Peoples Daily Newspaper, Wednesday 07, August, 2013

www.peoplesdailyng.com

Vol. 11 No. 58

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Ramadan Timings for Abuja MAGRIB

ALFIJR

6.52 p.m.

5.09 a.m.

. . . putting the people first

Ramadan 29, 1434 AH

Search for Shawwal moon begins today >> Pg2

N150

Jonathan free to join APC, says Akande >> Pg5

Father beheads son for N1m >>Pg2

L-R: Chief Imam of Jos Central Mosque, Sheikh Balarabe Dawud; Turakin Jos, Alhaji Garba Abdulkadir; Senator representing Plateau North, Senator Gang Pawjok and Secretary to the Plateau state Government, Mr. Shedrack Best, at the Jos Muslim Community breaking of Ramadan fast with Christians, on Monday.

Breakfast with IBB: T We stand by our story

By Lawrence Olaoye

he Presidency has issued a formal reaction to Peoples Daily’s lead story of yesterday in which former military president Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida was reported to have rebuffed a request by President Jonathan to join him in his Contd. on Page 2

Ramadan Message “We have indeed sent down the Qur’an in the Night of Destiny. And what have you understood, what the Night of Destiny is! The Night of Destiny is Better than a thousand months. In it descend the angels and Jibreel, by the Command of their Lord – for all works. It is peace until the rising of dawn. (Qur’an 97:1-4) Sponsored by Kano state government

Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso Governor, Kano State

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

News CONTENTS News

2-10

Editorial

12

Op.Ed

13

Letters

14

Opinion

15

Metro

16-18

Business

19-22

Stockwatch

23

S/Report

24-25

Property

22-27

Motoring Arts

28 29-30

Father beheads son for N1m From Umar Dankano, Yola

T

here was shock, consternation and anger yesterday at the Adamawa state command of the Nigeria Police in Yola, after a 24-year old father, Bappah Alti, was paraded for beheading his 5-year old biological son, Buba Bappah, for a fee of N1 million.

The suspect, who hails from Ganji village in Gombi local government area of the state, confessed to the crime and blamed the “devil” for manipulating him to commit the profane act.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Adamawa, Deputy Superintendent Muhammad Ibrahim, while parading the suspect

T

Int’l

31-34

Strange World

35

Digest

36

Politics

37-38

Newsxtra

39-40

Sports

41-44

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: adverts@peoplesdailyng.com pictures@peoplesdailyng.com contact@peoplesdailyng.com

Phones for News: 08142929046 08024432099

on reaching the farm, they discovered the dead body without a head”, DSP Ibrahim stressed.

He said it was the grandfather who reported the matter to the police, leading to the arrest of the murderous father.

The police officer said Bappa while confessing to have killed his five-year old son in the course of investigation, narrated that he used a stick and a matchet to kill the boy in anticipation of N1 million fee from one Alhaji Sange Hassan of the same village.

Answering questions from journalists after he was paraded, the principal suspect, Bappa Alti said Alhaji Sange had lured him to the crime by ‘contracting’ him to bring

a human head for N1 million.

While blaming the devil for his “barbaric and ungodly act”, the suspect said he was praying that Almighty God will forgive him for his sin.

On what he would have done with the money if given to him, Bappa said he wanted to buy cattle to rear and use part take “adequate care” of his family, most especially his aged parents.

However, in his response, Alhaji Sanje, who is the ward head of Ganji village, denied the allegation, insisting that it was a set up aimed at tarnishing his reputation.

DSP Ibrahim said as soon as investigations were concluded the suspects would be charged to court for prosecution.

Search for Shawwal moon begins today From Muhammad Mahmud, Sokoto, with agency reports

Stemming statistical imbalance of education in the North, Page 4

said Bappa had early in the morning of the 21st of last month taken Buba out on the pretext that they were going to the farm together, only to slit the child’s throat and dump the body in the bush.

According to DSP Ibrahim, the suspect, who had returned home late in the evening that day claimed to have left Buba on the farm when asked of the whereabouts of his son by the deceased’s grandfather, Alti Alhaji Guja.

According to the PPRO, the suspicious situation motivated the grandfather to mobilise a search team which found the mutilated body of the child without the head.

“The grandfather mobilised some men for a search and unfortunately

he Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, yesterday urged Muslims all over Nigeria to look out for the new moon of Shawwal,1434 AH, as from today.

Sultan Abubakar reached out to Nigerian Muslims at a time when the Supreme Court in Saudi Arabia asked Muslims in the Arab nation to begin the search for the new moon from yesterday.

Sultan Abubakar’s message, which was contained in a statement signed by Professor Sambo Wali, Chairman of the Advisory

Committee on Religious Affairs to the Sokoto Sultanate Council said today, Wednesday, August 7, which is equivalent to the 29th day of Ramadan, 1434 AH, shall be the day to look out for the new moon of Shawwal.

“Muslims are therefore requested to look out for the new moon and report its sighting to the sighting district or village head for onward communication to the Sultan,’’ the statement said.

It published the following telephone numbers which could be used to report the sighting of the new moon: 0803-715-7100; 0803-041-3534; 0803-507-3872; 0803-596-5322; 0803-314-3866

and 0803-965-5997.

If the new moon is sighted on Wednesday, Muslims in the country would join their colleagues across the world to celebrate the Sallah (Eid-el-Fitr) tomorrow, Thursday.

However, if the new moon is not sighted, Muslims will have to fast on Thursday, and Sallah will be celebrated on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of Saudi Arabia yesterday called residents in the Kingdom to watch the skies to sight the Shawwal crescent on the evenings of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Those who sight the crescent (hilal) were requested to record the proof and inform the nearest court.

According to the court, if the crescent was sighted on the evening yesterday, then today, Wednesday would be considered as Eid. If that is the case, then there will be only 28 days of the holy month in 2013. Under such circumstances, worshippers fast a day any day after Eid and before the next Ramadan to make up for the 29th Ramadan.

This indicates and obvious error in the lunar sighting for this year’s Ramadan. This oddity, according to news reports, has happened once 30 years ago.

However by sunset yesterday, the Saudi authorities announced that the moon was not sighted, and therefore, the search for it continues

Nigeria seeks extradition of al Qaeda suspect to US

N

igeria has asked a court to grant an extradition request for one of its citizens to the United States over charges of aiding the Yemeni branch of al-Qaeda, court documents seen by Reuters yesterday showed.

US and Nigerian authorities have accused Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi of travelling to Yemen with members of Al Qaeda in

the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in 2010 and 2011 and receiving $8,600 in order to return to Nigeria and recruit Englishspeaking radicals.

“Olaniyi … is being indicted for conspiracy to provide support to a foreign terrorist organisation, provision and attempted provision of material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, unlawful use

of firearms,” the application from Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Mohammd Belo Adoke, dated July 23 2013 said.

Babafemi, 32, nicknamed “Ayatollah Mustapha”, was in the United States for some of the time that he and AQAP were plotting together.

He returned to Nigeria last year, whereupon the country’s secret

service detained him. He faces at least 10 years in jail in the US if convicted.

Nigeria, which is suffering its own Islamist insurgency by Boko Haram, is closely watched by the United States and other Western powers, which fear alQaeda-linked militants are seeking to use the West African nation as a springboard for attacks.

Breakfast with IBB: We stand by our story Contd. from Front Page Hilltop residence in Minna for a Ramadan breakfast.

In the story titled “Breakfast: IBB turns down Jonathan”, Peoples Daily reported that Jonathan had sought to join General Babangida for the breakfast as he reasoned it would be inappropriate for the Holy month of Ramadan to elapse without him showing the spirit of comradeship with the former military president.

“The president (Jonathan) therefore sent word to IBB indicating he wanted to join the former leader for a breakfast with him in Minna”, a reliable source had told one of our reporters.

Another source close to the former military president in Minna confirmed the Aso Rock’s

request but disclosed that IBB was not comfortable with such visit, noting that it may be “misconstrued”, more so when the Niger state governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu would not be present at the breakfast meeting as he was out of the country.

In the story, Jonathan’s spokesman, Reuben Abati was extensively quoted as denying any such scheduled breakfast between the president and General Babangida.

“It’s not true. Whoever is telling you that story is just making it up”; Abati was quoted as saying in yesterday’s news report in Peoples Daily.

The presidential spokesman, who had to make some checks before he phoned back to react

to the story, said further that: “The President has not gone out of his residence to breakfast anywhere or with anybody since this Ramadan started.

“Rather, since the holy month began, the President has been the one that receives people in the (Presidential) Villa to breakfast with him. He has been receiving different groups of people, all of who are residents here in the FCT”, he said.

In addition, Peoples Daily, in yesterday’s reported quoted Abati as saying: “As you’re probably aware, the president is fasting.

So, almost every other day different groups of people come to breakfast with him. And to the best of my knowledge, IBB’s name is not on the list of people lined up to join Mr. President in the Villa

and have breakfast with him.

“But to say that the president was the one to go to Minna and breakfast with the former president, that’s untrue”, he further said.

But despite reflecting the Presidency’s position as highlighted by Abati in that lead story of yesterday by Peoples Daily, the presidential spokesperson yesterday issued a rebuttal in which he described the report as “arrant falsehood”.

While reiterating his earlier position that President Jonathan never indicated any interest in visiting IBB at Minna during the current Ramadan, Abati alleged that the news report was “a further manifestation of a continuing effort to sow the seeds of discord in the polity”.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 3

Strike: No going back, says ASUU President ...We’ll soon resolve issues, Suswam

By Maryam Garba-Hassan

T

here appears to be no solution to the prolonged strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) following another meeting with the Federal Government which ended in a deadlock yesterday.

The ASUU President, Dr. Nasir Fagge, insisted that the union will not end the strike until government meets all its demands.

He spoke at the end of the meeting called by the sub-committee set up by Governor Gabriel Suswan’s NEEDS Assessment Committee.

As he put it, “you remember last week we set up a committee to go and do some work and present a report.

“You could see that today’s meeting is very short because that sub-committee has not finished its work. We are going to resume again on Tuesday next week to look at what the committee has done.

“I cannot go into details because the committee said they have not completed the work.

“The committee is expected to give us the template how best to

look at what has been presented by government in terms of making provision for infrastructure rehabilitation in the university.

“How many times did we call off strike before and nothing happened?

“When we call off strike people just go back and sleep. Is that what you want us to do and continue having strike in this country?

“Don’t you think for once it is better we come out and things are done right before we call off the strike? I think that is better for this country But Suswam told journalists that the committee has made tremendous progress in sorting out the fundamental issues involved in the re-negotiated agreement with ASUU. “The meeting went on very well as we have made substantial progress in the negotiation. I would like to say that we are almost getting there.

“The Sub-committee that I set up could not completely finish its work and because there is a holiday in between we have shifted the meeting till next week Tuesday.

“We expect that this part of the

negotiation which is based on the NEEDS assessment we hope to complete it when we meet next week Tuesday because the committee has done substantial work and all the parties are happy with what we have done so far.

“Based on the commitment and seriousness of the negotiation we are hoping that we will complete this thing in the next two weeks, that was last week when I spoke.

“Because of the holiday in between we would have been able to finish the negotiation.

“Hopefully we would agree on all the issues and if the issues are agreed upon by the two parties, I am very optimistic that the issues would be addressed next week. I believe once we address the issues the strike will be called off.

“ASUU is also very interested that the strike be called off but that the issues before the government must be addressed.

“You know these are issues that have been on since 2009 and we are hoping that once and for all we address all the issues so that issues of strike would be a thing of past.”

Shema vs ex-SSG: Chief judge asks court to hands off case From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

T

he case between Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina state and a former Secretary to the Katsina state Government, Dr. Mustapha Inuwa over alleged defamation of character has been transferred from Chief Magistrate’s Court 11 to a director in the state Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

Counsel to Governor Shema, Barrister Uyi Igunma had earlier written a petition against the Magistrate’s Court’s ruling that it will continue hearing on the case despite the governor’s counsel’s earlier rejection of the court ruling.

At the ruling of the magistrate to hands off the case based on

directives of the state chief judge and a petition written by the counsel of the complainant, the chief magistrate noted that the case has been tranferred to a director in the Katsina JSC. However, following the court ruling, a shouting match ensued between the counsel to the accused, Barrister Ernest Ogunnadike and that of the complainant when the latter demanded for the ruling of the court and a letter from the state chief judge demanding for the transfer of the case.

Counsel to the complainant interrupted the accused’s counsel while making a verbal application for the two documents, whereas the latter alleged that what the former was applying for was a normal administrative process of the court

that ought not to be done during the court sitting.

But counsel to the accused argued that it was his constitutional right to make the request. That enraged the counsel to the complainant who alleged that: “It is what you could not get through the front door that you got through the back door”.

This however irritated Shema’s counsel who angrily replied that: “I want this court to let my learned colleague know that he has no monopoly of making this kind of insinuation”.

It was at this point that the presiding magistrate, Mustapha Batsari called for calm between the disputing parties, reminding them that “no point for argument before this court because I’ve already hands off the case”.

Bama a ghost town when we visited, Wazirin Katsina From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

T

he Wazirin Katsina and member, Presidential Committee on Peace and Dialogue in Northern Nigeria, Dr. Sani Abubakar Lugga has disclosed that war-torn Bama in Borno state was a ghost when the committee visited, as members saw only seven people.

Lugga who made the disclosure while hosting working journalists and members of the Christian

Association of Nigeria, CAN, to a breaking of the fast in his house on Monday, all residents had deserted the town to safe places.

“Because of the level of devastation in the town an 85year old member of our committee started shedding tears when we reached the area. In fact I had a running stomach when I saw the gory sight in the town,” he added.

The Wazirin Katsina stressed that the people in the area were seriously hit by the crisis, adding that “to reach the area we were provided

with military escorts while the governor of the state had to provide seven bullet proof vehicles for the journey”.

Dr. Lugga frowned at those calling for the disbandment of the committee, saying that a lot has been achieved by the committee, details of which he said would not be made public for now in order not to jeopardize the dialogue process.

He therefore urged journalists and religious leaders to guard their utterances to avoid fuelling the crises in the country.

News Ramadan Timing Day 29 TOWNS Aba Abakaliki Abeokuta Abuja Akure Argungu Ankpa Auchi Azare Bama Bauchi Benin Bichi Bida Birnin Gwari Birnin Kebbi Biu Calabar Damaturu Daura Dutse Enugu Funtua Gombe Gwoza Gumi Gusau Gwadabawa Hadejia ` Ibadan Ife Ilorin Jalingo Jere Jos Kabba Kafanchan Keffi/Nasarawa Kaduna Kano Katsina Kontagora Lafia Lagos Lokoja Maiduguri Makurdi Malumfashi Minna Port Harcourt Ringim Shagamu Sokoto Warri Yola Zaria Cotonnou-Benin Ndjamena-Chad Niamey-Niger Younde-Cameroun

MAGRIB 6.42 6.45 7.04 6.51 6.56 7.05 6.44 6.52 6.43 6.28 6.42 6.55 6.51 6.56 6.54 7.08 6.31 6.41 6.36 6.52 6.47 6.46 6.55 6.36 6.29 7.03 6.58 7.05 6.45 7.01 7.00 7.01 6.34 6.50 6.45 6.54 6.48 6.51 6.52 6.50 6.56 6.59 6.44 7.02 6.51 6.29 6.44 6.56 6.55 6.46 6.47 7.02 7.05 6.54 6.30 6.51 7.05 7.20 7.19 6.26

ALFIJR 5.10 5.12 5.29 5.10 5.21 5.09 5.11 5.17 4.52 4.39 4.58 5.22 4.59 5.15 5.10 5.15 4.40 5.13 4.45 4.56 4.57 5.13 5.05 4.52 4.41 5.12 5.05 5.09 4.51 5.24 5.23 5.24 4.53 5.06 5.01 5.17 5.05 5.00 5.05 4.59 5.00 5.15 5.05 5.29 5.29 4.40 5.07 4.59 5.12 5.18 4.57 5.27 5.09 5.22 4.49 5.04 5.34 4.33 5.22 5.02

Source: Society for Propagation of Islam Kaduna

PAGE 4

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Page 4 Report

Stemming statistical imbalance of education in the North

By Evelyn Okakwu and Mustapha Adamu

I

n recent time, the northern part of the country has been a source of great worries to Nigerians in general. The pace of violence perpetrated by some scrupulous sects which led to the death of many Nigerians has, among other things, been a cause for great concern to many people, both within the North and beyond.

However, as was pointed out by Adedunmade Onibokun, in his book titled: “Northern Nigeria: The Weakest Link”, one of the major problems attributed to northern Nigeria is lack of western orientation and education.

Onibokun quoted Yaned Afuwaj, a retired teacher and former president of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union, as saying that: “Before 1972, schools in the North were well-equipped, there existed moral teachings, including everything needed to make a good nation. The objective of government taking over the schools from British colonialists was to suppress the general progress of the North”, he said.

Also, a census conducted in 2006 found that there were 1.2 million almajiri boys in Kano alone; recent national estimates put the total number of such boys at 10million. These almajiris, in return for the Islamic education provided by the Malam, are required to provide support for him even as they fend for themselves usually by roaming the streets to beg for alms. A UNICEF researcher found that 60% of these kids never return home.

The Arewa Youth Mobilisation, a non-governmental organisation, some time ago presented statistics showing that 30 percent of Northern Nigerian youths are street beggars.

Similarly, Wole Olabanji, in his “Almajiri (Coaxing an Evil Genie – The Almajiri Challenge)”, published by Elombah. com said: “These kids are then, from an early age, schooled in Islamic knowledge; in certain instances of a radical bent. Put that together with the fact they are not given any other knowledge or skills that will enable them participate in the economy and what you get are young adults who have

Pupils taking lessons under these unfavourable condition hampers their learning process

lived deprived of parental love; who are excluded from the economic life of the society; and in many cases indoctrinated with radical, negative ideas about people who are different in some respect from them”.

Olabanji cited that: “When the average 13yr old southern Nigerian Christian female child is preoccupied with Introductory Technology as a school subject, her northern Muslim counterpart is discussing the upcoming introduction to her prospective in-laws with her envious mates (she is going to be the fourth wife). Trace the trajectory of their lives and you will find that when the southerner is entering university at 18, her counterpart is in the third trimester of her fifth annual pregnancy.

Daniel Elombah, in his article: “Nigeria: The turbulent North and the Almajiri threat (part 1)” noted that these religious and political problems stemming from the North is fueled by poverty, lack of education, neglect,

ignorance, poor judgment and perceptions of their fellow Nigerians, due to lack of basic informational structure in place to sustain the peace and harmony that we need to prosper as a nation.

Furthermore, former Minister of Finance, Dr Usman Shamsudeen during the administration of former president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, analysed the educational status of the North, thus: “If you take the education of the girl-child as indicator, you see similar pattern of inequality with the SouthEast having an enrolment rate of 85%, South-West having an enrolment rate of 85%, South-South 75%, while the North-East 20% and North West 25%.”

The Minister of Finance, who spoke while addressing gathering of eminent Northerners alluded the aforementioned to a World Bank statistics conducted at that time, stating that the level of education of a people has direct correlation with their living standards .He then lamented that

based on that correlation, Northern Nigeria was far behind all of humanity when it comes to child education.

His words: “About two months ago, the Ministry of Finance organised a review session with our Development Partner like the World Bank. The World Bank representative gave a list of statistics that should shock all of us into action”, he said.

He said that “Northern Nigeria remains, and represents the only place in the world that has the highest number of children that are not going to school. The highest numbers of children that are not going to school in the world are in Northern Nigeria”, he emphasized and blamed the problem on lack of commitment and efforts on the part of Northern leaders.

However, when Peoples Daily visited the Kano state Secondary School Management Board and had a word with the Director-General, Alhaji Habib Hassan el-Yakub, on the impact of low western education in the North, Alh. el-Yakub pointed accusing

“

fingers on parents, students and the government. “The problem of education in general can be attributed to the parents, students and government”, he stated.

Highlighting the causes of poor performance of teachers in northern Nigeria, the DG stated that: “Nowadays, we are all aware that the prevalence of poor performance of teachers in schools is as a result of lack of commitment and dedication on the part of the teachers themselves.

Teachers nowadays are mindful of salary, rather than the profession”.

“In the past, a teacher had to conduct a research, read deeply on the subjects he teaches and plan for the lesson to teach before he enters the class to teach the students. A teacher had to measure the success of the lesson he taught and correct mistakes where found.

Teachers also used to rush for classes because they are prepared for it. Now this has become history only in some rare incidence.”

Secondly, the DG attributed the problem on the proliferation of schools, which he said has decreased

There are increasing numbers of graduates who teach in schools with degree and diploma qualifications but they are not in education and not trained in the Teachers institute. These kinds of teachers lack the teaching methodology; they don’t even know how to make lesson plans but would be employed as teachers in schools.

the value of the teaching profession in some parts of the region.

“Proliferation of schools has decreased the lowquality value and prestige of the teaching profession in some parts of the region. In the past we know there were Teachers Training Colleges, where a student would learn how to become a teacher in primary and post primary schools. There was also Advanced Teachers Colleges for teachers to learn how to teach in advance, they also include degree courses like B.Ed, M.Ed etc, but now these schools are not functioning well”, he lamented.

He cited shortage of teachers as well as increasing number of students and schools as major factors impeding education in the North, saying, “Shortage of teachers as a result of increasing number of schools and students is another factor that contributes to poor performance of teachers.

There are increasing numbers of graduates who teach in schools with degree and diploma qualifications but they are not in education and not trained in the Teachers institute.

These kinds of teachers lack the teaching methodology; they don’t even know how to make lesson plans but would be employed as teachers in schools.

“Some of them prefer to start teaching before they get another job. We are in the situation where you will find an engineering graduate, sociology graduate, OND and HND graduates teaching in class.

This is abuse of profession because, ideally these graduates are not supposed to be teachers. A teacher is the person that obtained a qualification in Grade 2, NCE, B.Ed or M.Ed.”.This is why Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) has introduced the standardisation of the teaching profession,” he added.

Thankfully, as part of effort to boost education the North, the president has launched the Almajiri School in Sokoto, to ensure the nation’s support and care for the almajiri child.

However, the primary responsibility of providing the requisite education for the children in the North remains at the doorstep of their parents and the leaders of the region, if the everwidening imbalance between them and their southern counterparts is to be reduced and ideally eliminated.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 5

News

Jonathan free to join APC, says Akande I

By Umar Muhammad Puma

nterim National Chairman of the recently registered All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande, yesterday urged President Goodluck Jonathan to abandon his crisis ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join his party.

Commenting after the inaugural meeting of the APC’s Interim National Executive Committee held in Abuja yesterday, Akande assured that the party is willing to accommodate whoever wishes to become its member.

Akande also warned those currently parading themselves as the executive of the APC at the state and local government levels to desist from doing so just as he assured that the APC would soon organize ward congresses where the ward leaders would emerge.

Akande also said that the presidential election was not the party’s priority, stressing however that the party is focused on building structures in local, state and national level.

He said, “we have set up several committees including one on the November gubernatorial election in Anambra and another on party structure headed by a

former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Masari”.

“In today’s meeting, we have set up several committees to advice us on how to stage congresses from ward level, local government, state and at the national level; to hold a convention in order to establish a proper structure for the party.

“Because Nigerians are anxious to join the party, some people have started talking on behalf of the party. We are putting a stop to that. Any statement about the APC should emanate from the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alh. Lai Mohammed.

The authority will soon begin to flow down from the national level through to the state and the local government level”.

On controversies around who will be the presidential candidate of the party, Akande said, “we have not reached that stage; our major reoccupation is to set up the structures of our party, the APC. It is after we hold our national convention, where our national executive will be elected, that the idea of who becomes what should come up”.

“We want to do our things in a very orderly way; we are building a structure from the foundation to the top, and not from the top down.

On the case instituted by the rival African People’s Congress (APC) concerning the acronym, Akande said “in Nigeria today,

we do not know anything about any other APC apart from the All Progressives Congress, and we don’t contemplate anything and

nothing will move this APC out of place. We remain the party, and we shall remain a party forever, to rule this country,” he said.

President, ‘Women in Logistics and Transport’ (WILAT)’s Nigeria chapter, Hajiya Aisha Ali-Ibrahim, displaying a plaque to the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Malam Abdullahi when the executive members of WILAT paid him a courtesy visit in his office last Friday.

Oritsejafor says 9 years old girl drowns in Bauchi flood Nigerians don’t fear God

P

resident of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ayo Oritsejafor, has appealed to political office holders in Nigeria to desist from overheating the polity so as to achieve peaceful coexistence and national development for the benefit of humanity.

The CAN President made the plea yesterday at the Assemblies Of God Church in Jos, Plateau state, as he toured the six geopolitical zones of the country to urge Christians and leaders to pray harder for harmonious coexistence of Nigerians irrespective of religious and (geo)political difference.

According to him, “I urge

the church to pray for Nigeria.

Let’s raise the standard for this country.

“The Church needs to remain one so that its prayer can be effective.

“The problem with Nigeria is that, we do not fear God because you cannot take another man’s life if you fear God.” He also decried the level of corruption in Nigeria, noting that, “there is money you mustn’t touch.

“How do you seize a pensioner’s money and be able to go home and sleep. Some people are dying of malaria, in childbirth and people are jetting abroad to check for headache.”

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From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

B

auchi residents yesterday protested the death of a nine years old girl by flood as they attributed the development to non provision of drainages.

Our correspondent who monitored the protest reported that residents of Shekal ward blocked a popular Bauchi Gombe road and vowed not to open the road until government intervened and solved the problems of flooding which destroyed over 100 houses in the area.

One of the residents, Hajiya Aishatu Mohammed Shekal said that, “we have been facing this

problem of flooding for more than two decades.

“Whenever the rains come we do not sleep because the water can reach up to the chest of a man and it used to destroy our property.

“It was only during the Ahmed Mu’azu regime that they assisted us but now our population has increased and it is proper if government can expand the culverts along major roads to reduce the problems.

“We are told that the water comes from Fadaman Mada, Unguwar Abuja and Karofi and passes through our area.”

A team of mobile police was drafted to maintain law and order in the area while government ordered the Bauchi State

Environmental Protection Agency to evacuate all the refuse dumped on the streets.

The Chairman Bauchi State Emergency distribution committee Alhaji Mohammed Inuwa Bello, confirmed the incident saying that, “the SEMA assessment team has visited Shekal ward in Bauchi metropolis where it was badly hit by the flood.

“Preliminary report confirmed the death of a nine years old girl who drowned in the flood and 14 houses were said to be affected.

“SEMA is assisting the victims with some food items and other needs while the affected persons are reported to be staying with their neighbors.”

“There was anxiety in the communities and beyond the affected part to all parts of Nigeria.

“On a regular basis, there were either cases of detonation of bombs or harassment of people.

“There was a state of fear but since the declaration of state of emergency by President Jonathan, a lot has been achieved.”

He described Jonathan’s decision as “a very good demonstration of leadership determination and focus by this present administration.

“Three months down the line, when you look at the affected places where the state of emergency were declared, the first thing you will note is that before then, the Boko Haram insurgents have carved out a part of Nigeria.

“The level of fear before the declaration of state of emergency in those affected states was really very high and even in the rest of the country but that has gone down now.

“What has happened is that there is now greater confidence; the confidence of the people in the capacity of the Federal Government and the Jonathan administration to fulfill the objective of securing lives and property had been restored,” Abati said.

But current developments in the areas especially in Borno state run contrary to Abati’s claims of peace.

Insurgents have continued to launch their bloody bomb campaigns in spite of security presence on the streets.

Emergency rule has restored normalcy in north east, says Presidency

I

n spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the Presidency insisted yesterday that the emergency rule in three North East states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe has resulted in a return to normalcy in those states.

Presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati said on a Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) network programme yesterday that the declaration of emergency rule by the Federal Government had attracted vote of confidence by the people.

