Netherlands and Turkey increased their investment stakes in the country, in a pace

never seen before The Central Bank of Nigeria’s figures for third quarter of last year showed that a total of $1.4 billion was injected into the economy through FDI while $4.6 billion came in through portfolio investments, with another $4.7 billion invested in the nation’s capital market.

and Indorama. Eleme is Africa’s second largest polyolefin producer and has a majority market share of polyethylene and polypropylene in Nigeria complimented by exports to nearby countries.

The project will create 3,854 jobs, of which 250 are direct and 348 indirect local positions during construction and operation. Moreover, the IEFCL project will generate revenues for host communities, River State Government and Eleme employees as well as the Federal Government of Nigeria from dividends, taxes and foreign exchange savings through import substitution.

….as non-oil export gets N112bn credit from AfDB

T

he African Development Bank (AFDB) says it has signed an agreement to provide credit of $700 million to two Nigerian development finance institutions to finance non-oil exports.

AFDB will provide the funds to the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank in addition to technical assistance for disbursement.

AFDB’s representative in Nigeria, Mr. Ousman Dore, said the loans will target “exportoriented small and medium enterprises”.

Data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) show that the nonoil sector has been driving growth in recent years as it grew by 12.8 per cent in the first half of 2012.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

By Hauwa Anaja

I

t’s no more news that the shoe-making industry in Nigeria has remained grossly untapped.

That notwithstanding, it has continued to thrive with many Nigerians exploring their opportunities in the sector.

Shoe-making has served many Nigerians financially and though with a poor market, there are some who would rather be shoe makers than wear a suit and a tie every day to work to earn a living.

Like a dedicated artisan, forty-four year-old Christian Ochi has been a shoe maker for almost twenty years after quitting from his Julius Berger company job to learn shoemaking.

“I was drawn to the shoemaking business because I always admired the fact that someone can just look at another person’s legs and picture what kind of shoe would fit on it, or how to design a shoe in a particular way that at the end of the day, you marvel at it and tell yourself I did that,” he says, smiling.

“And though I was doing fine with the private company I worked with, I just felt I will be happier making shoes,” he adds After a year of learning, he began his business with just N10,000 back in 1991 “Because it was something I derived pleasure in, it took me only one year to learn the job and I didn’t wait till I had plenty money before I set up my own business, I decided to start small and hoped to grow, so I bought a sewing machine, and some other equipments and rented a small shop in Kubwa village market,” Ochi narrates.

According to him, the gains of shoemaking cannot be overemphasized especially with

Shoemaking is a business and an art- Shoemaker

“

it is not advisable to choose shoemaking as a result of the urge to make quick money. This is a job that demands patience, determination and hard work. You have to put your heart into the work, that way you can create beautiful designs, you can dedicate your time to making unique quality shoes so that when someone sees you wearing it, they wonder which designer brand you are putting on.

Christian Ochi the right environment and support which he laments is hard to find in Nigeria.

“I married my wife from this job, and I am training my children from it. I don’t have any other source of income and this job has served me well, but you see the challenge is that people don’t invest in this business.

“For instance let me start with the young boys of today.

They would rather be bus

Potential customers as shoe seller display in an FCT market

conductors than become shoe makers, simply because they are more interested in having quick money.

“Look at my shop, to expand it in order to attract more trainees and employees, I need plenty money.

But unfortunately, nobody is even interested in lending small scale shoemakers money. There is this impression that the business has no huge financial potential, but they fail to realize we have the

potential of boosting small scale industries.

“Most times, banks are even scared of giving loans to small scale businesses; they want to see a medium scale business.

However, I personally don’t like the idea of loans. I believe I can make it with gradual savings and gradually am stepping up.”

And that’s not all. Mr Ochi says Nigerians barely appreciate made in Nigeria goods lamenting the impact of imported shoes to the local industry.

Many people prefer the Italian shoes and so on, because they feel they are of high quality compared to shoes made in Nigeria. But they don’t know how it is affecting the local industry. I can assure you, with the right incentives, support and equipments, we will make shoes that can compete with foreign ones but for now, that’s not the case.

“As a matter of fact, right now without high technology equipments, I can make about two shoes a day, coupled with repairs. But if I have the right equipments, I can make about six shoes per day,” he explains.

Mr Ochi is like many other shoemakers who have maintained their business despite the crippling market.

He tells me the strategies adopted.

“Most times, the level of work determines the amount I charge. However, because I don’t use equipments that would make the work faster, I have to charge according to the amount of work I do. Most times my customers complain about the price but I do my work well, and make sure I buy quality materials.”

To aspiring shoemakers, Mr Ochi cautions that “it is not advisable to choose shoemaking as a result of the urge to make quick money.

This is a job that demands patience, determination and hard work. You have to put your heart into the work, that way you can create beautiful designs, you can dedicate your time to making unique quality shoes so that when someone sees you wearing it, they wonder which designer brand you are putting on,” Ochi enthused.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013

PAGE 22

A

pple Inc. this week told retailers and distributors in most European countries that it will stop selling the Mac Pro on March 1 because the desktop system doesn’t meet electrical regulations. The Mac Pro’s ports and fans don’t comply with a new amendment — which goes into effect at the beginning of March — addressing safety and electrical standards for electronics, according to Macworld. An Apple spokesman confirmed the decision to CNET. The regulation affects the 27

Apple to stop Mac Pro sales in much of Europe on March 1 countries of the European Union, which includes the U.K., Germany and France, and the four countries in the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Although

Apple itself will stop its sales of the Mac Pro, Apple resellers will be able to sell any remaining inventory after March This is the only Apple product affected by the regulation. It’s not surprising, given that the

company has not upgraded the Mac Pro in more than two years.

In 2011, reports claimed Apple was planning to update the computer, but that refresh never came. The lull had Mac Pro fans petitioning for a change

in the spring of last year. In June, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that any substantial updates to the Mac Pro line would not happen until “later next year” — meaning sometime in 2013.

(Source: Forbes)

Dell to be bought back by founder for N3.94tr

M

ichael Dell already owns about 14% of the company that he

L-R: 1st Vice-President, Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA), Dr. Ifeanyi Okoye, President, Dr. Theo Okonkwo, and Director General, Sir Emeka Okereke, during a news conference on 24th ECCIMA International Trade Fair, on Tuesday in Enugu.

Photo: NAN

Microsoft unveils ‘4Africa Initiative’ in Nigeria

By Chris Alu

M

icrosoft Corporation has introduced the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative, in Nigeria in other to train over 1000 unemployed youths on various Microsoft skills for job competitiveness and also bring 1 million African small and medium enterprises online.

Speaking during the commemoration of the company’s stewardship in Africa yesterday, Mr. Emmanuel

Onyeje, country manager, Microsoft Nigeria, said the efforts is to focus on accelerating adoption of smart devices, empowering small and medium businesses, and up-leveling skills development to ignite African innovation for the Continent and for the world.

Onyeje said: “Microsoft wants to invest in that promise which recognizes Africa’s promise. We want to empower African youths to be entrepreneurs, developers and

business and civic leaders to turn great ideas into reality that can help community, their country, the Continent and beyond.

“The Initiative is built on the dual beliefs that technology can accelerate growth for Africa, and Africa can also accelerate technology for the world”.

The country manager said that Microsoft was motivated to embark on the projects as part of its contributions to Africa’s transformation initiatives.

He also announced that Microsoft has developed a new online hub through which Africa SMEs will have access to free, relevant products and services from Microsoft and other partners.

“The hub will aggregate the available services which can help them expand their business locally, find new business opportunities outside their immediate geography and help increase their overall competitiveness,” he added.

Nokia begins work on graphene, world’s strongest material

F

orget diamonds, graphene is now the world’s hardest material. And, all sorts of developers most likely want to get their hands on it.

Nokia looks to be ahead of the game in this graphene race. The Finnish mobile phone maker announced today that it was one of the recipients of a $1.35 billion grant from the European Union to do research and development on the super-material over the next 10 years.

“Nokia is proud to be involved with this project, and we have deep roots in the field — we first started working with graphene already in 2006,” Nokia’s CTO Henry Tirri said in a statement.

“Since then, we have come to identify multiple areas where this material can be applied in modern computing environments. We’ve done some very promising work so far, but I believe the greatest innovations have yet to be

discovered.”

Besides being the hardest substance in the world — 300 times stronger than steel — graphene has all sorts of other noteworthy qualities. It is also the thinnest object ever obtained by man — measuring just one atom thick — and the lightest. It is made of a 2D crystal and looks a bit like scotch tape, only infinitely

thinner. Graphene is also transparent, bendable, and a far better conductor than copper.

If Nokia is successful in its development of the material, it will be able to build cell phones that are extremely light, durable, and less susceptible to overheating.

“When we talk about graphene, we’ve reached a tipping point. We’re now looking

at the beginning of a graphene revolution,” research leader at Nokia Research Center Jani Kivioja said in the statement.

“Before this point in time, we figured out a way to manufacture cheap iron that led to the Industrial Revolution. Then there was silicon. Now, it’s time for graphene.” (Source: Swedish Academy of Sciences)

Globacom opens additional Gloworld shops

N

igeria’s national telecoms operator, Globacom, has concluded plans to open seven additional Gloworld shops in the country this month. The new shops are located in Lagos, Bonny, Oshogbo and Katsina.The company said the concept of the new Gloworld shops is to bring the bouquet of services closer to the people as the shops offer similar services anywhere in the country.Three of the new shops

became operational yesterday.

The first is located at Ikeja City Mall; while the second one on Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island is for post paid customers only.

The third is located at Oluwole Urban Mall, Nnamdi Azikiwe/Martins Street, Lagos Island.

Another Gloworld shop will be opened at Conoil Filling Station, Cele Bus stop on Oshodi-Apapa

Express Way on Thursday.Others to be opened within the period are located on Osogbo/Gbogan road, Oshogbo, Osun State; Bonny Island, Rivers State and the last in IBB Way, Kofar Kaura, Katsina.

The company’s Director of Sales, Patrick Awotwi said: “With the scores of Gloworld shops around the country, subscribers need not travel long distances anymore to enjoy our services.

founded Michael Dell has said that he will buy back the world’s number three PC manufacturer that he founded and that carries his name for $24.4bn (£15.5bn).

Mr. Dell, together with technology private equity investor, Silver Lake, will offer $13.65 cash per share.

The firm said it offered a 25% premium over the Dell’s valuation in January when rumours of the deal first broke.

The buy-out of the Nasdaqlisted firm will be financed by loans from four banks, and a $2bn loan from Microsoft.

Mr. Dell, who is also chief executive and chairman of the firm, already owns about 14% of the company. He and fellow senior executives will retain their existing stakes.

Dell’s success over the last 29 years has made its founder one of the richest men in America.

By buying his company back, he will be taking it off the stock market almost 25 years after it was first listed.

Sony exec hints at PlayStation 4 announcement

T

ime to dust off that hype machine.

The next generation of video game consoles may debut as early as February 20. That’s the date Sony has set aside for an event in New York City, leading some to believe this could be the first-ever announcement of the PlayStation 4, the inevitable successor to the company’s current PlayStation 3 game system Attached to the invitation is a short teaser video that consists only of a trippy flythrough of the iconic PlayStation shapes, not offering much transparency as to the true purpose of the event. In any case, it has certainly reignited the buzz surrounding. next-gen hardware and added strength to rumors that Sony and Microsoft’s new consoles may debut before their traditional E3 unveiling.

PEOSPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Report as at Wednesday, February 6, 2013

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

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How the African Diaspora is using social media to influence development So long as our collective voice and our money continue to engage the continent, our political influence won't be far behind, writes TMS Ruge.

S

o m e t h i n g transformational has been happening online: African voices have begun populating social media, quickly becoming the undisputed champions of development punditry. No longer are we faced with what the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie called “the danger of a single story”. Twitter, Facebook and other forms of social media are bringing African voices and new, varied narratives to the forefront.

And, what’s even more remarkable, is that these online platforms are not being used for simple pontification and acerbic commentary (although there’s a fair bit of that as well). These tools are also being used to replace staid development paradigms, by organising and

developing African-driven institutions.

One form of social media in particular has had a noticeable effect. Twitter’s short messaging network has revolutionised political discourse and rewritten the rules of international development dialogue.

Controversial development projects such as the #1millionshirts campaign (pdf – see page 11) and Invisible Children’s Kony 2012 video came under heavy diaspora scrutiny online. Invisible Children’s video campaign to capture the notorious Ugandan rebel Joseph Kony became a victim of its own success and was dismissed as “oversimplified” and “misleading” by many prominent voices in the diaspora. Likewise, the negative feedback against the #1millionshirts

Ugandans watch Kony 2012. The video went viral but it was dismissed by many in the Diaspora as "over-simplified" and "misleading". Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

campaign – a project to dump 1 million T-shirts into the African marketplace – was so powerful that founder Jason Sadler pulled the plug on it.

With social media bringing African voices to the fore, gone are days when do-gooders can launch misguided development projects with impunity. This, in turn, has encouraged more collaboration and shared learning. After killing his project, Sandler took the initiative of engaging with African diaspora, including myself, to understand better how he could put his talent to good use.

Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson

New institutions for economic development Not only are we, the African diaspora, challenging the underpinnings of international development

– it’s no longer the west helping the rest – but through Facebook and Twitter, informal gatherings and discussions have grown into permanent, transformational institutions.

Let me illustrate: in 2009, I gave my first talk at Africa Gathering in London after hearing about this new initiative during a Twitter debate.

Today, Africa Gathering events are held annually in Africa, Europe and America. The TED-style talks provide a platform for the diaspora and anyone with an interest in Africa to share their projects and solutions for the continent.

It was at one of these gatherings that I met Ida Horner, a Ugandan businesswoman in the UK. In 2010, we teamed up to launch Villages in Action, a development conference live-streamed from a

Ugandan village. It was a collaborative response to celebrity-heavy events in New York and Washington DC, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the millennium development goals. With the poor taking the role of nameless statistics, charts and figures, we decided to give them a face by bringing the microphone to them. Social

media injected their voice into the global goals discussion.

To my knowledge, Villages in Action was the first diaspora-led development project fully crowd-funded and executed through online engagement.

The African diaspora is also using social media to raise funding for projects on the continent. Last year,

“

With the poor taking the role of nameless statistics, charts and figures, we decided to give them a face by bringing the microphone to them. Social media injected their voice into the global goals discussion

Africans in Diaspora, an organisation on whose board I sit, raised $40,000 from 234 contributors to fund community development programs on the continent.

This crowdfunding strategy for community development is a new and welcome second act, realising $60bn annually. Where we were previously sending money home to support one-to-one solutions, we are now crowd-sourcing assistance to strengthen service delivery mechanisms in our communities for all to benefit.

Where do we go from here?

The full impact of Africa’s diaspora engaging intellectually and materially in the continent’s development needs more time to mature

fully.

Although we contribute more in remittances than foreign direct investment and are fast becoming the voice of the continent, we don’t have a solid role in the continent’s governance – yet. Changing the political landscape is going to take much longer than organising a fundraiser from afar. To really have an effect on the political process, we will need to go beyond sideline commentary. We need to engage in the political process, both at the international and local levels. This, however, will take time to accomplish. As much as we bicker about corruption, intransigent dictatorships, and lack of civil services, our most effective role – for now – may be limited to economic development and advocacy. So long as our collective voice and our money continue to engage the continent, our political influence won’t be far behind. Thanks to social media, this is a task we are beginning to take on – and one we must take on collaboratively.

As the #1millionshirts story suggests, social media can also be a great tool for cross-border collaboration.

As we begin to leverage the power of social media and uncensored, international discourse, we should be careful not to alienate those with experience and expertise. There’s a famous African proverb: “If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” While it’s clear that “Africa, for Africa, by Africa” is the new mantra on social media, our collective intelligence and financial muscle are not nearly enough for the journey ahead. We will need all the help we can get.

TMS Ruge is the lead social media strategist at Connect4Climate, World Bank and cofounder of Hive Colab, an innovation hub in Kampala, Uganda. He tweets as @tmsruge. ( S o u r c e : theguardian.com)

Senate President David Mark advocates control of social media

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer and advocate of social media

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 7, 2013

EMERGENCY UPDATE

Director-General, NEMA, Alhaji Sani-Sidi, eceiving award for Most Responsive Agency for 2012 by Centre for Policy Advocacy and Leadership Development (CPALD).

Group blames Offa/Erin-Ile communal clashes pro-secession agenda

By Mohammed Kandi

F

ollowing a rekindled clash between members of Offa and Erin-Ile communities of Kwara state, leading to the death of 10 people and destruction of property worth millions of naira earlier in the week, a NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO), known as the Youth Against Disaster Initiative (YADI) has attributed the resurgence on the country’s system of governance.

A statement issued by YADI’s National Coordinator, Abubakar Jimoh, said the constant demand for secession by some groups was one of the factors responsible for communal clashes among different tribes and ethnic groups in the country.

“The system of artificial and arbitrary boundaries that split ethnic groups among different local government areas and states in Nigeria could be responsible for disputes, neglect, oppression, domination, exploitation, victimization, discrimination, marginalization, nepotism, intolerance as well as the constant demand for secession by some groups,” he said.

Jimoh, who disclosed that the violent conflicts between the two communities have posed serious challenges to their socio-economic development the areas in particular and the country at large, informed

that “over the years, Offa and ErinIle communities have involved in incessant cases of avoidable boundary and land disputes with their attendant threat to life and property.”

