Peoples Daily Newspaper, Friday 07, September, 2012

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

Vol. 9 No. 20

Friday, September 7, 2012

. . . putting the people first

Shawwal 20, 1433 AH

N150

DANA Air wants crash probe stopped From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

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arely 24 hours after the Federal Government reinstated the airline’s operating licence, embattled DANA Air yesterday sprung a surprise when it joined in the desperate bid to stop the inquest into the cause of the crash of its Lagos bound plane that killed all 150 persons on board on June 3.

DANA who had been joined as a defendant in a suit over the crash curiously filed an affidavit supporting the plaintiffs’ motion to halt the coroner’s inquest into the cause of the crash, a move which the presiding judge described as “a novel issue”.

Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, admitted the affidavit by Dana, supporting the request of a NonGovernmental Organisation, Civil Aviation Round Table Initiative, to stop the proceedings of a Lagos state coroner court over the crash.

The judge also overruled an objection by the lawyer appearing for the state, Akinjide Bakare, that the rules of the Federal High Court only permits a defendant to file a counterContd on Page 2

PD INDEX

7th Sept., 2012

CBN RATES $ £ EURO CFA RIYAL

BUYING 159 256 201 0.2779 41

SELLING 160 258 203 0.2979 41.5

PARALLEL RATES EURO £ RIYAL $

BUYING 202 257 40 158

SELLING 204 259 42 160

R-L: Borno state Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, exchanging pleasantries with Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, before the governor's meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, on Wednesday evening at the State House, in Abuja.

Gunmen kill 16 in Yobe attacks Glo, Airtel, Etisalat masts destroyed

By Richard Ihediwa & Lambert Tyem

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nidentified gunmen yesterday killed no fewer than 16 persons as attacks on telecommunication facilities spread to Yobe state.

Kano shuts down Turkish International School, 29 others >> PAGE 3

The assailants who were said to have used Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and petrol-bombs set ablaze the masts of Airtel, Glo and Etisalat in Potiskum and Damaturu.

The attack occured less than twenty four hours after gunmen

launched coordinated attacks on telecommunication facilities in Kano, Borno and Bauchi states destroying not less than 17 masts belonging to the telecommunication companies.

The destruction of the facilities in Yobe was accompanied by

13% derivation: RMAFC makes case for communities >> PAGE 3

killings and burning of some structures in the areas despite directives by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar that all telecommunications facilities across the country be given 24 hours protection.

Contd on Page 2

Flood submerges 236 houses in Benue >> PAGE 3

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

CONTENTS News

2-11

Editorial

12

Op.Ed

13

Letters

14

Opinion

15

Metro

16-18

Business

19-20

S/Report

25

Islam

26

Feature

28

Woman

29

I want to make positive changes in Nigeria, Page 29

International 32-34 Digest

36

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-47

Columnist

48

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

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

Phones for News: 070-37756364 09-8734478

Jonathan meets CSOs, demands people-oriented constitution

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

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resident Goodluck Jonathan yesterday challenged Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to contribute more into the ongoing constitution review process in order to make sure that the dreams and aspirations of Nigerians are well taken care of in the new constitution.

The President opined that a constitution review process cannot be credible without the sentiments and interests of Nigerians.

Speaking at the Presidential retreat for CSOs and professional associations at the Banquet Hall of State House Abuja, he observed that the constitution was one instrument that has served as the ligament that holds the nation together, saying that it was

therefore important for it to be a “Peoples Constitution.”

The President, who explained that he had invited the participants to the retreat because of their closeness to the people, however pointed out that they were not brought to State House for political settlement.

The President also encouraged the participants to discuss freely and vigorously as their contributions would be valued, adding, “I will listen to your ideas and government will respect your opinions and consider every actionable suggestion that will strengthen the social contract between the government and the people.

Also speaking, Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman, Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Sen. Ike

Ekweremadu called on Nigerians and the current leadership at all levels of government to show statesmanship and exhibit highest level of patriotism in the on-going efforts at evolving what he described as a “people’s constitution.”

Ekweremadu, who expressed his disappointment over insinuations in some quarters that to contemplate fiscal federalism as proposed by Nigeria in their submissions to the National Assembly, was to further impoverish some parts of the country, also noted that such insinuation was not only false, but a “wrong and an unfortunate imputation of motive.”

He said: “Besides the fact that fiscal federalism was proposed by memoranda submitted by Nigerians, it is also an inalienable

feature of federalism.

“Moreso, the decline of the nation’s economy and development recorded at the time of the nation’s agro-based economy can be directly traced to the replacement of fiscal federalism which engendered hard work and healthy competition with a ‘feeding bottle’ federalism which has continued to churn out indolence, poverty, and underdevelopment.”