According to him, “the first point to note is that before the declaration of state of emergency, the situation in the affected states was really bad, socio-economic activities had practically seized.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

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News

LG workers begin strike in Nasarawa

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

T

he Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Nasarawa state chapter yesterday ordered its members to begin an indefinite strike over alleged lack of promotion and nonpayment of their entitlements by the state government.

The decision of the union was contained in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia.

In the statement jointly signed

by Messrs.’, Adamu Eladoga and Abdullahi Haruna, the state Chairman

and Secretary of union respectively, the union stated that the issue of staff promotion and annual increment had lingered for three years without government showing serious commitment to resolve it.

Other issues raised in the statement include; non- payment of leave and transport grants from 2010 as well as alleged under payment of some staff salaries, amongst other demands.

“We have met with the government on three consecutive occasions since May this year, reminding them of the need to meet our demands but all attempts failed.

“Having exhausted all avenues

where local government workers demand can be ensured, the state executive council of the union was compelled to embark on a seven day warning strike action that lapsed on August 5.

“Accordingly, in view of the insensitivity of the state government to the local government workers’ demand, the SEC in session has approved with immediate effect an indefinite strike until the state government responded positively,” the statement said.

It further enjoined local government workers to ignore anyone who may want to lure them back

to work, while they await further directive from the NULGE state secretariat.

However, Malam Sani Yakubu, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said the group declaring the strike was a factional arm of NULGE which did not have the legal backing to take such action.

“As far as the state government is concerned, NULGE in the state has no leadership and any group parading itself and even calling for a strike is only trying to galvanise the local government workers and deceive them in order to achieve their selfish aim,” the commissioner said.(NAN).

A

T

although majority thinks the present administration performed averagely, however the proportion of Nigerians that think they performed well increased by 6-points from June (23%) to July (28%) and by 6% in comparison to the average obtained from the previous six months (22%).

Furthermore, the current results reveal slight improvements in the power situation (38%), compared to the previous month (June: 32%).

Further analysis reveals that while about 38% of Nigerians claimed to have experienced improvement in power supply, four geo-political regions accounted for the highest proportion of

respondents – North-Central (51%), North-East (47%), South-East (41%) and South-South (40%).

Similarly, three out of the four regions also accounted for the highest ratings of the President’s 53% approval in July –North-Central (56%), SouthEast (73%), and South-South (62%).

Given the overall break down, the report said, the majority (42%) are of the opinion that the current administration has performed averagely.

This finding depicts a 5-point decline from June (47%). In addition, a total of 28% are of the opinion that the administration has performed well, also marking a 5-point increase from June

2013 (23%).

However, 30% rated their performance as poor (same as in June). An evaluation of the current administration’s performance based on geo-political zones showed that the North-East zone had the highest proportion of respondents (54%) that rated the performance of the current administration as average.

While the South-East zone accounted for the highest number of respondents (45%) that rated the current administration positively, the North-West (46%) recorded the highest number of respondents that rated their performance negatively.

reporters in Abuja yesterday that NEITI appeared to have embarked on a wild-goose chase.

According to him, “we challenge NEITI to tell Nigerians where the N4.423 billion it claims was warehoused.

“If NEITI is indeed, desirous of efficiently doing its job, we challenge it to go and consult the records at the Central Bank of Nigeria, where the PSF account is domiciled.

“It should also go a step further by visiting the records at the Federal Ministry of Finance to confirm if

certain amount of money, as claimed, was remitted accordingly or not by the PPPRA. “To all intents and purposes, it is apparent that NEITI is on a wildgoose chase and self-seeking in its putrid claims.

He also faulted NEITI’s latest claim that, “all the companies and government agencies covered by the audit including the PPPRA were fully involved and participated actively in the audit process.”

He said there was never a time the audit report was ‘signed off’ by

the PPPRA management, challenging NEITI to make a copy of the ‘sign-off’ public to prove its claim.

The PPPRA Boss cited a section of NEITI’s report that claimed that N3.715 billion was yet to be refunded

by NNPC and two other marketers, NIPCO Plc and AMG Petro-Energy Ltd, saying that NEITI report was not intandem with the outstanding in overrecovery, “which is N3.98 billion owed only by the NNPC.’’ “The total over-recovery due from NNPC within the period was N8.372 billion, out of which the corporation

paid N4.391 billion, leaving out a balance of N3.981 billion.

“Contrary to NEITI’s report, neither NIPCO nor AMG Petro-Energy Ltd has any outstanding payment for settlement. The issues here are about facts and figures and we make no pretentions about all of these.’’

He said that the PPPRA as a responsible government agency was always ready to subject itself to any enquiry, designed to promote public good and full realisation of the transformation agenda of the Federal Government.

Poll shows improvement in Jonathan’s performance governance snap poll conducted by the NOI for the month of July recorded a considerable increase in President Goodluck Jonathan’s performance at 53%.

In a result made available to Peoples Daily yesterday, it was revealed That, “about 5 in 10 Nigerians (53%) approve of the job performance of President Goodluck Jonathan, and this rating marks a 9-point increase from the month of June (44%).

“This current July rating of 53% ranks as the second best rating in seven months, behind February (54%).

The results also revealed that

By Lawrence Olaoye he National Secretariat of Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), has raked in the sum of N186 million from aspirants for the November 16th governorship poll in Anambra state.

A total of 26 aspirants picked the Expression of Interest forms in governorship race with each of them paying N1 million fee. This totaled N26 million.

Male aspirants on the platform of the party are required to pay N10 million to obtain the PDP Nomination Form while female aspirants are made to part with N5million for same.

Though some of the aspirants protested the high tag for the Nomination Form with some of hem who initially indicated interests backing out, it was however resolved that the N10mmmillion fee would be the standard for all governorship aspirants on the platform of the party.

Even though they protested, 17 of the 26 aspirants who paid for the Expression of Interest Form on Monday returned their Nomination Forms after paying the specified fees.

15 male aspirants paid the N10million for the Nomination forms while two female aspirants return same after the payment of N5 million each.

When the final list of those willing to go ahead with the Anambra electoral process was released yesterday, former Minister of Women Affairs, Josephine Anenih and Agape Ifunanyachukwu Kramer were the only female aspirants who could make the list The 17 aspirants were yesterday screened by the Ambassador Aminu Wali Screening Committee at the party headquarters.

According to the list made available, those who paid for the nomination form are, Agape Ifunanyachukwu Kramer, Obinna Uzoh, Mike Okoye, Akachukwu Nwankpo, Ugochukwu Okeke, Josephine Anenih, Emmanuel Anosike, Andy Ubah, Jerry Ugokwe, Sylvester Okonkwo, Nicholas Ukachukwu,Tony Nwoye, Patrick Ogbomo, Alex Obiogbolu, Charles Odunukwe, Ahamefula Damian and Walter Okeke.

L-R: Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Uwais, congratulating the guest lecturer, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (right), at the Nigerian institute of advanced Legal Studies 2013 State of the Legal Profession lecture in Abuja yesterday. With them is another former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore (centre).

By Etuka Sunday

PDP rakes in N186m from Anambra governorship aspirants

PPPRA accuses NEITI of misinforming public

By Etuka Sunday

T

he Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) yesterday appealed to Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to desist from confusing the public further on its audit report that the PPPRA should remit N4.423 billion to the Federation Account.

Reacting to NEITI’s statement that it stood by its controversial audit report, the Executive Secretary of the PPPRA, Mr. Reginald Stanley, told

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

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News

Briefs Oil subsidy scam

T

he Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday declared two persons accused of defrauding the Federal Government in bogus oil subsidy claims wanted.

EFCC Spokesman, wilson Uwujaren said the two persons are, Seun Ogunbambo and Habila Theck, Managing Director and General Manager, Operations respectively of Fargo Petroleum and Gas Limited.

The Anti-graft body further said the persons are wanted in connection with a case of conspiracy, forgery and obtaining the sum of N976, 653,110.28 from the Petroleum Support Fund by false pretence.

By Lambert Tyem

Child trafficking gang

P

olice in Delta state have smashed a child trafficking/kidnap gang, including two mothers, a couple and nurses.

Five of the suspects were arrested by the Police at Akwukwu-Igbo in Oshimili North Local Government Area.

Two members of the gang operating on a motorcycle last Monday abducted a one year, four-month-old boy, while he was playing with other children in Atuma community, near Akwukwu-Igbo.

Some of the vigilant residents however recognized one of the abductors who was said to have hailed from a neighbouring community and was released from jail about two months ago, where he served for a similar incident.

By Prince Edward, Asaba

Delta toxic waste

D

etectives at the Delta state Command of the Nigeria Police force yesterday intercepted three trucks of products suspected to be toxic waste along the Ogwashi-uku/Kwale road in the state.

Sources said the suspects conveying the products allegedly attempted to dump the substances somewhere in Ndokwa East Local Government Area before they were nabbed following a tip-off.

It was gathered that the quick intervention of the community leaders and the police detectives who acted on a tip-off to have clamped down on the suspect saved what would have been “disasters” in the community.

From Prince Edward, Asaba

From Left: Govs. Babatunde Fashola of Lagos; Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun; a guest and Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti, at the burial of father of Gov. Fashola in Lagos on Tuesday

Rivers Police hands off Lloyd’s case

A

High Court in Port Harcourt has adjourned to tomorrow to rule on whether to grant the embattled leader of the Rivers State House of Assembly Chidi Lloyd bail.

Justice Nyordee remanded Lloyd

in prison custody and adjourned the matter to tomorrow after the lead counsel to the lawmaker, Beluolisa Nwofor, moved a bail application before the Court.

The development came up as the Attorney-General of the state Wogu

Boms, took over the prosecution of the matter after the embattled Lawmaker was arraigned before the court.

Justice L. Nyordee who ruled on the matter said it was the subjective responsibility of the Attorney-

Accolades as Fashola’s father is laid to rest Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

T

he remains of Alhaji Ademola Fashola, the father of the Governor of Lagos State, was laid to rest at the Vaults and Gardens Cemetery, Ikoyi, Lagos, yesterday amidst torrents of tributes.

Pa Fashola begins the final

journey with lying-in state at his residence at Ladipo Labinjo Street, Surulere where sympathisers paid their last respects.

His corpse arrived from the mortuary in black Merceses Benz SUV at about 11:55am while a lying in state was later held in his honour at Surulere Senior Secondary School.

Later, prayers were offered for the repose of his soul at the Lagos Central Mosque, Lagos Island before he was taken to the Vaults and Gardens for burial.

At the grave side, the Muslim clerics offered prayers for Pa Fashola’s repose and prayed God to grant him eternal rest before he was lowered to the grave in the presence

General to prosecute the matter.

Boms did not oppose the bail application filed by the Prosecutor rather the court threw out the counter affidavit filed by the Police counsel and upheld the one by the Attorney-General. of the governor, Babatunde Fashola and other siblings.

The burial was also witnessed by prominent Nigerians who came to pay their last respects to the deceased.

Alhaji Bolaji Fashola, the head of the family, said they were devastated by the news of the death of the octogenarian and told newsmen that members of the family were shattered by the death of the deceased.

… Northern governors, APC, PDP, others condole Fashola

By Lawrence Olaoye, Tobias Lengnam Dapam, Abuja & Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

T

he Northern States Governors Forum, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and National Orientation Agency as well as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have commiserated with the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola and his family over the recent demise of his father, Pa Ademola Fashola.

The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Niger, Dr Babangida Aliyu, in a condolence message

signed by his spokesman, Mr. Danladi Ndayebo, stated that the death of Alhaji Fashola was a big loss to the governor and the people of Lagos State, and that the death came at a critical time when his advice and guidance were required to address the myriad of problems confronting the nation.

Also, the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande in a press statement stated that although the loss of a loved one is painful even at a ripe age, Governor Fashola should look at the exit of his father as a glorious transition.

The statement said, “A father who gave the people of Lagos state

a first-rated Governor and a man of integrity and rare vision like His Excellency, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, must be appreciated and celebrated both in life and in death.

Also condoling with the family, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) Director General, Mr. Mike Omeri, in a press statement issued by the Agency’s Chief Press Secretary, Paul Odenyi, said the governor had lost a formidable source of support and inspiration, considering their closeness and how his father had significantly influenced his world view, work and immense developmental strides while providing leadership for Lagos state.

The leadership and members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have commiserated with the Lagos state Governor, Babatunde Fashola over the death of his father.

The party in a statement by its Acting National Publicity Secretary, Ceasar Okeke, said, “the passage of Pa. Fashola, even at the ripe age of 80 has indeed left a big vacuum not only in the Fashola family but in Lagos state and the entire nation at large.

“A devout Muslim, community leader and philanthropist, Pa. Fashola until his passage remained a shining example of humility and a source of inspiration for the younger generation.

PAGE 8

PEOPLES DAILY,WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

News

Nigerian teachers, professors, poorest paid in the world - JAF From Ayodele Samuel & Mariam Nurudeen Lagos

T

he Joint Action Front (JAF), of the Labour and Civil Society Coalition (LASCO), yesterday said teachers and professors in Nigeria are the poorest paid in the world.

Speaking at a Press Conference in Lagos, JAF Secretary, Abiodun Aremu, who made this known said that legitimately earned salaries and allowances by teaching and non-teaching staff in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions, are in all

cases, less than 5% of the requirement to fund education adequately.

Aremu noted that Nigeria’s President, Governors, Senators, Members of the House of Representatives, Legislators in State Assemblies, LG Chairmen and Councillors earned the highest jumbo pay in the world, while education is poorly funded in Nigeria at less than 8%, with South Africa’s funding at about 38%.

“Funding of Public Education is not given the proper priority it deserves because the children of

those in government and their friends are being trained in private schools in Nigeria and foreign countries with the looted public funds.

Also, some of them set up private schools and universities in Nigeria and abroad with stolen funds from the public coffers.

That is why none of their children are in any public school in Nigeria. That explains why they are not bothered when PUBLIC primary, secondary and tertiary institutions are shut and pupils and students have to remain

Jigawa pays N442m to university land owners

From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

J

igawa state government yesterday began the payment of N442,531,956.49 million compensation to members of the Magorawa community where the permanent site of the Federal University, Dutse, is located.

This was disclosed to newsmen by the Permanent Secretary, Jigawa State Ministry of Lands, Housing, Urban Development and Regional Planning, Alhaji Nasiru Muhammed Sani, while handing over cheques to their owners at

the palace of Turakin Dutse, Alhaji Jamilu Basiru Sanusi.

He said the Ministry had already prepared new settlements for them, adding that what remained was for them to cash their cheques and use the money judiciously to resettle themselves.

The Permanent Secretary thanked them for their understanding and cooperation while advising them to relocate as soon as possible to enable the University commence development in earnest.

In his remark, the Turakin Dutse thanked the ministry for fulfilling its promise of paying the compensation this week, adding that the coming of the university will bring a lot of development to the community.

Vice -Chancellor of the university, Prof. Jibrilla Dahiru Amin, also thanked members of the community for their understanding, adding that the community will benefit from the university in the short and long run.

at home for as long as the unions are frustrated to resume without government acceding to their legitimate demands”, Aremu said.

Commenting on the ongoing ASUU strike, the group blamed the ongoing strike on the failure by government to honour the agreement signed in 2009.

“If the rulers in government believe in the ‘rule of law and due process’, as they would like to amuse themselves, there would have been no strikes and closure of schools in the first instance. To this class of exploiters in Nigeria, it is not practicable to implement Agreement that includes progressive increase in annual budget of education to 26%

between 2009 and 2020 but it is practicable to pay political office holders jumbo pays and allowances. Also, it is practicable for a Senator to earn more than the President of United States of America and to spend 5% of Nigeria’s annual budget on 109 Senators and 360 House of Representatives members, but not practicable to attend to social welfare needs of Nigerians”, he observed.

He said the struggles of the various labour unions for adequate funding of education and better welfare deserve the full support and solidarity of the entire labour movement.

The group however resolved to commence with mass rallies and procession next Tuesday.

CAN commends peaceful co-existence in Katsina From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

T

he Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), has urged Nigerians to learn from Katsina State, the art of peaceful co-existence among people from various ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Chairman of Katsina state chapter of CAN, Reverend Oluwasegun Adediran ,stated this in Katsina while speaking at a breakfast organised for members of the association and working journalists in the state

by Wazirin Katsina, Dr. Sani Abubakar Lugga, in his residence.

He said “ if all Nigerians will borrow from Katsina State, we will not have any problem of crises. In Katsina, the government does not discriminate against any religious or ethnic groups, so also the people of Katsina”.

The CAN chairman therefore called on people around the country to visit the state and see

things for themselves, thanking the Wazirin Katsina for his fatherly role and the emirs of Katsina and Daura for promoting peace in the state.

In his remarks, the provost of Dan Fodio Institute in Katsina, Sheikh Abubakar Ibrahim Charanchi, called on Nigerians, irrespective of their ethnic or religious affiliations, to unite in praying for the country at this trying times.

The host, Wazirin Katsina, frowned at those calling for the disbanding of the Presidential Committee on Peace, Dialogue and National Reconcialition, adding that “ we have no substitute for peace initiative”.

“Go to the areas affected by the crises, you will shed tears because of the level of devastation. In fact in one of the places visited, I had a running stomach due to the gory sights I saw. We must learn to move together towards peace and peaceful coexistence” he added.

FG set to pay compensation to post-election crisis victims From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

T

L-R: Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’I Ahmed, Minister Of Labour,Chukwemeka Wogu, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Peter Orubebe, Ondo State Governor , Olusegun Mimiko and Akwa Ibom state Governor, Godsday Akpabio after a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House, Abuja,yesterday.

Photo Joe Oroye.

Over 200 Nigerian pilots jobless From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

O

ver 200 indigenous pilots are currently out of job with some of them not getting any form of employment, three years after leaving school.

President of the umbrella body of pilots in Nigeria, the Nigerian Professional Pilots, (NPP), Capt.

Noggie Megison, who made this known, described as horrible, the lack of job placement for Nigerian-born pilots in the local aviation industry.

According to him,”We have private and government sponsored individuals coming from around the world. We are quite a number and amongst us are those that are out of school for two to three years and have not been working”.

Megison also appealed to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to enact enabling laws that will compel domestic carriers on the Nigerian routes to hire a fraction of Nigerian pilots in their

fleets.

Meanwhile the NCAA said it is poised to come out with guidelines that will ensure airlines mandatorily employ local pilots to fly their aircraft when they have all necessary papers and approved training.

The agency said however that having a qualifying license was not a license of employment and urged the pilots to continually improve themselves by gathering experience until they were employed.

he Federal Government is concluding arrangements to release money and materials to compensate victims of the 2011 post-election violence in Kaduna State.

The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission, Dr. John Kennedy Okpara disclosed this while meeting with the leadership of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kaduna yesterday.

Dr. Okpara said the delay in paying compensation to victims is as a result of the disbandment of the Presidential Committee to look into the crisis and the reconstitution of another committee to take charge of the matter.

“It is not deliberate that the Federal Government has not paid the people of Kaduna State especially those who were affected by the 2011 post-election

violence compensation; but, it is because of some changes in protocol and I am aware that the Presidency is at the final stage of ensuring that nobody suffers unjustly because of the 2011 election. So, plans are on the way to ensure that the new committee moves fast to pay compensation to those affected. We cannot pay compensation to the dead but we are praying for them and we have little stipend for their families”, Dr. Okpara said.

Dr. Okpara also disclosed that to quash the menace of armed robbery attacking pilgrims on their way to Abuja from Kaduna, the Federal Government has given approval for the airlift of Christian pilgrims from Kaduna International Airport in 2013. This, according to him, will also reduce expenses on behalf of intending pilgrims.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

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News

Poor cultural orientation blamed for decadence among youth

By Stanley Onyekwere and Nami Hassan Kadir pecial adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, on Ethics and Values, Mrs. Sarah Jibril, has linked prevalence of ethical decadence among Nigerian youths to poor cultural orientation, due to cultural conflict and parental laziness towards speaking indigenous languages in the country.

According to her, imparting indigenous languages on children helps to build and reinforce selfidentity, communal identity, philosophical identity, faith identity and even cultural identity in the youth, for national development.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of Teenz Nigeria 2013 language learning project on Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba, for preteens and teens between 9-19 years old, in Abuja, on Monday, the presidential aide stressed the need for promotion of indigenous languages among children as a platform for instilling the true the image of the country on them.

She warned that it would be a disservice for parents not to teach their children their indigenous languages, as speaking one’s own language has a lot of benefits; not only cultural but emotional, philosophical foundation, and social interaction advantages.

“The most important duty of any family is to teach its society’s cultural identity wrapped in Nigerian indigenous languages to their children; as a Nigerian child, who is made to understand the various backgrounds from which he or she is being brought forth from; and therefore can represent his parents and the larger society. But if we made a mistake then, we are now reminding all to go back and learn, so as to avoid making same mistake in the future, which makes our indigenous languages to appear to be extinct”, Jubril said Earlier in her remark, Miss Ijeoma Idika, of Teenz Global Foundation, the organisers of the programme, noted the need for creation of a platform for learning and re-learning indigenous Nigerian languages, to encourage realization of selfactualization, cultural identity and national identity among Nigerian teens.

Other activities lined for the two-week programme(August 5-17), include selection of 20 girls for Miss Teenz Nigeria Beauty Contest , Teenz Nigeria Cup Competition between two teams, a charity walk for positive change and a conference with the theme: Promoting Education, Character and Culture Among Nigerian Teens, to be held at Sheraton hotels, Abuja

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Eid-el-Fitri: Presidency solicits for prayers, support

By Udenna Orji

T

he Presidency yesterday appealed to Nigerians to continue to pray for and support the incumbent administration of President Goodluck Jonathan in its bid to transform the country and improve the lives of citizens.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati made the appeal when he featured in a programme on the network service of the Federal Radio Corporation of

Nigeria (FRCN) yesterday.

Abati, in what appears to be a Sallah message to Nigerians, while reiterating that the administration will not jettison its focus on good governance and the delivery of the dividend of democracy, stated that Nigerians are already witnessing the accomplishments of the administration.

“This administration remains focused. President Jonathan is committed and appreciates so far that Nigerians have given him an assignment and that assignment remains his primary focus. His

commitment is to ensure that the lives of Nigerians are truly transformed and Nigerians have already witnessed this transformation,” Abati stated.

He added that: “the key message is that Nigerians should continue to support this administration. President Jonathan again calls for support, understanding and prayers. And he continues to call on Nigerians that this administration will refuse to be distracted because there are all kinds of persons in the society trying to distract this

administration. But, the evidence is well provided in the mid-term report and in the testimony of many Nigerians who are supportive of this administration.”

“It will be Sallah in a matter of hours. President Jonathan will like to extend his warm felicitations as Nigerians celebrate and assure them that this administration is on course and we should continue to support our country because it is the only country we all have. We all have the responsibility to work to make it to continue to grow on a sustainable basis,” Abati added.

Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT. Sen. Smart Adeyemi, signing a condolence register at the NUJ Secretariat in Abuja in honour of three Journalists who died in an auto crash. With him is the NUJ President Malam Garba Mohammed.

Ramadan: Intellectuals tasked on peace building From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

V

eteran journalist and lecturer at the University of Jos, Dr. Uba Ahmad Ibrahim, has urged Nigerian intellectuals to use their talent to spread the word of peace in their various institutions.

Dr. Uba spoke in Jos on Monday during a breaking of fast between Muslims and Christians organized

by Jos Muslim community in an effort to foster peace in the state.

The occasion which was organized to strengthen the relationship and understanding among adherents of the two major religions had in attendance

the Special Task Force (STF) Commander, Major General Henry Ayoola, Plateau State Commissioner for Information, Pastor Ibraham Yiljab, the Chief Imam of Jos Central Mosque, Malam Balarabe Daud, the Representative of Plateau State Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President, Rev. Bamidele among others.

Speaking at the event, Malam Daud, said he was delighted that Muslims and Christians were eating together from the same pot, adding that this tolerance would serve as a message of peace to the people of Plateau State and Nigeria at large.

“Our meeting here today at the

same venue is a great achievement toward ensuring peace in the State.

I am delighted that our Christian brothers and sisters have honoured the invitation and I believe that when you go back home, you will tell your people that there is mutual understanding between Christians and Muslims”, Malam Daud said.

In his remark, President of CAN, Plateau State chapter, who was represented by Rev. Bamidele, said the coming together of adherents the two religions to dine together would assist to foster unity among the people of Plateau State, and called on the state government to provide a similar avenue that will enable people express the need for

peace.

In his good will massage, the commander of the JTF, Major General Henry Ayoola said the occasion would serve as a “phase of consolidation and forgiveness” among the residents of Plateau State, urging that people should always unite themselves in other to engender sustainable peace in the state.

He said people should never “trivialize religion” for any reason.

Earlier at the occasion, leader of the Jos Muslim Community Garba Abdulqadir, said the occasion was purposely organized to showcase the sense of belonging among the followers of the two religions.

Rivers evacuates beggars, destitute from streets

T

he Rivers state Government is to remove beggars and destitutes from streets in the state in a bid to rid the state of beggars, destitute and lunatics. Mrs. Stella Toby, Permanent Secretary in the state’s Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, made this known in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt on

Monday.

She said beggars, destitutes and mentally-ill people were constituting problems on some major streets and roads in the state.

Toby said the State Government had set up a special committee charged with the responsibility of restoring sanity on major areas of the state.

“Most of the beggars are from neighbouring states and I can assure you that they will be removed from the streets and repatriated back to their respective states,” she said.

The Chairman of the committee, Mr Mina Jamabo, said that about 113 beggars, destitutes and lunatics had already been removed from the streets.

He said some of the affected persons had been taken to the state’s rehabilitation centres for treatment.

Jamabo noted that nonindigenes had since been repatriated to their various states, while the indigenes would be treated by the government until they were fit to re-unite with their families. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 11

Money Sense

Good financial decision can help you build real wealth

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ou may have goals you want to accomplish at a specific period, be it getting married, buying your first home or starting a new job; it all requires good financial decision and planning to achieve, experts have said. In making great financial decisions, you may need to adjust your current spending habits in order to reach your goals and at the same time build real wealth.

Creating a solid financial plan will make it possible for you to navigate your financial steps without financial stress, says Miriam Caldwell, personal finance specialist.

According to her, one of the most exciting times is when you are about to get married. It is exciting to begin planning and preparing for your wedding. After the wedding you will begin your financial life together with your spouse.

Money is one of the most difficult topics to deal with in a marriage. It is important to address this issue from the very beginning of your marriage.

This will help you and your spouse work towards the same goals. Open communication about your finances will help your marriage be successful.

Another big and exciting time she said is when you purchase your first home. This is a big decision and commitment. You need to be sure that you are ready to purchase a new home. Additionally, you need to understand the terms of your mortgage. You should have enough money set aside to cover emergencies home repairs. It is also important

to consider the additional cost of insurance and property taxes. If you plan carefully you should be able to transition into home ownership easily.

Finding a new job is another financial step of your life. Caldwell said after a few years in the workforce, you may be ready to move onto a new career. You can look for promotions inside your company, or you may look elsewhere to find better benefits and a more lucrative salary.

This is an important step. You want your income to continue to grow, and making the move at the right time is part of that. You should make sure that you are prepared to make the changes a new job would require.

You can also take additional classes or certification training to make yourself more marketable.

She said you may also reach a point where you want to buy a new car. Buying a car is necessary. It is important to prepare yourself for this purchase. If possible you should pay cash for your car, but if you can’t you need to shop for the best loan options available. Additionally you should be careful on how much you spend on your car, because a payment can limit what you can do in the future.

If you are in debt, there is need

Don’t drive yourself nuts One drawback of monitoring your spending by computer is that it encourages overzealous attention to detail. Once you determine which categories of spending can and should be cut (or expanded), concentrate on those categories and worry less about other aspects of your spending.