He therefore blamed communal crises in most part of the country on weak traditional institutions and socio-political

institutions, ignorance, and intolerance among members of the communities.

“The rising unemployment rate, illiteracy and joblessness among the youths have extensively exposed the two communities to undesirable elements that could capitalize on insecurity to attack innocent

citizens,” he stated.

The Coordinator, however, called on the government at all levels to identify the dynamics of conflicts in their communities as two incidents, even if occurred in the same area, may not be viewed from same perspective.

“Effort to resolve the conflicts should give priority to the roles of

traditional rulers, community/village heads, and the religious leaders who are likely to be more informed on the root causes of the clashes.

“The tradition institutions in both communities should always encourage their members on attitudinal change in their mindset and proper orientation toward others,” he advised.

Plateau SEMA distributes 1, 500 tonnes of grains to flood victims

P

lateau State Emergence Management Agency (SEMA) has commenced the distribution of 1,500 tonnes of grains to the 2012 flood victims in the state.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Steven Barko, who inaugurated the lifting of the grains to various distribution centres recently, represented Mr Ignatius Longjan, Plateau Deputy Governor and Chairman of SEMA's Governing Council.

Longjan said the 1500 tonnes of sorghum and maize which were 30,000 bags were donated to Plateau Government by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to mitigate the sufferings of the victims of the flood disaster.

“We received the materials precisely on Nov. 19, 2012 from the officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture led by Alhaji Bukar Tijani, the Minister

of State for Agriculture. We would have distributed the materials before now if not for the prolonged workers strike in the state,” he said.

“The strike made it impossible for SEMA to go to the communities because of the security challenges it posed but now that it is over, we understand the victims' plight. We will make sure that they get the materials without any further delay,” Longjan said.

The deputy governor said the grains, which translate to 50 trucks in all, would first be taken to the three central stores for the three zones of the state, before onward distribution to local government areas.

“We have a store here in Jos to take care of the northern zone; we have another one in Pankshin for the central zone while the other one is at Langtang North Local

Government. Longjan also gave a breakdown of how the materials would be distributed.

He said that Jos North Local Government would get four trucks or 2,400 bags, while Kanam, Langtang North, Langtang South, Quan’Pan, Shendam and Wase local governments are to get six trucks or 3,600 bags each.

The breakdown also showed that Kanke, Mikang, Pankshin and Bokos local governments would each get two trucks amounting to 1,200 bags.

“We have a strategic reserve of six trucks amounting to 3,600 bags for isolated cases in other areas outside the local governments that were badly affected.

“We also have people whose farms were destroyed as result of the crises who needed assistance.

We have the isolated cases in Jos

South, Riyom, Barkin Ladi, Jos East, Mangu local governments and other individual victims,” he explained.

“The Deputy Governor has seriously warned against the diversion of these materials for personal use,” saying that anybody caught would be dealt with decisively,’’ the commissioner warned.

SEMA Executive Secretary, Mr Alhassan Barde told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that every arrangement was completed for the distribution.

The executive secretary gave assurance that transparency and fairness would be the watch words during the distribution exercise.

“We have the data of victims and we will make sure that all the people benefit from the government’s gesture,’’ he said.

NAN reports that the loaded trucks immediately took off to the zonal centres. (NAN)

PAGE 29

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 7, 2013

EMERGENCY UPDATE YOUTHS FOR 1killed at Aiteo energy PUBLIC SAFETY

By Abubakar Jimoh depot fire outbreak-NEMA

T

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said a truck loader died in the fire outbreak that occurred at a depot in Dockyard, Apapa, Lagos in the early hours of Saturday.

Information Officer, NEMA, South-West, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the fire broke out while products were being loaded into a truck.

“I have confirmed the incident and I was told that the fire outbreak at Aiteo occurred between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

“The fire occurred in the process of loading a product at the depot into

a truck and killed one truck loader,’’ he said.

Farinloye said the Lagos State Fire Service and its Federal counterpart worked together to put out the fire.

Also speaking, Director, Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Rasak Fadipe, confirmed the incident to NAN, saying a distress call was received at the office minutes before 1 a.m.

He said that fighting vehicles from Sari-Iganmu and Ilupeju were deployed to the scene.

“When we got to the depot, the fire had already engulfed a truck loaded with petroleum products, but we joined hands to put out the fire by 3 a.m. A motor truck boy of

about 30 years of age was trapped in the fire,'' he said.

Fadipe urged depot owners to be more careful during the Harmattan, saying “the state has a vibrant fire service system that responds to calls promptly, and we urge anybody who observes any fire outbreak to alert us on 767 and 112 toll free.’’.

When contacted, Mr Tunde Akinpelu, Vice-Chairman of Aiteo Energy, said he could not speak on the issue.

“I can’t talk on this issue now; we are still looking at ways to address the incident,’’ he told NAN correspondent on phone.

(NAN)

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) proving additional relief materials to victims of flood affected areas in AMMAC recently in Abuja.

abujimoh01@yahoo.com

Mitigating the impacts of desertification and drought (II)

T

he Youths Against Disasters Initiative (YADI) has also recommended that all levels of government make potable drinking water available for both man and animals in water deficit areas, through the provision of sufficient wells or boreholes in the affected communities.

YADI therefore insist on early planting in the season by farmers and government organisation that has the mandate of ensuring food security in the country such as consciously making use of their food reserves, and improve feeds during the growing season in accordance with guidance and advice of state agriculture services.

On their own part, the traditional rulers and community heads across the country must encourage the herdsmen to make adequate provisions for their animal feeds against dry season; through massive storage of animal feedstuffs during the growing season.

Traditional rulers and community heads should setup alternative means of conflict resolution, especially between their farmers and herdsmen to avoid undesirable elements that could capitalize on the insecurity in the country to attack innocent citizens.

In addition, YADI advices traditional rulers to encourage active participation of their community members in the ongoing NEMA’s campaigns and sensitization on Disaster Risks Reduction (DRR), which includes mitigating against the upsurge of desertification and drought across the country.

It would be recalled that part of measures to mitigate disaster situations in the country, DirectorGeneral of NEMA, Alhaji Muhammad Sani-Sidi, had since 2010, implement constant seminars, workshops, public education and enlightenment involving advocacy visitation to states and grassroots, purposely to build disaster-resilient communities against the impacts of global warming.

The agency had also encouraged ecological management practices such as planting of trees, shelterbelts to protect soil from wind and water erosion are found to have been effectively adopted in various developing nations like Bolivia, Mali, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, among others in combating their environmental challenges.

Nigerian communities are therefore advised to emulate the developed societies by putting in place appropriate ecosystem management to conserve major ecological services; and abide by ethical use of natural resources to meet the socioeconomic, political and cultural needs of current and future generations.

There must be encouragement of local participation and community education on environmental matters and land use innovation is a proven solution to tackle the hazards of drought and desertification. This should include adequate sensitization

concerning various aspects of drought and water scarcity to predict, and articulate local methods and strategies which could help to minimize the effects of drought and desertification.

In a study conducted in 2009 by University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, on mitigating communities’ vulnerability to the effects of climate change, it was discovered that through community-based participatory risk assessment, the community coping capacity would be enhanced to share responsibilities to reduce risk, and take decision to battle water scarcity and seasonal droughts.

In area of education and enlightenment to enhance local skills and methods, farmers’ needs must be fully comprehend or met by the scientific community, especially the needs to adequately reduce the training to local language that every farmer and community members can understand. This will encourage a wide participation and achievement of the training objectives.

Concerted effort should be made to reduce desertification by developing sustainable sources of income for rural women as an alternative to their commerce in wood. These alternative livelihoods in the words of include vegetable gardens, literacy and financial education, training in soap making and in making energyefficient stoves for rural women.

The benefits of such project have been highlighted in the words of the Coordinator Malian Rural Women Development Programme, Johanna Togola in 2009 that diversification of the communities income sources, and reduction in wood-cutting, will mitigate the future threat of intensified climate change and weather-related hazards such as flooding, landslides, drought and desertification.

Empowering the communities with education about the environment, and giving them the skills to diversify their livelihoods is an environmentally conscious way that can lead to significant success in effecting change. The States’ Environmental Agencies can organize environmental education for the desertification and drought vulnerable communities to address challenges of deforestation, erosion, cutting wood, farming, and water, as well as to improve stoves and planting trees.

Communities must therefore avoid unethical land use practices like overgrazing, overexploitation of plants, trampling of soils, and unsustainable irrigation.

Moreover, instituting poverty eradication programs in the degraded communities will be a welcome development to secure the socioeconomic and environmental conditions for prosperity, stability and equity. This can be achieved through the joint effort of local communities, regional organizations, governments, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other related stakeholders.

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 7, 2013

Shell Dutch judgment: Anything to celebrate?

There’s no question that there have been blessings from crude oil resource to Nigeria at large, and Niger Delta region in particular that take the form of increased government revenues, increased export earnings, the attendant opportunities and linkage effects in the economy.

It has also been observed that the curses or woes of crude oil resource which emanate mainly from the exploration and production activities of the multinational companies, take the form of oil spillage, environmental pollution, degradation, destruction of landscape, unemployment, socioeconomic-political instability and pervasive poverty.

It is the view of many that

Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell over oil pollution in Nigeria's Niger Delta region. The campaign group has already indicated its interest to appeal. However, it has welcomed the Dutch court's ruling that Shell's subsidiary was liable on one count.

The judgment in the district court in The Hague (The Netherlands) ordered SPDC, a wholly-owned subsidiary, to compensate one farmer, Mr. Friday Akpan in Ikot Ada Udo, Akwa Ibom State in the Niger Delta region.

It could be recalled that in 2008, four Nigerians and a campaign group Friends of the Earth filed suits in The Hague, where Shell has its global headquarters, seeking

their home lands. This is because in Nigeria the oil companies have found ways to twist the judicial processes in their favour and they have continued to indulge in double standards in their style of operations, different from what they do in Europe or America.

The Dutch court blamed Shell for allowing the spill in Ikot Ada Udo to continue for months without stopping it on the claims that it was sabotage, whereas, they dare not try that in the Western countries under any circumstance.

Friends of the Earth also argued that SPDC did not cleanup the spill sites properly. This allegation was dismissed by the court.

We should give kudos to

A stream turned dark as a result of oil spill in the Niger Deltal region. crude oil resource is today more of a curse than a blessing to the Niger Delta region, due to the crude oil spill and gas flare that have consistently occupied the front burner as the most disturbing environmental problems in the Niger Delta region.

Since 1956 when crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantity at Oloibiri, in the present day Bayelsa State, Shell has continued to be in the news for the wrong reasons.

But Wednesday 29th January, 2013 will linger for a long time in the memory of all lovers of the Nigerian environment, and for all those who have rightly shown their displeasure at the reckless abandon with which multinational crude oil exploration companies in the Crude Oil rich Niger Delta Region abuse our pristine environment through crude oil spillages and gas flares.

It’s no longer news that that was the day; a Dutch court ruled that Royal Dutch Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary was responsible for a case of oil pollution in the Niger Delta, and ordered it to pay damages.

Against what many considered as a landmark judgment, the court rejected four out of five allegations against

reparations for lost income from contaminated land and waterways in the Niger Delta region.

The case was viewed by environmentalists as a test case for holding multinationals responsible for offences at foreign subsidiaries, and legal experts said other Nigerians affected by pollution might now be able to sue in the Netherlands.

While most Nigerians have been celebrating what they called Pyrrhic victory over the SPDC, Shell is celebrating that the case would not set precedence because its parent company was not held responsible.

Royal Dutch Shell is happy over the court ruling that all the contentious oil spill cases brought against it by some communities in the Niger Delta were caused by criminal activities.

I believe that the only thing to celebrate about the judgment is that it has set a precedent on environmental activities because companies can now be charged in their home countries for their actions in the host countries.

Like the believe by some environmental activists, there is the likelihood that there will be a ripple effect, because a lot of aggrieved communities in the Niger Delta have been violated, and will take on the companies in

Friends of the Earth as friends of the violated people for taking the initiative for the landmark judgment.

There have been claims that the companies in Nigeria normally under-report the volume of spills. And because of the nature of our environment, in terms of regulation and control, the companies continue to get away with such malpractices.

The court did not just examine the role of the parent company, but also looked “at abuses committed by Shell Nigeria, where the link with the Netherlands is extremely limited.

Oil Watchers have always picked holes with the quality of remediation done on oil spills in their host communities and the method in which the remediation contracts were awarded. It has been argued that the jobs have always been awarded to local contractors that had little or no professional competence in handling such assignments, which further compounded the problems rather than solved them.

Also Shell has been accused of using obsolete equipment and those that were no longer effective in curing soils that had been damaged by oil spills in disregard with best practices in the remediating of spill sites globally.

ENVIR ONMENT ENVIRONMENT WATCH

By Ambrose Inusa Sule, mnes globenviron@yahoo.com 0703-441-4410 (sms only) Shell is not denying the fact that some sites have not been properly done as it claimed that there are some contractors who will not do good jobs, as there are contractors who will cover up and run away, especially the sites that are isolated.

Beyond that, there is no doubt that the company faces problems relating to illicit practices, security and lawlessness and these have really affected its efforts at cleaning up the spills.

The illicit activities of criminals and the compromise of security personnel had in the past been reported to have further compounded the problems.

The fact that two opposing sides heard the same judge's decision and yet each are claiming victory, reveals a lot about how much both have to lose.

Royal Dutch Shell claimed that to some extent, they feel vindicated. The ruling meant they could not be held responsible for the leakages caused by criminal damage to the pipelines.

But at one site, in the village of Ikot Ada Udo, the judges found that Shell Nigeria failed in its "duty of care" and did not do enough to protect the farmers and their land from the damage caused by criminals.

Whatever the company is liable and will be forced to pay the farmer compensation, it is worth the victory.

This sets a legal precedent that could potentially lead to hundreds of farmers in the Niger Delta bringing their claims for damages against Shell Nigeria to court in the Netherlands.

It is the first time a Dutchregistered company has been sued in a domestic court for offences allegedly carried out by a foreign subsidiary.

The farmers had alleged that oil spills had poisoned their fish ponds and farmland with leaking pipelines. The court found that the spills were not the result of a lack of security or upkeep but due to sabotage.

After spills, there have always been doubts if Shell live up to its responsibility to carry out a thorough clean-up programme.

There were also indications that Shell has always refused to accept full responsibility for the incidences of oil spills and had in the past rebuffed the claims from communities allegedly impacted by the spills.

Where is National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) in all of these?

The federal government in line with global best practices has established the National oil spill Detection and Response Agency

(NOSDRA) under the National oil spill Detection and Response Agency (establishment) Act of 2006 to handle the critical environmental consequences of oil spill and to enforce relevant laws guiding against oil spillage in the oil producing communities.

This agency is charged with the duty of policing oil spill in Nigeria, but why has oil pollution continued making it necessary for some farmers and fishermen from the crude oil producing community in Niger Delta proceed to a Dutch Court room to challenge Shell Petroleum for damaging their environment and livelihood through oil spills.

There have been calls from many quarters for the National Assembly to amend the enabling Act setting up the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (Establishment Act) of 2006 to reflect the realities of our time. And to empower the body to protect our environment and to further give more legal teeth to NOSDRA to not only bark at the serial abusers of the Nigerian environment but to bite in order to compel them to a change of heart on their operational modalities to comply with international best practices and respect the environmental rights of their host communities.

This Government agency needs to be more active to carry out activities on its key mandates because of the indisputable fact that crude oil spills is a major environmental issue afflicting most oil bearing communities.

Oil Watchers have advocated for the adequate funding and comprehensive legal empowerment of NOSDRA so that these disturbing cases of oil spills in the oil producing communities could be effectively tackled.

Oil Spill in Nigeria particularly in the Oil Producing Communities is constant like several spills across the World.

Sadly, in our own case, International Oil exploration companies that deliberately caused Oil Spill with impunity are neither criminalized nor indemnified. Therefore, it is imperative for the Amendment Act being proposed to address and accommodate the need for outright criminalization of spill related negligence being perpetuated by the Oil companies deliberately.

Clearly, there is a preponderance of support for NOSDRA to be empowered to fight these multinational oil companies to respect human rights and environmental rights provisions in their operations in line with global best practices.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUART 7, 2013

PAGE 27

NIMET predicts quick end to current harmattan haze

By Mohammed Kandi

F

ollowing the sudden occurrence harmattan haze in most part of Lagos State last weekend, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has predicted that the haze would end in a weeks’ time.

Director-General of NIMET, Dr. Anthony Anuforom, also told the journalists that the current harmattan haze being experienced in the country would not only subside in the next one week and assured that it would not have any negatively effect on flight operations due to improved navigational aids installed in the country.

“A lot of new facilities from recent technology have been put in place by NIMET

to ensure correct and verifiable meteorological services. These are in the area of adequate facilities to operate within the internationally-acceptable standards as obtained anywhere in the world,” he said.

Anuforom therefore explained that the agency was working in conformity with stipulated international standards, adding that two upper air stations would be installed in the country to bring to seven operational upper air stations in the

country to enhance accuracy.

“We actually have seven of them but two are yet to be installed. Within this quarter, we hope to increase it to seven upper air stations. So the higher the density, the higher the accuracy. This is what this administration is doing in

the spirit of the Transformation Agenda,” Anuforom said.

He lauded the Aviation ministry for constantly supporting the agency towards realising its dream of providing the best service that would be second to none in the world.

Bayelsa Post-flood committee targets N20bn to assist victims

T

he Bayelsa Post-Flood Management Committee is targeting N20 billion to compensate victims and fix infrastructure damaged by the flood in the state last year, the chairman said.

The Chairman of the Committee, Chief Francis Doukpola, who made the fact known in Yenagoa on Tuesday, said the committee would visit flood-ravaged communities to assess the level of damage.

He said the committee would distribute relief materials to affected communities and collaborate with community leaders to ensure that the items reached the victims.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the flood, which occurred between October2012 and November 2012, displaced more than 30,000 people in different communities across the eight local government areas of the state.

Doukpola said that members of the committee decided to embark on a tour to ``have first hand information’’ on the needs of the victims and areas of intervention. ``This tour will form part of an in-depth post-impact assessment that will be the basis for a range of short, medium and long term measures to be coordinated by the committee and the government," he said.

He expressed the hope that the committee's intervention would help to mitigate socioeconomic, health and other humanitarian impacts of the disaster on the victims.

Doukpola said that N500 million donated by Chief Mike Adenuga, the Chairman, Glo Communication, for flood victims was still in the custody of the Committee. (NAN)

How hamattan constitute great danger to human health

Taraba wants FG to construct buffer dam to check flood

T

he Acting Governor of Taraba, Alhaji Garba Umar, has appealed to the Federal Government to construct a buffer dam in Adamawa to check persistent flood disasters in the country.

Umar made the appeal while receiving relief materials from the Team Leader of the Presidential Committee on Flood

Relief and Rehabilitation for North-East Zone, Prof. Dora Akunyili, in Jalingo recently.

“I want to appeal to the Federal Government to construct a buffer dam, upstream of Adamawa to checkmate the excess water that is discharged into the country from Lagdo Dam in Republic of Cameroon.

“Taraba continues to suffer flood devastation every year along the 293km span of River Benue as it flows across the state,” he said.

Umar thanked the Federal Government for its continued support for flood victims in the state.

Earlier, Akunyili thanked the acting governor for taking

good care of the flood victims in the state.

She said that the team was in the state not just to distribute relief materials to the victims but to interact with them and share in their predicament.

She warned that no one should tamper with the materials meant for the victims.

(NAN)

Ogoniland: Agency begins distribution of potable water to pollution victims

T

he National Coordinator, Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP), Mrs Joy NniehOkunnu, has said that the agency had commenced the distribution of potable water to communities affected by oil spillage in Ogoniland.

Nnieh-Okunnu made the statement during an assessment tour of the four local government areas of Ogoniland in Rivers.

The HYPREP coordinator was accompanied by a team of professors from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, U.S. The coordinator informed that the tour was part of efforts to drum up support for the communities, saying that the

first phase of the visit entailed putting in place emergency measures, such as erecting overhead water tanks for the communities.

She said the measure had become necessary because most of their sources of water had been polluted.

“The first phase of our visit involves implementing the emergency measures, such as putting sign-posts on polluted wells and delivering potable water to the communities,” she said.

She said HYPREP had also begun carrying out environmental impact assessment of people affected by the drinking of the polluted water with a view to treating

them.

Nnieh-Okunnu said the agency was already in touch with oil companies, banks and corporate organisations for the socio-economic development of the region.

Earlier, the traditional rulers of the four local government areas pledged their support for the project.

They, however, stressed the need for HYPREP to speed up the process and carry them along.

King Mayford Eguru, the traditional ruler of Ken-Khana Kingdom in Khana Local Government Area, in his remarks, decried the high level of environmental degradation and pollution in the region.

He also called for quick

intervention to redress the situation.

“We are crying for the implementation of the UNEP report considering the lacuna between when the report was submitted and when HYPREP was constituted.

“Ogoni needs development and safe environment for the generation yet unborn,” he said.

Eguru, who is also the Chairman, Khana Council of Traditional Rulers, called for the traditional rulers to be carried along in the restoration process.

He called for the employment and empowerment of youths in the area to arrest youth restiveness (NAN)

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY, 7, 2012

Giving priority to reconstruction of Abuja-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road

By Bridget Tikyaa

T

he importance of the Abuja-Akwanga-Lafia road came into focus last year, as the road became an alternative route for people travelling from Abuja to the southern parts of the country, following the flooding of the Abuja-Lokoja road.

Motorists were then diverted from their traditional route of LokojaAbuja road, as a result of the flooding which made the route impassable.

Mr Bisi Kazeem, the Deputy Corps Public Education Officer of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), who announced the diversion, specifically advised motorists from the Lagos axis to use the Okene-AjaokutaAyangba-Ankpa-MakurdiLafia-Akwanga-Abuja route.

Those travelling from the southeastern parts of the country were also advised to follow the Otukpa-Makurdi route, while motorists travelling from Abuja to Lokoja were advised to use the Akwanga-LafiaMakurdi-Ankpa-Okene route.

Prior to the increased vehicular traffic on the Akwanga-Lafia-MakurdiAnkpa-Okene road because of the flood, available statistics showed that 50 per cent of articulated vehicles moving from the South to the North also use the road.

The route also serves as a bypass to other parts of the country.

However, many motorists, who were forced to use the road when the AbujaLokoja route was flooded, bemoaned the poor state of the road and urged the Federal Government to urgently give the road a facelift.

One of the motorists, Mr Peter Okpe, a businessman, whose car reportedly broke down at Akwanga when he was travelling on the road, lamented about the poor state of the road.

He recalled that he had a harrowing experience while travelling on the road that day, adding that his trauma was heightened by the fact that armed robbery was rampant on the road because of its deplorable state.

Okpe said that his journey to Makurdi, which ordinarily ought to last for three hours, `` took me six hours''.

He said it was virtually

Nasarawa state Governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-makura

Benue state Governor, Mr. Gabriel Suswam

impossible for any motorist to drive fast on the road because of its appalling state.

However, the deplorable condition of the road has also elicited the concern of many citizens, including Gov. Gabriel Suswan of Benue.

At a recent meeting of Northern Governors' Forum, Suswam expressed concern about the plight of motorists travelling on the road. ``It is important to make the road motorable; thousands of travellers have suffered on the road,'' he noted.

Suswan said that the slogan, ``Benue: The Food Basket of the Nation'', should not be an empty rhetoric, stressing that good roads ought to be provided to boost the evacuation of food items from the state to other parts of the country.

Apparently irked by the poor state of the country's roads, the Federal Government recently announced its plan to reconstruct some roads, including the AbujaAkwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road, into dual carriageways.

The Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen, said that funds from the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) would be used to finance road projects across the country.

The minister also conveyed the government's

paucity of funds, among other challenges, accounted for the initial delay in the implementation of road projects.

Onolememen pledged that the ministry's allocation in the 2013 budget would be used to complete ongoing projects that were critical to Nigeria's socio-economic development.

Mr Gabriel Amuchi, the Managing Director of Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said that the

willingness to collaborate with construction firms in efforts to rehabilitate the country's roads, saying that the measure was part of government's policy to enhance the development of infrastructure.

Onolememen said that the ministry spent over N44 billion, representing 93 per cent of the N47. 5 billion released to the ministry for the second quarter of 2012, on road projects alone.

He, however, noted that

Minister of Works, Mr Mike Onolememen,

agency had started the rehabilitation of federal roads across the country, including the AbujaAkwanga-Lafia-Makurdi road Amuchi, who disclosed this while inspecting works on the Abuja-AkwangaLafia-Makurdi road, said that the roads' rehabilitation was in accordance with the Federal Government's directive to make all major link roads motorable.

As a result of the strategic importance of roads in national development, analysts urge the government to look into the possibility of finding alternative and sustainable ways of financing road projects.

They also underscore the need to strengthen FERMA to enable it to embark on an aggressive road maintenance programme, which will make federal roads across the country motorable at all times.

Besides, the analysts urge the states to establish their own road maintenance agencies in order to complement the efforts of the Federal Government. ``This complementary arrangement will engender a holistic approach to road maintenance in the country, while ensuring that the country's roads are motorable at all times,'' some of the analysts say.

Source: NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

ANALYSIS

By Charles Onunaiju

T

he Islamic republic of Iran has not only survived against all overwhelming odds, including an imposed 8year war and a battery of western sanctions, but has prospered and thrived. In addition to breakthrough on high technology and scientific advances, it has developed a democratic process through which universally acknowledged free, fair and credible elections are held for every level of political office, including the highest political post, the presidency.

In the region, Iran has been a key player after its Islamic revolution that turned a once unabashed surrogate of western imperialism to a bastion of militant resistance.

From Iran's successful resistance to the regional conspiracy and western instigated counter-revolution orchestrated through the Iraq's imposed war, the country rapidly developed an indigenous defence industry, after it was subjected to rigorously implemented arms embargo. Today, Iran is a key player in the global defence industry and has built a sufficiently defence capability that deters prospective aggressors, which are not short in supply. The Israeli overhyped self-indulged right to militarily strike at Iran, at any time of its choice is largely restrained by Israel's reasoned appreciation of the obvious consequences of such reckless action than the overrated influence of Washington to restrain her. After all, when Washington barked at the Israelis for its increased settlement building in the Palestinian West Bank, the Jewish State responded by expanding the settlement.

Iran, since its revolution, tapping enormously from the creative and imaginative content of Islamic thought has built for itself a sufficient military deterrent that has kept at bay, an assortment of both regional and extraregional traducers and detractors.

At the same time of building defence capability, Iran has developed the critical infrastructure for socioeconomic development.

Currently, Iran produces 60,000 megawatts of electricity which not only sufficiently covers the country but extend to neighbours like Iraq, Turkey and Syria. In an era of a intense sanction regime orchestrated by the western powers, a country of less domestic capability would have long buckled or fallen to abysmal level of distress like Zimbabwe when she was brought under a lesser sanction regime by the west.

The Iranian revolutionary momentum has faced down a considerable amount of pressure and the recent offer of

PAGE 31

Iran at 34: revolution, resistance and innovation

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini bilateral talks by the U.S vice President, Mr. Joe Biden on the issue of Iran's nuclear programme represent a pragmatic acknowledgement that Tehran can neither be brow-beaten by threats of military strikes nor the evertightening sanctions that are continuously rolled out to bludgeon the Islamic Republic.

From a common sense, Iran's military capability and effective deterrence constitute the solid infrastructure of its national defence and therefore dabbling into a costly nuclear weapon, both difficult to procure and even more tasking to maintain would have been foolish. Yet the West, adorning the toga of the "international community", persists and even escalates in its punitive sanction regime against

Tehran.

Mohammed ElBaradei, the Egyptian-born former director-general of the United Nations unclear Watchdog (IAEA) described in his brilliant memoirs, "The age of deception" how the West manipulated its ways to regime change in Iraq, using the phantom weapons of mass destruction programme (WMD) as a pretense. It is no doubt that the punitive sanctions targeted at Iran is largely ideological than on any intent to keep the region nuclear weapons free.

Ironically, the only known but undeclared nuclear State in the region is the one sounding alarmist and paranoia about the Iran's nuclear programme.

Its foremost patron, the United States looks the other way while its favourite regional

“

client sits atop the deadly weapon. Behind the veil of Iran's alleged nuclear hoopla, the west intended to distract from Iran's solid and landmark achievements in several areas of human endeavour. Iran is painted in several media outlets of the West as a paranoid dictatorship, starving and dening its people, basic rights to achieve a nuclear status State with intent to destabilize the region and the world. This is far from the truth. Last year, the International Monetary Fund, (IMF), a western dominated financial institution issued a rare report on Iran, where it praised the dynamism and sustainable growth, the country has achieved. In the past 34 years, since its Islamic revolution Iran has achieved considerable measure of

. The Israeli over-hyped self-indulged right to militarily strike at Iran, at any time of its choice is largely restrained by Israel's reasoned appreciation of the obvious consequences of such reckless action than the overrated influence of Washington to restrain her.

political stability and has evolved stable institution.

Iran's parliament, the Majils is one of the most vigorous and debating chamber in the world. All political office holders including the president are routinely grilled by the parliament on all issues of governance and administration. No other country in the region has as much a rigorous democratic process, including credible electoral process as Iran , Israel and perhaps Palestine. Egypt is the newest but still a fragile democracy in the region with a competitive political process.

Yet the West and especially the United States of America is not willing to come to terms with Iran's political milestone in achieving a competitive democratic process.

Beyond its domestic capacity, capability and efficiency, Iran has become a key player in the region and the rest of the world. In the raging Syrian conflict, fueled by an obsession of the West to effect a regime change in Damascus, Iran has put forward a five point constructive proposal to end the nearly two-year conflict which includes a comprehensive national dialogue and internationally supervised election. Fixated on military victory to achieve regime change in Damascus, the West and its Syrian client, the so called Syrian National Coalition, and its terror wing, Free Syrian Army, has ignored Tehran's initiative. However, a new reality might be revealing itself to the patron as a leading opposition figure was reported to have muted the prospects of dialogue to end the conflict.

Earlier and even without much credit to its effort, Tehran played a pivotal role in ending the occupation of western forces in the neighboring Iraq. Beyond its region, Iran's global outreach has been significant and naturally arouses indignation from Washington and Brussels.

Both in Africa and South America, Iran's active involvement and co-operation continue to meet with strong western disapproval.

However, Tehran has no doubt notched up, a considerable diplomatic success, in spite of evident obstacles.

Its energetic president, Mr. Ahmadenejad continues to travel across the world and has only, a few days ago landed in Cairo, Egypt to confer with President Mursi and the rest of the leadership.

At 34, Iran has withstood serious and existential challenges and has emerged through it all, stronger, wellfocused, self-reliant and with a considerable global influence.

PAGE 32

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

France battle in Mali is "real war"- minister

F

rench and Malian troops are fighting al-Qaedalinked rebels outside Gao, northern Mali's largest town, France's defence minister has said.

Jean-Yves Le Drian described the desert campaign against the group as a "real war" that was far from won.

After driving the rebels from north Mali's main towns with three weeks of air strikes and a lightning ground advance, France is now pursuing them in the remote northeast where pro-autonomy Tuaregs are pressing their own territorial claims.

Le Drian said on Wednesday that French and Malian joint patrols were searching the scrubland outside the desert trading towns of Timbuktu and Gao. Residents of Gao said on Tuesday that the town was hit by rebel rockets fired from outside the city.

"There were clashes yesterday at Gao because from the moment where our forces, supported by the Malian forces, started undertaking missions and patrols around the towns we had taken, we encountered Jihadist groups that fought," Le Drian told Europe 1 radio.

"It's a real war," Le Drian said.

"Every night now, even last night, the French forces are targeting and hitting the training centres and truck depots of the jihadist groups."

The confirmation of clashes comes after one of the armed rebel groups, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), said it had

attacked military positions in Gao. "The combat isn't over. The attacks are going to continue," MUJAO's Abou Dardar told AFP news agency.

With just 4,000 ground troops in an area the size of Texas, France has appealed for the swift deployment of a UN-backed African military force (AFISMA) to help secure the region, but this has been slowed by lack of transport and equipment.

Paris has said it would start to draw down its own force in Mali from March.

French troops in the north are cooperating with the pro-autonomy MNLA, a group that represents mainly Tuareg people, who say they have occupied the remote northeastern town of Kidal and surrounding areas after the other rebels fled French air strikes into the nearby Adrar des Ifoghas mountains.

Dioncounda Traore, the interim Malian president, has offered talks to the MNLA if they do not seek full independence, and says he is aiming to hold national elections in the country by July 31.

France on Tuesday said that several hundred al-Qaeda-linked fighters have been killed in its military operations in Mali since the intervention began on January 11.

T

Jean-Yves Le Drian, France's defence minister.

French-owned tanker seized off Ivory Coast freed

A

French-owned ship seized by pirates off Ivory Coast on Sunday has been freed, the vessel's owner has said.

Sea Tankers said two of the 17 sailors on board the M/T Gascogne were receiving medical attention after being injured during the hijacking.

The diesel tanker was seized off Ivory Coast's port city of

Abidjan with a crew that included Africans and Asians.

Pirate attacks off the West African coast have increased in recent years, either for ransom or fuel theft.

Last month, armed hijackers freed a tanker seized off Ivory Coast after escaping with fuel worth $5m (ÂŁ3m), said its Nigerian-based owner, Brila

Energy.

Sea Tankers did not say how the M/T Gascogne was freed or what the motive of the hijackers was.

But it said it wanted to thank naval forces and state authorities for helping to secure the vessel's release.

"Sea Tankers are very pleased all 17 seafarers are reported safe.

However, sadly, two seafarers were injured during the incident but are [being] taken care off," it said, in a statement.

On Sunday, Ivorian officials said the crew included seven sailors from Togo, four from Benin, two from Ivory Coast, two from Senegal and one each from China and South Korea, AP news agency reports.

Tunisia: politician killing prompts strike call

T

unisia's opposition has called for a nationwide strike to protest about the murder of prominent anti-Islamist politician Chokri Belaid.

Mr Belaid was shot in the neck and head in the capital, Tunis, in the first political assassination since the Arab Spring uprising of January 2011.

Police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of people protesting against his killing in Tunis and other towns.

Chokri Belaid

UN official condemns Somalia rape verdict

The Islamist-led government said the murder was an "odious assassination".