Watch out for cash leakage If withdrawals from the ATM machine evaporate from your pocket without apparent explanation, it’s time to keep better records. In general, if you find yourself returning to the ATM more than once a week or so, you need to examine where that cash is going.

Quote “The only good luck many great men ever had was being born with the ability and determination to overcome bad luck. - Channing Pollock: Illusionist, Actor

limiting what you can do with your money. Choosing to live debt free life is one of the best decisions you can make for building real wealth.

Additionally, you should begin to seriously invest your money. You will be responsible for your own retirement costs. Investing is essential if you want to live comfortably and not

worry about your later years. It can also help you pay for your children to attend college. Investing your money can be intimidating if you do not understand what you are doing.

However, if you find a good financial planner, he should be able to explain everything to you in detail, Miriam has said.

enjoy fewer crowds, comfortable temperatures and cheaper airline ticket prices. The Caribbean and Mexico have great weather in late April and May, but prices for flights drop during these months as they fall after spring break and before summer vacation.

But remember to consider these caveats of travelling during the off-season: Hotels often do their renovating when there are fewer crowds, which could mean staying in a place with a lobby under construction or an obstructed view from your window. Still, the rates will drop accordingly, often between 10 percent and 20 percent.

Some hotels will offer a free room upgrade during this time as well. Museums may limit their

hours or even close on certain days during the non-peak season. Make sure to check that the attractions you want to visit will be open and available before booking an airline ticket.

Also, airlines typically release new airfare sales midweek, says Warren Chang, vice president and general manager of Fly.com, an airfare search engine. According to him, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in particular tend to be the peak times to find cheap airline tickets.

While the sales often target the coming weekend and the following weekend, they are not limited to these. To save yourself some legwork, scour travel websites and sign up for e-newsletters from travel sites that list the best deals for the

week.

When booking a flight, arrange your schedule to travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, if possible.

As an added bonus for Saturday travellers, airports tend to be less crowded on the weekend, which can reduce stress levels for you and your family as you move through security and head to your gate.

If you will need to check one bag or more on the flight, find out how much you will be charged before purchasing the fare. Most airlines and travel sites offer this information online. For instance, airfares are generally lower during what Nicole Hockin, author of TravelSmartBlog.com. called the ‘shoulder season’. This is the period of time between high and low season.

Any season can be a shoulder season, depending on your destination. For example, Europe’s high season lasts from May through September, but if you travel to London in October you’ll enjoy fewer crowds, comfortable temperatures and cheaper airline ticket prices. The Caribbean and Mexico have great weather in late April and May, but prices for flights drop during these months as they fall after spring break and before summer vacation.

When booking a flight, arrange your schedule to travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, if possible.

As an added bonus for Saturday travellers, airports tend to be less crowded on the weekend, which can reduce stress levels for you and your family as you move through security and head to your gate. If you will need to check one bag or more on the flight, find out how much you will be charged before purchasing the fare.

Most airlines and travel sites offer this information online.

Research your plane ticket to save cost, stress

R Money Tip: Ways to save money

you get out of debt. Once you begin to settle down in the working world, you should get serious about getting out of debt and using your money wisely.

Once you are debt free, you can begin to accumulate real wealth.

This will help you to achieve your dreams and move forward. If you continue to make payments you are

esearching before you book your next vacation or plane ticket can save you the headache and the added costs of your next flight. If you research very well, you can get airline tickets to wherever your travels will take you for less than what you’d expect.

For instance, airfares are generally lower during what Nicole Hockin, author of TravelSmartBlog. com. called the ‘shoulder season’.

This is the period of time between high and low season.

Any season can be a shoulder season, depending on your destination. For example, Europe’s high season lasts from May through September, but if you travel to London in October you’ll

PAGE 12

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

EDITORIAL

hree journalists based in Osogbo, the Osun state capital, died in a road crash last Friday while returning to base from Abuja. The dead have been identified as Kafayat Odunsi, a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) reporter, Adolphus Okonkwo (Voice of Nigeria) and Tunde Oluwanike from Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN). They were in a group of 13 journalists being conveyed in a bus.

According to reports, the vehicle crashed due to a burst tyre. The three died on the spot while the other 10 suffered different degrees of injury and were taken to Ladoke Akintola University Teaching Hospital in Osogbo.

National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mohammed Garba, was in Osogbo, the next day to condole with the crash survivors.

Addressing colleagues, he declared a weeklong period of mourning in honour of the deceased. He directed that union activities be suspended at chapel, state and national levels and condolence registers opened at the national and state secretariats of the union.

We understand that the Osun state government has offered to underwrite the hospital bills of the wounded.

Political leaders, including the governor of Kwara state, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed and Senate president David Mark have sent condolence and get-well messages.

They all said the nation would miss the services of the dead journalists.

Without the NUJ president directing that we mourn the loss of our colleagues, we know they deserve that bit of honour.

There is little else we can do for the dead; they are gone and gone forever. Nothing we shall do now can bring them back

to life. But the greatest honour the nation can do them, besides the outpouring of condolences and pledges of assistance by our leaders, is to help improve the pathetic conditions under which Nigerian journalists toil daily.

One, most employers of journalists in this country offer mere pittances as start-off pay; even this is not paid as and when due. There are several media

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Mourn them we shall, but there is much more

...we support wholeheartedly the NUJ President’s plaintive cry for a life insurance scheme for journalists. This least they deserve. houses that have accumulated arrears of salary for an upward of 15 months and more. It is true that the media industry is depressed, a situation that is a reflection of the weakness of the national economy.

Journalists have shown understanding with their employers on this score and have continued to give of their best in the belief that there would be a turn-around sooner than later.

Besides the poor pay, journalists have to contend with the lack of basic working tools. Advances in technology have made journalism practice in developed countries much more sophisticated and more of fun, something most Nigerian journalists only dream about. The internet, because of its

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

ubiquity, has made access to news much easier, but there is one disadvantage: it has killed variety. Almost 60% of the editorial content of Nigerian newspapers and the programming of broadcast stations is foreign. For this reason, the news reader has little or nothing to choose between the several newspapers even though they come in different names.

This technological handicap is nothing compared to the physical dangers that journalists in this country confront almost daily. Most media organisations cannot afford good vehicles to take reporters to their beats, not to talk of flights to take them on long distance assignments. The majority of journalists travel by public transport that is rickety and on roads that are death traps literally.

A comprehensive life insurance cover would help to obviate these harrowing work conditions, but how many media houses offer this? Few, if any at all. This has been the swan song of journalism bodies over the years, yet nothing has changed for better. What happens whenever a journalist dies in the line of duty is for his employer to give a token sum to help with the burial arrangement, and after that nothing. Families are left to cope as best as they can.

It is a surprise, therefore, that the Nigerian press is often described as the most vibrant and enterprising in Africa.

But this comes at a great personal price for the average Nigerian journalist.

The present situation has to change if he will continue to give of his best. This is why we support wholeheartedly the NUJ President’s plaintive cry for a life insurance scheme for journalists. This least they deserve.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 13

Opinion INEC trigger for anarchy

By Ayo Ademiluyi

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NEC requested that Section 8 of the Electoral Act 2010 (2011 as amended, which provides for a five-year single tenure for the Secreatry of the Commission, to be amended to a four-year renewable tenure. On the surface, this sounds like a fundamental change, but if given a critical look it shows the bereaucratic running of the Commission. In other words, this amendment is seeking to allow the Secreatry of the Commission, or any candidate for the same, to enjoy two terms of eight years as against the current five years.

In another proposal for the amedment of Section 13(2) of the Act on transfer of voters, INEC wants a framework where an applicant seeking transfer of registration as a voter to accompany the application made to the Resident Electoral Commissioner with their voter’s card not later than 60 days before the date of the election. In every way this would cause untold hardship on such applicants within the limited framework of 60 days. As against the proposition of INEC, a voter seeking transfer of registration should have the latitude of time to do same.

The electoral body is also seeking amendments to Section 28(1) of the Electoral Act

2010(2011 as amended) which deals with the requirement of oathtaking of neutrality and loyalty by the members of staff of INEC to be applied to registration and all electoral activities including referendum. The question is : is mere oath-taking a guarantee of neutrality by members of staff of INEC? This raises the fundamental issue of the nature of the composition of INEC. To guarantee genuine elections that satisfy the aspirations of the working masses and the poor, INEC should be administered by direct representatives of the rankand-file of the workers’ unions, students’ and youth organisations, artisans and farmers’ associations, etc. Without illusions, this can only come into being if the mass of the working people strive to carry out system change wherein the main organs of political power and the commanding heights of the economy are under their democratic control.

It is also proposing that Section 30(3) of the Act be deleted consequent upon the proposal that the provisions of Section 75(2) and 116(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) be amended to allow for two periods for elections to fill vacancies, that is bye-elections. To say the least, this is an unwarranted restriction on the staggered elections as they arise within

the special circumstances of the Nigerian political terrain. INEC should be prepared to conduct elections as they arise and not restrict them to two-year period only.

For what can be further described as unwarranted pursuit of ascription of powers by INEC, it is seeking amendments to Section 48, 49,50,52,54,55 and 60 of the Electoral Act. It wants the National Assembly to replace the same with the provision that ‘voting at an election under this Act shall be in accordance with the procedure determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission’.

In other words, INEC is seeking to bring the voting procedure during elections under its whims and caprices.

The major blow to all-known democratic norms is the power being sought by INEC to disqualify candidates. This is as well as powers to be the sole authority to determine the names and logos on the ballot papers. The warped argument canvassed in this respect by INEC is that it is not only a management body but also a regulatory one and it should have powers in this respect just like other bodies such as the NDIC (National Deposit Insurance Commission) or Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) or National Agency for Foods, Drug Administration

and Control(NAFDAC) in revoking bank licenses or banning unregistered drugs.

In short, INEC shows a shallow understanding of the socio-political ripples that this would create given the rabid quest for political power among the looting gangs of the ruling elite.This is also with the terrible prospect of mass disqualification of genuine working class candidates. Candidates democratically produced by their respective parties are not mere drugs or bank licenses that must be revoked, or properly put in this scenario, disqualified.

To justify further its proposition, INEC is seeking powers to disqualify for 10 years anyone convicted of electoral offences by a court or tribunal. It is already settled law that a person convicted of a criminal offence cannot stand for elections in Nigeria, why is INEC seeking extra-powers for disqualification in this respect? It is also seeking that the proviso of Section 31(1) ‘List of Candidates’ be made subject to Section 87 of the Electoral Act in order to have powers to disqualify a person who has qualified as a candidate.

It recommended as an alternative that political parties submit the name of a candidate who won a primary election along with the name of the candidate who scored the second highest number of votes

at the primaries as the substitute candidate. In short, INEC is seeking to override the internal democracy of the political parties. This would only lead to outright socio-political anarchy and disaster.

Equally, it is bidding to have the power to determine the political parties that would have their names and logos on the ballot papers. This would be a further attack on multi-party democracy in Nigeria. Presently, Section 78(7) of the Electoral Act 2010 (2011 as amended) empowers INEC unconstitutionally to deregister parties that do not have political office holders at National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.

INEC’s fresh proposals would only open the way to chaos.

The Supreme Court decision in INEC vs. MUSA(2003) 3 NWLR has laid down through the doctrine of ‘covering the field’ that INEC’s exercise of its powers in the Electoral Act is subject to the supremacy of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

INEC’s voyage to acquire wider and unconstitutional powers is a journey to hell paved with ‘good intentions’. What needs to be done by the National Assembly is to entrench genuine multi-party democracy by removing or deleting Section 78(7) of the Electoral Act 2010 (2011 as amended) as it is undemocratic. Any attempt by the National Assembly to allow the proposed amendments of INEC is a big invitation to disaster.

Ayo Ademiluyi is director, Social Justice Institute.

Nigeria without Anthony Enahoro

By Alfred Ilenre

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lder statesman, Chief Anthony Enahoro, was born on July 22, 1923. And died December 15, 2010. A lot has been said about the historical fact that Chief Enahoro was the mover of the crisis motion for Nigerian independence in 1953, at the age of 30. Three years after independence in 1963 at the age of 40 the post independence government of Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment. He was released from jail during the national political crisis of 1966, and was the chief negotiator during the Nigeria -Biafra war (1967-1970). He served under the military administration of General Yakubu Gowon as the Minister for Information and Labour.

During his last years on earth, Chief Enahoro was in possession of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNIDRIP) and became extremely loud and insisted in telling Nigerians that he and his colleagues in the nationalist movement bargained for a loose federal structure for Nigeria and not a unitary system, now in place, imposed by the military.

It was on the basis of this that he, at the age of 82, and others at the age of 82, in 2005,

convened the Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO), which produced a draft constitution for the country, titled PRONACO draft constitution. The nationalist were aware that the British colonialists created one country called Nigeria out of many nations, who had always been jealous of their individual ethnic and cultural identities.

His views against the distortion of the original plan for a federal Nigeria by the military were strongly expressed in one of his two last public statements before his death, one at the Obafemi Awolowo University on July 22, 2009. He was conscious of some of the mistakes that some of the rulers of Nigeria had made since our independence, especially mistakes which shut

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their eyes against the differences among the distinct ethnic nationalities in the country.

Some leaders in the country advocated unity only because of their fear that Nigeria might disintegrate if our differences were deeply examined and objectively discussed, which some of us saw as cowardice because we believed that people should not forget their pedigrees or their political, historical, cultural, linguistic, environmental or territorial differences, because the causes of difference are always there and cannot be shunned.

Many of us believed that we must learn to build the foundation of the unity of our country and of its component parts on the understanding that differences are not necessarily

an impediment to unity and that unity only makes sense because of the presence of differences.

In other words, we can be different but remain friends and united. All the ethnic groups in Nigeria had their administrative structures long before colonial rule was imposed on us. We cannot expect them all to cling uncomplainingly to a unitary system that may well mean very little to them and then mortgage their future, the future of their children and even the future of their children’s children.

We must always remember that Nigeria was not created for the benefit and advantages of the nationalities that today dominate Nigeria, but that Nigeria was created by the British for the benefit and advantages of the part of Europe that created

His views against the distortion of the original plan for a federal Nigeria by the military were strongly expressed in one of his two last public statements before his death, one at the Obafemi Awolowo University on July 22, 2009. He was conscious of some of the mistakes that some of the rulers of Nigeria had made since our independence, especially mistakes which shut their eyes against the differences among the distinct ethnic nationalities in the country.

Nigeria, and it took the courage of Nigerian youths to liberate Nigeria.

The peaceful war that we are waging today has created a democratic challenge, namely a political struggle for justice. The goals of the Nigerian people have been outlined with emphasis focused on the political, economic and cultural autonomy for the federating ethnic nations. It may interest many of you here today to know that since the end of the Biafra War, the United Nation has initiated some instruments governing struggles for selfdetermination. In its resolution A/61/L.67 of September 12, 2007, the United Nation General Assembly adopted what it named THE DECLARATION ON THE RIGTHS OF INDIGEROUS PEOPLES, which clearly outlines how indigenous communities and ethnic nationalities can peaceably pursue their struggle for self determination.

On behalf of true nationalities in Nigeria, I declare that the colonialists who enslaved us created Nigeria in a way that suited them. I say today that we believe in a new age. It is now time for the different nations of Nigeria to create the kind of togetherness their peoples may want.

Alfred Ilenre is on LinkedIn

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Opinion Worrisome events before 2015

By Tochukwu Ezukanma

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lthough nothing about him indicates intellectual heft, he has a doctorate degree, a level of academic attainment that distinguished him from earlier Nigerian presidents.

Although his message lacked ideological depth and intellectual penetration, it was poignant, and thus, it struck a responsive chord in Nigerian minds. He told us that he had no shoes. To levitate from utter poverty and deprivation (of having no shoes) to prominence was transformational.

And his dazzling rise to power was more revolutionary than evolutionary. So, his campaign promise of transformation appeared in consonant with the transformation and revolution his life, so dramatically, epitomized.

Therefore, to many Nigerians, he came across as a providential instrument for the transformation of Nigeria from its corrupt, lawless and disorderly past.

Unfortunately, he has disappointed these expectations.

He has failed to make good on his campaign promises, and consequently, Nigeria continues to be plagued by the same problems he had earlier promised to resolve or ameliorate. Corruption, dysfunctional institutions, decrepit public infrastructure, unsteady power supply, terrorism, etc continue to beset the country. In addition, Nigerians are dismayed by his insensitive and inhumane

economic policies House and and dictorial imposed a new tendencies.

“Speaker” on Democracy does the House.

Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, not inherently Their take over guarantee the of the House text messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written election of good was marked by contributions should be concise.

Word limits: Letters leaders. But, untold levels - 150 words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your it empowers of violence: the people to assault and name and a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be peacefully remove brutality. Their addressed to: a bad leader. conduct was Dr. Goodluck disgustingly Jonathan is a bad at variance The Editor, president, and, from expected Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, therefore, should behaviours of 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. be removed, lawmakers. peacefully, It was more Email: opinion@peoplesdailyng.com through the ballot in conformity SMS: 08134607052 box in 2015. with the There barbarism are emergent and savagery nauseating extreme. indications that in 2015 Goodluck of Amazonian bush fighters. The In a recent election for the Jonathan may undermine this Chairman of the Governor’s Forum, Rivers State House of Assembly has fundamental democratic right 32 legislators, and the constitution 35 governors voted: 19 to reelect of the people to change a bad dictates that the Speaker can only Governor Amaechi as chairman leader. The invisible hands of the be impeached by a 2/3 majority. and 16 for his opponent, Governor presidency have been at work in Again, the president’s proxies Jonah Jang. The president’s a number of the political crisis jettisoned standard arithmetic, loyalists in the Forum abandoned bedevilling the country. To secure and in their voodoo arithmetic, the precepts of basic arithmetic his party nomination and ensure equated 5 to 24 (2/3 of 32). In and adopted a mathematical his re-election in the 2015 election, these brazen assaults on the tenets fallacy that advanced the electoral the president is scheming to and institutions of democracy victory of Jang (with 16 votes) over control a number of key political and blatant breach of the law Amaechi (with 19 votes). Again, institutions, including the and the peace, the culpability to set the stage for the removal of Governor’s Forum. In a concerted of the presidency remains Chibuike Amaechi as the Governor endeavor to dislodge the present incontrovertible. According to of Rivers State, five legislators, at Chairman of the Governor’s Forum, the instigation of Nyesom Wike an Igbo adage, “a na esi na nma Chibuike Amaechi, the Governor obala we malu nwata di nko.” In (a surrogate of the president), in a of Rivers State, an influential English, the way a child handles a riotously provocative challenge to political opponent of the president, toy knife is a powerful indictor – Nigerian democracy, took over the the president, through proxies, actually foreshadows - his future Rivers state House of Assembly, has taken “do or die” politics to a handling of a real knife. Therefore, “impeached” the Speaker of the

WRITE TO US

Why is ASUU so strike prone?

By Chijioke Uwasomba

Q

uite a lot of people have responded to the on-going strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

There are three broad categories of people: Those who are in support of the union; those who are opposed to the strike and even strikes in general and those who are playing the Ostrich game. This piece is meant for all the three categories of people. It is true that strikes by their nature are disruptive and that the university lecturers’ strikes have been too frequent. The immediate question is: Why does ASUU always embark on strike?

In answering this question, it will be important to look at the whole gamut of ASUU/FGN relationship over the years since the coming into being of ASUU. ASUU grew out of the Nigerian Association of University Teachers (NAUT) which was formed in 1965.

Those who formed ASUU in 1978 felt that NAUT was more like a “middle class fraternity” which did not have the much needed vigour and orientation suitable for the development of Nigeria’s university system in particular and education in general. Nigeria’s post-colonial state had been hijacked by the Military and allied forces who mismanaged the oil boom of the period. The freedoms of the people had been eroded; education at all levels was not getting the required attention; the oil boom, instead of catalyzing the development of the country became ironically a source of under-development and real curse to the nation. It was in the

midst of these contradictions and disabling environment that ASUU emerged as an intellectual force to challenge the powers-that-be and offer a credible alternative for our country.

Universities by their nature are democratic institutions hence they are opposed to any manner of imposition either from within or without. The 1978 Uthman Mohammed Commission Report which took away the disciplinary functions of the Governing Councils of Universities provided a litmus test for ASUU. This was because the government of the period in question used the report as a basis to direct some University Governing Councils to dismiss certain members of staff from their posts without giving them fair hearing. In 1980, ASUU declared a Trade Dispute with the Shagari government, making the issue of autonomy an important matter.

ASUU also fought Shagari’s government following Justice Balonwu’s Visitation Panel Report which had directed the Council of the University of Lagos to remove six senior members of the academic staff from their jobs. Given the nature of its mandate, ASUU fought the federal government under Alhaji Shehu Shagari in 1980 and 1981 on issues bordering on funding, salaries, autonomy and academic freedom, brain-drain, the survival of the university system in particular and the direction of the country in general.

Throughout the military era, ASUU waged a lot of struggles revolving around conditions

of service; funding; university authority/academic freedom; the defence of the right to education; broad national issues such as the anti-military struggles; actions against privatisation, SAP and other neo-liberal policies of the government including the World Bank’s attempts to take over the Nigerian University system through its loan under the regime of Babangida.

ASUU had battled the Buhari/ Idiagbon regime’s policy of retrenchment of workers and freezing of wages; gave support to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) when they went on their patriotic strike to rescue the deteriorating health services in Nigeria in 1984. ASUU, through strikes, also supported the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to protest the brutal murder of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) students by Mobile Policemen in 1986. Again, in 1987 and 1988 the Union was in the trenches. The Union fought the illegal dismissal of its president, Dr. Festus Iyayi and others in 1987. It participated fully in the 1988 general strikes occasioned by the effects of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which the Babangida government had imposed on the country.

The earlier Elongated University Salary Scale (EUSS) which the government was to implement was abandoned. ASUU was banned but the academics organised themselves under the

platform of Universities Lecturers Association (ULA) and it was under this platform that the antiWorld Bank Conference to resist the Babangida regime’s attempt to obtain the $120 million loan from the World Bank was held at OAU, Ile-Ife, in 1990.

The Abacha dictatorship presented a greater challenge to ASUU because of the former’s brutal and tough undemocratic credentials and no wonder ASUU opted to join other patriotic forces to fight to end Military rule. In 1994 ASUU went on strike demanding from the government of Abacha: a re-negotiation of the agreement; the re-instatement of over eighty lecturers sacked at the University of Abuja by the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isa Mohammed and the de-annulment of the June 12, 1993 elections ostensibly won by Chief M.K.O. Abiola.

The Abdulsalami regime, as part of its effort to gain legitimacy, through its Minister of Education, Chief Ola-Iya Oni made overtures to ASUU and re-instated ASUU leaders who were unjustly sacked by the Abacha junta for their involvement in the 1996 strike and those earlier dismissed in 1984 through Decree 17 of 1984. On May 25, 1999 the government signed an agreement on percentage increases in the allowances of academics.

This agreement was “without prejudice to a comprehensive negotiation at a future date” between the two parties.

The Obasanjo regime after much pressures agreed to set up its Negotiating Team led by Prof.

Ayo Banjo and the negotiations

shades of the future are held in this desperate, unlawful attempt by the president and his supporters to torpedo the political lot of a political opponent and secure the control of the Governor’s Forum.

The violence, disdain for electoral verdicts, scorn for the rule of law and contempt for the constitution they prominently displayed in the Governor’s Forum and the Rivers State House of Assembly are worrisome events that prefigure the 2015 presidential election.

The stakes in the presidential election will be much higher than in the present political need to control the Governors Forum. So, it is reasonable to expect that the president and his surrogates will amplify their anti-democratic and lawless modus operandi in the 2015 election; and thus, undermine, and possibly, scuttle a free and fair presidential election. And that will be sad, terrible and even tragic, as it will severely retard the country’s democratic evolution and seriously jolt the tenuous peace of this our politically volatile and trouble-prone country. And for the president, it will be immoral, unconscionable, an inexcusable betrayal of the hopes and aspirations of Nigerians and unforgiveable ingratitude to Providence, if he fails to live up to the moral, legal and spiritual responsibility of his office which is to uphold the Nigerian constitution, especially, its enunciation of the inviolability of the will of the people.

Tochukwu Ezukanma via maciln18@yahoo.com began on August 28, 2000. The Agreement was to be signed in December 2001. The FGN did not sign the Agreement as Dr. Babalola Borisade who replaced Prof. Tunde Adeniran as Minister of Education prevented the Federal Government’s Team from signing the Agreement. ASUU rejected Borisade’s moves and resumed its suspended strike. This forced the government to resume negotiations and the subsequent signing of the Agreement on June 30, 2001.

The government of Obasanjo did not implement the 2001 agreement, prompting ASUU to embark on another strike on December 29, 2002. Obasanjo had wanted to cancel the central bargaining process and to introduce school fees in the university system. He also wanted to take a loan of $68 million from the World Bank to implement a World Bank-sponsored Nigerian Universities Innovation Project (NUSIP).

Government willingly enters into agreements with workers after many strikes only to abandon the implementation half way.

Government must own up to its responsibility by being sincere with the citizenry at all levels.

Government officials who are inebriated with power should weigh the consequences of their utterances. The reported dismissive claim of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Mr. Emeka Wogu to the effect that the 2009 Agreement between ASUU and the FGN, is un-implementable, if it is true, has the capacity of deepening the face-off.

Chijioke Uwasomba is of the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 15

Comment

Between the sycophant and critic

By Samuel Akinyele Caulrick

T

he most daunting task a person of influence, leader or boss, has to contend with is to balance its act between a sycophant and a critic. In a community where honesty, as a value, is at the bottom rung of the ladder, or put in another way - at lower hierarchical value - the task becomes even herculean. There is no gain saying that each of these opposing characters (sycophant and critic) has a role to play in the leader’s court at the pinnacle of power. Only those who have occupied the positions of leadership (presidents et al) will appreciate the importance of these two court jesters.

The rest of us may abhor the role of the sycophant, the boss, however, appreciates the efforts of the court flatterer in the constant struggles between “us and them.”

The peoples’ hero, the critic, has its drawback also - he, or she is the last person a boss want to see or confer.

It appears the two court characters hold out their magic mirrors in front of the leader to look at itself; the image projected in each of these manipulative mirrors has a profound effect on the leader. We all know the joy of looking into the mirror and seeing a beautiful image of ourselves. That, deservedly, is what the sycophant projects into its magic mirror.

On the other hand, nobody or leader wants to look into a mirror that projects demonic, weak, slothful, uncaring, unpopular, ineffective, unintelligent, and etc of one’s image. This kind of personality is what the critic’s unwarranted, unkind, magic mirror often projects. The revulsion at looking at such image, however, precludes frankness or slander - it does not matter to a vain leader.

It takes a lot of courage to want to look into such mirror time and again. Subsequently, the critic is kept at a distance, or if serious, he or she is marked for elimination.

Who would blame the leader? For the sanity of the leader, the critic is thrown out of sight and sound usually jailed or killed or exiled.

One other fact is that loneliness is a regular occurrence at the pinnacle of power or leadership. The indifference of the larger society to the agony at the helm of authority also fuels the engine of sycophancy.

However, a leader should avoid calamity that usually hovers over the cliff of power; he, or she should look into the two mirrors of both the sycophant and the critic in order to a have a balanced image of self. The boss should not allow the sycophant’s advice to have sway and dominate his or her senses. On the other hand, the leader should realize that the image the critic projects in its mirror of the leader, no matter how ugly, often in the long run,

prevents the master from falling from favour.

Often times the sycophant conjures up an image of absolute power for his or her prey (the boss). There is no limit to a desperate sycophant’s antics or manipulations. Recently, an openly-declared sycophant flashed his magic mirror at Nigeria’s First lady to affect her senses. The image was that of a female ‘saviour’.