President Moncef Marzouki said he was cutting short a visit to France and cancelling a trip to Egypt to return home to deal with the crisis.

Mr Belaid was a respected human rights lawyer, and a leftwing secular opponent of the government which took power after the overthrow of long-serving rule Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali. The Popular Front (PF), a

coalition of opposition groups of which Mr Belaid was a member, said it was calling for a nationwide strike on Thursday to protest against his assassination.

It also said it was pulling out of the Constituent Assembly, which has been battling to draft a new constitution for Tunisia.

The BBC's Sihem Hassaini in Tunis says most people are likely to heed the call for the strike as the main Islamist party in government, Ennahda, is deeply unpopular at the moment.

Businesses, universities and schools are expected to stay closed on Thursday, she says.

Speaking in front of the European Parliament on his visit to Strasbourg, President Marzouki said the murder of Mr Belaid should not affect Tunisia's revolution.

"There are many enemies of our peaceful revolution. And they're determined to ensure it fails," he said.

Referring to Mr Belaid as a "longstanding friend", he said his "hateful assassination" was a threat.

"This is a letter being sent to us that we will refuse to open," the president said.

According to AFP news agency, people torched the premises of the Ennahda party in the central town of Mezzouna, and ransacked the party's offices in the mining town of Gafsa in protest at Mr Belaid's death.

In Tunis, police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who had gathered outside the interior ministry.

Crowds had been chanting they want a "second revolution" and surged towards the ambulance carrying Mr Belaid's body as it drove through the city centre, our correspondent says.

Tear gas was also fired at demonstrators who threatened to storm the police station in Sidi Bouzid, the town where the revolution that toppled Ben Ali began a little more than two years ago, AFP reports.

A resident, Mehdi Horchani, told Reuters news agency that more than 4,000 people protested in the city, burning tyres and throwing stones at police.

he UN's top human rights official has condemned the trial and sentencing of a Somali journalist, and the alleged rape victim he interviewed, as "deeply disturbing" and a blow to "the fight against impunity" in rape cases.

The journalist, Abdiaziz Abdinur Ibrahim, and the victim, an unidentified 27-year-old woman, were both sentenced on Tuesday to one year in prison. They were charged with making false accusations and "insulting a government body."

"This is a terrible blow to freedom of expression in a country where independent journalists have also been regularly targeted and killed," Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement on Wednesday.

"I am very concerned about the impact the penalization of the woman alleging rape could have in the fight against impunity in sexual violence cases, especially given the reports of increasing sexual violence in Somalia."

Human rights groups have described the trial as politically motivated, accusing the court of covering up rampant sexual abuse of women by the Somali security forces.

"They fabricated a story to hurt the government," the judge, Ahmed Aden, said in court.

Ibrahim's arrest followed increasing media attention on reported sexual abuse by Somalia security forces. Earlier in January, Universal TV - a local television station - and Al Jazeera separately published stories about allegations of rape in the city's crowded camps for displaced people.

Ibrahim had not been involved with either story, does not work for either organisation, and had not published anything of his own investigation before he was detained.

The National Union of Somali Journalists called the trial an attack on press freedom.

The United States also criticised the trial, with the State Department saying it "sent the wrong message to perpetrators of sexual and genderbased violence."

Navi Pillay, the UN high commissioner for human rights.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Asia and Middle East

W

orld leaders should declare Hezbollah a terrorist entity, Israel's leader has said, hours after Bulgaria blamed the Lebanese group for a deadly bus bomb.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hezbollah had built

PAGE 33

Israel wants EU terror tag for Hezbollah a "worldwide terrorist" network and was planning attacks in two dozen countries.

He spoke after Bulgaria said militants linked to the Shia group carried out the July 2012 Burgas bombing.

Five Israeli tourists and a bus driver died in the Black Sea resort attack.

Israeli quickly blamed Hezbollah - and Iran - for the bombing, which also saw some 30 people injured.

Meanwhile, Canada has said a dual Canadian-Lebanese national was involved in the bombing and is believed to be still at large.

Iran has steadfastly denied any involvement, while Hezbollah has made no comment.

News of Bulgaria's investigation brought a swift response from Mr Netanyahu.

"This is further corroboration of what we also know, that Iran and Hezbollah have built a worldwide terrorist network.

"I believe that what is required right now... is to call it like it is.

"It's time to name Hezbollah as a

terrorist organisation, to take action against it."

His remarks followed an earlier statement in which he said only that European leaders should "reach the required conclusions".

In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said there was a "need for reflection" over the Bulgaria bomb inquiry.

Islamic nations summit opens in Cairo

T

he 12th summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has opened in Cairo, with Syria's civil war and the battle against al-Qaeda-linked fighters in Mali topping the agenda.

Senegalese President Macky Sall gave the opening remarks on Wednesday, making his last address before handing the OIC's rotating presidency to Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

He urged the summit to support the sovereignty of Mali, threatened by "terrorist groups" who are committing "crimes" against the Malian people.

President Morsi also addressed the summit. He urged for the maximum use of resources and said that 21 Islamic nations were amongst the poorest in the world.

He said there is a need for more education and research efforts and raised concerns about Muslim minoroties, citing the Rohingya

Muslim minority in Mynmar and called for more co-operation and support among the countries.

Regarding Palestine, he told the sitting, "solving the Palestinian issue is the cornerstone in achieving stability in the region and the world."

Speaking about Syria, he called on all Syrians to take the "rapid necessary and responsible steps until the change is made".

The meeting gathers the leaders of 26 of the OIC's 57 states, including the presidents of Iran and Turkey.

This also marks the first visit to Egypt by an Iranian president since the Islamic revolution in 1979, but the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has not been welcomed by all.

A protester was arrested after he threw a shoe at Ahmadinejad, who is also in the country to discuss bilateral ties with Morsi.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

China pledges to narrow income gap

T

he Chinese government has issued a pledge to narrow the widening income gap between rich and poor, which includes raising its minimum wage and requiring state companies to turn over more profits to pay for social programmes.

The pledge on Tuesday promised more spending on health, education and job training but gave few details and no sign of how Beijing will enforce changes that might hurt state industry and other politically influential factions.

China Daily newspaper reported that the government is looking to lower the minimum wage of 40 percent of the current wage of $730 a month.

Communist leaders had been rumoured to be working on a plan but have faced resistance by state companies and their allies in the ruling Communist Party.

"We need to continue to deepen the reform of income distribution to protect social fairness, justice, harmony and stability," said a cabinet statement.

Beijing reported in January that a widely used measure of income distribution known as the Gini coefficient was at 0.474 for China.

That would make China among the most unequal societies.

China's boom has made multibillion-dollar fortunes for some entrepreneurs but income growth for the majority has been sluggish.

Complaints about the lavish lifestyles of officials, Communist Party figures and military officers who drive luxury cars, own villas and send their children to elite foreign universities have fueled political tensions.

Muhammed Morsi welcomes Ahmadinejad in Cairo.

Japan PM hits out at China 'dangerous' radar act

J

apan's prime minister has called the decision by a Chinese frigate to put a radar lock on a Japanese navy ship a "dangerous act".

Shinzo Abe told parliament the move could have led to an "unpredictable situation" and called for Chinese "selfrestraint".

The incident happened near disputed East China Sea islands last week.

The US has voiced concern over the incident, which comes with ties between Beijing and Tokyo severely strained.

Mr Abe called on China to avoid an "unnecessary escalation" in the territorial row, which centres on a chain of islands that both claim.

"At a time when it seemed there are signs of improvement towards increasing talks between Japan and China, having this sort of one-sided

provocative action taken by the Chinese is extremely regrettable," he said.

Japan controls the islands, which it calls the Senkaku islands, while China calls them the Diaoyu islands.

Taiwan also claims the island chain, known as Diaoyutai in Taipei.

The row over their ownership has rumbled for years but reignited in September 2012 when the Japanese government purchased three of them from their private Japanese owner.

Since then, Chinese government vessels have been sailing in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters, prompting warnings from Tokyo and raising concerns over a clash.

On Tuesday, Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said a Chinese navy frigate had locked its weapon-

targeting radar on a Japanese navy ship on 30 January, prompting Tokyo to protest to Beijing.

He said a Japanese military helicopter was also targeted with a similar type of radar by another Chinese frigate on 19 January.

"Directing such radar is very abnormal. We recognise it would create a very dangerous situation if a single mis-step occurred," he said.

There has been no formal comment from Beijing yet on the incident, but the US warned that the row threatened regional stability.

"With regard to the reports of this particular lock-on incident, actions such as this escalate tensions and increase the risk of an incident or a miscalculation, and they could undermine peace, stability and economic growth in this vital region," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Shinzo Abe

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 34

Europe and Americas

German minister stripped of doctorate

Ukraine holds Tajik ex-PM over "serious crimes"- police

U

krainian police have detained a former prime minister of Tajikistan, authorities said on Wednesday, years after he was accused of being behind an assassination attempt on veteran Tajik leader Imomali Rakhmon.

Authorities in the Tajik capital Dushanbe said Abdulmalik Abdullojonov, 64, was held on Tuesday after arriving at Kiev's Borispil airport on a flight from the United States where he has lived since 1998.

Abdullojonov has long denied accusations by Tajik officials that was he was involved in an attempt on the life of his political rival Rakhmon in 1997.

Ukrainian police confirmed the arrest of a 64-year-old man who was wanted by Tajik authorities for "very serious crimes". "The question of his extradition is now being decided," a statement by the Ukrainian police said.

Abdullojonov, prime minister from 1992-3 soon after the Central Asian state's independence from the Soviet Union, could face up to 20 years in prison in Tajikistan, the statement added.

Tajik police said Abdullojonov, who ran unsuccessfully against Rakhmon for president in 1994 and then left the country, had been detained by the Ukrainian authorities "at our request".

He is wanted on suspicion of activities aimed at carrying out a seizure of power in Tajikistan, a Tajik police source told Reuters.

"He has been on the wanted list for 16 years. We very much hope that the Ukrainian authorities will take into account the irrefutable evidence gathered on Abdullojonov," he said.

The source did not give details of the charges against the former premier.

But in April 1997, Rakhmon was wounded in the leg in an attempt on his life while he was visiting Khujand in the north, a power base of Abdullojonov.

Authorities later named Abdullojonov, who was not in the country at the time, as the organizer of the assassination attempt.

Abdulmalik Abdullojonov

Education Minister Annette Schavan

A

German university has voted to strip Education Minister Annette Schavan of her doctorate after an investigation into plagiarism allegations.

The University of Duesseldorf's philosophy faculty decided on Tuesday that she had

carried out "a deliberate deception through plagiarism".

The minister has denied the claims and said she will appeal.

An earlier plagiarism row brought an end to the political career of Germany's defence minister in 2011.

Large parts of Karl-Theodor

zu Guttenberg's 2006 legal dissertations were found by Bayreuth University to have been copied and he stood down before it issued its damning verdict in May 2011.

Using the same words as Duesseldorf's Heinrich Heine University, it concluded that he

had "deliberately deceived".

When Ms Schavan became the second minister in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to be accused of copying her doctorate, in this case by an anonymous blogger, she insisted she had never "knowingly falsely cited any sources" and promised to respond to the accusations.

But the faculty committee concluded that her work, which dealt with the formation of conscience, included a "substantial number of unaccredited direct quotes from other texts".

In a statement declaring the doctorate invalid and withdrawing it from Ms Schavan, the faculty head Bruno Bleckmann said they had "decided by secret ballot, by 12 votes to two, with one abstention".

The minister herself, 57, was said to be on a five-day education and science co-operation trip to South Africa. Education minister since 2005, she is described as a close colleague of Chancellor Merkel.

Her lawyers reportedly rejected the university's ruling and said Ms Schavan would appeal.

Russian police kill terror suspect in Caucasus

R

ussian police have shot dead a North Caucasus man believed to be the last suspect still wanted for involvement in a 2010 suicide bombing in Moscow.

At least 40 people were killed in the attack which targeted the city's

underground network.

Gusen Magomedov was killed in a security raid in the Sergokali region of Dagestan early on Wednesday.

Magomedov was shot dead after resisting arrest, officials said.

"Until today, Gusen Magomedov was the last remaining participant directly involved in the organisation and carrying out of terrorist attacks on the Moscow metro in March, 2010," Russia's anti-terrorist committee said.

He was suspected of escorting one of the two female suicide bombers who blew themselves up in the subway during rush hour in March 2010.

Dagestan is now considered the centre of militant violence in the North Caucasus.

have also been killed in US strikes in Yemen, which can reportedly be carried out without the permission of the country's government.

Kristian Coates-Ulrichsen, an expert on Gulf politics at the London School of Economics, said that Saudi anxieties about the growing threat of AQAP would have been behind the government's decision to allow the US to fly drones from inside the kingdom.

"The Saudis see AQAP as a very real threat to their domestic security," he said. "They are worried about attacks on their energy infrastructure and on the royal family, so it fit their strategy to

allow the drone attacks."

The existence of the base was likely a "sensitive issue" for both Washington and Riyadh, Mr Coates-Ulrichsen added.

A source close to the Saudi Interior Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, declined to comment when contacted by journalist.

The Washington Post reported that President Barak Obama's counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan, a former CIA station chief in Saudi Arabia, played a key role in negotiations with the government in Riyadh over building the drone base.

CIA operating drone base in Saudi Arabia

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he US Central Intelligence Agency has been operating a secret airbase for unmanned drones in Saudi Arabia for the past two years.

The facility was established to hunt for members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in Yemen.

A drone flown from there was used in September 2011 to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born cleric who was alleged to be AQAP's external operations chief.

US media have known of its existence since then, but have not reported it.

Senior government officials had said they were concerned that disclosure would undermine operations against AQAP, as well as potentially damage counterterrorism collaboration with Saudi Arabia.

The US military pulled out virtually all of its troops from Saudi Arabia in 2003, having stationed between 5,000 and 10,000 troops in the Gulf kingdom after the 1991 Gulf war. Only personnel from the United States Military Training Mission (USMTM) officially remain.

The location of the secret drone base was not revealed in the US reports.

However, construction was ordered after a December 2009 cruise missile strike in Yemen,according to the New York

A drone Times.

It was the first strike ordered by the Obama administration, and ended in disaster, with dozens of civilians, including women and children, killed.

US officials told the newspaper that the first time the CIA used the secret facility was to kill Awlaki.

Since then, the CIA has been "given the mission of hunting and killing 'high-value targets' in Yemen" - the leaders of AQAP who government lawyers had determined posed a direct threat to the US - the officials added.

Three other Americans, including Awlaki's 16-year-old son,

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 35

Nine-year-old girl 'gives birth' A

nine-year-old Mexican girl has given birth to a girl of her own, according to local authorities and family members.

The girl, identified only as Dafne, was just over eight when she became pregnant, her mother told local officials in Jalisco state, Mexico.

The father of the baby is a boy who is 17 but he is currently missing as he has run away, the girl's mother added.

Jorge Villasenor, with the state prosecutors' office, said: "We are looking for the young man to get his story because she does not understand what has happened.

This is a rape or child sex abuse case."

The baby girl was born on January 27 in Zoquipan Hospital, weighing 5.7lbs. Both girls were released from the hospital over the weekend, apparently doing well, but the hospital said it would have to do extensive follow-up due to the new mother's age.

Last year, a 10-year-old girl in Colombia gave birth to a baby girl.

The girl, from the indigenous Wayuu tribe, was 39 weeks pregnang when she appeared at a hospital in pain from contractions and bleeding. Giving birth at a young age is said to be typical of Wayuu customs.

The baby girl was born on January 27 in Zoquipan Hospital, weighing 5.7lbs.

Mother gives birth twice in just eight months Tortoise 'survives in locked

A

woman has given birth twice in just eight months, meaning both her children will be in the same year when they start school.

Claire Ormrod's two babies, Alice and Gareth, will be in the same class when they start at primary school in Rhyl, north Wales.

Miss Ormrod, 26, had Alice on 6 December 2011, at 25 weeks, by emergency Caesarean. She weighed just 1lb 3oz - the smallest baby born in Wales.

She defied doctors, who were convinced she wouldn't survive.

The child was so ill that the family had started arranging her funeral, gave her a rush baptism and were 90 minutes from switching off her life support machine when she showed her first signs of life.

Seven weeks later Claire fell pregnant again, despite being on the pill, and had healthy baby Gareth, weighing exactly 2lbs, at 29 weeks, also by emergency Caesarean, on 7 September 2012.

"I was absolutely petrified when I found out I was pregnant again," said Claire. "My GP said I should have a termination, he said it would end up killing me and the baby and that it wouldn't be fair to put me through it. But I said no, straight out."

Gareth was born on the cut-off day for their local Catholic school, Ysgol Mair, in Rhyl. A day later and he would have been in the next year, but the school divides classes by the first day of term rather than the usual 1st September.

Miss Ormrod, who jointly runs North West Martial Arts with partner Gareth Gee, 36, has three

Claire Ormrod pictured with father Gareth , Alice and son who is also called Gareth Photo: Cascade News

older children; Molly, aged seven; Jack, aged five and Charlie, aged two.

All five were conceived in spite of precautions.

"No one could believe it when we told them I was pregnant again," said Claire.

"They just couldn't get their heads round the fact that the two babies would be so close together.

"With every one of my children I was on the pill or the coil," said Claire.

"I was on the waiting list to be sterilised when I fell pregnant with Gareth. The coil is supposed to be 99.99% effective and I was on it when I had three of my children.

Alice spent her first year in the special care baby unit at Glan Clwyd Hospital, Rhyl.

Miss Ormrod said that had she born a day earlier - at 24 weeks doctors wouldn't have even tried to save her.

"She would have been a 24week baby and they wouldn't have thought she had a chance," she said.

Alice has been left brain damaged after a bleed in her liver, and also suffers from necrotizing enterocolitis which affects the lining of the intestinal wall and milk curd obstruction which causes neonatal bowel obstruction.

"She is a miracle baby, she is a fighter. They told us there was no brain activity and then she woke up."

Alice, now 13 months old, weighs 12lbs 14oz. Doctors can't yet determine what degree of brain damage she suffered.

Her little brother Gareth, just over four months old, is 7lbs 14oz, about the weight he would have been at full-term birth.

store room for 30 years'

Manuela the tortoise

A

family found their missing pet tortoise in a store room - more than thirty years after they lost her, it was reported on Friday.

Manuela disappeared from her home in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1982 and despite a lengthy search was never seen again.

Her owners, the Almeida family, assumed she had run away after builders working on the house left the front door open.

It was only after their father Leonel died earlier this month that the Almeida children began clearing out a second-floor room in the house that he had filled with broken electrical items and always kept locked.

Leonel's son Leandro said he was astonished to find Manuela alive inside a box containing an old record player.

He told Brazil's Globo G1 website said: "I put the box on the pavement

for the rubbish men to collect, and a neighbour said, "you're not throwing out the tortoise as well are you?"

"I looked and saw her. At that moment I turned white, I just couldn't believe what I was seeing."

Leonel's daughter Lenita, who had been given the tortoise as a childhood pet, said : "Everything my father thought he could fix, he picked up and brought home.

"If he found an old television he thought he might be able to use a part of it to fix another one in the future, so he just kept accumulating things. We never dared go inside that room.

"We're all thrilled to have Manuela back. But no one can understand how she managed to survive for 30 years in there, it's just unbelievable."

Rio de Janeiro vet Jeferson Pires explained that Manuela's red-footed species of tortoise, can go for long periods without eating.

PAGE 36

By Pat Hagan

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homping on tomatoes could cut the risk of heart disease by a quarter, according to new research.

Lycopene is an antioxidant which gives tomatoes their rich red colour and is found in high levels in the fruit as well as products like tomato juice, ketchup and passata.

A new study by scientists at Tufts University in Boston, USA, suggests regularly eating lycopene over many years can have a powerful protective effect on the heart.

They reached their findings after analysing data gathered over more than a decade looking at dietary intake to see the effects of l y c o p e n e i n t a k e on the cardiovascular system.

Previous studies on the relationship between lycopene and heart disease have

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Eating tomatoes cuts heart disease risk by a quarter produced mixed results.

Some show that raised levels in the body lead to fewer heart attacks but others showed no obvious benefit.

Scientists from Tufts University compared hundreds of patients who took part in a longrunning heart disease project called the Framingham Offspring Study, which was carried out in the US. Participants recorded their dietary patterns, including whether tomatoes or tomato products were a regular part of their diet.

The results, published in the latest British Journal of Nutrition, showed

eating lycopenecontaining foods on a regular basis over an 11-year period reduced the risk of coronary heart disease by 26 per cent but had no effect on the chances of a stroke.

The researchers said in a report on their findings that the powerful antioxidant appeared to shield against heart disease but stressed more studies are needed to be certain it is the lycopene and not something else that is providing protection.

'This study provides supporting evidence for an inverse association between lycopene and cardiovascular disease risk.

'But more research is needed to determine whether lycopene or other components of tomatoes, the major dietary source of lycopene, are responsible for this association.'

Last year, Finnish scientists found men with the lowest levels of lycopene were up to 60 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack.

Other recent research suggests the popular fruit may even help to ward off depression, while tomatoes' antioxidant properties have long been associated with reducing a man's chances of getting prostate cancer.

S o u r c Dailymail.co.uk

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Tomatoes reduce risk of heart disease but more research is needed to see if this is due to lycopene or other components

Sunshine may ‘reduce arthritis risk’ L

iving in a sunnier climate may reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, according to US researchers.

Their study of more than 200,000 women, published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, suggested a link between sunlight and the risk of developing the disease.

They speculated that vitamin D, which is produced in sunlight, may protect the body.

Experts warned that people should not spend all day in the sun.

Rheumatoid arthritis is caused by the body's own immune system attacking the joints and it can be intensely painful.

It is more common in women, but the reason why a patient's own defences turn against them is unknown.

Sunny side Researchers at Harvard Medical School followed two groups of more than 100,000 women. The first were monitored from 1976 onwards, the second from 1989.

Their health was then compared with estimates of the levels of UV-B radiation they were exposed to, based on where they lived.

In the 1976 group, those in the sunniest parts of the US getting the highest levels of sunshine were 21% less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than those getting the least UV radiation.

However, UV levels had no affect upon the risk of rheumatoid arthritis is the 1989 group.

The report's authors said: "Our study adds to the growing evidence that exposure to UV-B light is associated with decreased risk of rheumatoid arthritis."

They suggested that "differences in sun protective behaviours, eg greater use of sun block" could explain why the

Does sunshine prevent rheumatoid arthritis? younger group of women showed no benefit from living in sunnier climes.

One theory is that difference in levels of vitamin D, which is produced when UV radiation hits the skin, could affect the odds of developing the disease. Low levels of vitamin D have already been implicated other immune system disorders such as multiple sclerosis.

Dr Chris Deighton, the president of the British Society for Rheumatology, said it was an "interesting study" which "gives us more clues" about how the environment can affect the chances of getting rheumatoid arthritis.

He added: "We cannot advocate everybody sitting in the sunshine all day to protect from rheumatoid arthritis, because UV-B burns people and increases the risk of skin cancer.

"The treatment options in rheumatology have transformed

the lives of patients with this crippling disease in recent years and anything that adds to our

knowledge is welcomed."

Sunshine vitamin Prof Alan Silman, medical

director of Arthritis Research UK, said: "Studies that have been undertaken have not shown, thus far, that vitamin D is a useful treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

"We know that many people with arthritis have low levels of vitamin D and this can have a powerful effect on the types of immune cells which may cause this condition.

"We're currently doing research to find out how this happens and are performing lab studies to find out whether vitamin D can alter the aggressive immune response found in rheumatoid arthritis and turn it into a less harmful or even a protective one.

"In the meantime, until we know more, the best thing that people can do is to go out in the sunshine for up to 15 minutes in the summer months and expose their face and arms to the sun to top up their vitamin D levels."

Source:BBCNews.com

Genetic patch 'stops deafness' in newborn mice

By James Gallagher

A

tiny "genetic patch" can be used to prevent a form of deafness which runs in families, according to animal tests.

Patients with Usher syndrome have defective sections of their genetic code which cause problems with hearing, sight and balance.

A study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, showed the same defects could be corrected in mice to restore some hearing.

Experts said it was an "encouraging" start.

There are many types of Usher syndrome tied to different errors in a patient's DNA - the blueprint for building every component of the body.

One of those mutations runs in families descended from French

settlers in North America.

When they try to build a protein called hormonin, which is needed to form the tiny hairs in the ear that detect sound, they do not finish the job.

It results in hearing loss at birth and has a similar effect in the eye

the mutation and keeps the body's factories building the protein.

When mice with Usher syndrome were injected with the "genetic patch" they grew up able to hear and had no balance problems.

Source:BBCNews.com

where it causes a gradual loss of vision.

Patch Scientists at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, in Chicago in the US, designed a small strip of genetic material Researchers hope they will be able to, eventually, which attaches to use the treatment in people.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 37

Cooperate with Wada to succeed, Rep tells kinsmen Hon. Tom Zakari, representing Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, in this interview with Augustine Aminu, enjoins members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)in Dekina Local Government, where Governor Idris Wada hails from, to cooperate with him in order for him to succeed just as he laments the infrastructural deficiencies in his area.

T

here is crisis in PDP in Dekina LGA; the Igala people criticise themselves in political leadership.

What’s actually happening among the party elders?

First and foremost, I am not just a member of PDP but a staunch member representing the NorthCentral states and the FCT at the National Executive Council of PDP in the House of Representative. So, I know better.

Whatever disunity that is happening within PDP in Dekina area and the entire Kogi State is quite unfortunate. We cannot have two governors at the same time. God gives power to whoever he wants. And all these critics are close to Capt. (idris) Wada. If I were in their shoes, I will pick my phone and call Wada that what you are doing is not the way to do it. And you discuss like brothers and the matter ends there. We don’t need to wash our dirty linens in the public.

This is the first time that Dekina LGA has produced a Governor and this has been our prayer. So, why this crisis? They should allow him to have his way for 8 years just as both the Idah and Ankpa axis had their ways. If most of these critics were so close to Wada and God said let him become the governor today, why don’t they give him the chance? They should ventilate their opinions through private visits, calls or letters rather than go to the press. They cannot stop Wada because PDP is PDP and Kogi is a PDP state. And nobody can deprive him of being the governor. So, his critics are acting in bad faith.

Governor Wada is about one year in office, what is your assessment of his administration?

He has come to stay. So far, so good. He has done a lot of good things for the people of Kogi state. At least, the tension that was part and parcel of our lives in Kogi state is now out of the

Hon. Tom Zakari

question. Also, with Capt.

Wada, thuggery has come to zero level. I think he means well for the state and with time, he will do more. For now, the budget is a master piece that will enhance rural development.

What is your political focus for the people of D e k i n a / B a s s a Constituency?

You know that Dekina/ Bassa is the least developed federal constituency in the whole of the country. Out of all the 774 LGAs in this country, Oguma, the capital of Bassa does not know what electricity is. The one of Dekina came 2 years ago through Hon. Ikani Okolo. So, my focus is that, the people of Dekina/Bassa witness full electricity in my own time.

And that is why I appropriated about 20 million naira in 2012 budget for the extension of electricity from Dekina to Oguma. Most of the materials are already on ground and they have been deposited at

the police headquarter at Oguma right now. Work will start very soon. I have discussed with the Governor who is ready and willing to supply us with transformers to all the villages from Dekina to Oguma. For the 2013 budget, I have appropriated about 25 million naira for the extension of electricity from Anyigba to Iyale. I have equally intimated the governor and he has assured

me also that once that is done, he will supply transformers from Anyigba to Iyale.

Also, there is nothing like potable water in our area from Dekina to Bassa. During my campaign, I came to one village called Akakana in Bassa area. When we sat down, one 80 year old woman gave me a cup of water and asked me to look at it. I did not understand Bassa language but I asked to know why she was showing me the water. And I said, Oh my God. If nothing else, I will dig water for them with my own money. So, luckily we won the election and as I am talking with you today, I provided a water hand pump in the front of the house of this woman. I have also provided 2 motorized water pump at Akakana. Again in Ojofu-Anyigba, I provided electrical borehole water.

Similarly in Alade-Egume, the water construction is on going. Also, there is water in 2 places at Iyale and some other villages.

We have also opened up rural roads from IyaleEtutekpe down to Ogane Enugu with my own personal money. I also have the plan to open up more water and road projects within Dekina and Bassa. We are also building 3 classroom blocks at GSS Ogume. One will also come up at Our Lady of Schools Anyigba, my alma mater. We also have water projects at Oguma, Gbozu,

“

Flood is a natural disaster and there is nothing we human beings can do about it. The Federal Government has intervened through the Ministry of Environment. They should develop a supplementary budget to deal with the flood prone zones in the country of which Bassa is one of them

Onunde area, and Eguguni in Bassa. They are all there for people to see because pictures don’t lie. So, I am trying as much as possible to impact on my people and deliver them from their doldrums and become part of the developmental roadmap of the 21st century.

What are you thinking towards empowerment of the youth?

All we need is to empower our people.

Without empowerment what will they take to the market? Let the Governor give contract jobs to Kogites. If he starts massive housing, road construction and rural infrastructure, it will have a multiplying effect on the economy. He is also thinking of establishing agrobased industries in our area.

And we need massive development in Dekina.

What was your contribution to the flood disaster victims in your constituency sometime ago?

Bassa was highly flooded.

And I visited the victims with relief materials worth over five million naira which I donated through the Liaison Officer of Bassa LGA. These materials include: food items, mattresses, toiletries, etc.

What is the way forward in order to curb flood disaster in the future?

Flood is a natural disaster and there is nothing we human beings can do about it. The Federal Government has intervened through the Ministry of Environment.

They should develop a supplementary budget to deal with the flood prone zones in the country of which Bassa is one of them. They are working on this. Even our Committee Chairperson on Environment – Hon. Ekunife came to Kogi and reported to the House and we discussed it. I contacted the governor on her visit to Kogi State, and we are trying to make legislation to avoid future flood disaster.

PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Wogu bags pride of Abia award

By Muhammad Nasir

T

L-R: President-General, Nri Community in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra state, Chief Frank Oraeki, and a member of House of Representatives, Hon. Uche Ekwunife, speaking with newsmen on the renovation work at primary health care centre recently in Nri, Anambra state.

Photo: NAN

Yuguda urges Bauchi LGs' chairmen to imbibe culture of due process From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

G

overnor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state has called on all the twenty Councils Caretaker Committee Chairmen in the state to imbibe the culture of due process in their service delivery initiatives to the people.

The special Adviser to the Governor on Local government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Abdullahi Musa Gwaram, stated this during an awareness and interactive session organized for

local government officials on epayment held at the Conference hall of the Ministry for Local Government headquarters yesterday at the Bauchi State Secretariat.

Gwaram reminded the council officials on the necessity of due process and the observance of rules and procedures in order to promote good governance in the affairs of their councils. This he added is in line with the avowed policy of the state government to entrench and strictly observe the process in all

government activities.

Yguda's aide, while recounting the damage that corruption has done to the nation, assured that Bauchi state government is determined to work with all the anti-corruption agencies to fight it from all ramifications in the state.

Gwaram regretted that most local government in Nigeria are experiencing serious "economic distress" because of the "preponderance of expenditure on recurrent rather than on capital expenditure, a trend does not

really promote development from below".

He suggested that local governments should be more inward looking in revenue generation and less dependent on external sources of funding. He further urge them to emulate the exemplary leadership style of Governor Yuguda and shun corruption which they are known for even as he advised them to embark on meaningful projects that have direct bearing on the life of the people.

Orubebe fingers insecurity, funding for non-completion of East-West road

By Lawrence Olaoye

N

iger Delta Minister, Elder Godsday Orubebe, yesterday disclosed that inadequate funding and insecurity as the major reasons why the EastWest road has remained uncompleted.

Speaking at an interactive session with members of the House Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Orubebe said "T'he 338km national dual carriage way that traverses the heart of the Niger Delta region had suffered a lot of challenges because of inadequate funding and insecurity in the region."

He explained that "in many occasions kidnap of expatriates had led to low morale at sites and tension which even affect us in the ministry as families of expatriates call from their home offices to ask questions. The latest one happened in Warri when an expatriate was kidnapped and his driver, a mobile police officer was killed. "

"Now what we do is to attach four military men to each of the expatriate, you can imagine what this can do to their psyche."

He explained that the issue of security (threats/kidnappings) which led to several stoppages at different times also affected planned progress of work.

"There was the kidnap of six expatriates working in the area between November and December 2012 with two lives lost

and several injured in the process which led to the suspension of site activities in both Sections I & II subsequently. Early January 2013, there was another attempted kidnap of an expatriate staff of Setraco."

"It is also important to mention that the early rains experienced this year in the project area is affecting progress.

There has been seven days of intense rainfall in the month of

January, 2013. " "Nevertheless the Ministry is determined to complete this project all things being equal by end of 2014."

Chairman of the Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Hon Warman Ogoriba, had told Orubene and the contractors at the meeting that the essence of the interaction is to know the challenges and "find ways and means to resolve them. "

LG recruits 60 environment workers, says Chairman

T

he Maigatari Local Government in Jigawa said yesterday that it recruited 60 environment workers to enhance sanitation services in the area.

The Chairman of the council, Alhaji Isa Zakari, told newsmen in Dutse that the workers had been engaged in the last one year.

He said the newly recruited workers included sanitary inspectors, adding that the measure

was to enhance people's hygiene.

The chairman added that apart from the routine environmental protection, the workers were also charged with the responsibility of sensitising the communities to hygiene and clean environment.

He said the council spent N38 million to rehabilitate Maigatari market to encourage trading activities and boost revenue base.

He said the council also spent N700, 000 on refuse evacuation and waste control at the market and other strategic locations.

"The council also distributed more than 50,000 tree seedlings to farmers and households for planting.

"This is part of efforts to control desertification and protect the environment," he added. (NAN)

he Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu, has been honoured with the Pride of Abia Award by the Hallmark Daily Newspaper.

This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by the Assistant Director Press, Samuel Olowookere, who said the award was presented at the Michael Okpara Auditorium in Umuahia Abia State, during the official presentation of the Daily tabloid.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Abia State Executive Governor, Theodore Orji stated that Wogu has indeed contributed immensely to national development, as the peace and harmony being enjoyed in the nation’s labour sector could be traced to the resilient efforts of the Minister.

In his words “the honour that you are being given today is a well deserved one, because you have done Abia State proud in various field of endeavours, this honour therefore is to motivate you to do more”. Governor Orji stated.