We all rushed to admonish the professional sycophant; the media, particularly the Internet, was virile. The First Lady, in her solo moments, would have naturally contemplated - which is human.

One only hopes she balanced her time in front of the mirror of the critics, as well.

“

In the attempt by the rest of us to try to demonize sycophancy, we often ignore what the sycophants go through also in their solo moments. It should be very agonizing; it could even be worse for those that alternate holding the two different mirrors for different bosses. These are professional sycophant today and critic tomorrow. They must be having a tough time in their solo moments, which is when they are alone in their own world. It is often said that the most painful infliction on oneself is to act below one’s personal standard. That in itself is enough pain.

The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and their spokesperson, my good friend, Lai Mohammed is the

In the attempt by the rest of us to try to demonize sycophancy, we often ignore what the sycophants go through also in their solo moments. It should be very agonizing; it could even be worse for those that alternate holding the two different mirrors for different bosses.

These are professional sycophant today and critic tomorrow. They must be having a tough time in their solo moments, which is when they are alone in their own world.

major critic of President Jonathan of Nigeria. Their role, by default, lessens the gravity of the pains many Nigerians are experiencing.

Jonathan must be thanking his stars; their opposition somewhat delays, or prevents spontaneous reactions of the people. Let’s face it, most of what the ACN makes “noise” about, to paraphrase the president’s party, are known and felt by the majority of the people.

Highlighting the deficiencies in government by the oppositions helps avert spontaneity of the peoples’ reaction; people feel content that other people pick up the fight on their behalf.

A frightening supposition is if the opposition, for one reason or another, stops to criticize the presidency and his government.

People in the streets, the way feel, could boil into an inferno within weeks. The danger of the spontaneity of the rage of the people only could be best imagined.

A foreign friend says it is the seeding of a revolution. A protest outside the aegis of organized platform is always difficult to put down, and if care is not taken, it could assume a life of its own. It is in the interest of everybody, therefore, for the oppositions in Nigeria to keep making noise.

That way, everybody goes home “suffering and smiling.”

Samuel Akinyele Caulcrick wrote in from Lagos.

NEITI and burden of credibility

By Ifeanyi Izeze

T

he worrisome picture of the effects of crude oil theft on the Nigerian economy painted by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) would have been hailed if not that it seemed to have been generated by the transparency organization in a manner that could best be described as cleverly opaque. Is it not interesting that all that has been blown in the international news agencies about the NEITI findings were just the amount of crude oil lost to oil thieves in the Niger Delta and its effects on the Nigerian economy?

Good as it sounded, that was a deliberate steer-away from what a NEITI audit was set out to achieve.

The figures dangled by the auditors as monetary quantification of the loss to crude oil stealing activities were mere guesstimates and outright diversion from the obvious incompetence of the auditors.

By the way, where is NEITI domiciled for sustenance?

Presidency! Where is the accounting problem of our oil revenue domiciled? Presidency!

Who are the other suspects in this blurred accounting of our produced crude oil and gas? The NNPC’s foreign multinational joint venture partners! So while the cartel of International Oil Companies (IOCs) set out in the NEITI exercise to shift all the blames to the NNPC

and by extension, the Presidency, the Federal Government (the sponsor of the audit report) because it cannot explain how what it claims it earned did not tally with what the IOCs claimed they paid, opted to shift the blame to oil thieves and pipeline vandals who are at best “ghosts.” You see the tragedy of the Nigerian situation?

Now, there is no tangible quarter to accuse rather the ‘spirit world.”

Is it not an absurdity that NEITI whose mandate falls within the purview of reconciling what the IOCs “say they paid or rather what they paid as they say” and the actual receipt into the Federation Account spent all the efforts, resources and time auditing oil thieves who at best has remained

“

“ghosts” in the spirit world?

Very funny was it that the NEITI auditors left the human thieves in the house and chased the “ghost” thieves which they would never be able to catch and of course were not even asked to catch. This bothers on integrity of not only the report but the entire exercise.

Interestingly, it was very clear that the NEITI auditors set out to clear the foreign multinational operators of any serious wrongdoing in “saying what they pay” or rather ‘paying what they say,” while deliberately painting the NNPC and DPR as rogue government’s outstretched hands.

Meanwhile both sides work as partners in almost all the existing joint ventures of fraud. Is this not

A breakdown of crude oil production figures shows that the nation “recorded” a total crude oil production of about 780.9 million barrels in 2009; 894.5 million barrels in 2010; and 866.2 million barrels in 2011. The total as estimated under the period was about 2.5 billion barrels as recorded. The question is: how did NEITI arrive at the figure of over 136 million barrels estimated at $10.9 billion lost to crude oil theft and sabotage”?

suspicious? Just few days from the NEITI’’s presentation, the Royal Dutch Shell, the parent company of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) came out to claim it has been spending over $12 billion every year on crude oil theft and other related issues in Nigeria though they did not say the very year this expenditure started.

Is it not curious that the NEITI which cannot for certain and I mean for certain obtain any credible figure either for oil production or revenues from NNPC and its joint venture partners can flaunt definite figures of crude oil stolen by thieves? How did they obtain the figure because the credibility hinges on the source? Its 2009-2011 Audit report presented by the Chairman of the National Stakeholder Working Group (NSWG), Ledum Mitee, claimed over 136 million barrels of oil, estimated at $10.9 billion, were either stolen or sabotaged within the period under review.

A breakdown of crude oil production figures shows that the nation “recorded” a total crude oil production of about 780.9 million barrels in 2009; 894.5 million barrels in 2010; and 866.2 million barrels in 2011. The total as estimated under the period was about 2.5 billion barrels as recorded. The question is: how did NEITI arrive at the figure of over 136 million barrels estimated at $10.9 billion lost to crude oil

theft and sabotage”? Was the over 136 million barrels figure gotten from the multinational operators; the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); or the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)? These questions are necessary to ascertain the integrity of this estimate flaunted as loss to the Nigerian economy.

Truth be told, figures of crude oil lost to thieves depend on where you are getting them from. When the IOCs talk, they give you in geometric multiples of the actual loss; the NNPC on its own would even prefer not to accept that anything is being lost in the first instance; while the DPR would just sit down and wait for the NNPC and the joint venture partners to finish quarreling so that they can collect the reconciled figure which is passed to the Presidency. And this is what we have been using for our economic play analysis/planning. Abi no bee so? EITI should tell us how much oil the federal government recorded as produced and how much of it was sold and the earnings thereof within the period under review. Does this match claims by the producing companies? And if didn’t tally, where and how did the shortfall disappeared to? And if the organization fails to explain this, then we will take it up from there.

God bless Nigeria!

Ifeanyi Izeze can be reached on:iizeze@yahoo. com

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 17

Metro Sallah: Aduda enjoins Muslim faithful on peace, unity

L-R: Senator Phillip Aduda, PDP Chairman, Kwali Area Council, Alh Aruwa Daba and the Kwali Area Council Chairman, Hon. Ibrahim Daniel, during the distribution of Sallah gifts to the Area Councils

by Senator Aduda, yesterday in Abuja.

By Stanley Onyekwere

T

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

FCT NEMA trains 70 youth volunteers in emergency management

T

he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Abuja Operations Office has commenced training of 70 youths and stakeholders under its volunteer emergency management programme.

The NEMA Coordinator Abuja Operation Office, Mr Ishaya Chonoko, said the training targeted 70 youths each from Kwara, Niger, Kogi and the FCT. Chonoko said the involvement of youths in disaster management was informed by the need to prevent disasters following the 2013 NIMET annual rainfall prediction.

He said the decision by the office to engage youths in volunteer service was borne out of the fact that they were always among the first to get to disaster scenes. ``We decided to involve youths in emergency volunteer service so that they can channel their patriotism to the country to saving lives, it is a fact

that they are always among the first to get to accident or emergency scenes. ``We believe that if they are well trained and equipped with the necessary kits they will be vanguards of prompt emergency response and a means of saving lives,’’ he said.

He said the NIMET rainfall prediction for 2013 required the involvement of all and sundry to curb the menace.

According to him, volunteerism is an integral part of disaster management while capacity building among stakeholders is a way of equipping emergency volunteers in carrying out the task of saving lives.

He said the training was also an effort at ensuring that the scale of destruction was reduced to the barest minimum if floods occur.

He appealed to states and local governments to replicate the idea of engaging youths as emergency

responders in their various domains.

Earlier, the Director-General, FCT Emergency Management Agency (FCT EMA), Malam Abbas Idris, commended NEMA’s efforts at reducing casualty rates through the engagement of youths in emergency response.

Represented by Mrs Nnenna Ochea, FCT EMA Desk Officer, Idris said the office was working with other stakeholders, especially NEMA to safeguard the lives of residents and visitors into the territory.

He said the Red Cross would continue to empower emergency response volunteers through training and provision of first aid kits for usage during emergencies.

The workshop is aimed at disaster management, search and rescue and evacuation of flooded communities, camp management and the coordination and use of First Aid for drowning victims. (NAN)

he senator representing FCT in the senate, Philip Aduda has called on Muslim fateful to extol the lessons learned during the Ramadan period for the continued peaceful co-existence of both Christians and Muslims in the territory.

Aduda stated this yesterday, during the distribution of food items and cash to Muslim faithful and non-Muslims, in four area councils of FCT that make up Abuja South, for Sallah celebrations.

He said: “Let me use this opportunity to facilitate with my Muslim brothers as well as congratulate them for going through this year’s fasting period; especially those in the FCT, who have been co-existing peacefully with their Christian counterparts; and I pray for such to continue.”

The senator however, noted that he personally was on hand in the area councils, not only to supervise the distribution of the items but to also hear from some of the beneficiaries about their challenges, with a view to see ways of collaborating with them on finding solution to them.

He therefore urged the people to always pray for the country and her leaders.

Peoples Daily reports that items distributed were five hundreds bags of rice and undisclosed cash.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries in Abaji Area council, Alh. Adamu Umar and the Area council youth Leader, Suleiman Mohd, thanked Aduda for the gesture, he described him as a leader who always remember the people irrespective of religious their backgrounds.

FCTA set to restructure agric secretariat

By Adeola Tukuru

T

he Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Administration has assured that plans has been concluded to restructure its Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat for maximum performance.

Minister of State for the FCT, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, who dropped the hint yesterday, when the FCTA/FCDA Joint Unions Action Committee paid her a visit in her office at Area 11, Garki, Abuja assured of this while responding to some requests by the committee chairman, Comrade Ajao Adejumo.

Earlier, Adejumo had among others requested for proper restructuring of the Agriculture and Rural Development which he observed has only two departments unlike the other secretariats in the FCT administration.

Following this, the minister said: “I think we are looking at this and we will definitely address that”.

The chairman, who said the visit

by the committee was to identify with the good work the minister was embarking on, commended the manner she has been piloting the affairs of the FCT area councils, FCT Christian/ Muslim Pilgrims Boards, security and how she has improved the welfare of children.

He also requested that the “union is in dare need of support

in the area of capacity building” and inclusion of its members in the ongoing pilgrimage.

“In addition, we will not hestitate to demand of you to assist us in lending your voice to those things that will ensure the welfare of our members” especially in the allocation of land for our cooperative society,” he said.

Reacting further to the requests, Akinjide said the administration appreciate its workers, adding it also acknowledge that human capital is the most valuable resource.

On the issue of capacity building, the minister pointed out the need to ascertain where the union has a gap.

She therefore, advised them to sit

with the Director of Establishment and Training to establish exactly the area where they think improvement need to be made.

Akinjide also assured them on their request for land that they will be considered in the second phase of land allocation to cooperative societies which she said will commence soon.

FCT minister to receive award in Ghana

By Stanley Onyekwere

F

CT minister of state, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide is among a select distinguished Nigerians and Ghanaians set be honoured with the prestigious West African Achievers (WAA) Award from organized media groups and freelance journalists, in Accra-Ghana.

The event, which will on hold August, 30th, 2013 with Former President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings

as Special Guest of honour, is jointly putted together by Digest International, jukebox Ghana, Aziki multimedia Nigeria and West Africa freelance journalists.

According to a statement yesterday by country representative of the organisers, Boniface Abraham, the essence of the award to the minister was in recognition of her remarkable contributions in the six area councils, satellite Town Development Agency, clean Green Abuja

initiative and Area council Health insurance scheme amongst others.

He said: “This year’s award will also honouor other personalities who have made impact in the society and their fields of endeavour as new west Africa new pathfinders and achievers like: Mr. Igoche Mark, Personal Assistant to Nigerian senate president, David Mark, wife of Nasarawa state Governor, Mairo Tanko Al-makura, wife of Bauchi

State Governor, Hajiya Biodun Isa Yugunda; Wife of Senator Philip Aduda(FCT), Mrs. Hauwa Aduda; and The president General Nigerian Women Association ,Folashade Tinubu Ojo, Nigerian Hip Hop star Angelis is expected to thrill the audience at the event.

He added that the award ceremony will follow a lecture on the topic: “My life, my work, my Country”, to be delivered by High Chief Dabira Peters of Volta Region, Ghana.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 16

Tanker crushes 3 vehicles in Zuba

By Usman Shuaibu

A

tanker with registration number X5640 ABC has crushed three vehicles in Zuba along Suleja-Gwagwalada road.

Confirming this to Peoples Daily in Zuba, the Divisional

Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Zuba police command, CSP Femi Adelegan, disclosed that the accident occurred due to over speed by a tanker driver in spite of hold-up.

He accused the tanker/trailer drivers of being reckless while plying the Suleja-Gwagwalada

road, noted that most of them drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The DPO, however, appealed to the directors of oil companies to undergo psychiatric test for anyone who wants to become a driver in their companies to ascertain their capabilities.

Tanker which crushed three vehicles under the bridge in Zuba.

A victim, who identified himself as a reverend father, thanked God that no life was lost during the accident, saying that some people sustained minor casualties.

Meanwhile, the scene of the accident attracted the crowd as well as security agencies in the area.

Photo:Usman Shuaibu

Group demands prosecution of Naval officer over alleged human rights abuse

By Umar Muhammad Puma

F

ollowing an alleged maltreatment of the Executive Director of the Civil Society legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Mallam Auwal Ibrahim Musa aka Rafsanjani, by the Naval officer attached to the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Environmental Task Force, Mr. Patty Ayuba, the

Coalition of Civil Society group yesterday called on the human right commission to urgently investigate the incident and bring to book perpetrators of the dastardly act.

In a press conference in Abuja, the Co-ordinator, Jaiye Gaskiya, said Ayuba and the men of Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) attached to the area abused, manhandled, drag

on the floor, Rafsanjani as he tried to intervene in a defense of a helpless individual harassed and assaulted by power drunk paramilitary outfit who have constituted themselves into a Gestapo group in the purported bid to enforce environmental laws in the FCT. “The Naval Officer, Petty Ayuba, the Naval authorities and indeed the FCT administration

should realize that we are no longer in the military era where all sorts of atrocities were committed with flagrant impunity by security men and they went scot free.

“This time around, it is no more business as usual and security agencies and the military should realize this and treat people with civility because it is their duty to protect the citizens and not to maim them.

Eid-el Fitr: Abaji chair urges motorists to obey traffic order

By Adeola Tukuru

C

hairman of Abaji Area council, FCT, Hon. Yahaya Garba Gawu yesterday called on motorist to obey the traffic order and shun act of recklessness to avoid accident.

He congratulated muslim faithful over the successful completion of Ramadan fasting

for the year , calling them to continue to pray for this country as nation is in need prayer for and stability.

Gawu called for unity among communities and safeguard government project in their various Areas for further development.

Hon. Garba also used the opportunity to seek for support for his Administration as he has

planned for projects that will have direct bearing to the lives of the people.

He said this country cannot afford to be losing lives on accident every day.

He urged FRSC Staff to be up and doing in regulating traffic movement during the Eid-il- fitir festival.

The chairman urge the new

district heads of Abaji Area council to go back to their respective area to preach peace and explain government policies and plans to better their lives.

He said: “this is the period for us to go back to our various communities to know their needs so that our government will focus more on the immediate problem of our wards”.

Sustain quality of improved teaching, FCT SEB charges principals

By Adeola Tukuru

F

CT Secondary Education Board (SEB) has called on school principals on quality education Senior Secondary Schools Principals under the Federal Capital Territory Secondary Education Board has been charged to sustain the quality of improved teaching and learning in their various schools.

The Management of the Board led by the Chairman, Hon. Moroof Akinwande and the Director, Mrs Yelwa Fatima Baba-Ari tasked the Principals during a meeting with all principals in FCT not to relent in the vigorous improvement of academic performance in their schools, noting that such effort has improved the quality of education in the FCT. They commended the Principals for their continuous dedication to duties and providing the required leadership expected in the teaching and learning environment, adding that their enthusiasm to ensure the Board delivered on its promise to the FCT Administration is not in doubt.

They called on the Principals to ensure that, teachers remain a leading role model to educate, inform and inspire the students whom they translate knowledge, skills, right attitude and values to, stressing that principals should adhere strictly to acceptable dress code which would not hamper the conducive environment already existed in the schools.

“Your attitude to teaching should not further cause any negative attitude. You should as well embark on effective mentoring of the students on good moral upbringing to avoid anti-social behaviour that could generate problems within and around the schools,” he stressed.

On the cluster centres, the management emphasized on the need to prepare students towards the Exams and to become entrepreneur by giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents for further productivity in their various schools.

Speaking in the same vein, the Secretary of the Board, Mrs Irene Elegbede emphasised on the need to ensure that, no staff is allowed to leave his or her duty post without following due process or obtain permission from the authority as contained in the civil service rule while they make judicious use of the different records available in the schools.

Responding on behalf of the Principals, the President of FCT ANCOPPS ,Alhaji Sani Ladan thank the management for creating such enabling environment for them to work and promise that, they would continue to intensified their efforts to produce responsible and good citizens students.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 18

Metro

Two carpenters in court for allegedly impersonating SARS officials

T

wo carpenters were yesterday charged before a Grade 1 Area Court at Aso Pada, Mararaba in Nasarawa State for allegedly impersonating men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The accused are Monday Dominic, 28, of Jikwoyi in the FCT and Chigozie Ejimofor, 32, of Chris Park Hotel, Mararaba.

The Police Prosecutor, Cpl. Inuwa Maigida, told the court that the matter was reported at the ‘A’

Division Police Station, Mararaba by one Yakubu Sani of Sharp Corner, Mararaba on July 18.

Maigida told the court that on July 18, at about 9.30 p.m., the accused conspired and claimed to be policemen attached to SARS and extorted N33,000 from the complainant.

He said that on the same day at about 10 p.m., the accused again extorted N790,000 from a trader, Mr Suraja Alkashim also of Sharp Corner.

Maigida further alleged that the accused collected a Nokia phone, valued at N3,500 from one Umar Abubakar of Sharp Corner.

He said that they were later arrested with the Nokia phone by a police patrol team at Mararaba.

Maigida said that the offence contravened sections 97, 132 and 292 of the Penal Code.

If convicted on the charges, the accused persons are liable to eight years in prison or to pay fine.

The Presiding Judge, Mr

Albert Maga, granted bail to the accused persons in the sum of N200,000 each and two sureties each in like sum.

Maga ordered that the sureties must be reasonable, possess landed property and reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

He also ordered the sureties to write an undertaking, promising the court that the accused would not commit similar offence again.

He adjourned the case to Sept.

5, 2013 for hearing. (NAN)

INSIDE FCT COURTS Man, 20, charged with stealing motorcycle

T

he police, on Tuesday, arraigned Cornelius Ugwu, 20, of Nyanya Gwandara in a Grade 1 Area Court, Mararaba in Nasarawa State for alleged theft of motorcycle.

The police prosecutor, Cpl. Inuwa Maigida, told the court that one Abubakar Rabiu of same address reported the matter at the `A’ Division Police Station, Mararaba on July 22. ``Rabiu left a motorcycle in Ugwu’s care and went into a bank.

When he came out, the accused had made away with the motorcycle.’’

The prosecutor said the offence contravened the provisions of sections 312 and 287 of the Penal Code.

Counsel to the accused, Mr Ndubisi Kalu, applied for bail for his client.

The presiding judge, Mr Albert Maga, granted the bail in the sum of N150,000 and two sureties in like sum.

Maga ordered that one of the sureties must be a traditional title holder, with landed property and reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

He adjourned the case to Sept.

5, 2013 for hearing. (NAN)

Court jailed man, 34, for intimidating woman

Elderly men entertaining guests during the commissioning of COR- Mariae College, recently in Garki II, Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Man, 28, for allegedly assaulting public servant

T

he police on Tuesday arraigned one Raymond Bello of No. 360 Awolowo Way, Jabi, Abuja in a Wuse Zone 2 Senior Magistrates’ Court for allegedly assaulting a traffic officer.

The Police Prosecutor, Sgt. Monday Akor, told the court that the matter was reported by one Iyaji Garuba, a traffic officer attached to the Maitama

Divisional Police Station.

Akor alleged that the accused contravened traffic regulation and when Garuba tried to arrest him, Bello assaulted the officer.

He alleged that the accused grabbed Garuba’s uniform and tore the shoulder pad, making the buttons on the officers dress to fall off.

The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Section 267

of the Penal Code.

The accused, pleaded not guilty to the offence, After arraignment, Mr Gabriel Egbule, the Defence Counsel, prayed the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms.

He assured the court that his client would not jump bail.

Egbule argued that his client was still presumed innocent until

proven otherwise as stipulated in the Nigerian Constitution.

The Magistrate, Mr Chukwuemeka Ubani, granted the accused bail in the sum of N40,000 with a reasonable surety in like sum.

Ubani ordered that the surety must be resident within the court’s jurisdiction and adjourned the case to Aug. 22, 2013 for hearing. (NAN)

Man bags 4 weeks imprisonment for driving without particulars

A

n Abuja Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday sentenced a 33-year-old man, Umar Iliyasu of Jabi, Abuja, for driving without particulars and operating with an unregistered vehicle.

The Magistrate, Aliyu Shafa, handed down the sentence after Iliyasu pleaded guilty to the charges.

Shafa, sentenced Iliyasu to

two weeks imprisonment for the offence of driving without particulars and another two weeks for driving an unregistered vehicle.

The magistrate, however, gave Iliyasu an option to pay a fine of N10, 000.

He also ordered the convict to attend a compulsory course at the VIO office.

``At the end of the course, you must return to court to show your certificate of attendance before your impounded car will be released to you,’’ he ordered.

He also warned the convict to be of good character and ensure that he always ensured that he had all his vehicle particulars as required by the law at all times.

Earlier, the police prosecutor,

Sgt. Monday Akor, told the court that on July 25, the convict was arrested by a team of police men on patrol at Utako, driving a Nissan Primera car without particulars.

Akor said that the offence contravened the provisions of Sections 18 CAP 548 and 40 CAP 548 of the Road Traffic Act. (NAN)

A

n Abuja Senior Magistrates Court on Monday sentenced Oluwatobi Oyediran, 34, of no fixed address, to three months in prison for criminal intimidation and possession of a dangerous weapon.

The Magistrate, Mr Celestine Odo, who sentenced Oyediran after he pleaded guilty, did not give the convict an option to pay a fine.

Odo said the court had recognised the fact that the convict was a first time offender and also that he did not waste the time of the court.

He said ``It is the work of the devil. I did not know why I held Ms Rahab Idris hostage; I am sorry and I am begging the court for mercy.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Cpl. Sani Yusuf, had told the court that the convict was arrested in a black spot in Mabushi on Aug. 1.

Yusuf said the convict was caught at the spot where he held Idris, hostage demanding that she must become his girlfriend.

He said the convict threatened to stab Idris with a poisonous jack-knife when she refused to succumb to his request.

The prosecutor said during investigations, Oyediran confessed to committing the crime and the weapon was recovered from him.

He added that the offence contravened sections 397 and 95 of the Penal Code.(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 19

INSIDE

Isa_abdulwahab@yahoo.com, Isaabdulwahab@gmail.com 08033045613

New rules, products lay groundwork for Nigeria’s Islamic finance sector

By A’isha Biola Raji with Agency report

N

igeria is gradually opening up to Islamic finance, a move that could bring non-interest banking to over 80 million Muslims and develop one of Africa’s fastest-growing consumer and corporate banking sectors.

Home to the largest Muslim population in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria is trying to establish itself as the African hub for Islamic finance, which follows religious principles such as bans on interest and gambling.

In recent months, a string of regulatory initiatives have set the groundwork for products such as Islamic bonds (sukuk), insurance

(takaful) and interbank lending products, although there is still only a small number of local market participants.

“The potential is there but the market is negligible in Nigeria because we have only one Islamic bank and one window - but it has potential to grow,” said Bashir Aliyu Umar, special adviser on non-interest banking to the central bank governor.

Islamic banking is currently offered by the Islamic window of Stanbic IBTC, a unit of South Africa’s Standard Bank, and Jaiz Bank, a full-fledged Islamic lender which has operated since 2012.

Abuja-based Jaiz now plans to obtain a national licence to expand operations beyond

Nigeria’s north, which has been hit by an Islamist insurgency.

“That was where the security challenges started last year, that really affected the roll-out of the products,” Umar said.

Despite the challenges, Jaiz has grown its branch network to 10 from an initial three, with ambitious expansion plans calling for 100 branches by 2017.

It completed a capital raising in August, attracting investors such as the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank . As of June, it had total assets of 20.6 billion naira ($129 million) and capital of 10 billion naira.

Sterling Bank has been granted approval in principle for an Islamic window, while two more lenders have expressed interest

L-R: Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Wale GoodLuck in a parley with Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri during an advocacy visit to NOA Corporate Office, recently in Abuja

Job loss looms at port as major Investor pulls out of port business From Dapo Olalekan, Lagos

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here are indications that many Nigerians working in the maritime sector will loose their jobs as Global shipping giant; Maersk Line, has announced that it is pulling out its subsidiary; Lillypond Container Depot Nigeria Limited from the concession agreement with government on Ijora Terminal, Lagos.

Manager of the terminal, Mr. Tristram Denyer told journalists in Lagos that a colossal monthly loss of over $5 million (about N800 million) is being incurred by the company and this is no longer bearable.

Denyer said that the company had as at last Friday morning officially notified Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) management of its decisions to embark on the gradual withdrawal which would ultimately take effect

within the next six months.

While lamenting the apparent job losses due to the development, he said that talks had commenced with some sister organizations who may wish to employ some of its 47 permanent staffers while the larger number of contract employees will be disengaged within a month notice.

Describing the decision to pull out of the facility as “a very difficult one”, he noted that it was a last resort after the apparent failure of “concerted effort by Lillypond management and staff to develop a viable new and sustainable long term business model over the last eight months”, which had been “frustrated by a number of factors including the lack of overflow container volume available for depots generally, the high cost of

operating the depot and increased capacity in Nigerian marine container terminals.”

He said that even though the company had invested over $15 million about (N2.4 billion) in developing the facility since it won the concession in 2006, the business model upon which the concession was granted can no longer be sustained.

Denyer added that discussions with the NPA over the period for transition to another operator would commence shortly, but that he expected this was unlikely to exceed six months.

The management of Lillypond, according to him, would co-operate with the NPA to ensure the successful hand over to a new concessionaire should, “as anticipated, NPA decide to tender the Lillypond concession.”

in obtaining licences to operate Islamic windows, according to a central bank official.

The market needs the competition.

A November report by EFINA, a Lagos-based development organisation, estimated that 34.8 percent of Nigerian adults who did not use non-interest banking products were likely to take them up if they were available.

But Nigeria’s banking sector remains underdeveloped. The same report found that over 61.6 percent of adults borrowed from family and friends, while only 5.6 percent used deposit-taking banks and 9.9 percent used cooperatives.

To service the demand, Sterling Bank plans to roll out several products including a profit-sharing account and other investment products, Basheer Oshodi, group head of noninterest banking at Sterling, told Reuters.