Governor Orji described Wogu as a rare breed Abia indigene who has done the state proud in both political and public arena with records of landmark achievements. He urged the Minister to continue contributing positively to the development of Nigeria in general and Abia State in particular.

Responding, Emeka Wogu, stated that the recognition is a honour that will spur him to do more in all fields of endeavour and to further imbibe the true spirit of Abian which are: honesty, dedication to duty, selfless service to mankind and loyalty in his political deeds and beyond.

Wogu thanked the organizers of the event for finding him worthy to be so celebrated. He used the medium to highlight some of the developmental projects of the Federal Government through the collaborative efforts of the State governor, while calling on Abia indigenes to continue to support the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the State Governor, Theodore Orji towards making Nigeria great and Abia State the pride of Igbo land respectively.

According to Wogu “I am linking the collaborative efforts of the State Governor to the developmental projects of the Federal Government in Abia State because the administration of Theodore Orji has created a conducive and secure environment for the developmental presence of the Federal Government in Abia State”.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Jigawa SIEC to conduct Kazaure by-election From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

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he Jigawa State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), is to conduct a by-election for the Unguwar Yamma ward in Kazaure Local Government Area next month.

The chairman of the commission, Alhaji Muhammad Sani Ahmed, made this known during a stakeholders meeting held at the commission conference hall. He said the 2008 SIEC law of the state indicated that election be conducted within 90 days for the replacement of any local government elected officer who died.

Ahmed said the Commission had commenced the sale of nomination forms at the cost of N50,000 while political parties are to commence their electioneering campaign from the 5th to 15th of March. The chairman further said that the Commission will release the list of the successful candidates on the 8th of March.

State Chairmen of the 23 political parties including the representatives of ANPP, CPC, ACN and PDP attended the meeting.

PAGE 39

Lawmaker urges caution as Reps wade into $67 billion squander allegation

By Lawrence Olaoye

A

member of the House of Representatives, Bassey DanAbia , yesterday cautioned his colleagues to be careful in their determination to interfere in the allegation of squandering $67 billion external reserve raised by the former World Bank Vice President, Oby Ezekwesili, against the Federal Government.

Ezekwesili, who was a cabinet member in the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, had alleged that the Federal Government under the leadership of late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as well as the current government of President Goodluck Jonathan have collectively “squandered” the sum of $67 billion of the external reserve left

behind by her former boss.

This is coming as the Presidency has denied the allegation just as it rejected Ezekwesili’s challenge fro a public debate on the matter.

But, following the brickbats that followed the allegation, the House of Representatives have concluded plans to institute a probe into the issue.

Dan-Abia in his reaction said that it is imperative for the parliament to threat with caution as it looks into the allegation raised against the Federal Government

by Exekwesili, lest the parliament is misconstrued as being used to frustrate the efforts of government.

The lawmaker in a statement further noted that the choice of word by Ezekwesili was wrong

saying that “squander” was not the right word to use in describing how the government has been handling the account.

According to him, “the word “squander” was too hash, since a cursory look at the reserve position from 2007 to date did not show any meaning or significant depletion to necessitate the use of that word” He stated that having gone through the figures as presented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which are verifiable, his findings shows that “at the time of handover in 2007, the gross position of our reserve stood at about $43billion, which later grew to $51b by the close of 2007.”

He noted, however, that the reserve position as at the end of

January 2013 stood at about $45billion stressing that these are facts that could be verified from the CBN. He argued further that reserves are used to assist in a wide variety of issues, chiefly among which is the imbalance in the country’s balance of payment, as well as the maintenance of confidence in the country’s exchange rate, and monetary policy framework.

He pointed out that during the global economic recession in 2008, the reserve was used as a buffer, but advised the Federal Government to strengthen its regulatory framework and control architecture around oil and gas revenue so that inflows into the reserve would be consistent with oil price.

Zamfara governor signs 2013 budget into law

G

ov. Abdul-Aziz Yari of Zamfara yesterday signed into law the 2013 budget.

The budget was increased by N7.6 billion by the state House of Assembly.

The Speaker of the house, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji, said the increase was to provide the need fund for some government agencies.

He said the increase could still be accommodated within the expected revenue base.

The speaker said the house would arrange a quarterly meeting with state revenue officers to enhance their performance.

While receiving the document, the governor, who welcomed the increase as a ``good development'', said the executive arm would ensure its smooth implementation.

Yari said he had achieved 50 per cent of his campaign promises to the people, maintaining that the State Government would continue to focus on capital projects to promote a viable economy.

The governor had in Sept.

2012, presented a budget of N104 billion to the assembly for consideration The budget was, however, hiked to N111 billion by the lawmakers.

NAN reports that 61 per cent, amounting to N58 billion, was allocated for capital expenditure, while N43.5 billion, representing 38 per cent, was earmarked for recurrent expenditure. (NAN)

L-R: New Kaduna state PDP Chairman, Mr Abubakar Haruna (l), taking oath of office, administered by the state PDP Legal Adviser, Mr Emmanuel Kantiok, yesterday in Kaduna. Photo: NAN

PDP blasts Fashola over comment on Jonathan From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

T

he South-West chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has described the allegation of incompetence leveled against President Goodluck Jonathan by Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, as uncharitable, self-serving, and hypocritical.

The party in a statement by its Zonal Publicity Secretary, Kayode Babade stated “Governor Fashola and his party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) must first remove the logs in their eyes before attempting to remove the specks in other people’s eyes.”

Fashola had declared that President Jonathan-led federal

government lacked the requisite knowledge and capacity to tackle Nigeria’s problems insisting that there is the need to effect a change at the centre in 2015 for the country to achieve positive development.

Reacting, Babade, in a statement issued yesterday described Lagos state under Fashola and his godfather, Bola Tinubu as monumental failure, saying; “they must first tell Nigerians what they have done with the over N40 billion that Lagos State gets as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) monthly.”

The statement read “the first question Governor Fashola should be asked is whether he has done well in Lagos state with the huge resources at his disposal.

“The fact is that after the country, Lagos is the number two richest state in Africa. In the last five years, between the state and the local councils, average of N50 billion is realised in a month, making N600 billion annually. Yet, nothing is being done with the huge resources available to the state.

“With the wealth of Lagos state, shouldn’t Fashola have turned the state into what Singapore, a country of less than six million people is; if he is a genius and development hungry as he wants Nigerians to believe?

Why is Lagos the third worst city to live in the whole world? If Fashola and Tinubu could not fix Lagos in 14 years, what magic do they want to perform if Nigeria is put in their

hands?

“Isn’t it also a fact that Lagos state owes the highest debt apart from the Federal Government? Lagos state was said to have, as at 30th June 2012, accumulated an external debt profile of $517,677,672 (more than half a billion dollars).

“Rather than using this huge wealth to develop the state, they have been using it to prosecute elections and electoral cases in other states in Nigeria and countries in Africa.

“Resultant effect of this misgovernance in Lagos state is the complete failure of governance in the State, as the only time government is seen in the state is when taxes are to be collected.

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Obi, Fayemi advocate good leadership

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L-R: Speaker of House of Representatives, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, in discussion with Senate President David Mark, during a function, recently in Abuja.

Leader, elders move to restore sanity in Oyo ACN From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

L

eaders and elders of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Oyo State have taken a major step aimed at restoring sanity and bringing unity back into the party.

Selected party leaders and elders, at a meeting held at the executive council chambers of the Governor’s Office, Ibadan last weekend resolved that unity within the party was not to be toyed with at all levels.

The meeting had in attendance the governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Senators Ayoade Adeseun and Olufemi Lanlehin. Also present at the meeting are Dr. Busari

Adebisi, Dr. Ismaila Adewusi, Chief Lasisi Ayankojo, Chief Lasunsi, Alhaja Ramota Balogun, Alhaji Ali Oyediji, (a.k.a Dodo), Chief Sarafadeen Alli among others.

The governor in his address, appealed to all aggrieved individuals and group of individuals to eschew bitterness and come together as one united family to propel the party to an enviable position.

Chief Akin Oke, the State Chairman of the party, who led the State EXCO members to the meeting, reiterated the need to further foster unity among the members of the party.

“We are all aware of the global social and political changes which

called for our individual positive contributions to bringing about transformation which has been kick-started by His Excellency, Governor Abiola Ajimobi in Oyo State,” Chief Oke asserted.

The meeting considered among other issues, the grievances of individuals and groups and examined the need to put in place a Unity Committee made up of all opinions in the party with the responsibility of advising the party EXCO on party administration and to recommend committed and qualified party members for political appointments.

The committee when constituted would also advise on how to reconstitute the party

EXCO at all levels with the view of considering all interests without disrupting the smooth running or weakening the existing structures of the party.

Chief Oke, therefore, appealed to all aggrieved members, especially the Reformation Group (RG) to come on board and join in the ongoing efforts to unite splinter groups to make the party stronger.

He thanked all the loyal and committed party members all over the 33 local governments of the state for their support and understanding assuring them that the present EXCO members will not relent in their efforts in building a strong party that can stand the test of time.

ov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, his Anambra counterpart, Mr Peter Obi, yesterday urged Nigerians occupying elective positions to give selfless leadership.

The governors spoke in Lagos at the 10th Annual lecture of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL), with the theme "Leadership and Values: The Challenge for the Next Generation of Leaders".

Fayemi said that it was imperative for those in leadership positions not to use them for personal aggrandisement, but for service and development of their communities.

He decried the trend of attaching importance to titles like "His Excellency, Executive Governor, Honourable and other honorifics" among Nigerians.

"It is time that we all, old and young in public offices, begin to know that there are certain values which are critical to us as leaders.

"But today, we hardly have competent, selfless people with leadership values in leadership positions; we, therefore, need to change our mindset as leaders,'' he said.

Fayemi called for urgent mentoring of young Nigerians in the act of true leadership values in positions of authority.

He said that it was imperative for Nigeria to learn leadership values from other countries of the world.

Obi ,who also stressed the need for mentoring young Nigerians on leadership values, urged political office holders not to see leadership as ownership. (NAN)

Delta Assembly passes 2013 appropriation bill of N472bn

Kaduna gets new PDP Chairman T

By Nasiru Mu’azu Isa

K

aduna state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday swore- in Abubakar Gaya Haruna its new chairman.

Haruna in his acceptance speech thanked the governor and members of the party for the support shown to him. He called on the governor to avoid rumors that might cause the party great harm.

Governor Ramalan Yero in his speech said the new chairman was found worthy of the position and that was why he was chosen to be the new party chairman. He said the elevation of the past chairman to the Deputy Governor position was an act of God in his infinite mercy.

Yero observed that the party has contributed immensely to the development of the party and Kaduna state in general

even as he reminded the gathering that honesty, fairness and integrity are the qualities that make a good leader and these qualities also ensure that the citizens of the state will enjoy the benefit of democracy.

The governor called on the new chairman to be God fearing, honest and fair in his dealings with every member of the party

and citizens of Kaduna state. He further called on Haruna to remove sentiments when dealing with members of the party and called on all members to support the party chairman during his tenure.

Yero advised the new chairman to offer an olive branch to all members of the party who have decamped to

other parties in order to bring them back into the fold of the party. He further called on all members of the party to shun caucus groups, tribal and religious sentiments and look at all members of the party as one and the same. The governor prayed for the success of the new chairman and also success of the party.

NAWOJ Asst. Secretary in Kebbi dies

T

he Assistant Secretary, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Kebbi chapter, Ubaida Muhammed, has died during a brief Illness in Birnin Kebbi on Monday.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Secretary of the association, Hajiya Khadijat Saidu, in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.

Saidu said that Ubaida, who was

a Senior Reporter with the state Radio, died at the age of 37.

The secretary added that Ubaida had been buried according to Islamic injunctions in Birnin Kebbi leaving behind two children and her Husband, Alhaji tanko Dada of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

She further said that the deceased, "left a wide gap " that would be difficult to fill among her

colleagues and others who interacted with her.

One of her cherished virtues, she said, was her commitment to the development of women in the journalism profession.

The state chairperson of NAWOJ, Naomi Paul, also described the deceased as an "amiable and easy-going personality," whose death would be greatly missed.(NAN).

he Delta House of Assembly yesterday passed the state 2013 appropriation bill of N472 billion.

The passage of the budget followed the adoption of the report presented by the Chairman, House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Mr Daniel Mayuku in Asaba.

Presenting the report, Mayuku said that out of the N472 billion budget, over N157 billion was earmarked for recurrent expenditure, while over N314 billion was earmarked for capital expenditure.

He said that the 2013 budget showed an increase of about N73.7 billion over the budget proposal presented to the House in 2012 by Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan.

Mayuku said that the 2013 budget was tailored toward economic growth.

He said that the budget was also tailored toward the pursuit of policies and programmes of government which would impact on fiscal consolidation and reduce budget deficit and domestic borrowing. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 41

Yobo remains Captain, says Enyeama

NASS prepares package for Eagles

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

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G

oalkeeper and deputy captain, Vincent Enyeama, says that there is no contention about the Captain’s armed band as Joseph Yobo remains the leader of the Super Eagles.

Enyeama, who skippered the team yesterday in their 4-1 mauling of the Malians said, in spite of leading the team for the second time while Yobo start from the bench that Yobo remains the skipper and will rightly take to the podium to receive the trophy should the Super Eagles win on Sunday.

“I am deputy captain. Yobo remains the skipper.

Everyone is the captain in his position but there is no doubt about it, Yobo is the captain. By God’s grace on Sunday when we win the Africa Cup of Nations, the young man will go up to receive his trophy. He has worked hard for it and there is will be no denying him that honour,” he said.

Vincent Enyeama of Nigeria celebrates during football Semi Final match between Mali and Nigeria of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations Finals at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Keshi criticises ‘mediocre’ European coaches N

igeria coach Stephen Keshi has revived the debate over African teams choosing Europeans over local coaches, ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations semifinals.

“Do not bring a mediocre coach from Europe and tell me he’s better than me - I will not accept that,” Keshi

said.

The Super Eagles boss has overseen Nigeria’s progress to the last four, where they face Mali in Durban.

Keshi had strongly criticised the role of some white coaches in Africa just weeks before the finals.

“The white guys are

Elderson Echiejile of Nigeria celebrates his goal with Sunday Mba of Nigeria during the Orange Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa 2013 Semifinal football match between Mali and Nigeria at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa, yesterday.

coming to Africa just for the money,” he said in early January. “They are not doing anything that we cannot do. I am not racist but that’s just the way it is.”

The former Mali and Togo coach rekindled the debate at a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with the Eagles.

“I am never against a white coach in Africa, because I’ve always worked with white coaches,” he said on Tuesday.

“If you want to bring in a classic, an experienced coach from Europe, I am ready to learn from that coach, because he’s better than me, he has more knowledge than me.

“Meanwhile, we have quality African players, or ex-African players, (who are) coaches now that can do the same thing, but they’re not given the opportunity because they’re just black dudes. I don’t like it.”

Of the 16 coaches who led out sides at the 2013 Nations Cup, nine hail from either Europe or South America, while seven are from Africa.

The semi-finals sees Keshi’s native Nigeria take on a Malian side coached by Frenchman Patrice Carteron, while Belgian Paul Put leads out Burkina Faso against former Ghana captain Kwesi Appiah’s Black Stars.

Appiah also commented on the issue ahead of his side’s last-four clash with

the Stallions in Nelspruit, saying he had “total respect” for foreign white coaches in Africa but that black managers “can do the same as anybody”.

“The most important thing is the black coach being strong and not allowing people to tell you what to do,” he said.

Foreign, mainly European, coaches have long had an influence on African football.

A Hungarian coach Pal Titkos led Egypt to Nations Cup glory in only the second edition of the tournament in 1959.

In all, Africa’s premier football event has been won by a local coach on 13 occasions, with foreign coaches triumphing 15 times.

2013 NATIONS CUP COACHES •Cape Verde - Lucio Antunes •Ethiopia - Sewnet Bishaw •Ghana - Kwesi Appiah •Morocco - Rachid Taoussi •Nigeria - Stephen Keshi •South Africa - Gordon Igesund •Tunisia - Sami Trabelsi (all local) •Algeria - Vahid Halilhodzic (Bosnia) •Angola - Gustavo Ferrin (Uruguay) •Burkina Faso - Paul Put (Belgium) •DR Congo - Claude LeRoy (France) •Ivory Coast - Sabri Lamouchi (France) •Mali - Patrick Carteron (France) •Niger - Gernot Rohr (Germany) •Togo - Didier Six (France) •Zambia - Herve Renard (France)

resident of the Senate, David Mark, has disclosed that the National Assembly will reward the Super Eagle for the convincing manner they despatched the Mali Eagles to book the ticket for the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.

The Super Eagles defeated their neighbours Mali in an-all West African affair. But it was the delectable in manner and composure with which they trounced the Eagles of Mali that thrilled the Senate president, who revealed that the NASS will present the Eagles with a pleasant but delightful reward.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh, Mark

commended the Super Eagles for their impressive performance, and noted that the victory has restored the pride and dignity of Nigerians in global affairs.

According to Mark, “This victory is well deserved.

You have brought pride to the nation. We shall do our own part to honour you.”

While asking them to remain focused ahead of the final, Mark said the nation is proud of them, urging them to do more to bring the trophy back home.

“We are anxiously waiting like an expectant mother.

You should continue to play like a team. You must not underrate any opponent. Let me reiterate that the National Assembly will do the needful to reward you. I will be in South Africa to watch the final,” he said.