“We are ready to go live immediately when we get the final licence. We will pilot with 10 branches and will end up using all 165 branches across the country thereafter.

“In reality, we will be having almost all basic Islamic banking products. We have also started to structure a couple of sukuk,” he added.

Sukuk could come to the market soon, after rules for their issuance were approved in March by the Securities Commission; cocoa-producing Osun State plans the country’s first such issuance.

Nigeria’s regulators have taken steps to retain the final say on what Islamic products come to market, a centralised approach which mirrors regulation of the industry in countries such as Malaysia and Oman.

The central bank has set up an advisory committee to regulate sharia compliance, while the insurance regulator issued guidelines for takaful operators in April.

NAICOM tasks W/ African insurers on cross border integration - Pg 21

Sack of 30 workers, promotions pitch union against NAHCO mgt

- Pg 20

Exchange Rates CBN

as at 6th August, 2013 Selling Buying

$

154.75

155.75

€

237.43

239.96

£

205.18

206.80

Riyal

41.26

41.53

Parallel Rates Buying

Selling

$

157.50

160.40

€

250

253.00

£

206.00

210.00

Riyal

43.00

45.00

MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY

Don’t be late for that meeting

W

hen you can text or email a colleague and let her know you’re running late, it’s easy to push back meetings. This ability to quickly communicate is helpful when you’re unavoidably detained, but overusing it has costs. One study found that staff lateness costs the UK economy £9 billion per year.

There’s something to be said for old-fashioned

punctuality. Sixty years ago, it was important to keep commitments because there was less opportunity to reschedule on the fly.

But even in this era of always-on technologies, being on time is important. It keeps you focused. It conveys to others that you’re reliable.

And it shows respect for the people who don’t have to waste their time waiting on you.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 20

Aviation Company News

FG to invest $2.9tn in infrastructure stock

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he Federal Government has said it will invest $2.9tn in its infrastructure stock as part of plans to address the infrastructure deficit in the country.

The Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, said this in Lagos on Monday at an infrastructure roundtable organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

According to him, the investment will be made under the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan of the Federal Government, with the amount representing government’s targeted expenditure on infrastructure for the next 30 years.

DPR generates N470bn revenue in six months

T

he Department of Petroleum Resources has said it has surpassed its revenue target for the first half of 2013 by over N86bn by generating over N470bn within the period.

This came to light during an oversight visit by the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) to the DPR headquarters in Lagos on Monday .e Chairman of the committee, Mr. Muraina Ajibola, who joined the DPR Director, Mr. George Osahon, to address newsmen after a close-door session, said the Federal Governmentapproved revenue target for the department for the period under review was N383.75bn.

He, however, commended the department for surpassing the target by generating over N470bn for the government in the first half of the year

Kwara Aviation College acquires two aircraft From Olanrewaju Lawal,Ilorin

K

wara State International Aviation College, Ilorin has acquired additional two single engine aircrafts to boost its

fleet and enhance its capacity to train commercial pilots that would meet international standards.

Speaking at the delivery of the aircraft at the Ilorin International Airport, the State

Governor, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed said the school is being positioned to fill existing shortfalls in the training of pilots in the country.

Governor Ahmed added that two additional hostels would

FAAN explains N2,000 luggage charge at Lagos airport From Idris Suleiman, Lagos

T

he Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has said that the N2, 000 luggage charges was not applicable to all passengers but strictly to cargo agents who use passenger planes to transport their cargo at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, (MMIA) Lagos.

General Manager Corporate Communications of FAAN, Mr. Yakubu Dati pointed out that the N2,000 charge was mandatory to cargo agent as most of them often transport about 20-30 pieces of luggage unaccompanied or accompanied by proxies.

Mr. Dati stressed such practice always makes the agency to lose

its revenue that would have been remitted to it should the luggage go through the cargo section of the airport.

He said “This fraudulent practice mounts untold pressure on our conveyor belts and shortchanges FAAN of its much needed revenue. Cargo agents are well aware that all cargo must go through the designated cargo terminal where they go through laid down processes for safety and security procedures”.

According to the FAAN General Manager, some passengers arrived with cargo which they should have passed as cargo through the cargo terminal and wanted to pass same as mere luggage and FAAN decided to charge them the cargo fee, which is a normal charge that was done with

receipts.

He further noted that the agency wishes to state that it was not the passengers’ luggage that was charged, but the cargo, as affected passengers arrived with average of eight bags of cargo.

“The passengers should have passed the cargo through the cargo terminal instead of coming with them. It is also important to explain that the charge has always been in FAAN’s books but when the concessionaire, Pan Express Limited was ceded the power to collect cargo charges it was part of the charges the company was collecting but now FAAN has decided to collect the charges and there is no need mixing it up with luggage” he added.

A

Firm provides digital marketing solutions for businesses

W

SI-Axon West Africa has urged firms to leverage on digital marketing consulting services to boost their profitability.

A statement on Monday quoted the Chief Executive Officer, WSI-Axon West Africa, Chief Edirin Abamwa, as saying that the advocacy was part of efforts to allow businesses leverage on full potentials offered by digital marketing.

It’s not in the interest of NCAA to liquidate airlines says DG

T

UBA donates incubators to teaching hospital s part of concerted efforts to reduce child mortality in the country, UBA Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of United Bank for Africa Plc has undertaken to donate incubators to teaching hospitals in the country.

As a result, the Foundation on Monday donated two incubators to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital.

According to a statement by the Media Relations Officer, UBA, Mr. Abdul Imoyo, the incubators were received by the Chief Medical Director of UBTH, Prof. Michael Ibadin and other principal officers of the hospital.

be built to accommodate the increasing number of students, while the provision of additional aircraft through collaboration with international agencies would be on a programmed and continuous basis.

“It is a moment of history that we are making, we are training pilots in Ilorin who will go across the whole world and make a mark in the aviation industry”.

The Governor assured the students and instructors of the International Aviation College that the vision of the State Government was to make the institution one of the best in the world, adding that the stakeholders should remain steadfast in making the International Aviation College a citadel of excellence.

The State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Dr Amuda Kannike said the Aviation College, which started its training programme 17 months ago, has been endorsed by the Nigerian Airforce, as 25 of its personnel in two batches are in training at the college.

L R: Deputy marketing Manager, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC ) Damilola Owolabi, Operations Manager,Ikenna Okongwu ,Head of Marketing, Vikram Varma, Head Business Development, Ajit Nirman, CEO of KFC, Vishal Kapur, Chief Human Capital Officer, Tanvir Nizam, Maintenance Manager, Emmanuel Akinola , and Field Trainer, Tony Ogumeh, during the commissioning of KFC Store 2nd outlet at Wuse 2 in Abuja recently.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Sack of 30 workers, promotions pitch union against NAHCO mgt From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

A

recent disengagement and promotions exercise by the management of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company, NAHCo Plc yesterday pitched aviation industry unions led by the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, ATSSSAN, and the National Union of Air Transport Employees, NUATE, as they question the recent promotions and sack in the company.

The company recently sent no fewer than 30 of its staff packing from its fold while some of alleges

incidence of uneven distribution in the promotion exercise carried out by the foremost ground handling company.

At a congress meeting held at the NAHCo office in Lagos, they said most of the workers were not satisfied with the promotions and called for a reversal.

President of ATSSSAN, Comrade Benjamin Okewu told journalists the matter was raised during the congress, but said the management later held a meeting with the unions where they promised to iron out all the thorny issues raised by their members.

Addressing both workers

and union leaders, the Acting Managing Director, NAHCo, Mr. Norbert Bielderman informed them that the sacked workers were contract staff who he said had been re-absorbed back into the system by the management.

Bielderman added that some of them also wrote exams on Tuesday and assured that those who perform well would be reabsorbed by the management.

On the promotion, he promised that the management would re-address the situation very soon while those who deserved promotion would be promoted accordingly

he Director General, Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority Capt.

Fola Akinkoutu has said that it is not in the interest of NCAA to liquidate any airline in the country.

However, he said that one good thing about the aviation industry is that the laws are there and compliance is very essential.

Receiving the Chairman and management team of Caverton Airlines who paid him a courtesy visit, the Director General posits that as a regulator, he will always access airlines from the point of view of adherence to the industry laws.

He said that the authority will provide the enabling environment for airlines to operate and succeed adding that the way to go is to stand to accept compliance to the law at all times.

While expressing his wish for airlines to succeed and make profit, the DG prayed for accident / incident free period throughout his tenure.

Earlier, the Chairman of Caverton and leader of the team Mr. Aderemi Makinjuola told the Director General that his team had come to pledge their support to him, promising to continue to execute their work and responsibilities with due diligence and recourse to the existing industry laws, adding that they are always willing to make corrections whenever there is a mistake in the course of their operations.

He said that they have also come to know the policy thrust of the DG even though according to him it has always been safety, safety and safety, so that they will know areas he would want them contribute in line with the thrust and also towards the growth of the industry.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 21

Pension&Insurance Continental Reinsurance records N1.6bn profit after tax

C

L-R: Leader of USAID Energy Group, Eric Postel, drawing the attention of the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, to something of mutual interest, when the Group visited the Ministry , recently in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

NAICOM tasks W/African insurers on cross border integration Stories by Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

I

nsurance operators in the West African Sub-region have been challenged to set up effort on cross-border integration to facilitate exchange of information and data necessary to deepen market penetration.

The insurance industry regula-

tor, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) offered the suggestion noting such integration would ensure that insurance firms engender trust and acceptance in the sub-region through enforcement of rules and regulations.

Addressing member States of the West African Insurance Companies Association (WAICA) the

Commissioner for Insurance, Mr Fola Daniel, was concerned that the banking and capital market sectors had successfully established their integration Councils with the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), and said insurance sector must step up its efforts as the industry regulators were poised to achieve this as quickly as possible.

“The insurance sector has remained a 3rd-level player in the financial services sector of West African States. While the other components of the financial services sector in the sub-region have all moved on and firmed up processes for their integration, it is regrettable that same cannot be said about the insurance sector.

… Pledges support for Islamic financial bond

T

he Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive of National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) Fola Daniel has affirmed commission’s support of the Islamic financial bond, known as sukuk.

According to the commissioner, floating such bond would enable the nation buy into alternative financial services, which will in turn attract investors from the Islamic world and Asia. ‘’It is a very commendable step in our drive to buy into alternative financial services, which will in turn attract investors from the Islamic world and Asia”, he assured.

Osun State Government, it is learnt, is planning to raise a sukuk bond worth N10 billion ($62 million) from the capital market to fund infrastructural development, a step which is first in the country.

“The state is waiting for final approval from the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC),” Semiu Okanlawon, spokesman for Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, told the press at a recent forum. “By the time we get it, the marketing of the bond should hopefully take off from this month,” he added.

In March, this year SEC approved new guidelines for the issuance of sukuk bonds; only months after new guidelines were also approved for the operation of takaful (Islamic insurance).”So far, there has been no objection from the SEC. The expectation is high,” Okanlawon re-affirmed A local credit ratings agency, Agusto and Co, has given the node – to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange – an A rating.

The governor’s spokesman said the seven-year bond would be issued through “a book-building process,” which would earn returns for sukuk holders through a semi-annually paid rent structure called the Ijara.

The spokesman described the move as part of a N60 billion debt-raising program by Osun State, which started last year.”The funds will be used to finance construction of education projects, among other development initiatives with which the governor hopes to lay a solid foundation for the future of the state,” He added.

It is important to note that Sukuk is an Islamic financial certificate, similar to a bond in western finance, which complies with Islamic religious law.

Because the traditional western interest-paying bond structure is not permissible in islam, the issuer of a sukuk sells an investors group the certificate, who then rents it back to the issuer for a predetermined rental fee. The issuer also makes a contractual promise to buy back the bonds at a future date at par value.

The practice of sukuk goes on to assert that it must be able to link the returns and cash flows of the financing to the assets purchased, or the returns generated from an asset purchased.

This is because trading in debt is prohibited under Sharia. As such, financing must only be raised for identifiable assets.”

According to Okanlawon, the planned seven-year paper would be the first sukuk bond to be issued by Africa’s second-largest economy. He further disclosed that the decision to launch the bond had the blessing of all the members of the state’s executive committee.

The move, according to Okanlawon, comes within the context of on-going efforts to attract Middle East investors and consolidate Nigeria’s latest foray into alternative financial services.

ontinental Reinsurance Plc has said it posted a profit before tax of N2bn and profit after tax of N1.6bn in the 2012 financial period.

The company said in a statement on Friday that it recorded a total comprehensive net income of N1.7bn in the year under review, which is a 44 per cent growth over the 2011 figure.

According to the company, gross premium income grew by 6.4 per cent to N12.4bn, spurred by strong performance on the life portfolio and more moderate growth on the non-life side, but constrained by tighter underwriting standards and significant negative exchange rate movements against the naira in certain key regional markets.

It stated that retrocession premium was N1.6bn, which reflected an increase in the retrocession ratio from 11.1 per cent to 12.5 per cent.

The firm said the increase reflected firmer market conditions and higher costs incurred in purchasing extra catastrophe protection and more capacity to augment oil and gas underwriting capacity.

The loss ratio controlled at 46.1 per cent was slightly better than the budgeted 46.5 per cent and gross incurred claims increased by 24.9 per cent due to the impact of the occurrence of a major fire loss at Dangote Sugar Refinery, and the strengthening of loss reserves in conformity with a sterner risk management framework.

However, it added that the net claims incurred increased by a much lesser margin at 7.4 per cent as a result of retrocession recoveries.

Expert pegs insurance growth on market expansion

T

he Managing Director Riskguard-Africa Nigeria Limited, Chief Yemi Soladoye, has advocated market expansion as a veritable tool for enhancing growth and development of the nation’s insurance sector.

He told Peoples Daily in a telephone conversation that the concentration on premium growth, as against market expansion by insurance operators is inimical to growth.

He stated that operators often focused on how to raise their yearly premium, while abandoning the need to create expansion through good services and people tailored products.

Said he, “All that the operators want is to ensure that their premium for this year is higher than what it was last year, and they are ready to spend anything to achieve that. If their market position last year was number six and they move to number five

this year, their board would applaud their effort, not minding the cost.

“The companies cost of doing business is indeed very high; while the claims ratio is quite low. These are pointers to the fact that insurance companies need something new and better.

“The issue of unhealthy competition will be getting worst, until they look for better, cost effective and non-volatile distribution channel. This can be achieved by bank assurance, which is having collaboration with banks in a retail channel.

It also means engaging in strategic alliances with organizations, like Shoprite, Megaplaza and others.”

Soladoye therefore urged operators to initiate collaboration with cooperative societies and other relevant bodies to deepen insurance penetration in the country.

PAGE 22

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Economy

ECA urges bold agenda for Africa

E

xecutive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa Mr. Carlos Lopes has called for a bolder agenda for Africa – one that takes into account the existing continental frameworks.

Lopes made the call during the launch of the high level panel of the post-2015 global agenda, held at the UN Conference Centre monday in Addis Ababa.

Lopes said the African continent faces unique challenges and opportunities that require specific policy interventions and distinct

goals for both economic and social development, adding that it is in this regard that recent policy discussions amongst leading regional institutions have proposed “African Development Goals”.

These ADGs, he said, should be framed to take into account the existing continental frameworks, particularly the AU/NEPAD programme, Agenda 2063 Vision and other programmes on infrastructure, agriculture, governance, industrialization, resource mobilization and capacity development.

The Executive Secretary lauded the panel for “an excellent job” of capturing global priorities and key, overarching and cross cutting issues that should be included in the post 2015 agenda.”

“We failed to anticipate the data challenges associated with monitoring real performance or lack thereof,” said Lopes stressing that without the ability to properly monitor whatever new goals, targets or indicators we come up with, the post 2015 agenda will suffer this same major shortfall.

“It is therefore critical to

tackle data methodological constraints and work hard to generate robust economic and social statistics,” he added. He welcomed the Report’s emphasis on a data revolution to improve the quantity and quality of statistics available for monitoring development indicators, which said was a point of emphasis at the inception of ECA’s renewed vigor in September 2012. He recommended that efforts in this regard be done in a coordinated manner.

Mr. Lopes said the Report underscores the need

for big transformative shifts, which include leaving no one behind. This, he said, touches upon our concern that the MDGs were mostly silent on issues of equality.

He further noted that putting sustainable development at the core recognizes the significant interlinkages between economic, social and environmental sustainability, and the importance of tackling climate change.

“The call to transform economies for jobs and inclusive growth echoes

our vision to assist Africa in embarking on a structural economic transformation, focused at diversified economies, creating employment and adding value to natural resources,” he said.

He also said the Report urges for building peaceful and effective, open and accountable institutions for all. “This, coupled with the fifth key point of forging global partnerships takes into account the need for good governance at the local, nation, regional and global level,” he said.

UBA gets commendation for introducing “All About U” debit masterCard

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he United Bank for Africa (UBA) has been commended for its support to the cashless banking initiative of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with its array of innovative e-banking products and services geared towards making banking transactions seamless for Nigerians.

Speaking at the launch of UBA “All About U” Debit MasterCard; the latest innovation in the electronic

banking segment by UBA Plc in Lagos, Vice President & Area Business Head, MasterCard Worldwide, Omokehinde Ojomuyide said the bank has continued to play a significant role in ensuring the success of the cashless banking initiative through its innovations.

Ojomuyide who expressed delight in with UBA on this laudable project described the “All About U” Debit as a veritable banking product that will

make electronic banking attractive and convenient for customers of the bank. “This is a commendable innovation and we are thrilled to partner with people and institutions that are at the forefront of technology, like UBA Plc,” she added.

The UBA “All About U” Debit MasterCard, is a personalised debit card which allows Customers carry around their fond memories while using their Debit Cards. The Deputy Managing

Director, UBA, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka while presenting the card at the launch ceremony, said the “All About U” Card was made for the bank customers to express themselves by branding their payment cards.

“The UBA “All about you’’ Debit MasterCard is another ground-breaking development in the industry.

What you see is that UBA has gone through a detailed certification process to make sure our products serve the

purpose of our customers.

We are giving you something to own. A card truly reflects your own personality. You do not need a bank logo, but your personal logo or identity,” Uzoka said.

He noted that the cards will also be available to over 7 million customers of UBA in all the 19 African countries and three global financial centers where the bank operates, adding that a platform has been created where customers can upload

their cards even from the comfort of their homes.

According to him, the UBA “All About U” card is a very secure card, noting specifically that with the launch of the Security Operations Centre (SOC) & Forensic Lab that provides all round security monitoring for all electronic banking transactions, UBA customers have more security for using any of the bank’s e-banking products.

Accurate knowledge of income will reduce taxation related uncertainty

T

he Treasurer, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), Mr Adesina Adedayo, has said that lack of accurate knowledge of incomes in the informal sector was antithetical to the sector’s taxation.

Adedayo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the issue of taxation of the informal sector would continue to generate controversy, except income levels could be determined.

He said a more accurate approach to ascertaining the actual income of taxpayers in the sector was necessary to stop allegations of ``over-

taxation``. ``It is not good to adopt judgmental analysis or across the board assessment in the informal sector to determine their Income Tax. ``A shop owner or a market trader may be making more than a small scale businessman with no less than 25 members of staff. ``If incomes are not at par with taxes, there is likely to be accusations and counter accusations in our tax system,`` he said. ``For instance, it is a minus to our economy if carpenters were given across

the board tax assessment of N2, 500 because their incomes could not be estimated.`` He urged the tax authorities in the country to evolve strategies to determine incomes of participants in the informal sector, to increase governments’ net earnings from tax. ``Computerisation of all activities in our economy will greatly perfect the taxation of those in the informal sector. ``Government has to also strengthen its Taxpayers Identification Numbers (TIN) policy,`` he said.

(NAN

10 fuel-laden ships waiting to discharge at Lagos ports

T

he Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said in Lagos that 10 fuel-laden ships were waiting to discharge their products at the various terminals at the Lagos ports.

According to NPA’s daily publication, ``Shipping Position’’, eight of the ships are laden with petrol.

One of the ships will discharge base oil, while one will discharge bulk gas, the publication obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said.

It indicated that two other ships were waiting to discharge bulk fertilizer and steel products.

It also reported that 95 cargo ships

would berth at Tin-Can Island and Apapa Ports from Aug. 6 to Aug. 31.

Of the 95 ships, 17 will carry petroleum products, the publication stated, adding that other ships would carry bulk wheat, rice, bulk fertilizer, vehicles, steel products, base oil, bulk sugar and malt. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 23

Stock Watch

Report as at Tuesday, August 6, 2013

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

Special Report

World Breastfeeding week: Importance of exclusivity

By Abbas Aminu Bamalli

B

reastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breast, (i.e., via lactation) rather than using infant formula from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk.

Experts recommend that children be breastfed within one hour of birth, exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, and then breastfed until age two with age-appropriate, nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods.

Some working mothers express milk to be used while their child is being cared for by others.

It’s not just about the mothers

By Charity Omenka

A

s the world celebrates yet another breastfeeding week, it is alarming that Nigeria’s breastfeeding rates are going down. The 2011 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) showed Exclusive Breastfeeding Rate (EBF) in Nigeria at 15%. What could be the reason behind the dismal figure? Is it that Nigerian mothers are becoming excessively vain, or could it be a matter of support?

Mrs Evelyn Peters, a fashion designer in Abuja, thinks it’s the former. She said few women in Nigeria can afford the luxury of

A cross-section of breast feeding mothers

vanity when compared to the cost of baby formula. “I feel that it is the increasing need for mothers to work outside the home that is behind our declining breastfeeding rates and not vanity. I hear of women, rich women, who take injections to prevent lactation, but how many women can afford NOT to breastfeed? Do you know how much SMA Gold costs?”

Mrs Grace Adamu, Senior Program Officer, Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Programme at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria believes that breastfeeding in HIV is a problem too.

“Not every HIV positive mother knows that she can safely breastfeed her childonce she is on antiretroviral drugs and she breastfeeds EXCLUSIVELY for six months. Secretion of HIV into breast milk is drastically reduced once the mother is on antiretroviral drugs.

However, some women stop breastfeeding at about 4 months after the results of the early infant diagnosis comes in and the child is negative. Mothers shouldn’t stop breastfeeding before 6 months but some do.”

In fact, studies have now showed that in Sub-Saharan Africa, the best decision a HIV-positive mother could probably make is to breastfeed her baby exclusively and extensively. This is certainly what the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommends. What could be the reason for this since it is wide spread knowledge that the HIV can be secreted in breast milk?

WHO guidelines state that formula should be used only when it is accessible, feasible, affordable, sustainable, and safe; but where that’s not guaranteed, mothers should breastfeed”. This is because formula feeding, while depriving the child of much needed immunity from the mother, exposes the child to the risk of death from diarrhoea and malnutrition when the family cannot sustain the optimal nutrition for the newborn.

Researchers have found that changes in breast tissue as a result of subtle decreases in breastfeeding (as with mixing breastfeeding with other feed) or during sudden weaning, is the reason for higher concentrations of HIV in the breast milk, and thus higher risk of transmission.

Let us remind ourselves of some of the benefits of breastfeedingfor both the baby and the mother.

Besides general growth and development, breast milk protects a child from respiratory and ear infections, bacteria meningitis, urinary tract infections, allergic diseases and asthma, digestive diseases and a host of other acute and chronic diseases.

Additionally, breastfed children have been repeatedly found to have higher Intelligence Quotient (verbal

Breast feeding mother

and non-verbal IQ) than their non-breastfed peers. Children who are exclusively breastfed are also 14 times more likely to survive the first six months of life than non-breastfed children.

Breastfeeding prevents obesity, diabetes, mental diseases and cancers later in life.

For the mothers, it’s not just about sleepless nights and cracked nipples. Mothers who breastfeed exclusively are less likely to become pregnant in the first six months following delivery, recover faster from giving birth, and return to their prepregnancy weight sooner.

This is because breastfeeding can help the self-controlled mother lose weight (instead of the weight gain many women experience).

Breastfeeding also helps

the mother bond with her child, prevent cancers (of the breast, ovaries and endometrium), and reduce risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. And if you are going to have a baby anyway, breastfeeding saves you the time, energy and resources you would use to buy and measure formula, sterilize plastic nipples, or warm bottles.

Most women would love to breastfeed once they know the benefits as evidenced by the MICS report which showed EBF rates increase with female education (urban mothers have higher rates than their rural counterparts too!). However a lot of factors will prevent a mother from doing so.

In an interview, the Matron in charge of maternity ward, Garki Hospital, Matron

Grace Oguocha said breast feeding is the best natural food for a new born baby as it has no disadvantage on the new babies, adding that it has all the nutrition and contain anti-biotic which can protect the baby.

She said, a new born baby does not need to be given water

as the breast milk contains almost 90 percent of water, calling on the mothers to start breast feeding immediately after delivery, if the baby is crying as it shows the good health of the baby, calling on the mothers to maintain the habit of taken natural food instead of taken junks food which can affect the baby’s health.

Studies shows that breast feeding has nothing to do with the breast sagging, as it has also been proven that whether a woman gets pregnant or not, a time shall come in the woman’s life when her breasts will become slack due to ageing.

It is no surprise then that the World Breastfeeding Week Theme for 2013 is: “Breastfeeding Support: Close to the Mothers”.

The world has recognised that women need support from: • Healthcare systemsThe role of healthcare systems was clearly demonstrated when a Boston Hospital dramatically increased breastfeeding rates by successfully adopting 10 rules.

These rules focused on training of staff, pregnant women and new mothers; encouraging breast-feeding by keeping babies in their mothers’ rooms; and discouraging bottle feeding and

“

Children who are exclusively breastfed are also 14 times more likely to survive the first six months of life than non-breastfed children.

Breastfeeding prevents obesity, diabetes, mental diseases and cancers later in life

the use of pacifiers.

• Family & Social Networks- Support from the immediate family and friends is critical if a mother is to continue breastfeeding. Some fathers see the new-born as a threat to their romantic life and often feel inadequate about their role in the baby’s life. They can, however, dramatically improve the breastfeeding experience for the whole family by hanging out with and getting a lot of skin-toskin contact with their babies (bathing, cuddling, diapering) and even bottle feeding the baby with expressed milk. They should also help their women out with chores and be patient as her interest in romance gradually returns to pre-baby levels.

• Workplace & Employment- Support for breastfeeding is critical at the workplace as the woman returns back to work. This is one of the major reasons for early cessation of exclusive breastfeeding.

Ensuring that our workplaces, markets and business (and even places of worship) have provision for privacy while breastfeeding and crèches will go a long way in improving our exclusive breastfeeding rates.

• Government/ Legislation- At this week’s celebration, the government has been urged to support breastfeeding by giving new fathers paternity leave. Besides this, the government has a critical role to play in preventing marketing of baby formulas and to ensure protection and support for breastfeeding mothers, especially at the workplace.

• Response to Emergency- Special support should be available for women who find themselves in unexpected, serious situations

like natural disasters, wars and man-made disasters, divorce, critical/chronic illness e.g.

HIV. Government, employers, religious bodies and the whole community should rally round and provide support for these special needs mothers.

Mrs. Omenka who works with the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) is also our columnist.

Did You Know?

• A woman who has never been pregnant can breastfeed a child • A woman who has reached menopause can still breastfeed • Even men have been known to breastfeed babies with relative success

Breastfeeding tips • Relax and make sure you are comfortable before you start nursing. Sit on a comfortable chair with a solid back support • Use pillows to support your arm • Use a ring, bracelet( or simply attach a hairpin to your bra) on the nursing side to remind yourself what breast to nurse with next • Ultra thin sanitary napkins are good as bra pads too. Cut them in half if you have to.

• To prevent cracked nipples, spread a little expressed milk on the nipple after each feed.

Matron in charge of Maternity Ward, Garki Hospital, Matron.