Keshi dedicates victory to God, Nigerians

H

ead Coach of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi, has dedicated yesterday’s routing of the Eagles of Mali to the unfailing backing of the God and the teeming Nigerian supporters, who stood by him until this moment.

“I dedicate the victory to God. Without him it would have been impossible for us to exist, plan and execute our plans. I also dedicate today’s victory to the Nigerian soccer fans who have been glory-starved.

“The fans have longed for victory such as this for years. I want the people to smile and be happy again.

They have been patient, they need this win and deserved the victory today because they have waited for long for moments such as this,” he said stressing that without the peoples’ prayer, constant support, it would have been difficult to achieve anything.

Emenike for scan today

By Patrick Andrew

T

he extent of the injury sustained

by Nations Cup leading scorer, Emmanuel Emenike, will be revealed today the Super Eagles’ medical team are expected to carry a scan on the injured player.

Emenike, who had proved too hard nut for the Malian defence to cracker yesterday picked up a muscle tear after releasing a bullet of shot that the Malians were happy it missed target by some inches.

But he went down wreathing in pains and

had to be attended to by medics.

Though not stretchered out he never returned to the pitch as the technical crew brought on Uzoenyi Ejike for his first outing in the Nations Cup. At the post match conference, Head Coach Stephen Keshi said the extent of the injury will be determined today when the medical team will carry out a scan on the player.

“We will know the extent of the injury tomorrow (today) when the medical team carry out a scan on the player.

Hopefully, he will okay.

We need everybody for Sunday’s final,” Keshi sounding optimistic.

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PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

2016 Olympics our focus, Idoko says Feb. 16 kick-off date sacrosanct says AFN Technical Director

C

ommodore Nesiama Omatseye, the Technical Director, Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) said the federation’s programmes were geared towards good performances at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics.

NSSF: Anambra team leader promises better time

T

he Chairman, Anambra School Sports Committee, Tony Chiezie, has said that the team’s performance at the 5th National School Sports Festival which ended in Port Harcourt on Sunday was above expectation.

Anambra finished fifth on the medals table, behind Cross River, Delta, Rivers and Lagos with 36 gold, 46 silver and 82 bronze medals.

Chiezie, who led the team to the festival, said yesterday in Awka that they deserved some commendation as they featured eligible athletes who where the real target of the Games and added that they would do better in subsequent editions of the festival.

The chairman said he was surprised at the level of talents exhibited at the competition by both Anambra students and those from other states.

“We did well, the children gave a good account of themselves and coming out overall fifth was not a mean feat, though we could have done better.

“I appreciate the efforts of Gov. Peter Obi in giving us the political backing to participate in the festival and the commissioner who was there to cheer us up,” Chiezie said.

He said Anambra had comparative advantage in field and track events and the combat sports, adding that more efforts would be directed at developing athletes in the events.

He lauded the male and female football teams which played in the finals and Chinaza Bassey, an 11-year-old primary five wonder kid who had an astounding outing in the high and long jumps.

Team Anambra’s U-13 boys and girls football teams won silver behind Delta and Rivers, while Anambra U-15 boys won bronze after beating Ebonyi.

Omatseye, who disclosed in Lagos that early preparations are needed to avert a repeat of the London 2012 fiasco, wants those concerned to identify with the federation for necessary action.

“Our programmes have been tailored for a better performance at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, because we all know the importance of early preparations.

“And that is why we are waiting impatiently for the season to commence in March, so that we can earnestly engage our athletes in competitions, to keep them in shape,’’ he said.

The technical director added that the ongoing restructuring at the National Sports Commission (NSC), would not in any way affect the execution of the federation’s programmes.

“Our programmes have been outlined and cannot be interrupted by the ongoing restructuring in the NSC and we believe the restructuring must be for the good of sports.

“And it does not in any way disturb the technical team of AFN from executing its programmes for its athletes,” Omatseye added.

M

ike Idoko, a member of the 12-man Interim Committee of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) says the Feb. 16 kick off date for the league still stands.

“The Feb. 16 kick off date of the league is still intact, as I speak with you now,’’ Idoko said in Akure yesterday.

He, however, said that the only issue at hand was that of the N50m bond to which all clubs were supposed to enter into with the board.

“The only issue we are deliberating on has been the issue of the N50m bond, because when the bond proposal came, some of the states had passed their budgets. “it is a welcome development, but it would have been a gradual process, since no club owner can force it on any governor to release money after the budget has been passed.

“But I believe things will work out in a better way soon,” he said.

Idoko noted that 19 clubs were owned by governments, except for ABS of Ilorin, which is privately owned. The deposits are to serve as guarantees.

It was explained that in cases where the clubs owe either players or their handlers, such debts could be defrayed from the amount, if they could present convincing proof of being owed by their clubs.

Mike Idoko

FIFA president to visit S/Africa, 3 other African countries

T

he president of World football governing body (FIFA), Sepp Blatter, will on Wednesday begin a six-day trip to Africa that will take him to Mauritania, Guinea, Botswana and South Africa.

He would be expected to round off the tour by gracing the finals of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament, official sources told PANA on Tuesday in Paris.

In Mauritania where he is due to spend two days, Blatter will hold talks with the chairman of the Mauritanian football federation, Ahmed Ould Yahya, on various areas of cooperation.

He will inaugurate the new head office and technical

centre of the federation and two synthetic parks.

The FIFA boss and his delegation will then travel to the Guinean capital, Conakry, to inspect work on the new headquarters of the Guinean football federation.

Blatter will also inspect the technical centre at Nongo, where a synthetic park will be laid under the framework of the FIFA Goal project.

The visit to Botswana will be marked by talks with the Botswana minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Shaw Kgathi and the chairman of the national football federation, Tebogo Sebego.

Blatter will inaugurate the technical centre of Lekidi and launch the laying of an artificial field at the site.

In South Africa, the last leg of the tour, Blatter will on

Feb. 10, attend the finals of the 2013 AFCON.

Sepp Blatter, FIFA president

Instructor urges support for special athletes

S Bolaji Abdullahi, Sports Minister

unday Adeogun, Special Sports Instructor, National Institute for Sports (NISports), Lagos, yesterday called on both the public and private sectors to support the promotion of special sports in the country.

Adeogun said in Lagos that the development of special sports would also bring hope to people with physical challenges in the nation.

“Special sports are important sports that many tend to shy away from; the sports have different individual and group games which can bring laurels to the nation in international competitions.

“There is the pressing need to create an enabling environment for the sports through the provision of facilities and organising competitions for them.

“Anytime I see physically

challenged individuals on our streets begging for alms, I feel sad because these set of people could turn their disabilities to abilities, through sports.

“If the government, individuals and corporate organisations can create more room for competitions, the lives of these challenged individuals will be transformed,’’ he said.

According to him, the performance of Team Nigeria

powerlifters at the 2012 London Olympics was enough motivation to bring in public and private support for the promotion of special sports.

The NIS Instructor, therefore, urged the Nigeria Paralympics Committee (NPC) to engage quality coaches, prepare athletes early for major competitions and to ensure that they were adequately motivated.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 43

Man United set for Asian tour

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Shinji Kagawa

Pirlo confident of avoiding Celtic upset

A

ndrea Pirlo insists Juventus have learned from the mistakes made

by Barcelona and “are ready to go to battle” with Celtic in their Champions League meeting next week.

Pirlo, 33, will be a key figure when Juve travel to Glasgow for the first leg of the last-16 tie and, having seen the Hoops secure an incredible victory over Barca in the group stage, the Italy international insists he and his team-mates will benefit from having greater flexibility than Barca.

“We are prepared for whatever Celtic has to offer,” Pirlo said. “We saw that they beat Barcelona in Glasgow but

we are prepared to adapt maybe more than Barcelona did.

Pirlo has enjoyed mixed fortunes against Celtic in the past, having played for Milan in the narrow 1-0 aggregate victory over a Hoops side including current boss Neil Lennon back in 2007, when the Rossoneri won on their way to their last Champions League triumph.

But Pirlo also tasted defeat at Parkhead in the following season’s group stage as Celtic humbled the reigning European champions with a 2-1 victory, and he knows to expect a difficult contest when he returns with Juventus.

anchester United announced has revealed that they will visit Japan as part of their preseason tour of Asia, giving a chance for Japanese attacking midfielder Shinji Kagawa to dazzle his home fans.

The Premier League giants will face J-League outfit Yokohama F. Marinos on July 23 in their first game on Japanese turf for five years.

“Manchester United has great memories of playing in Japan and our game against the Yokohama F. Marinos will play an important part of our pre-season preparations,” said United chief executive David Gill in a statement.

The president of the Marinos, Akira Kaetsu, said the team was honoured to play against United, currently top of the Premier League.

Kagawa, one of the star names in the Japanese national side, signed for United last year in a big-money move from Borussia Dortmund and is keenly followed by Japan’s media.

Japan is the third stop announced on United’s pre-season tour, aimed at cashing in on the club’s legions of fans across Asia. They will play in Australia on July 20 and in Hong Kong on July 29.

Milan chief aims racial slur at Balotelli

A

C Milan non-executive vice president Paolo Berlusconi has been overheard using a racist slur to describe new signing Mario Balotelli.

Paolo Berlusconi, the brother of Milan owner Silvio, labelled Balotelli as “the family’s little when speaking at a political meeting in Monza shortly before the former Manchester City striker made his debut for the Rossoneri on Sunday.

The comments were caught on film by local reporters and have been shown on the website of Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

Paolo Berlusconi was recorded saying: “Okay, we are all off to see the family’s little. He’s a crazy head. All the young ladies are invited as well - you can even have a chance to meet the president (Silvio Berlusconi).”

Balotelli signed for Milan from Manchester City during the January transfer window for around £20 million and scored twice on his debut as they beat Udinese 2-1.

The controversy follows last month’s racial abuse of Kevin-Prince Boateng by Pro Patria fans, when the Milan midfielder left the field of play as a reaction to the taunting.

Mario Balotelli

Giroud reveals Arsenal struggles

A

rsenal striker Olivier Giroud has admitted he struggled to come to terms with being dropped to accommodate Theo Walcott’s desire to play as a centre-forward.

After a series of five Premier League games without finding the net, Giroud, 26, made just a single start in six top-flight encounters either side of Christmas, spending the rest of the time on the bench watching Walcott lead the Arsenal attack.

Three goals in his last four Premier League games have not only helped restore Giroud’s own faith but also that of Arsenal fans, who read throughout January their club was set to reinforce their attack.

Purchased only last summer from Montpellier, Giroud was always confident Arsene Wenger would not condemn him to playing second fiddle to a big-name striker.

Ronaldo no longer unhappy

C

Andrea Pirlo

Abidal back in training at Barca

B

arcelona’s French defender Eric Abidal has taken a full part in training 10 months after undergoing a liver transplant the club confirmed.

Abidal, who had an operation to remove a tumour on the liver in March 2011 before making an emotional appearance playing in that season’s Champions League final win over Manchester United, has been out of action since having the transplant last April.

However, the 33-year-old could now be included in assistant coach Jordi Roura’s squad to face Getafe on Sunday.

“After spending a few days in hospital to monitor the evolution of his transplant, the Frenchman has started to train on the pitch,” said a statement on the Barcelona web site.

Roura is in charge while Coach

Tito Vilanova recuperates as he battles a recurrence of cancer of the salivary gland.

Eric Abidal

ristiano Ronaldo has said his ‘unhappiness’ at Real Madrid has passed, although he is not yet ready to think about signing a new contract with the Liga club.

Ronaldo famously told reporters at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu’s mixed zone in early September that “I am unhappy, and the club knows why”, but has since declined to offer any more details for his low mood.

The Portuguese attacker has since appeared to recover his best form, on the pitch at least, and in an interview with AS on Wednesday he said something had changed in the months since that revelation.

“Yes, something has changed because I am doing what I like, which is playing football and I feel very good on the field and with my team-mates,” Ronaldo said. “Maybe I have also changed my way of thinking and being. At this moment I feel better than I did then.”

Many observers assumed that Ronaldo’s sadness then was linked to the absence of an improved contract offer from Madrid, to extend and enlarge his current •10.5 million-a-year deal, which runs until June 2015.

Money had not been an issue, he said, but any contract talk should now be left until the season was over.

“I am not going to talk much about that, because the truth is that for me the most important thing, what is in my head and my aims, is that Madrid wins the Champions League and the Copa del Rey,” Ronaldo said.

The attacker, who turned 28 on Tuesday, said the best birthday present would be a double cup success at Madrid this season.

Cristiano Ronaldo

PAGE 44

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Why Cote d’Ivoire crashed out Ivory Coast stars back coach Lamouchi

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vory Coast defender Sol Bamba says the team are behind coach Sabri Lamouchi despite their quarter-final exit from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Lamouchi’s side were pretournament favourites to win the title but were beaten 2-1

by Nigeria on Sunday.

“The players want (Lamouchi) to stay but in Africa when you lose a game, they’re used to sacking the manager. Hopefully it’s not the case but we’ll have to wait and see.,” Bamba told BBC Sport.

Lamouchi took charge of the Elephants in May after Francois Zahoui was sacked, despite the fact the 41-year-old former France international had no previous coaching experience.

As well as speculation over Lamouchi’s position, it is widely thought that a number of players from the so-called ‘golden generation’ of Ivorian football, such as Didier Drogba and Didier Zokora are now coming to the end of their international careers.

But Bamba hopes the current squad can stay together and play in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

“Football’s about ups and downs and when you’re down you learn and you have to stand up.

“We’re very disappointed but it doesn’t have to be the end.

We’ve got the qualifiers for the World Cup to play, so we’re looking forward to it,” he said.

F

ew expected Nigeria would prevail against favourites Ivory Coast in the 2013 Afcon quarterfinal clash on Sunday with with pundits having already written them off and tipping the Ivorians to progress.

But the 1994 Afcon winners soared their way into victory and once again brought back the memories of the mighty Super Eagles who crushed any team in their way in themed nineties.

As for Cote d’Ivoire, they once again failed to cross the finish line, hence, becoming a golden failure despite boasting a team composition that has attracted the best in the world and the continent.

Supersport.com examines the reasons why the Elephants were silenced in Rustenburg on Sunday.

1.Luck The planets do not seem to align in a way that makes decision interfered with when it comes to the star studded side.

In 2008, they were so unstoppable making majority believe they would lift the title in Accra but they met an Egyptian side that made them stay on their lane courtesy of a 4-1 thrashing with Amr Zaki the chief architect.

Same goes to 2010, Salamon Kalou doubled the lead in 89th minute against Algeria to almost secure a semifinal berth but they conceded in the injury time from Madjid Bougherra and went ahead to lose to the North African side in extra time.

The previous edition seems to summarize it all, Drogba missed penalty in the 70th minute, and when the final went to penalties, Gervinho and Kolo Toure missed to hand over the crown to the Chipolopolo.

This remains an open debate.

2. Favourites tag No doubt the Ivorians were the best team in the tournament when you looked at their squad on paper.

However, they might have let

Yaya Toure

their status get into the heads and we know what happens with that. They did not respect their opponents Nigeria who drew with Burkina Faso, Zambia and won against Ethiopia.

Chances are they expected a walk in the park, after all, they have always been the best on the paper. But the Super Eagles gave them a run for their money, they countered every move they made and at some point subdued them and controlled the game which made the 2012 finalists

look disoriented after being outwitted in tactics.

3. Nigeria Cote d’Ivoire lost because Nigeria was superior to them.

Period.

Excuses should not be given that goalkeeper Barry did not have a good day in the office. The Nigerians, simply turned up, played according to their game plan and stuck with the mission which they executed successfully.

Emmanuel Emenike’s

Gervinho

Didier Zamora

National Stadium pitch ‘ready’ for final

T

Sabri Lamouchi

Didier Drogba

freekick was well taken and no keeper in the tournament could have stopped that. Sunday Mba’s strike was even more beautiful to sink their opponents.

Hence, like Dennis Bergkamp once said: “Before you kick a ball, there must be a thought.”

Simply the Eagles played with their heads unlike Elephants who opted to resort to their heart and we know that emotions have a big role on a field of play, the cookie crumbles with every second ticking.

4. Trend Over the years, the Ivorians have proved they just cannot help but bottle their chances when they need to rise to the occasion.

Maybe they cannot handle the nerves. They appeared out of sorts on Sunday and this could be explained by the individual mistakes made by some of their players which cost the team.

The golden generation have since 2006 been on the spotlight for this not so pleasing streak and the pile of pressure mounted on them could have just been their main undoing.

5. Teamwork Football is a team sport. Nigeria looked more united than a divided Cote d’Ivoire on the pitch.

We understand at times individual glory can throw a spanner in the works in a fixture but with the intensity and nature of the fixture, if you play with each other you are likely to grind out results.

Nigeria had nothing to lose and despite being criticized before that some of their players give their all at clubs level than country, this was the match that they proved most critics wrong as they decided to play for the name in front of their shirt and hope that one day people will remember the name at the back as once said by Tony Adams who played for Arsenal.

These are few of the many reasons the Ivorians never succeeded where they were expected to.

he National Stadium pitch is ready to host the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) on Sunday, Stadium Management SA (SMSA) said yesterday.

SMSA CEO Jacques Grobbelaar said the field of play was ready to host the final following the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert, which was held at the venue on Saturday.

Sports minister Fikile Mbalula voiced concern about the state of the pitch after the concert, but Grobbelaar said this was unwarranted.

“We did a pitch review

yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, and at 4:30pm when we opened the stadium to the members of the media,” Grobbelaar said.

“We are 100 percent comfortable the pitch conforms to Fifa regulations. I still believe it’s one of the better pitches in the country at the moment.”

Grobbelaar said concerts were necessary to make SMSA financially viable.

“Following the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert on Saturday, it definitely is adding value to the huge investment we made, following previous shows before soccer events,” he said.

The pitch was changed to last year to accommodate non-sport events at the venue.

“We decided to rip out the pitch in the middle of December last year and installed a brand new 50 percent artificial pitch,” Grobbelaar said.

“The new pitch is definitely extending our ability to have more events at the stadium, which is very important to our business model.”

He said the government did not fund the four stadiums managed by SMSA - National Stadium, Rand Stadium, Orlando Stadium and

Dobsonville Stadium.

The contract to hold the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert was signed long before South Africa was given the rights to host Afcon 2013, Grobbelaar said.

“Those contracts were signed about 16 months ago. At the time, the Afcon was still scheduled for Libya,” he said.

“There is an unwritten law with Fifa that if the host nation has a problem with holding the event, the fallback is always the previous country that hosted the World Cup.” Grobbelaar said cancelling the contract was not an option.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

PAGE 45

PICTORIAL

Former US Masters and Open champion Sandy Lyle has not given up on one day captaining Europe's Ryder Cup team.

Jos Buttler hits a second successive half-century but England suffer a three-wicket defeat in their final Twenty20 warm-up game.

Kell Brook's world title fight is in doubt after Floyd Mayweather says he may fight Devon Alexander in May.

Cristiano Ronaldo has said his ‘unhappiness’ at Real Madrid has passed, although he is not yet ready to think about signing a new contract with the Liga club.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Lionel Messi are darlings of football statisticians and are set to face off for their national sides. FIFA highlights a selection of fascinating numbers regarding the pair.

Manu Tuilagi's return to fitness gives England a selection dilemma for Sunday's Six Nations game in Ireland, says skills coach Mike Catt.

PAGE 46

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

Squash trials kick off in Minna

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he Nigeria Squash Federation (NSF) has c o m m e n c e d preparation for the forthcoming Africa Senior Squash Championships billed for Windhoek, Namibia, on February 19 through 23.

The NSF’s outgoing Secretary, Evelyn Fabunmi, who disclosed this yesterday in Lagos, said that the body had since commenced a closed camp in Minna, the Niger State capital.

The country’s selected players for the championship at Windhoek will depart for Namibia on Feb. 17, in the buildup to the opening ceremony.

“We opened our camp on Sunday with the invited players coming in to vie for spots in the team; we will ensure that we select only the best.

“We are participating in the men’s singles, women’s singles and the doubles events. Our players have shown that they are set to take over Africa,’’ Fabunmi said.

She added that the recent inauguration of the Professional Squash Players Association of Nigeria

S

ix umpires have been appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Africa Division, as match officials in the forthcoming Pepsi ICC Africa T20 qualifiers Division 1 tournament billed for Uganda.

The tournament would hold from Feb. 23 to March 1 with the five participating countries of Nigeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana and Kenya.

In a press statement signed by George Wiltshire, the General Manager, Nigeria Cricket Federation (NCF), said that the match fixtures have also been released. “ The match officials are Johnny Gomez (The Gambia), Munir Khan (Kenya), Claude Thornburn (Namibia) and Rocky De Mellow (Kenya).

“Others are: David Odhiambo (Kenya) and Wynand Louw (Namibia), who were included in the International Panel of ICC Associate Umpires. “ Devas Govinjee, who is part of the ICC panel of match referees and represents Africa, will act as the match referee for the tournament,” the statement added.

It also said that the winner of the competition would alongside Namibia, represent Africa at the ICC penultimate round in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Murray wants more blood testing for tennis players Squash players in action during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (PSPAN) by the country’s players, to organise competitions for them would also enhance their performance at competitions.

“The fact that the players were able to establish a forum that will organise

competitions for them shows that their zeal for the game is unparalleled,’’ Fabunmi said.

The PSPAN was formed on Nov. 25 in Lagos by some of the country’s professional squash players to organise competitions for

them.

The the association was formed to assist the NSF to organise competitions on a regular basis for squash players.

The maiden competition it organised was at the Apapa Club on January 27.

Ghana, CIV for Ochei Int’l wheelchair b’ball tourney

T

he Wheelchair B a s k e t b a l l Federation of Nigeria (WBFN) has said that countries invited for the 2nd Victor Ochei International Wheelchair Basketball Championships were responding positively.

The federation’s Secretary, Victor Anusa, disclosed yesterday in Lagos that of the four countries invited, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire have indicated interest in

participation.

Anusa said that he was confident that the Republic of Benin and Togo would also participate in the event scheduled to hold from Feb. 18 to Feb. 23 in Lagos.

The outgoing secretary said the event would be used to select players for the U-23 championships in South Africa later in the year and added that arrangements for the competition were being concluded.

He said that invitations had also been extended to state associations and athletes who would like to take part.

“I am looking forward to universal standard championships that will prepare my athletes for the South Africa Games,’’ he said.

Anusa said the tournament in South Africa would provide a leeway to the World U-23 Wheelchair Basketball Championships in October in Turkey.

“The federation will hopefully use the Ochei event as a veritable platform to achieve tickets to both the continental and global championships,’’ he said.

He appealed to Nigerians to emulate Ochei, who is helping the physically challenged to be able to cater for themselves.

The sponsor of the championships, Victor Ochei, is the Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly.

IAAF President, Diack, to receive award in Nigeria Friday

T

he President, International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Lamine Diack, will this Friday redceives award at the body’s High

6 umpires for Pepsi ICC-Africa T20 Division 1 tournament

Performance Training Centre, in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

AFN’s Technical Director, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, who confirmed

Lamine Diack, IAAF President

this said the visit would offer the president the chance to assess development at the centre, even as the AFN scribe Mrs Maria Worphil said the federation would use the occassion to press for more.

“It is a good thing that the IAAF president is coming to open the High Performance Training Centre at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT). At last, we have been able to secure approval for the centre from IAAF, to help our athletes develop their talents.

“We are happy because Nigeria can also boast in Africa that it has such a centre; we only had two

such centres in Eldoret, Kenya and Dakar, Senegal. It is good for us at AFN,’’ he said.

Nesiama said the UNIPORT centre would specialise in Nigeria’s areas of strength like the sprints, the quarter-miles and the jumps, to help to develop athletes.

“We want our athletes to improve on their strengths and work on their weaknesses and I am sure that with this centre and adequate usage of the facility, our athletes will improve,’’ he said.

IAAF gave approval for the project at UniPort in November 2012.

O

lympic champion Andy Murray is demanding more blood testing in tennis to avoid the kind of damaging doping scandals that continue to plague cycling.

World No 3 Murray, runner-up at last month’s Australian Open to Novak Djokovic, feels the sport’s authorities need to invest more heavily in antidoping programmes, even if it means siphoning funds from players’ prize money.

“If one in 100 players is doping, in my eyes that isn’t a clean sport. We need to do everything we can to ensure that everone competing at the highest level and below is clean.

“That comes with biologoical passports and more blood testing. I know the training that I do and I know what goes in and out of my body and I know from my side that I’m clean and I hope that’s the same for all tennis players.”

Doping in sport has come under close scrutiny following the Lance Armstrong scandal. The American cyclist was stripped of all seven of his Tour de France titles last year following an investigation by the

Andy Murray

United States Anti-Doping Agency.

Last month Armstrong admitted he had taken banned substances during all seven of his Tour wins.

Murray’s comments come after 17-times grand slam champion Roger Federer said last year that the number of out of competition blood tests carried out in tennis had declined.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) runs the doping programme in tennis but the 2013 budget of $2 million, paid for by the four grand slams, the ITF and the men’s and women’s Tours, is dwarfed by the prize money available to top players.

“There needs to be more blood testing,” Murray said. “Tennis needs to look closely after what happened with the Lance Armstrong situation. We don’t want that happening. For my sport that would be terrible.”

Murray’s concerns come after the latest statistics for anti-doping in tennis, for the 2011 season, found that of the 2 150 tests undertaken, only 131 were blood tests and only 21 were out of competition.

PEOPLES DAILY, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2013

PAGE 47

Yesterday’s solution

SUDOKU

Say what?

Some Interesting Facts •According to a British law passed in 1845, attempting to commit suicide was a capital offense. Offenders could be hanged for trying.

•Actor Tommy Lee Jones and former vice-president Al Gore were freshman roommates at Harvard.

•Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

•All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.

•All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.

•All porcupines float in water.

•Almonds are a member of the peach family.

•Almost a quarter of the land area of Los Angeles is taken up by automobiles.

•America once issued a 5-cent bill.

•America's first nudist organization was founded in 1929, by 3 men.

•Ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone.

•An animal epidemic is called an epizootic.

•An average person laughs about 15 times a day.

•An iguana can stay under water for 28 minutes.

•An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

•Armadillos are the only animal besides humans that can get leprosy.

•Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always all the same sex.

•Armored knights raised their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.

•Aztec emperor Montezuma had a nephew, Cuitlahac, whose name meant "plenty of excrement."

•Babe Ruth wore a cabbage leaf under is cap to keep him cool. He changed it every 2 innings.

•Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age.

•Baby robins eat 14 feet of earthworms every day.

•Back in the mid to late 1980's, an IBM-compatible computer wasn't considered a hundred percent compatible unless it could run Microsoft's Flight Simulator.

•Bank robber John Dillinger played professional baseball.

•Barbie's measurements if she were life size: 39-23-33.

•Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

This Polar Bear amazed tourists in Churchill, Canada, when he appeared to take some time to read signs on their tour bus Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdailyng.com

. . . putting the people first

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013

SPORTS

LA TEST LATEST President Jonathan for AFCON final

President Goodluck Jonathan has confirmed he will attend the AFCON final involving the Super Eagles after the Super Eagles thrashed Mali 4-1 to reach the championship game in Johannesburg on Sunday.

President Goodluck will therefore fulfil his promise to cheer the Eagles to victory were they to reach the final.

NFF president Aminu Maigari said after the team’s convincing win on Wednesday in Durban: “This is a victory that we dedicate to all Nigerians.

“It was a magnificent performance by our team, but I insist that the Super Eagles must keep their heads and focus on the final match because we cannot afford to disappoint President Goodluck Jonathan on Sunday.”

Sunday’s final will be Nigeria’s seventh appearance in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations in 17 appearances.

They have won twice (1980 and 1994) and finished as runners-up in 1984, 1988 (both to Cameroon), 1990 (to Algeria) and 2000 (again, to Cameroon).

It’s Nigeria versus Burkina Faso final Stallions of BurkinaFaso edged the Black Stars of Ghana in penalty shootouts to seal a final clash with the Super eagles of Nigeria. The Burkinabes won 3-2 following misses from Isaac Vorsah, Emmanuel Clottey and Agyemang Badu.

The Stallions had forced the Eagles to 1-1 draw in the group stage when just 10 seconds left of the four minutes added on time Alain Traore scramled in an equaliser.

In yesterday’s second semifinal, Ghana took the lead from the penalty spot after the referee adjudged that Asamaoh Gyan was brought down. Mubarak Wakaso stepped forward to convert for the early.

Bance levelled up in 63 minutes and could have wrapped up the game but some inexplicable misses.

Patroipa was given a red card even as the referee made some questionable calls.

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QUO TABLE Q UO TE UOT QUO UOTE The underlying reason is clearly how to make this country a better place; this is not the best that this country can have and we intend to deliver Nigeria’s best — Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Fashola on 10 opposition governors’ meeting in Lagos, Feb. 5

A heritage of scholarship under threat (II) Thus did they choose the location of this virtuous, pure, undefiled and proud city, blessed with Divine favour, a healthy climate, and [commercial] activity.

It is a.... refuge of scholarly and righteous folk, a haunt of saints and ascetics, and a meeting place of caravans and boats — Abdurrahman Al Sadi, 16th century Timbuktu administrator and historian.

I

t has been 10 days since that awful news cascaded through the internet and radio waves, that the fabled manuscripts and libraries of Timbuktu had been burnt to ashes. Thankfully it turns out, as I had suspected that it was basically a false report. At the very worst, current assessments are that more than 95% of the treasure house of Islamic and scientific documents are safe. Hear the United Kingdom's The Telegraph on Wednesday (yesterday) Feb 6, 2013: “[Timbukutu's] heritage was considered safe until Timbuktu was overrun by rebel fighters of the Ansar al-Din last year. The rebels are religious extremists who destroyed shrines built to Timbuktu's saints - considering them idolatrous - and last week, when French troops drove them out, there were reports - for the most part wrong, as we now know that they had burnt the manuscripts as well.”

In reality Timbukutu's heritage handed down through generations of families has been threatened on a number of occasions including by the colonial French.

The manuscripts were therefore until the 1970's kept safe within private, collections and family libraries.

The Telegraph article written by a South African Muslim scholar (Dr. Shahid Mathee) provides a lovely synopsis of how Timbuktu grew from a Tuareg settlement in the 12th century to a medieval Islamic university town, after the building of the Grand Mosque in 1325. The city thrived from the trade of

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CAR TEL OPIA CARTEL TELOPIA With Aisha Yolah ayolah06@yahoo.com 08086296783 (text only please) wealthy merchants who paid for the construction of mosques, schools and shrines, attracting scholars and holy men, 'from all over'. Then after the trade dried up, it went into decay and transition into legend- as a synonym for 'remoteness'.

It reached its zenith as a centre of scholarship by 1501 when: 'Production began of what we today know as the Timbuktu manuscript tradition.

The city was a centre of knowledge, the abode of jurists, astronomers and sages, copyists of manuscripts, and book traders...

The range of subjects covered by the manuscripts is breathtaking: Islamic law, theology, grammar, history, study of the Qur'an, prophetic traditions, astronomy and astrology, traditional medicine.

There are also documents relating to commerce, and correspondence between rulers.'

It is indeed breathtaking especially when framed against the awful 21st century story of 'Islamic terrorism'the caricature that has been given substance and form by a ruthless Information Age and strange, angry, vicious men (all men) who kill, maim and mutilate in the name of Islam.

It must be pretty obvious that Islam's great spiritual and scholarly heritage would not have survived one century of the current violence captured under the rubric of 'Islamic terrorism or Islamist militants'.

Kidnapping, hostage-taking, and random, indiscriminate slaughter could never have gone far- Not even a fraction of the distance covered by Muslim scholars and tradesmen who carried Islam into Africa and Southeast Asia. Today, the most

populous Muslim country Indonesia, exists as it is -thanks to these scholars and businessmen.

I imagine the Muslim scholars of old would not recognize these so-called Jihadists that we are daily assailed with - that of the Taliban who say girls must not be educated. Who is this 'Muslim' who would enter a bus filled with school girls and shoot at least 3 of them at point blank range?

I like to imagine the miracle of 15 year-old Malala Yususfzai survival as an ominous note for her would-be murderer(s). The bullet entered her head but travelled around her skull.

What is that, if not a veritable Sign? An ayat for those who can reflect, as the Qur'an routinely exhorts.

Malala gave her first official interview last week, a testament to the fearlessness and courage that is really what the so-called Taliban were trying to snuff out.

Closer to home in the past three years we have had our version of this assault on Islam's heritage of scholarship by a group conveniently called 'education is prohibited'.

However their uneven narrative -killing policemen and clergymen, Christians and Muslims, has been a little less easy to pigeon-hole. How for instance does the shooting to death of men playing cards or draughts fit into their 'terrorism' brand?

The long and short of all this slaughter is that it simply feeds and gives more substance to a false picture -everything that Islam is NOT, nor will ever be.

Islam has no room for individuals who arrogate to themselves the right to adjudicate and pass sentence on

others, without witnesses, trial or social sanction.

But how does one explain the fact that there are indeed young Muslim men who seem to find this doctrine of violence appealing?

Here, I am reminded of the analysis of a British convert to Islam, Guy Easton. In trying to explain the Algerian situation in the early 1990's he noted that for decades the study of Islam as it had been done in centuries past e.g. in Timbuktu, had been discouraged by French colonialism. The young men who were becoming willing tools to what is now called 'jihadi terrorsm' just did not have the Islamic knowledge or scholarship to be able to make informed decisions. They were like empty vessels -full of fervor but no knowledge -easily filled with a carefully crafted and poisonous doctrine.

A fundamental part of which is to see progress, science and scholarship as 'Western' and therefore un-Islamic.

This is a patently false assertion that any honest historian of science, medicine and all those fields that flourished in Timbuktu will easily show you. Ask for instance why the numbers 1 to 9 are called in the English language, 'Arabic numerals'?

My main argument therefore is that the religion of Islam is intimately and tightly bound to the development of modern scholarship and civilisation. Yet there is clearly a systematic and relentless narrative in the dominant media centres of this world and even our country to prove the opposite. The fake story of 'Islamists' burning 'Timbuktu's manuscript' would have been an invaluable addition to this lie.

The BBC website says Timbuktu was a centre of Islamic learning from the 13th to the 17th centuries, with over 700,000 manuscripts surviving in public libraries and private collections, covering religion, law, literature and science. And that is probably only the half of it.

Concluded

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