Grace Oguocha.

PAGE 26

Property News

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2013

Housing Deficit: Federal Government repositions FHA for commercialisation

By Udenna Orji

A

s the Federal Government continues to seek ways to tackle Nigeria’s increasing housing deficit of over 16 million units, an 18 member Steering Committee on the Restructuring and Commercialization of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has been inaugurated in Abuja by the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Amal Pepple.

The minister who is the Chairman of the Committee said the setting up of the panel was informed by the need to involve all relevant stakeholder groups in the efforts to bridge the nation’s housing deficit.

Noting that although the deficit figure was disputable in view of the lack of a reliable housing census figures, the minister, said there was no doubt that a huge deficit existed especially in the provision of housing for low income earners.

She said her ministry had designed some products to address the need in that segment of the society and expressed hope that improvement would be noticed in the coming years.

The minister said the FHA was established over 40 years ago to deliver mass housing to Nigerians but expressed regret that it had not been able to deliver satisfactorily on its mandate.

She blamed this failure on

• Institutions urged to take equity in new FHA

President Goodluck Jonathan poor internally generated revenue base, poor corporate governance, lack of internal cohesion, high cost of its housing units among other reasons.

To address these issues, she said she set up a special committee to restructure the Authority in May 2012 and that the panel rec-

ommended a holistic overhaul of the Authority while another body was set up which come up with an action plan for the implementation of the recommendations of the restructuring committee.

Following the approval of the President, the minister said a Technical Board was set up in

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Amal Pepple (left) and Executive Director, Housing Finance, Accounts and Corporate Services, Federal Housing Authority, Ms Adaze Aguele during the inauguration of the Steering Committee on the Restructuring and Commercialization of the FHA in Abuja.

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala January this year to oversee the sector, she urged the organisarestructuring and commerciali- tions represented on the panel to consider taking up equity in the zation of the FHA. Ms. Pepple said the steer- commercialized FHA. In his remarks, Director-Gening committee would work with FHA’s Technical Board and In- eral, Bureau of Public Enterpristerim Management team in draw- es, Benjamin Dikki, urged meming up strategies for the commer- bers of the committee to identify the issues that drive the housing cialization of the Authority.

She said the Committee sector and those that would encourage the inflow of private secwould: • Advise on steps to create tor cash to the sector.

He said the committee should necessary conditions for the provision of mass affordable housing also come up with legal and reguby the FHA in line with the Na- latory proposals that would drive the sector. tional Housing policy.

Organisations represented on • Propose policies and regulatory framework to drive the the committee include: • National Planning Comsector.

• Advise on the role of the mission • Federal Housing Authority private sector in providing mass • Federal Capital Territory affordable housing in the country.

• Advise on necessary actions Administration • Federal Ministry of Justice to ensure the successful commer• Central Bank of Nigeria cialization of the FHA. • Nigerian Sovereign Invest• Consider and advise on the Public Private Partnership frame- ment Authority • Infrastructure Bank work and options being envisaged • National Pension Comfor the FHA. • Review and propose meas- mission • National Lottery Regulaures that will encourage private tory Commission sector participation.

• Federal Mortgage Bank of • Serve as a clearing house for sector policy recommenda- Nigeria • Real Estate Developers tions for Council consideration Association of Nigeria and approval.

• Skye Bank The Committee would also • Senior Staff Association of bring to the attention of the National Council on Privatisation Communications, Transport and Corporations any other matters which in the committee’s opinion are critical (SSACTAC).

• Nigerian Association of to government’s effort to reinvigorate and commercialize the FHA. Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and AgriculShe described the inauguration of the committee as a major ture (NACCIMA). milestone in the effort to make The Sector Director, Buhousing delivery in the country reau of Public Enterprises, Dr. more robust and efficient.

Vincent Akpotaire will serve as Noting that funding was criti- Member/Secretary of the Comcal to the on-going reforms in the mittee.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 27

Property

World Bank rates Nigeria’s real estate market high

By Udenna Orji

A

new World Bank report says Nigeria has the potential to become Africa’s foremost economic power, with an average GDP of six per cent per annum, buoyed by a young and growing population of 160 million. Morgan Stanley, an investment banking institution, has also predicted that Nigeria’s economy would outperform South Africa’s by 2025 to become the biggest in Africa.

Both institutions say Nigeria’s macroeconomic outlook is favourable. With an expected stable inflation rate, five per cent rural to urban immigration, and three per cent population growth, the financial institutions say Nigeria is a huge real estate market by all standards.

Concurring with the statistics, Mohammed Jibrin, Managing Director of mortgage banker, Sun Trust Savings and Loans Limited noted

that “in the highly developed economies, the average contribution of the real estate and housing sectors to the GDP is 40 per cent. In every economy, there is an engine room for that economy. The Nigerian housing sector can serve as that engine room as we seek to diversify our economic base.

The sector has the potential to generate and create huge economic activities. The housing sector needs to consume other building materials and prod-

ucts such as electrical equipment, furniture, paints, roofing, cement, etc. The sector can help in developing small and large scale production of these key inputs thereby generating employment and increasing the level of national income. Addressing the housing sector problem is the same as addressing the unemployment problem and one avenue to diversify the economy away from dependence on the oil sector”.

Mortgage loans below 10% will reduce housing deficit - Ozoani

T

he Federal Government has been called upon to develop mortgage policies that will encourage Nigerian banks to grant mortgage loans to Nigerians at a maximum of 9% per annum.

Government has also been urged to check the rising inflationary trend in Nigeria as the trend is causing a steady rise in the cost of building inputs in Nigeria, leading to high costs in property development and sales.

Speaking with Peoples Daily on how to boost homeownership in Nigeria and reduce the nation’s estimated 17 million units housing deficit, the Group General Manager of mass housing developer, El-Salem Nigeria Limited, Mr. Geoffrey Ozoani appealed to government to “come up with very definite policies on mortgage. Definite implementable policies on mortgage that make it attractive for commercial banks to offer mortgage loans to Nigerians because most commercial banks are not providing mortgage facilities”.

He noted that “the fear of our commercial banks is how they can recover their money but a mortgage loan is the easiest loan to recover because the house serves as collateral and usually also rises in value over time. The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) loan is at 6% but if all our commercial banks are encouraged through attractive policies to offer mortgage loans at say 8%

A housing unit or 9%, Nigeria’s housing deficit will drastically reduce. Even in Namibia where I recently returned from, the commercial banks pursue people to come and collect mortgage loans because their mortgage system works perfectly.

He noted that “there is also the burning need to create awareness to Nigerians about mortgages and Nigerian mortgage institutions. Even con-

tributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF) do not know what they are contributing for.

States and local governments should make land available to developers and encourage their workers to get loans from mortgage institutions to buy their own houses”.

Commenting on the problems hindering the development of the housing sub-sec-

tor, he regretted that “prices of cement and other building materials keep rising even after you have agreed on a house price with a client. By the time the client pays 10% of say N5 million, the cost of building the house has risen to N7 million.

Besides all these is the difficulty in getting land. A plot of land jumps in prices virtually monthly. These are some of the challenges”.

REDAN mulls low cost housing

R

eal Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), has called for a national strategy to boost the development of low cost housing and social housing in Nigeria. Among its proposed options is the need for governments at the various levels to compel estate developers in high brow areas like Ikoyi, Lekki, Asokoro in Abuja, Port Harcourt to incorporate in their schemes, low cost housing for the workers that are serving residents and owners of high end properties in these estates. This means that ongoing and new developments in high brow areas must make provisions for the low and medium income groups with 10 per cent of houses in such estates set aside for the low income group, another 10 per cent for the medium income earners and the balance of 80 per cent set aside for the high income group.

To achieve this, REDAN is facilitating a meeting of stakeholders, including the Minister of Housing, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN). According to a REDAN official, Mr. Shola Enitan, the association is also canvassing support for social housing provision whereby people in distress can be temporarily accommodated in decent government houses before they are able to sort themselves out.

“Except for the destitute, there must be a place of temporary abode for a family, who may have accommodation crisis, either with their landlords or by other means. No Nigerian should be allowed to spend all his earnings paying house rent to landlords, either private landlord or government for ever, and in a situation by which government is the landlord, the tenants must have the opportunity to buying off the apartment at the long run without much sweat,”

OPS decries challenges to real estate development in Nigeria

M

embers of the Organised Private Sector have alerted the federal government to the growing challenges hindering the development of construction and real estate in Nigeria stressing that the downturn in the economy could not make the construction industry fulfill its potentials in job creation.

While reviewing the performance of the Nigerian econ-

omy, members of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) lamented that the challenges of the operating environment for business has intensified, adding that “across all sectors, there are concerns over weak consumer demand, reflecting the general downturn in the economy. Structural and institutional problems persisted as well”.

President of the LCCI, Mr.

Goodie Ibru who spoke on behalf of the LCCI regretted the stagnating state of the construction industry in Nigeria noting that “the construction industry has very profound potentials to create jobs. But the recent downturn in the economy has taken its toll on this sector. More importantly however, there are other specific challenges highlighted by operators in this sector in the

last quarter”.

He said the challenges included high cost of building materials – cement, iron rods, etc; low indigenous participation in infrastructure projects, high cost of funds as well as access to credit, inadequate technical skills due to the collapse of technical education in Nigeria.

Enumerating more problems of the sector, Ibru said on-

going projects in Northern parts of the country have been badly affected by the security situation, along with problems of corruption both in the process of securing contracts and getting paid for the contracts. He also noted that demand for high end properties had declined sharply while absence of long-term affordable credit and inadequate information on ownership of land were ravaging the sector.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 28

Motoring

BM B MW W u unve n v e ils fu futuristic tu ristic g rre ee e n supersu p e r-m mini in i

S

tars including Sienna Miller have helped launch the world’s most futuristic electric car.

A stellar cast of celebrities were invited to see BMW’s revolutionary new electric i3 ‘super-mini’ as it was unveiled to the world last night, promising fun-filled green motoring at under 2p a mile.

The new futuristic-looking green city run-around, said to be one of the most important in the German company’s history, was revealed simultaneously in London, New York and Beijing.

Sienna and Hollywood star James Franco were at Billingsgate Market to promote the project.

BMW engineers said that a full battery charge from empty will cost about £2 and will take it up to 100 miles.

The fuel economy is equivalent to a conventionally-fuelled car doing around 425 miles to the gallon, they added, while a partially charged battery on an overnight charge will cost only 1.6p per mile.

Images of the full productionready version of the electric supermini leaked out early on the internet, sparking global interest.

Sienna and James were the big names in attendance at the starstudded bash at Old Billingsgate Market.

It was the first time the vehicle has been on display ahead of its November release, and will be the first car from BMW’s new i subbrand.

Speaking to the MailOnline about the vehicle, Sienna said: ‘Being a new mother I feel it’s very important to make green choices and create a better world for the future.

But now the covers have officially come off the model that customers can buy or lease from showrooms. The event was streamed live on the internet at 1.15pm UK time.

First deliveries of the electric i3 will be in November priced from £25,680 - which includes a £5,000 taxpayer-funded ‘green’ subsidy courtesy of the UK Government.

BMW is also introducing a ‘range-extender’ version at £28,830, which features an additional 650cc two-cylinder petrol engine to maintain the battery charge and extend the range to between 160 miles and 186miles on one tank of fuel.

This version is aimed at people who suffer from ‘range-anxiety’ – a fear of being left stranded before reaching their destination - and has average emissions of just 13g/ kilometre.

BMW’s global sales and mar-

keting director Dr Ian Robertson said: ’The i3 has re-written the rule book. After 100 years of landlines the mobile telephone opened up so many opportunities and changed the face of the communications industry.

‘Electric vehicles will do the same for individual mobility. The car has been around for 130 years and today marks a change in the future of mobility. One thing the i3 will share with every other BMW is sheer driving pleasure.’

The car can be connected wirelessly to the driver’s smartphone so they can check the charge in the battery before and after a journey.

As it is driven around, the i3 also keeps the driver in touch with traffic conditions, telling him or her where to park, find a charging point and even when the next train is leaving if you are heading out of town into the countryside.

A phone app will let drivers know at any time where they have

parked their car – or guide them on foot to their final destination after they park up.

A ‘driving range assistant’ linked to the car’s sat-nav will look at the battery’s charge and work out whether the destination is too far for the vehicle to go.

If so, the assistant can suggest switching to a more economical driving mode or direct the driver to a public charging station.

It even takes account of traffic jams, uphill climbs, and stop-start conditions ‘to make allowances for the energy required.’

Also, to save energy, the electric motor switches from ‘drive’ to ‘generator mode once the driver takes his foot off the accelerator, feeding power into the lithium ion battery and helping the car ‘brake itself’.

BMW said: ’This recharging effect is speed sensitive which means the car ‘coasts’ with maximum efficiency at high speeds and generates strong braking effect at low speeds.’

It noted: ‘Thinking ahead in city traffic can allow the driver to carry out 75 per cent of braking manoeuvres without applying the brake pedal.’

The i3 is rear-wheel drive powered by a 168bhp electric motor, and weighs less than 1,200kg thanks to a lightweight but superstrong carbon fibre-reinforced plastic and aluminium construction.

It has a range of around 80 to 100 miles and can accelerate from rest to 62mph in just 7.2 seconds with a top speed of 93mph.

The battery can re-charge 80 per cent of its power within three hours. dailymail.co.uk

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 29

Arts & Culture

The Tale of the Harmattan

FROM THE LIVE STAGE

Book Review Brief Author: Tanure Ojaide’s Title: The Tale of the Harmattan Review by Dike Okoro Publisher: Kwela Books of Cape Town Page: 64 pages

By Dike Okoro

with Patrick-Jude Oteh 0803 700 0496, 0805 953 5215 (SMS only)

A

bsorbing, startling and uncannily pitched to public and private issues that penetrate the social climate and upheaval of present-day Nigeria and Africa might be the best way to describe prolific Nigerian scholar-poet, Tanure Ojaide’s new poetry collection: “The Tale of the Harmattan”. Published in South Africa by the prestigious Kwela Books of Cape Town, which parades a coterie of some of Africa’s already established poets/fiction writers such as Eskia Mphalele, Nuruddin Farah, Maxine Case, Keorapetse Kgositsile, and Gabeba Baderoon, in conjunction with another notable publisher, Snail Press.

The book is divided into three sections and has a glossary that spares the reader unfamiliar with the terrain of Nigeria’s landscape, politics and Urhobo folklore the headache of leafing through such a fine collection without knowledge of the references made to mythical and historical figures.

The Tale of the Harmattan is Ojaide’s fifteenth poetry publication. Part one of the book, much like Ojaide’s previous poetry collections, narrates and reflects on local issues with global implications.

We are introduced to the disturbing tale of the oil saga that continues to plague Nigeria’s national conscience. Ojaide references an array of struggles for a clean environment, multinational sensitivity to local people in their business dealings, minority rights, rights of people to be treated as humans and the legacy of grandmothers. But what makes this section of the book fulfilling is not the attention given to issues overlapping politics but the poet’s well-crafted and memorable lines. The poem “The goat song,” according to Ojaide’s explanation in the glossary section, “represents a song of anguish and complaint.” Indeed that statement is true when we examine the way he weaves sarcasm into each couplet that reflects and philosophizes the reality of living in Nigeria’s Niger delta region. The opening couplet reads, “I sing the community’s goat song/Folks wear gold over tumours of hope.” These lines are premeditated, because they set the tone for the last two couplets of the first section of this poem as the reader becomes aware of what drives Ojaide’s anguish and complaint when his speaker bemoans, “And who cares if foreigners found deep/under their bare feet divine gifts of pools/and started to tap the earth’s underbelly/for fuel to blaze brushes of progress?” (9). Other poems that stand out in Part one are: “Priests, converts, and gods,” “Womb-wrapped,” “Lessons from Grandma’s night-time school,” “Tale of the harmattan,” and “Oil remedies”.

Part Two presents the poet as a public voice. The themes covered are both dynamic and very much in touch with events in present-day Nigeria. Yet the pleasure of reading Ojaide’s poems comes through as with any good poet’s work. With the poems in this Section One can easily identify with the speaker’s thirst for human freedom, his passion for his subject matter, his reflection on the injustices carried out against the Niger Delta people, their land and their natural resources. In short, the tragedy experienced in the destruction of wildlife and natural habitat are clearly examined with the skillful touch of a seasoned craftsman in this section, which clearly gives each of the poems the universal appeal and attention reminiscent of any other ethnic group or culture whose natural habitat is threatened by oil

Meeting Uncle Fred

I

pollution and incompetence in the corridors of power. The poem: “At the Kaiama Bridge” immediately jumps at the reader with a tone and subtlety buried in the direct appeal for the protection of natural resources when the speaker cries in stanza four, We have organized a resistance army, declared sovereignty over our resources;but have not pushed back the poachers. Outside forces pillage the inheritance. (33) In the poem: “For the Egbesu Boys” the poet’s solidarity with the fight for the oppressed and dispossessed is clearly established in the lines, “For the same reason I sang praises of the Ogoni youths, I praise you Egbesu Boys in song—you cannot be/shackled from enjoying your own land’s blessing;/you do the honorable duty of brave sons— fight on”(41). Here, we can see clearly the ambivalence in Ojaide’s lines while also noting his ingenious use of diction that is both exalting and gravitating. The clear message here is the poet’s support for the pitiful plight of the Niger delta region whose exploitation of its natural resources the Egbesu boys are fighting against. Other poems in this section are also reminiscent of the anguish and complaint that sustain the intensity of the entire collection are “Dialogue,” “Transplants,” “Without trees,” and “Swimming in a waterhole”.

Part three of this book is sentimental, euphonious, and forewarning. Here ,Ojaide’s speaker navigates issues fueled by private and public concerns. The themes covered are thought-provoking, emotional, and foreshadowing. The brilliance of this section can be seen in Ojaide’s mastery at blending oral tradition with western poetic forms.

The songs are free, yet there is a seriousness of purpose that sustains their intensity, making each poem memorable for the reader. In the fiery and angry “To the Janjaweed,” we notice and feel the poet’s empathy for the victims and his resentment for the oppressors. Written

in a tradition of abuse poetry, the poet chides and derides the notorious killing gang responsible for much of the deaths in Sudan’s Darfur region.

Each couplet in this poem is rich with memorable images and utterances as Ojaide laments: “May the fire you spread gleefully this way scorch you and your family at the other end may your patrons in government corridors become dead vultures to the entire world may the horses you ride to sack villages throw you into vainglorious days… (58) The same emotional intensity Ojaide exhibits in this poem is sustained in the other poems in this section. The only difference is in the shift from the public to the private voice. For example, the poem “Remembering”, a tribute to a dead friend, clearly shows the dexterity and virtuoso of a poet. The images are very striking, and the last line gives the poem a memorable closing punch, as Ojaide avers, the day all alarms refused to go off the day the clear-eyed guide lost his vision the day the boneless beast opened its mouth to swallow an entire man like sautéed crayfish that was the day of the summer solstice when in Jerusalem my best friend died in Sapele. (57) By the end of this book it becomes clear to us what Ojaide had set out to achieve with it. His move from personal and local concerns to national, universal, and human issues shows how grounded he is with historical memory. Readers will enjoy this book, for all it is worth. The language, though highly sophisticated, is simple and reminiscent of the poet’s opus. With a poem that addresses human issues such as “To the Janjaweed” already nominated for a Pushcart Prize in the US, this collection is bound to win many laurels. With the publication of The Tale of the Harmattan, Ojaide has become part of Kwela Books’ coterie of major authors singing Africa’s song from the local to the global.

Source: Africanwriter.com

met Fred Agbeyegbe last week in Lagos. He is a lawyer, who owns and runs Ajo Productions. A lot of us would recall that he burst forth into the Nigerian theatre circuit in 1983 with his play “The King Must Dance Naked”.

Three other plays followed in quick succession. These were “The Last Omen”, “Woe Unto Death and Budiso”. All the four plays were to culminate in the landmark AjoFest, a festival of four plays in a month in Lagos in 1986. All the plays were performed at the National Theatre.

With Uncle Fred on this journey was another equally talented and multi-faceted theatre director called Jide Ogungbade. Between them, they were to create quite a thunderstorm of a buzz in the Nigerian theatre circuit that almost thirty years later, their work is still fresh in a lot of minds.

Uncle Fred has since gone on to write fourteen more published plays but the times have ensured that the bold steps of the 1980’s cannot be replicated in the new millennium.

My visit to Uncle Fred was part of an on-going personal work that has seen me traverse the many corridors and corners of this nation and outside the nation in search of viable and sustainable arts organisations that are still working and with enduring structures that can outlive the promoters. With each passing month, the regular trips have become more painful but critical to our work.

The meeting of Uncle Fred and Jide Ogungbade was not a planned one but when they met, it was a much-needed meeting.

The former had the resources while the latter had the artistic vision to bring the words on paper to stage and not only were the performances memorable, they were remarkable. The nearest example of this that I see was the relationship between the poet and playwright August Wilson and the theatre director, Lloyd Richards at the Yale Repertory.

Between the two of them they were to create nine solid plays that were award winning and which have since gone on to create a new repertory of plays in the American theatre. August Wilson went on the journey of the tenth play, Radio Golf on his own. By the time he sat to write the tenth play which have all collectively become known as the Pittsburgh Circle he had parted ways with Lloyd Richards.

Each play was representative of 10 years of African American

history in the 20th century so the ten plays chronicle a century of a people’s history, dreams and aspirations. For the American and world theatre such has not been undertaken again.

The collection of four of Agbeyegbe plays from ‘The King Must Dance Naked’ to ‘Budiso’ which was commissioned to celebrate 100 years of law practice in Nigeria, chronicle aspects of our lives from historical archives to the bitter years of military rule. I refer to these plays as the plays that made the reputation of Uncle Fred. And in a way, they also made Jide Ogungbade.

I doubt if you can divorce the two from each other. However, the relationships between playwrights and directors can sometimes be trying; the one wants to protect his words while the other sees a different picture on stage. Playwrights have been known to denounce their plays before their directors.

This has to do with vision – what picture so you see? The picture you put on stage, are they representative of what I want to say? Do they tell my story? It can be tempestuous and it can beautiful. There has to be a lot of give and take. One clear case of this was the realization of Woe Unto Death. Years later, Uncle Fred was to personally direct this play and his version was clearly different from Jide’s – the differences had to do with the end of the play. That is another matter for another day.

The arts ecology of the nation is changing and very rapidly too.

In what direction? Only time will tell. A lot of practitioners who are still in the field are looking for a friendly environment that can accommodate them and their work. From here to London, to the US to Rome. The mind set has not changed. Give us an environment that has structures to free our thought and creative processes.

Meeting Uncle Fred has further reinforced that we have to individually create the structures that work for us and give no apologies about what we create. Uncle Fred found that he had the resources to write, produce and stage his own plays and so be it. He found that he had the resources to create a festival out of his own plays, so be it. In a three year period, between Uncle Fred, Jide Ogungbade and Ajo Productions over four hundred artistes were gainfully employed. That is very important. Uncle Fred’s place in Nigerian theatre history is very secure!

PAGE 30

Arts & Culture

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

POEM OF THE WEEK

Proof of Heaven (2) Book Review Author: Eben Alexander Title: Proof of Heaven Review by Ozodi Osuji Publisher: Proof of Heaven.

(New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012) Page: 196 Pages r. Alexander is aware of the arguments against belief in spirit and indeed seemed to have been skeptical about the existence of spirit although he nominally attended an Episcopal (Anglican) Church. But despite his sophistication, his experience during his week in coma convinced him that spirits exist and that we live after we die.

He described the after death existence which other writers, have provided us (there is no need to rehash them here, if you are not aware of this literature please read Raymond Moody’s writings and personal accounts of out of body experience such as the one provided by Betty Eadie...I wrote a lengthy review of Eadie’s book, Embraced by the light).

Is what Dr. Alexander wrote, true or just an unusual dream, a fantasy produced by his brain? Honestly, I don’t know. Until I have had similar experience I am not in a position to state that it is true or false. I have an open mind and in the meantime operate from the perspective of the scientific method.

If heaven is real we shall get to it when we die; in the meantime, I have no need to believe in heaven and its supposed God. What I have need to accept is love.

Dr. Alexander says that heaven is a place of unconditional love. I hope that he is correct. Be that as it may, I have no need to posit heaven and God before I accept the utility of love.

As I see it, love is the only thing that gives our lives on earth whatever meaning there is in it. We must love each other regardless of whether there is God and life after death or not. If, indeed, heaven is real and is a place of perfect love that is fantastic and welcome news.

Dr. Alexander, as a child was given up by his teenager parents and was adopted by Dr. Alexander, another neurosurgeon. He was apparently loved by his adoptive parents but most of his life felt like an orphan. He searched for his biological parents and after been put off by state authorities eventually connected with them.

That seemed to have given him a modicum of satisfaction regarding his biological origin. Nevertheless, he had the psychology of an orphan and tried to create a loving family, apparently, to make up for what was lacking in his life. From his extensive description of his wife, two sons and his immediate relatives it seems that he had a loving circle around him. His family life actually made me envious since I do not have such family experience. I did not know that some people have such close and loving families?

The man still felt like an orphan who was abandoned in this material universe. His journey to the spiritual realm, apparently, gave him a sense of connection to the universe; his existential sense of separation and aloneness was temporarily eliminated and he felt one with all things, unified with the universe and that gave him peace and joy. Lucky him!

The message of his book is that we are all part of the universe and that we are loved by all people and by God. We are loved by all people and God? This seems like wishful thinking since in the here and now world many of us do not experience the universal

D

love he is talking about.

Dr. Alexander is a white southern gentleman. We all know how loving southern white folks are, don’t we?

These folks are rabid racists who treat black folks like shit, literally. Therefore, all that love that Dr. Alexander and his alleged God claim to represent does not seem real (it seems make belief, fantasy).

We just went through a presidential election where “Christian” Republicans who call themselves believers in civil rights and civil liberties did everything in their powers to disenfranchise black folks; they made it almost impossible for them to vote; black folks had to stand in line for up to twelve hours to exercise their constitutional right to vote; and they were asked to provide evidence of their American citizenship (they had to produce IDs; many southern blacks were not born in hospitals hence do not have birth certificates, do not have drivers licenses or US passports hence had a difficult time proving their citizenship).

As we talk, these disingenuous Southern white folk are at work trying to redo the electoral college; at present the winner of each state takes the entire state’s electors; but white Republican governors and Republican controlled state legislatures have Gerrymandered how representatives are apportioned so that they guarantee that mostly white folks are elected to the US Congress, and, more importantly if electors are divided in accordance with the gerrymandered Congressional districts the presidential candidate that won most votes in a state could end up winning less electors in it.

For example, Barack Obama won the popular vote in Virginia, but if electors were apportioned according to the gerrymandered districts he would have had fewer electors than the Mitt Romney he defeated in that state!

Thus, despite winning the popular vote Romney would have won more electors (273) than Obama (268) hence became President despite receiving fewer votes!

In the 2012 election Obama won 332 electors and Romney won 206 electors; white southerners want to make sure that a black man never again win the presidency hence plan on rigging future elections via changing how electors are allotted.

Hello Apartheid South Africa, here comes white southerners replicating your system where a minority ruled the majority!

Would America still have the guts to preach to the world that it is democratic? Wouldn’t people see through its hypocrisy and laugh it away?

As the on-white population rise white folks will do desperate things to stay in power. At present whites are 72% of the US populations hence still the majority population but Latinos breed children at an amazing rate, and sneak across the border from Mexico and Latin America and in a few decades would probably surpass the white population. African Americans are 12% of the US population; Asians are about 5% of the US population.

When you went away

By Abigail George

I tell you, these white folks are an interesting bunch. Are they really Christians, if by Christians we mean those who love people? I often wonder!

My philosophical mentor, Arthur Schopenhauer (World as Will and Idea) in the early 1800s wrote about Southern USA whites, who claimed to be Christians, and claimed to love God and people and yet treated their African slaves worse than most people treat the mosquitoes that suck their blood! That is correct; they maltreated their fellow human beings who did them no harm while talking about God and love!

Get these hypocrites out of my face, would you; they make me conclude with my beloved Schopenhauer that man is a mistake that should not have been made; the universe ought not to have produced human beings; people are a plague unto people; they are eyesore, they blight nature with their evil behaviors.

Dr. Alexander and his God of love did not persuade me one bit. I only see a world of pain, not the loving world he described as part of his earthly family and heavenly home.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book; it is easy reading; I read it today, in less than five hours (and wrote this review of it in an hour). Perhaps,

Talk about the spiritual realms generally are subjective; other persons , for example, seem unable to observe what NDE folks claim to have experienced hence many of us see them as sort of like dreams that are associated with death and dying.

it could help those who need such first person accounts of the reality of heaven to convince themselves that God exists and that there is life after death.

However, if one is a diehard materialist I doubt that the book would sway one towards belief in God. To me, if God exists the question is: how come he allows too much suffering in this damn world? Theologians rationalize human evil and suffering by saying that God gave us freedom of choice and we chose what we experience? Great!

Here is a little question for theologians: does a loving father stand by as his children stick their hands into fire knowing that they would be burned? If such a father existed wouldn’t we see him as culpable in his children sustaining burns on their hands?

Give me a break, will you; let us please leave God out of human affairs.

I am not interested in being told about a loving God; I am interested in how we can make our lives loving.

If Dr. Alexander’s book helps you to become a loving person, to realize that people live in suffering and you do whatever you can to reduce that suffering your behavior is welcome. Theology without practicing love is a bunch of scholastic rubbish. Gautama Buddha remains my ideal religious philosopher for he asked people to have compassion for people, not because of God or desire for life after death but because they understand that people suffer and they want to reduce that suffering.

Love and the rest are details; love connects us to each other and to the universe and reduces our sense of alienation from the universe.

Love makes this strange universe our home whereas lovelesness estranges us from the universe. Our true self is love; the rest is noise.

When you left this world turned on me, Crippled me and left my heart in a frail knot– Tangled in the mirth of obsession towards Possession, form, force, a waking flame, the Arrows of a being of light.

They were contagious as a rolling shift in Tides, as I progressed towards you lost in the Land, shades and country of Jane Austen.

I basked in the glory of her elements, sampled Incandescence, fragile quiet.

If fish could only live on air like I do– Instead they breathe the juice, the veil of fire On an expedition from sea to land before They’re completely erased from sight like you Have been, leaving me quite Ill, inconsolable against invincible cosmic You. I searched this house, turned it upside down Until all my thoughts were black, impoverished– How can I banish the song in my clothed hunger, My still, patched, dark thirst.

The climb has been a cold one to bear–night Has ravaged me senseless so that I’ve taken to Medicine which has transitioned me from Ancient death to the tree of life, made me march To the sound of cars and dogs Barking in bursts, the background of the vein Of rain, the symmetry of stars, the silence of a Planet when the night falls–if only you were Here within reach, smelling of roses, my prize Poem, kind, alive, not in flight.

I can more or less feel the sea now that you’ve Gone away, promised to write, exchanged addresses– The hours give me courage, there’s a home for Love in my blood, the silence in profound madness, Even in my weeping for my loss.

QUOTE “Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten.” ― Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Digest

Delaying cutting the umbilical cord for more than three minutes ‘is better for a baby’s health’

By Emma Innes

lead to a slightly higher number of babies needing treatment for jaundice which is treated by light therapy.

Dr Middleton said: ‘The benefits of delayed cord clamping need to be weighed against the small additional risk of jaundice in newborns.

‘Later cord clamping to increase iron stores might be particularly beneficial in settings where severe anaemia is common.’

The study is published in The Cochrane Library.

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elaying cutting the umbilical cord is good for a baby’s health, say scientists.

Infants’ blood iron levels were better when the cord was clamped later, a review of previous studies showed.

Cutting the umbilical cord immediately after birth - currently standard practice - puts the baby at risk of iron deficiency.

Leaving the cord attached for a few minutes allows the blood in the cord to transfer to the baby.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is to publish new guidelines next year.

In many countries it’s standard practice to clamp the umbilical cord connecting mother and baby less than a minute after birth.

But cutting the cord too soon may reduce the amount of blood that passes from mother to baby via the placenta - affecting the baby’s iron stores.

On the other hand delayed cord clamping - which is carried out more than a minute after birth may also slightly increase the risk of jaundice.

The World Health Organisation now recommends cord clamping between one and three minutes after birth.

The existing guidance on cordclamping was published in 2007

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Cutting the umbilical cord immediately after birth - currently standard practice - puts the baby at risk of iron deficiency when the consensus was that cutting the cord immediately was the best option - something which had been the case for decades.

But since then researchers have questioned whether that is still the case.

The latest study involving 3,911 women and their babies showed clamping the cord later made no difference to the risk of maternal

haemorrhaging, blood loss or haemoglobin levels and babies were healthier in a number of respects.

When cord cutting was delayed babies had higher haemoglobin levels between one and two days after birth and were less likely to be iron deficient three to six months after birth.

Birth weight was also higher

with delayed cord clamping.

Dr Philippa Middleton, of Adelaide University, said: ‘In light of growing evidence delayed cord clamping increases early haemoglobin concentrations and iron stores in infants, a more liberal approach to delaying clamping of the umbilical cord in healthy babies appears to be warranted.’

Clamping the cord later did

Leaving the cord attached for a few minutes allows the blood in the cord to transfer to the baby

Obese males could pass on genes that make their children

By Emma Innes

F

at fathers could pass on their weight problems not just to their children, but also to their children’s children, a medical study has revealed.

The research suggests that it all comes down to the father’s weight at the time of conception - so if they want to avoid having an overweight family, they should try and shift some weight before trying for a baby.

Researchers have discovered a ‘molecular signal’ in the sperm of obese fathers than can pass on the same obesity problems,

including diabetes, to multiple generations in the future.

Both male and female children run the risk of inheriting obesity this way, although girls have a higher risk than boys, said the study

by Australian biologists at the University of Adelaide.

Even if the children eat healthily and have active lifestyles, they may still suffer as a result of this signal, although it is likely to weaken slightly with each passing generation.

Lead researcher Dr TodFullston said: ‘A father’s diet changes the molecular make-up of the sperm.

A ‘molecular signal’ in the sperm of obese fathers can pass on the same obesity problems, including diabetes, to multiple generations

Fat fathers could pass on their weight problems not just to their children, but also to their children’s children

‘With obese fathers, the changes in their sperm might programme the embryo for obesity or metabolic disease later in life.

‘For female offspring, there is an increased risk of becoming overweight or obese.’

The risk of diabetes-type diseases is the same for both male and female offspring, he said, and less severe but still possible in grandchildren.

This can happen even if the obese father shows no signs of diabetes, said Dr Fullston.

He added: ‘It’s been known for some time that the health of a mother before, during, and after pregnancy can impact on her child’s health, but the father’s health during this period is often overlooked.

‘If our laboratory studies are translatable to humans, this could be a new and as yet unexplored intervention window

into the epidemic of childhood obesity.

‘A focus on the mother’s health is extremely important, but we’re seeing that the father’s health is also important for conception.

‘It’s possible that by showing additional attention to diet and exercise in the father, this could have a positive impact on his future children and grandchildren.’

Source: Dailymail. co.uk

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 37

Why impeachment clause in the Constitution must be amended-Rep Dogara Interview

Y

ou sponsored a bill to simplify impeachment process of the President, Nigerians are wondering why at this time, and what does the bill intend to achieve?

In the process of leading that debate, I laboured to prove the point that I was making in the sense that I knew it is going to be controversial. If you look at impeachment in the first place, impeachment was designed as mechanism to check abuse of power by the executive.

The constitution that we have vests so much power in one man and then that man is further required to exercise that powers either directly by himself or through ministers or other officers of the public service.

So, virtually everyone exercising executive power is exercising a delegated power from one man.

For those who crafted the presidential constitution in the US (United States of America), they said if we don’t make this one man accountable to the people by virtue of the fact that he exercises, we would have created a tyranny in the name of democracy. So it was thought that for the President to sit up, and not to abuse the trust and to maintain utmost fidelity to democracy and the rule of law, there was need to create mechanism of impeachment, so that where he goes totally off the road, he can be impeached.

Impeachment is supposed to be there in the constitution to serve as a red flag warning to the occupant of number one office that there are certain limits that you will dare not go above. You have to operate within the contest of the principal civilized norms within the contest of the constitution. Where you operate beyong our laws, mind you democracy is all about rule of law, then the people through their immediate representatives, that is the parliament, can impeached you. So, if you look at it, is that mechanism provided in section 143 of our constitution?

The answer is no; and the reason is very simple. If you look at the provision of that section, assuming there is attempt now to impeache a President, who obviously is abusing his office or is operating beyond the laws, that section requires that after a two-third votes to impeach the President or the Vice- President is passed by the combined house, that isthe Senate and the House of Representatives, there is still a further requirement that the Chief Justice of the Federation should appoint a panel of 7. Now, the determination of these panel of 7 is absolutely binding on the parliament and the court, in the sense that the constitution says you cannot even debate it, and the court cannot question it. So, to a

Hon. Yakubu Dogara, member of the House of Reprentatives representing the people of Bogoro/ Dass/Tafa Balewa Federal constituency, in this interraction with newsmen recently explains the reason for his bill seeking to simplify the procedures for the impeachment of the President and his Vice. He also speaks on controversies around constituency projects and the malfunctioning electronic voting device at the chamber which could not be put to use during the voting on Constitution amendment. Lawrence Olaoye and Umar Mohammed Puma were there. Excepts: rational mind, who has the power of impeachment? Certainly, it is not the parliaments but it is this panel of 7. Because regardless of what the parliament does, if the panel of 7 writes to the parliament that the occupant of the office is not guilty, that ends the matter. Now, look at it, who appoints the Chief Justice of the Federation?

So in the contest of Nigeria now, if there was such a move, all that is required is the occupants of that office to call the Chief Justice of the Federation and say look, these are the names of the 7 people that you can put on that panel and before you know things are done. A lot of water would pass under the bridge.

Regardless of the facts on the ground, those 7 people who were put on that panel can write that the President or his Vice is not guilty, and that automatically terminates that procedure or proceedings.

The occupants of our offices are quite smart, they have studied that if they talk about impeaching anybody in those two offices by the parliament, it’s just cheap talk because they control the baton; it will never happen. So when you know that something cannot be carried on, even if you dare it, you are just wasting your time. If I were the President and you talk about the impeachment I would just laugh.

It would be ridiculous to talk about impeaching anybody.

They have studied these things, they know it, that is why there is ths culture of impunity and lawlessness in Nigeria today. Our feeling was that we must address that because that is the bane of our deverlopment in Nigeria.

So, we felt that in order to check this culture of lawlessness impunity and indiscipline, that starts from the top and go right down to the bottom. We have to address that, in the contest of the fact that anytime

Hon. Yakubu Dogara the impeachment is mentioned, the occupiers of these office should know that these threat can be carried on to the fullest, that will make them sit up.

But as long as we don’t do that and as long as we lack the constitutional mechanism to hold these two offices accountable to the laws of the land, then certainly we cannot address the culture of indiscipline and corruption.

But some reaction shows that the bill did not dwell on the process of the recall of a lawmaker, rather it concentrated more on the executives, why in the past, have we never seen a situation where lawmaker was recalled from his constituency?

On the issue of recall, obviously it is a point that we are looking at generally, and it doesn’t have to do with just recall, there are so many other issue like requirement for the state creation, referendum.

“

On this issue of constituency projects that we always talk about, I think it is important for us to clarify the fact that these funds were always there. Nobody took anything from any member’s constituencies funds. We have two legs of projects that go to our constituencies, the zonal intervention, which is given across the zones and shared according to the number of members in that zone

The constitution provides for referendum in case you are seeking for the creation of a new state or you want to recall a member or a Senator. The constitution did not provide which agency of government is charged with the responsibility of conducting the referendum. So even at the level of the ad-hoc committee of the review of the 1999 constitution that we are doing right now, it was a point that was hotly debated.

We are trying to see how we can place the responsibilities of doing that referendum in the hands of a particular agency that will be given funds to be able to do it. Because I think if you look at the budget of INEC or any other agency, you won’t find that provision that gives them money in case there is a call for referendum for them to conduct it. So, it is a serious omission on the part of the constitution. But there was this thinking that we can effect it by way of a law instead of putting it in the constitution. That is going to be defined and as soon as that is defined, I believe that the procedures for recalling members or Senators, in line with that of state creation will be streamlined so that we can make it more effective.

Nigerians are wondering why you left out the state governors on the bill?

Impeachments are never proceeding that is being handled by the people outside. In all jurisdiction, impeachment is a proceedings handled by parliament because

parliament is the most immediate representatives of the people and as such, they are the ones to handle that.

So in the case of the state governors, why we did not feel compelled to introduce the same measures is for one simple reason: because all the state Assemblies in Nigeria are unicameral. But,in the US you have state assembly, you have state senate, so it is the same federal impeachment process, because there, you can now distinguish the body that accuses from the body that tries.

But if it were to be a case in Nigeria where we required state assemblies to trial, indict, convict and remove, we would have given so much powers into the hands of just one body.

That in itself, will amount to creating a tyrannical body. I did concede that it was an issue because we have to be democratic as well, but we needed time to think through it. It suffice to say that if we introduce it at federal level, I’m sure that sooner or latter it will trickle down to the state.

Buwe are yet to invent the kind of mechanism that will guarantee both fair hearing and ensure that the rule of law is enforced at the state level.

So, that was why we didn’t extend it to the state level.

On the issue of budget amendment bill, the House suddenly made a U-turn and surprised Nigerians, because earlier the House resolved that it is not going to touch the budget, and all of a sudden you went to a close door session and when you came out, you passed the budget, what really happened?

Actually, I will have loved to be left out of this discussion but like I did say in a democracy all issues should be put on the front burners of national discourse. The point of order that we raised in the course of the debate on the first amendment that was sent to us by the President bordered on two critical issues. We said that we are running a limited government and that is the whole idea of democracy and all three arms of government are limited by law. Even in parliament, whatever we do that cannot be supported by the constitution or by any law, is to that extent supersede our powers, the something, whether it is the Judiciary of the executive. If a particular measure or action taken by them cannot be grounded in the constitution or an existing law, it is to that extent ultra vires.

In raising that point of order, we Continued on page 38

PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Politics

APC registration: Analysts urge PDP to rebuild image

By Udenna Orji

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L-R: Zonal Director, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Dr. Zacheaus Oloruntola; Commissioner for information and National Orientation, Oyo state, Mr. Taiwo Otegbeye, and Deputy Governor, Mr. Moses Adeyemo, during a condolence visit to FRCN on Monday in Ibadan. Photo: NAN

Anambra: APC not a threat to PDP, says aspirant

By Lawrence Olaoye

A

n aspirant for the November 16th governorship election in Anambra state, Nze Akachukwu Nwankpo, yesterday said the newly registered opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) do not constitute any threat to the PDP at the polls.

He told newsmen yesterday after submitting his nomination form that he joined the governorship race in order to use his contacts to bring the needed

foreign investors and national industrialists to translate the aspirations of the people into reality.

He explained that for the over eight years he was in the presidency, “I facilitated relationship, development and attracted several investments to the state; but all these I did without making noise.

“You know one thing, President Goodluck Jonathan has been my friend right from when he was Vice President and due to the good relationship I enjoy with him, all of

us witnessed the kind of State burial he approved for the late Eze Igbo Gburugburu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu and he was there from morning till night.

“I transferred my personal friendship to zonal friendship. The entire region and in particular, Anambra state benefited from this mutual relationship.

“There are several other things I attracted to the state but I am not here to make noise about it. I can tell you that if God finds it worthy for me to lead Anambra state, I

have the desire for change and I promise to transform Anambra state”.

Speaking on his position should the party adopt a consensus candidate, Nwankpo said he would abide by the party’s position “otherwise I could have pushed for independent candidacy”.

He said he was not afraid of the newly-registered All Peoples Congress (APC), stressing that the party has no footing yet in the state to frighten him.

ommunication expert and aspirant for the position of National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Chyna Iwuanyanwu, has reiterated the need for the party to embark on effective branding in order to reposition it in the minds of voters for electoral success.

This is coming as critics have maintained that the registration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has made it necessary for the PDP to embark on fresh image laundering, noting that a communication professional and branding expert in the mold of Chief Iwuanyanwu should be given the opportunity to turn around the fortunes of the party through strategic image and reputation management.

In his address at the sixty-one National Executive Committee of the PDP held on Thursday June 20, 2013 at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja, the National Chairman of the PDP, Dr. Bamanga Tukur, had harped on the need for improved communication, noting that some of the ways forward for the party included to: “explore methods for improved communication for sustainable relations of the party – executive, the party – legislature and the party community relations; set in motion the necessary networks for contact and consultation to support the formulation of new national mobilization committees; and the need for the party to strategize more for improved relationship with the media”.

Analysts say herein lays the need for an in-house communications expert to handle the PDP’s publicity and image building needs.

Why impeachment clause in the Constitution must be amended-Rep Dogara Continued on page 38

considered one thing: that because the budget is a law itself, it was an Act just like any other, even though it is a special Act, it deals with appropriation of an expenditure, and funds of government. It is nonetheless subject to amendment.

But our contention was that the voluminous document translated by Mr. President which did not come with the main principal Act that is supposed to be amendment, did not qualify as a document asking amendment, because we all know how amendment to laws are made.

For instance, if I want to amend CBN Act, all I will do is to produce the principal Act, that is the one that is in force now, and I will now propose that this section be altered by deleting these words or replacing this phrase with this.

That wasn’t what the President did. They just translated voluminous document to us in the name of amendement, that is why we threw it away. As soon as that was done, there was a re-submission. What we must understand is that it is not that same document that we threw away that we passed.

As soon as we rejected that one that they failed to meet the test, may be with advice the Attorney General of the Federation, they brought another document. In this document, the section they clearly wanted amended were classified.

They brought the principal Act,which is the 2013 Appropriation Act that has been signed by the President and said okay, hold this section, replace this with this one, put these funds there, remove these one from there and include it there.

But we heard from the grapevine that the government has allocated N100 billion in that budget for your constituencies projects, which is the bone of contention, how true is that?

This is purely speculative, it was never an issue. The only issue there was an issue about overheads of some certain ministries that funds were moved from certain places and that if they were not replaced, salaries could not be paid. On this issue of constituency projects that we always talk about, I think it is important for us to clarify the fact that these funds were always there.

Nobody took anything from any

member’s constituencies funds.

We have two legs of projects that go to our constituencies, the zonal intervention, which is given across the zones and shared according to the number of members in that zone.

In my own case I think it is N90 million, so all that I’m supposed to do as a member is to nominate project worth that amount that will be executed in my constituency, and that was reflected in the budget, and it has always been reflected in the budget. Then the other one is the one given across board. Each member has N30 million, that N30million is notgiven to you cash. It is domiciled with constituency project. If you want to do, for instance borehole or whatever project you want to do that is worth N30million, you will now write to our committee on the constituency outreach. It is not as if they have access to these funds, but the funds are with the MDG’s, but they oversight to ensure that these project are executed, and they were all reflected in the budget; nothing was taken away with regards to any member.

If you don’t have many members in your state, your funds may be as much as N100, N120 or N150 per

member, but in my own case, the total constituency funds that I have in the budget is N120million, N90million which is zonal intervention and then the N30million which is domiciled with the MDGs and all these were reflected in the budget. So, it was never a bone of contention at all; its been done, it is not that it started with this regime; it has become a convention. The reason is very simple. I feel it is important for me to highlight this for our own benefit and the benefits of Nigerians who will be reading this. If you look at the budget itself, the intergrity of the project selection process has always been put to question.

If a minister or a director of a ministry comes from a particular state or zone of a country, you will see that virtually 90% ofthe funds in that ministry is appropriated for that zone.

For instance if you go to my constituency, the only federal presence we have there is the road linking Bauchi, Tafawa/ Balewa and then Dawaki in Plateau state, and you will find that in all the ministries no single kobo is appropriated to that constituency. So, if you

were in my shoes, if you are required to pass the budget, where you will see N5billion in a particular location, N2billion in one particular town, then in your own whole federal constituency, no single funds is appropriated, will you particip ate in such a venture?

That is why we try to encourage development at the grassroots; let it be that the starting point is at least each constituency have about N100million flowing into it yearly from the federal appropriation. That was why this mechanism of this constituency was designed.

In a situation where for instance works, if I were a Minister of Works from Bauchi state, you will see that 40% of the project goes to the federal roads within Bauchi state, the same thing with water resources.

Just look at the budget and where the minister comes from and then see the funds going to that state, you will be shocked. So, we felt that we can’t just sit here claiming to be representing our people and just acting as rubber stamp for project to be done in places ministers or high ranking civil servants come from.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Alleged Forgery: LEADERSHIP journalists head for Appeal Court

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

T

wo LEADERSHIP journalists charged with alleged forgery of a presidential bromide have appealed against the ruling of an Abuja High Court in Kubwa which refused to stay proceedings pending when President Goodluck Jonathan would finish his term and testify for them in the alleged offence.

Leadership’s Group News Editor, Mr. Tony Amokeodo, and political correspondent, Mr. Chibuzor Ukaibe, and the newspaper have approached the Court of Appeal in Abuja, challenging the ruling of Justice Usman Musale on July 29, 2013 in which he refused their application for an indefinite adjournment of the substantive charge pending the end of tenure of Jonathan to be able to testify for them.

Dissatisfied with the decision of the lower court, the lead lawyer to the journalists, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has applied for the leave of the lower court to enable him seek a redress against its ruling at the appellate court.

In the motion on notice filed yesterday, Falana is asking the appellate court to take a judicial notice of the fact that the trial judge erred in law when he held that the charge/case did not have direct attachment to Jonathan as to require him to adjourn sine die to await the end of term of the President.

Falana also argued that it is wrong for the trial judge to hold that section 308 of the 1999 constitution (as amended), is subordinate to section 36 (6)(d) of the same constitution and thereby reached a perverse decision.

The journalists’ lawyer further argued that the trial Judge erred in law when he held that the term “notwithstanding anything to the country in this constitution” employed in section 308 of the 1999 constitution, as amended is meant to exclude other provisions of the same constitution.

According to Falana, based on the aforementioned errors, there is miscarriage of justice and he consequently, formulated a lone issue for determination on whether in view of section 242(1) of the 1999 constitution, as amended; the trial court ought not to grant leave to the accused persons/applicants to appeal against the ruling of the court delivered on July 29, 2013.

Falana therefore urged the Court of Appeal to allow the appeal and set aside the ruling of the trial court, and suspend further proceedings sine die to await the end of term of President Jonathan to enable him to testify as a witness for the applicants.

PAGE 39

News Extra

NPA is gender-sensitive, says MD

By Chris Alu

T

he Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Malam Habib Abdullahi has said that the authority is gender-sensitive and will continue to give women employees all necessary support and encouragement.

Malam Abdullahi disclosed this while receiving the executive members of ‘Women in Logistics and Transport’ (WILAT)’s Nigeria chapter, led by its President, Hajiya Aisha Ali-Ibrahim, who paid him

courtesy visit in his office on Friday.

The Managing Director congratulated the WILAT President and other members of the executive, adding that “it is a thing of joy that one of our own, Hajiya Ali-Ibrahim triggered the establishment of the body in Nigeria. It is a moral responsibility on our part to support you. We are gendersensitive. We will give you all the support and encouragement you require”.

Earlier, the President of WILAT, who is the Traffic Manager, Tin-Can Island Port,

Hajiya Aisha Ali-Ibrahim, had thanked the Managing Director and his team for the roles played by the authority in the establishment of WILAT in Nigeria and for other support through sponsorship of members training and seminars.

While promising that WILAT members will continue to be good ambassadors of the authority and Nigeria, she appealed for more training sponsorship that will provide networking opportunities for women. the WILAT president was accompanied by the General

Manager, Business Development and Joint Venture Division, Mrs. Ugo Madubuike, Asst.

General Manager, Personnel, Mrs. Mohammed, Asst. General Manager, Administration, Mrs. Fayemiwo, a member of board of Trustee, Mrs. Julie Ogboru among others.

The authority’s team comprised the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr. Olumide Oduntan and Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Engr.

Mohammed Saleh.

Inflation not reason for tariff increaseNERC

By Etuka Sunday

C

R-L: Interim National Chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande and the Interim National Deputy Chairman South, Senator Annie Okonkwo, during the APC press briefing, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Eid-el Fitr: FRSC embarks on special patrol

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

T

he Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has begun an intensive oneweek nationwide patrol to ensure free flow of traffic before, during and after the Eid-el-Fitri celebration.

The FRSC in a statement yesterday by its Public Education Officer, Mr. Jonas Agwu, said massive personnel and equipment would be deployed

to some road corridors to ensure strict enforcement of traffic rules, prompt rescue of accident victims and removal of obstructions.

According to the statement, the FRSC will equally set up mobile courts on some designated road corridors to prosecute offenders, and warned motorists to comply with traffic rules.

The statement listed the corridors to include Yangoji, Lokoja, Lagos, Benin, Ore, Akwanga, Jos, Mokwa, Bida,

Potiskum, Bauchi, Lafia, Makurdi, 9th mile, Asaba, Onitsha, Kaduna and Kano. ``The intensive special patrol is aimed at addressing the spate of avoidable road crashes usually associated with surge in human and vehicular traffic across the country during festive period. ``Road traffic crashes are avoidable and only compliance with best practices of road use will guaranty the safety of all road users,’’ the statement said.

Solar power: Bauchi signs agreement with Chinese firm From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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auchi state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Messrs Nigeria Solar Capital Partners to establish 100 megawatts solar powered farm at Zongoro in Ganjuwa local government area.

The Commissioner for Environment and Forestry, Alhaji Mahiru Maiwada Wundi, disclosed this to reporters yesterday in Bauchi.

According to him, the Chinese government donated 100 units of brand new farmers trucks to the state, along with a donation of 500 units of energy saving air-conditioners.

According to him, government has also approved the employment of 148 forest guards to work in the 54 forest and game reserves in the state.

He said that the Governor Isa Yuguda had approved the provision of infrastructure in the form of water, access road, electricity and land for that purpose.

ontrary to speculations that the current electricity tariffs may have been increased due to inflation in the country, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) yesterday refuted the claims, describing it as misleading.

NERC however said it has not changed, or increased tariffs since 2012.

Rather, it was the tariffs published in the 2012 Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) that have come into effect in June 1, 2013.

In a statement by its Assistant General Manager, Media, Maryam Yaya Abubakar, NERC said that some newspapers wrongly reported that NERC increased tariffs due to increase in the rate of inflation but the reverse was actually the case.

“The inflation rate in the MYTO has not changed because inflation in Nigeria has remained single digit. NERC could not have increased tariffs due to rate of inflation which has remained stable.

According to the statement, “in 2012, NERC published the MYTO – a tariff plan that sets both wholesale and retail tariffs for the industry over a five year period, this means that tariffs have already been set for every year starting 2012 through to 2016.

“Effective June 1 of every year, a new tariff is to take effect.

This will continue till the fiveyear period of the MYTO has lapsed, after which there will be a major review.

“In between the major reviews are bi-annual minor reviews that look out for significant changes in macroeconomic indicators such as interest rate, inflation and exchange rates. These minor reviews do not automatically translate to an increase in tariffs. In fact, if the conditions are right, minor reviews could lead to a decrease in tariffs, if not maintaining the status quo.

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PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

News Extra

NIALS earns N10m from service delivery

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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he Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) said it generated N10 million from sales of the institute’s research publications and postgraduate courses run by the institute in Lagos.

NIALS also faulted the office of the Accountant General of the Federation for delayed staff salaries since the introduction of the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) by the

Federal Government, removing payment of salaries from MDA’s.

The Institute’s Acting Bursar, Mr. Austine Odokuma, disclosed this at the presentation of the institute’s mid-year report on the performance contract by head of departments and directors in Abuja.

Presenting the report for the bursary department in the last Six months, Odokuma noted that he prepared three budget documents for the institute which it defended before the National Assembly in the 2013 appropriation Act.

The budget he said were the Personnel, Capital and over-head proposal.

Odokuma said the institute does not receive monies from it budget directly since the introduction of the IPPIS, with payment of salaries being done from the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

He blamed the random mistakes of non-payment of salaries to members of staff on the high rate of staff turn-over by consultants to the federal government on IPPIS, adding

that, “the consultants change their staff every two months and when new staff are hired, the multiple errors of non-deduction or nonpayment of some salaries, become the implications of trying new hands by the consultants” The Director of Research, Prof.

Clement Darkas, while making his presentation following the performance contract signed on February 5th, 2013 to improve service delivery in the public sector, lamented the poor funding regime of research work.

“The poor funding of research work clearly affect the research grant of the institute and this has the capacity to affect the process of grooming young research assistants”, Prof. Darkas stated.

“We have identified nine research clusters to be driven by professors in other to mentor young staff at the research department of the institute, but the issue of research grant is extremely important for us to raise fund for research grant” he added.

Group to establish breast-milk banks

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otherless babies in orphanages across the country will soon have access to regular breast milk as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has said that it would establish day-care centres equipped with breast milk-banks.

The founder, African International Baby-care Initiative (Afribaby), Dr. Oscar Odiboh, announced in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Port Harcourt.

Odiboh said that Afribaby realised the negative implications of inadequate breast-feeding of babies and decided to establish the banks to guarantee access to breast milk for orphaned babies. ``We want to ensure that no baby in Nigeria lacks access to breast milk; whether the mother is alive or not, and whether there is a family or not. ``So, we want to build baby care and mother care centres that will also have breast milk banks. ``The buildings will be equipped with about 20 breast milk tanks each; such that just as people donate blood, mothers can come and donate breast milk.’’

Odiboh said the centre would be established in phases with a pilot centre in Lagos and later in all the states of the federation.

He said that the project that was estimated to cost N1 billion would be extended to five African countries in the future.

Noting that the project would be the first of its kind in the country, Odiboh solicited for assistance from the federal and state governments as well as publicspirited individuals.

He stated that children who were not adequately breast-fed tended to be dull, unintelligent and un-sociable, adding that they were more likely to be ill than children who were exclusively breast-fed. ``So, if it happens that a baby loses the mother at birth; any nursing mother can go to the centre and donate her breast-milk. ``We have millions of mothers who will be donating every day, and so we are going to have a testing laboratory where breast-milk will be tested before passing on to the tanks,’’ he said.

Odiboh said that breast-milk contained nutrients that protect children from diseases that could threaten their lives, including pneumonia and diarrhea. (NAN)

L-R: Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati; wellcoming the Information Officer, Embassy of the United States of America, Rhonda Ferguson-Augustus; while the US Embassy Public Affairs Specialist, Mr. Sani Mohammed; looks on, during a meeting at the State House, yesterday, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Edo varsity gets N500m boost for facilities From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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do state government has approved the sum of N500 million for the Ambrose Ali University to upgrade its facilities.

Speaking at the inauguration of an eigh-member Governing Council of the university chaired by Professor Greg Akenzua, Oshiomhole said the money will be paid in installments, spread over a couple of months.

He said the Governing Council would decide how best to put the money to use but that he expects value

for every kobo spent.

According to the Governor, “there are a lot of challenges in Ambrose Alli University (AAU) which is why I appreciate your acceptance of this appointment.

“There are issues of funding, issues of management, issues of transparency and issues of accurate record keeping.

“I am aware that the Vice Chancellor had been dealing with these but some of them are beyond the competence of a Vice Chancellor.

“For institutions to change and to drive changes which has become a

permanent feature for lives of nation and institution, you have to find the courage to take decisions that may be painful to some but beneficial to the institution.

“There are current issues that AAU has to address. One of them is the lopsided appointment.

“There are so many non-academic staff, non-research staff and you do not have enough academic staff.

“Even if we have all the money we need, we are obliged to spend the these resources judiciously”, he said.

“Regardless of what we have to

say, we all can do better in respect of the funding of universities, not only about funding but management.

I pray that God will use us to make a different and increase the funding, but not just increasing the funding but be sure that every additional kobo we spend, we get a value for it.

“As a demonstration of my renewed confidence on your leadership of AAU, we will begin from this month, over the next few months, believing you know best to utilize it, give AAU the total sum of N500 million.”

Flood: NEMA begins enlightenment in Sokoto

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irector General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Muhammad Sani Sidi, has pleaded on all the relevant stakeholders in the North-West geo-political zone to take proactive measures towards avert the predicted flooding this year.

Sidi spoke at a one day

sensitisation workshop for awareness campaign organised by NEMA zonal office in Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states held for religious leaders, volunteer groups, NGO’s, in Sokoto.

Sidi who was represented by the NEMA Director of Supply, Dr. Zayyan, described the 2012 flood disaster which ravaged many states

as unprecedented which led to the death and displacement of many people.

He noted that it was based on the experience that it became expedient for all relevant stakeholders as well as communities to take proactive measures.

According to him, “floods are

natural phenomenon which should not necessarily result in disasters if people and their property are not vulnerable.

“We must therefore ensure that people do not build on flood plains, all drainages are cleared and all impediments to free flow of rivers and flood water are removed.”

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 40

Leisure

Some Interesting Facts

O

nly one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.

•Only president awarded a patent: Abe Lincoln, for a system of buoying vessels over shoals.

•Only president to remain a bachelor: James Buchanan.

•Only president to win a Pulitzer: John F. Kennedy, for “Profiles in Courage”.

•Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn’t added until 5 year later.

•Ostriches stick their heads in the sand to look for water.

•Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.

•Pamela Anderson Lee is Canada’s Centennial Baby, being the first baby born on the centennial anniversary of Canada’s independence.

•Penguins can jump as high as 6 feet in the air.

•Percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28. Percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38.

•Percentage of American men who say they would marry the same woman if they had it to do all over again: 80. Percentage of American women who say they would marry the same man: 50.

•Percentage of Americans that eat at McDonalds each day: 7.

•Percentage of Americans who have visited Disneyland or Disney World:70.

•Percentage of Americans who regularly attend religious services: 43.

•Percentage of Americans who say that God has spoken to them: 36.

•Percentage of bird species that are monogamous: 90. Percentage of mammal species that are monogamous: 3.

•Percentage of men who say

they are happier after their divorce or separation: 58. Percentage of women who say they are happier: 85.

•Pilgrims ate popcorn at the first Thanksgiving dinner.

•Pinocchio is Italian for “pine head.”

•Polar bears are left-handed.

•Pollsters say that 40% of dog and cat owners carry pictures of the pets in their wallets.

•Portion of Harvard students who graduate with honors: 4/5 •Portion of ice cream sold that is vanilla: 1/3

Say what?

SUDODKU PHOTO OF THE DAY

Bolt from the blue ... lightning strikes St Peter’s Basilica recently.

Source: TheSun.co.uk

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 41

Akwa United vow to muzzle Warri Wolves today

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kwa United Head Coach, Justin Tenger has vowed to clinch the three points in the rescheduled Glo Premier League Matchday 16 encounter against Warri Wolves today.

The replay game ordered by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Appeal Committee will hold today at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri.

Though unhappy with the replay order, Tenger said his wards will head to Owerri to reclaim the three points denied them at the Uyo Township Stadium where they were comfortably two goals up before the game came to a sudden end.

“The replay order is very annoying and double standard by the NFF and I ask from here is it because Warri Wolves are involved.

“We had an uncompleted game against Dolphins in Port Harcourt and we’re asked to go back there and complete the remaining 45 minutes where we reduced the goal tally by one as the encounter ended 2-1 in Dolphins’ favour.

“Similar incident happened at Kano Pillars, Lobi Stars, Enugu Rangers, among others and none was ordered out of their ground and here we’re asked to go to Owerri.

“We’ll obey the replay order; we’re not worried where the game or similar games take place because I know for certain that my wards will defeat Warri Wolves any day, anywhere and anytime.

“We’ll surely grab the three points denied us at Uyo as well as use the encounter as dress rehearsal for the upcoming Federation Cup semifinal clash against the same side in Bauchi,” said the former Niger Tornadoes coach said.

Akwa United are in 19th position on the 20-team elite league log on 27 points though with less number of matches while Warri Wolves are second on the log on 37 points, two points behind leaders, Kano Pillars.

Ejeke competing the ball with Malawi Captain Kamwendo

World Cup Qualifiers: Sainfelt names 20-man squad for Eagles

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alawi Chief Coach Tom Seinfeld has finally named 20-man squad that he believes would beat the Super Eagles next month in Calabar.

The Belgian was appointed after the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) failed to appoint him as technical director of national teams due to documented fact.

This comes after things almost fell apart or him without his team even leaving for West Africa.

His demand for USD 10,000.00 should the Flames burn the Eagles, which was met with open criticism and much scorn from players, fans and the local press alike.

Extra precarious for him considering the coach had once said he would coach for free just to tame the African champion and prevent them from going to Brazil in 2014.

The Captain Joseph Kamwendo who ply’s his trade in Mozambique

NSC shifts NYG tournament to December

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Tenger

was most vocal with his annoyance especially as he pointed out, considering that each Flame regardless of how brightly they burned, would only get a miserable USD 85.00.

“For me, money is not the motivation. I came here as a volunteer, I want to bring Malawian football to the next level and try to qualify them for the World Cup. I think if we win the money must go to youth development, “the coach said.

This seems to have soothed ruffled feathers and returned the team’s main focus to the challenge at hand, namely beating Nigeria in Calabar.

Even though it is something no one has done since the 1940’s and the Flames have never beaten the Super Eagles in all previous seven attempts, the coach is unfazed and is sure he can complete this Mission

he National Sports Commission (NSC) has shifted the maiden edition of the National Youth Games (NYG) earlier slated for September to December, 2013.

Disclosing this yesterday in Abuja, Director in charge of the Grassroots Sports Development (GRSD), Yakmut Al-Hassan said that the reason was to enable them prepare adequately in line with the new sports rules..

Following the new development, the number of sports to feature at the NYG has consequently been reduced

from 19 to 15 sports.

The sports were: Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Football, Track & Field, Judo, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Handball, Tennis, Karate and Para Power-lifting.

It will be recalled that the National Council on Sports which held its meeting in Ilorin, Kwara state on the 25thApril, 2013 had ratified the hosting of the NYG and subsequently directed the composition of a Modalities Committee to develop an operational framework for the event.

Impossible. To do this he has named the following squad Goalkeepers: Owen Chaima (Big Bullets), Charles Swini (Silver Strikers) Defenders: James Sangala (Free agent), Moses Chavula(CD Costa de Sol-Mozambique), John Lanjesi ( Blue Eagles), Harry Nyirenda (Black Leopards-RSA), Limbikani Mzava (Bloemfontein Celtic-RSA), Lucky Malata (Silver Strikers), Foster Namwera ( Ferroviario de Nampula) Midfielders: Joseph

Kamwendo (Liga de MalcumanaMozambique), Chimango Kayira(Big Bullets), Robert Ng’ambi (Platnum Stars-RSA), Phillip Masiye (Blue Eagles), Miciam Mhone (Blue Eagles), Peter Wadabwa (Thanda Royal ZuluRSA) Strikers: Chiukepo Msowoya (Liga de Malcumana-Mozambique), Robin Ngalande (Wits UniverstiyRSA), John Banda (Kamuzu Barracks), Gabadhinio Mhango (Big Bullets), Esau Kanyenda (Polokwane United-RSA)

Oboabona on verge of Europe trial, says Idoko

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he executive director of the Ondo State Football Agency Mike Idoko has said that the Sunshine Stars skipper will soon make a move and that he did not use abusive words on Arsenal FC As reports suggesting Sunshine Stars captain Godfrey Oboabona took a swipe at Arsenal FC for inviting him to the Emirates Stadium for trials continue to generate heated arguments, Mike Idoko, the Executive Director of Ondo State Football Agency, has opened up on what actually transpired.

The astute football administrator claims the Super Eagles new kid on the block never for once used foul words on Arsene Wenger or the club.

“It’s so disheartening that some people went about cooking up stories that Godfrey insulted Arsenal after they requested for him to come on trials.

“No he didn’t! I have discussed this with him and I think he was misquoted out of context. I want that

impression to be corrected. Godfrey is humble and disciplined to have done that,” Idoko said.

“All he frowned at was the club going for trials after his hectic time at the Nations Cup and Confederations Cup which he believes is not proper.

“Arsenal has been his childhood club and if any opportunity comes to play for them, he will grab it with both hands,” he added.

Commenting on the likely destination of the attacker-turned central defender, the ex-Warri Wolves general manager insists that their star player will only leave for the best club that has his interest at heart.

“We have gotten about three to four offers for him. In fact, Godfrey and I are looking into it in conjunction with the management, we will look for the best one for him and I can assure you that before the end of the transfer window closes, he would have gotten a deal,” Idoko submitted

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

Sports S Emenike to earn 2.4 million Euros at Fenerbache

uper Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike will earn 2.4 million Euros a year as a Fenerbahçe player according to various media reports in Turkey.

Both Russian club Spartak Moscow and Fenerbache have agreed a transfer fee of 13 million Euros for the 2013 AFCON top scorer.

The former Karabukspor of Turkey forward will be unveiled all things being equal today.

He is returning to the Turkish club after he left without kicking a ball two years ago, the 26-year-old Emenike has scored three goals in four games for Spartak Moscow this season.

Ghana FA confirms Turkey friendly in he Ghana Football Istanbul next week Association has confirmed

T

the Black Stars will play Turkey on 14 August in an international friendly.

Both federations had to reach a deal after their initial opponents pulled out, Iran disappointed Ghana last month when they

cancelled their training trip to Portugal “August 14 is very important to us because of its proximity to the next available match which is 6 September in Kumasi,” Ghana FA president Kwesi Nyantakyi said.

Turkey are ranked 57th in the world by FIFA while Ghana are in the 24th best national team in the world as released by the world football governing body on 4 July.

UEFA: Messi, Ronaldo, Ribery in for top award

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ayern Munich winger Franck Ribery joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi when the final three contenders for the 2012/13 UEFA Best Player in Europe award was named yesterday.

The Frenchman, who played a major role in Bayern’s Champions League-winning season, is the first player from a club other than Barcelona and Real Madrid to make the final three since the award was established by European soccer’s ruling body in 2011.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi won the inaugural award followed by Spaniard Andres Iniesta, his Barcelona teammate, last year.

Messi and Real Madrid and Portugal forward Ronaldo have made the last three in each of the two previous years.

Three of Ribery’s teammates at treble-winning Bayern Thomas Mueller, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger - had made the shortlist of 10 players announced last month.

The winner will be decided by a jury of journalists from each of Uefa’s member associations in a live poll on

August 29 at the Champions’ League group stage draw in Monaco.

Franck Ribery

Dedevbo unhappy with Kwara Utd may Delta Queens face LMC hammer T

K

wara United is moving closer to a ban by the League Management Company (LMC) which runs the Premier League in Nigeria after a new management team was set up to run the affairs of the club.

Chairman of the Kwara U n i t e d b o a r d , Barrister Bamidele Aluko was pushed a s i d e while the Chief of Staff to the Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Toyin Sanusi, heads the new management team.

Sanusi told journalists at Government House, Ilorin, that the new management team was set up to reposition the team, adding that Aluko’s board will remain in an advisory position.

Also included in the new

Samson Unuanel and club secretary, Olusola Shehu.

This development negates the rules governing the constitution of club management in the elite class in Article 1.9(4) which states that: “Government functionaries viz: Commissioners, Special Advisers, shall not be part A of o club management.

In his response to the development, the t chairman of the LMC, c Nduka Irabor, said: “We’re yet to be Aneke informed about i any development a at Kwara United.

K Appointed i n 2012, Aluko is 2 supposed to serve for a period of four years based on Article 1.9(2). management team is the state Commissioner According to Article f o r S p o r t s a n d Y o u t h 1.9(5), the Ilorin side risk Development, Hajia Ramat suspension from the league Abaya. if found guilty.

Others are the team Kwara United are placed manager, Agboola Ibrahim sixth on the 20-team log with B a s a m b o , h e a d c o a c h , 35 points after 23 matches.

he Delta Queens Coach, Peter Dedevbo has described as unsatisfactory his side performance in the out gone 2012/2013 Nigeria Women Professional League (NWPL) season.

The reigning Nigerian champions finished second on the NWPL Group A log on 32 points one point behind leaders, Nasarawa Amazons.

Dedevbo said his wards painful elimination from the Federation Cup coupled with the not too impressive performance in the league have raised serious doubt on their preparedness to defend the league shield they won last year.

“Our performance and subsequent elimination from the Federation Cup have remained big surprise to all of us including the supporters and Delta State people.

“The players were clearly disappointing in the Federation Cup as well as the league.

“Though in the past three seasons we don’t

border finishing first on the log but to book passage to the Super Six tournament we’re still not satisfied that we finished second.

“We usually strive to qualify for the Super Six and then take up the challenge from there.

The women league body showed that the best

Peter Dedevbo

three teams in Group A are Nasarawa Amazons, Delta Queens and FC Robo while Group B top three are Cup holders, Rivers Angels, Bayelsa Queens and Pelican Stars.

These teams will engage themselves in the Super Six play-off to determine the newest champions for the 2012/2013 season.

PEOPLES DAILY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

PAGE 43

Sports

Newcastle consider Downing bid

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iverpool is ready to sell winger Stewart Downing for as little as £5 million as Newcastle consider an offer.

Downing is set to be made available for transfer at considerably less than the £20 million that the Reds paid Aston Villa for him in 2011, sources said.

The 29-year-old rejected interest from West Ham in July, insisting that he wanted to stay and fight for his place at Anfield.

Newcastle has so far not made an offer for Downing, with their manager Alan Pardew understood to see addressing a shortage of strikers as a priority.

Downing, signed by thenmanager Kenny Dalglish in the summer of 2011, had a dreadful first season as Anfield, failing to score or provide an assist in the Premier League.

Suarez

Suarez ponder legal action for Liverpool exit

L Stewart Downing

uis Suarez is considering legal action in a bid to resolve his dispute with Liverpool and force through an exit.

Arsenal have had two bids for the striker rejected including an offer of £40,000,001, made in the apparent belief that the sum would trigger a release clause in the 26-year-old’s contract.

Liverpool maintain that they do not have to sell Suarez at that price, and only have to inform

Alonso waits on Real contract

X

Remy joins Newcastle on loan

Alonso

Loic Remy

F

rance striker Loic Remy joined Newcastle United on a season-long loan from Queens Park Rangers.

Remy, who joined Rangers in January from Marseilles, was unable to save the London club from relegation but will get another chance to shine in the Premier league after making the move to the north-east.

“Remy signalled his intentions to the club earlier

Newcastle bid for Gomis faces doubt

abi Alonso has stepped up his comeback from injury, but has yet to decide whether to extend a Real Madrid contract which has entered its last 12 months.

Alonso, who underwent a groin operation on June 7, is continuing his recovery at Madrid’s pre-season training camp in Los Angeles.

Early rumours that he would not return until October appear to have been wide of the mark, with Coach Carlo Ancelotti saying the midfielder was close to playing again.

He is reportedly attracting interest from other clubs including Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea, and officials at the Bernabeu are aware that talks on a free transfer could begin as early as January.

this summer of his desire to play in the top flight in a World Cup year, and following the recent addition of Charlie Austin to (our) ranks, a deal has now been agreed with Alan Pardew’s side,” QPR said in a statement.

Remy joins a sizeable French contingent at Newcastle, which also includes YohanCabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa and YoanGouffran.

T

he transfer of BafetimbiGomis from Lyon to Newcastle United has been thrown into doubt by an apparent dispute over solidarity payments and agents’ fees.

Last week, Newcastle agreed a fee for the striker, 27, that could rise to €10 million depending on bonuses, but the English side have yet to get the deal over the line, with both the player’s agents

him of any bids of more than £40 million.

Suarez has used legal means in attempt to force an exit from a club before, doing so when Groningen initially refused to sell him to Ajax in 2007.

Suarez signed a new Anfield contract in 2012, committing him to Liverpool until 2016 but, since the end of May, has given several interviews stating that he wants to leave the club.

Arteta confident of new signings Mikel Arteta

A

rsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta believes the club will introduce a number of new players before the start of the new Premier League season.

The Gunners have so far failed to make a big name singing this summer, with their reported interest in Gonzalo Higuain ending when the Argentina international moved to Napoli, while the club’s move for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez is no closer to bearing fruition.

French youth international striker YayaSanogo has been the club’s only business dealing so far, the 20-year-old signing from Auxerre.

“I think we are going to start the season with new faces. That is what we are all hoping for. That will give us a big boost and everyone is very positive,” said Arteta.

Diabate pens Bordeaux extension

B

ordeaux striker CheickDiabate has signed a one-year extension to his contract, the club has confirmed.

The 25-year-old has been with the club since 2007 and firmly established himself as a key man last season, with 18 goals in all competitions.

Diabate came through the club’s youth system and had spells on loan with Ajaccio in 2008/09, scoring 14 goals in Ligue 2, and less productively with Nancy the following season.

The 6ft 4in frontman has scored 32 goals in 79 games for the club despite 36 of those appearances coming from the substitutes’ bench. Last season’s haul came in only 21 starts and he was the leading scorer in the Coupe de France, with six goals in four games.

and Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas blaming each other for the hold-up.

According to French radio station RMC, citing a source close to Gomis, Aulas wants Newcastle to look after a FIFA solidarity payment that Lyon’s rivals Saint-Etienne are owed for having developed the player as a teenager.

Bafetimbi Gomis

www.peoplesdailyng.com

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2013

SPORTS LATEST

Jamaica footballer fail drugs test

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Jamaica international footballer has been provisionally suspended for 30 days by FIFA for a positive drugs test.

The player failed the test following a World Cup qualifier on 11 June, and a team official has also been suspended.

FIFA has given the player and official until 12 August to request a hearing, and they must submit a statement with supporting evidence seven days later.

It is a further blow to sport in Jamaica after sprinters Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson tested positive for the banned stimulant oxilofrine last month.

The Jamaica Football Federation began its own investigation into the failed test after it was notified by FIFA.

Kenya athletes stranded over fuel shortage

K

enya’s athletics team has been delayed on its way to the World Championships in Moscow by a shortage of fuel at Kenya’s main international airport.

The 49-strong team is among 2,000 passengers affected, officials say.

One airport official told newsmenthat 67 flights were cancelled or delayed after low pressure caused a fuel hydrant to fail.

The airport, a hub for east and central Africa, was closed for several hours; some 1,000 passengers were put up in local hotels.

Kenya won seven gold medals at the last World Championships two years ago in Daegu, South Korea, coming third in the overall medals table.

FG’s glittering almajiri education plan A

ll those critics of the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who say they find it hard to point at the good points of his administration should look at what they are doing with almajiri education in the country.

His government has just set a time-line, September this year, by which all almajirai will be taken off the streets and enrolled in school. President Jonathan, in a speech by Vice President Namadi Sambo in Nasarawa State last week reiterated that all less-privileged children, beside the Almajiri who all together number up to to 9.5 million will be learning in the 143 Almajiri model schools set up in the North and a few Southern States.

This decision has given hope to many, including this reporter, for a positive change – change that should hopefully arrest lawlessness and hooliganism taking root in the North and other parts of Nigeria.

The northern political elite, which has been the butt of criticism of the Southern press for alleged failure to look after their youth stands to benefit if the new scheme succeeds.

It will also pave the way to clear one of the challenges facing the Child Rights Act. The almajiri system was imported into Northern Nigeria from Northern Africa. Almajiri is itself from the Arabic word almahajir, meaning immigrant.

The Hausa use the word to refer to both a student and a beggar. Before it was corrupted by lazy parents, greedy teachers, exploitative politicians and employers of labour, the almajiri education had functioned as a veritable means of the internalization of the Qur’an by youngsters and a way of imbibing

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Education Minister, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai a Spartan lifestyle as a means to self-discipline. These days, parents who find bringing up their male children burdensome throw them into the system with little or no supervision and care. Such children, brought up as beggars tend to feel or behave In a way that shows them as psychologically inferior, without a sense of selfworth. Several investigations and commissions of enquiry at several levels of government have in the past linked the almajiri system in the North to the frequent outbreak

of unrest, religious and political violence.

Violence has caused the exit from the region of multinational companies involved in manufacturing, construction and the aviation industry. The few “industries” left in the North are those in telecommunications and immediate consumption.

Industry and the North have become antithetical. A snide Punch newspaper cartoonist brought this home in a caricature a year ago.

In it, we wrote that the President of Nigeria visited Southern states to commission industries and completed government projects. In the North, he visits to commiserate with the people after incidents of violence.

As a consequence of this, the North has slid into becoming the poorest of the states in the federation. Instead of striving to be the nation’s catalyst for development through agriculture, industry and human resources, the North has repealed every small or major investment opportunity.

The almajiri education policy of the Jonathan administration is important, not because it is a pioneering effort. In Kano, I know of the past efforts of the military administration of governor

To resurrect the pride of this once beautiful, peaceful and stable region, North’s political leaders need to change the existing paradigm. The answer in my view lies in going back to education and reorientation. Some of the far-sighted states have already started laying the building blocks for this but I won’t mention names. The North can reclaim its creative destiny only when there is literacy, education and mass enlightenment.

There must be a minimum of discipline and vision. Don’t forget that much of the South also witnessed a wretched social order (some are still there) until their embrace of education.

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Ndatsu Umaru who attempted, in a vigorous way, to merge the Arabic and Boko (Western) schools complete with an edict to remove all almajiri from the streets. Ndatsu was thwarted by the neighbouring states that kept pumping new child beggars into the state. Not getting support from the neighbouring countries, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad made it worse.

After years of this failure, there has been a renewed hope of tackling up the issue with the second coming of the current Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Kwankwaso’s government has actually begun the evacuation of almajiri from the streets but my scepticism has not changed considering that the neighbours are not carried along. When the nearby states are not in tow, it is easy for new beggars to come from the to replace those evacuated.

With the coming of the federal government into this scheme however, given its vast swaths of powers across state boundaries, Kwankwaso or any serious state government determined to change the unwanted situation has no reason to lose this plot.

To resurrect the pride of this once beautiful, peaceful and stable region, North’s political leaders need to change the existing paradigm. The answer in my view lies in going back to education and reorientation. Some of the far-sighted states have already started laying the building blocks for this but I won’t mention names. The North can reclaim its creative destiny only when there is literacy, education and mass enlightenment. There must be a minimum of discipline and vision.

Don’t forget that much of the South also witnessed a wretched social order (some are still there) until their embrace of education. If the leaders can develop the enormous human resources of their region, the North can be repositioned as the creative and intellectual resource base of the nation. With education and enlightenment, a state like Borno can actually become the California of Nigeria, where creativity flourishes.

The Jonathan government’s almajiri model school scheme should be supported and complemented by the states because they are doing something good for the nation. I like and support it because it will, among other gains, bring political stability to the country. I am also full of admiration for the policy for the fact of the altruism behind it, given that the dividends of this stability may not even be reaped by Dr. Jonathan before he leaves office.

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +234 814 292 9046. Cell: +234 802 443 2099; 803 7007 759. e-mail: contact@peoplesdailyng.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141