In his remarks, former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Alfa Belgore, regretted that the Nigerian Constitution has been battered more than any other elsewhere in the world, wondering whether there would be any Nigerian constitution that could survive for three years without being constantly criticized.

Gunmen kill 16 in Yobe attacks Contd from Page 1 The Yobe state Commissioner of Police, Patrick Egbuniwe, who confirmed the attack said five persons lost their lives but hospital sources claimed 16 corpses were brought to the hospital.

He said the masts of Etisalat, Globacom and Airtel in the two towns were burnt when suspected terrorists launched Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and petrol-bombs at the facilities.

The Police commissioner said the attackers also razed the offices of Yobe state Ministry of Religious Affairs, the state Pilgrims Welfare Board, Hajj Camp, Local Government INEC Office as well as some structures at the Government Secondary School Damaturu. He said one of the Fire fighting vehicles belonging to the state fire service was also burnt.

Among those said to have been

killed was the Yobe state government protocol officer, Mallam Adamu, who was felled while returning from his duty post at the Government House, Damaturu Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the state has said that four suspects have been arrested and are being interrogated in connection with the recent attacks. The suspects where said to have been arrested along Gujba road while trying to lunch another attack on a mast along the road.

Though nobody has claimed responsibility for the attacks, it will be recalled that in February this year, the Jama’atu Ahlissunna Lida’awati Wal Jihad, also known as Boko Haram, through its spokesman, Abul Qaqa had threatened to renew its onslaught on GSM service providers for

“leaking the identify of its members to the security operatives.

In a telephone interview with newsmen at that time, Qaqa warned that the GSM operators would be targeted for allegedly conniving with security agents to release the bio-data and locations of the sect’s members.

Earlier in the day, the Inspector General of Police had ordered 24hours surveillance of all telecommunication equipment and installations across the country following the Wednesday attacks.

Police Spokesperson, Mr. Frank Mba, who stated this yesterday in Abuja said the IGP had directed all State Commissioners of Police to constitute a Special Unit in their respective Commands, whose primary assignment will be to ensure the safety of

telecommunication equipment and installations within their areas of jurisdiction.

The CPs are to further ensure that Area Commanders and DPOs in their Commands replicate the constitution of such Special Units in their respective areas, to protect installations located within their territories.

While assuring the public that the Police will do everything within its power to arrest this emerging security trend, the IGP appealed to members of the public to assist the Force with vital information touching on the activities of these hoodlums.

He particularly charged traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leader and parents to keep watchful eyes on their environment and to report any strange movement to the local Police authority”.

DANA Air wants crash probe stopped Contd from Page 1 affidavit to a plaintiff’s motion on notice and not an affidavit in support like the one filed by Dana.

He turned down Bakare’s request to vacate the interim order restraining the continuation of the proceedings of the coroner court. The judge held that the order granted on August 28, was by “consent of the parties” and as such he lacked the power to vacate it.

According to the judge; “Our rules do not contemplate a situation when parties joined as defendants have divergent interests. Though no provisions in the rules permit a defendant to file an affidavit in support of a plaintiff’s motion, but if relying on it will do justice in the matter, I don’t think it is wrong.

“The issue to consider is if the interest of the first to fourth defendants will be prejudiced.

The first to fourth defendants are

at liberty to file their objection to the affidavit”, he said.

Bakare had initially raised an objection to the affidavit on the grounds that it was filed out of time based on the provisions of Order 25 Rule 6 of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules.

But counsel representing DANA Air, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde (SAN), said the provisions of the rules referred to by Bakare only applied to a counter-affidavit. He said his filing was not strange, adding, “the purport of this affidavit is to support the necessity for an interlocutory injunction pending the hearing of the substantive originating summons.

Also counsel to the plaintiffs, Dr. Joseph Nwobike, SAN, like other counsel for the other defendants, supported DANA’s position.

According to Nwobike, “It is

not a counter-affidavit and therefore could not come within the contemplation of Order 26 Rule 5.”This does not, in any way, add or remove the case put forward by the first to fourth defendants in respect to our motion on notice. The case has been adjourned till September 13 for definite hearing.

Civil Aviation Round Table Initiative, and its President, Captain Dele Ore, had in their suit, joined DANA Air with the coroner presiding over the inquest, Mr. Oyetade Komolafe, the Lagos State Chief Coroner, the state Chief Judge, and the Attorney-General of the state.

Ore, a retired pilot, had asked the court to determine whether the Lagos State Chief Judge is not acting ultra vires by setting up a coroner’s inquest into the cause of the DANA air crash. The plaintiffs sought an interlocutory injunction and an

order nullifying the proceedings of the inquest, saying the coroner has no power to carry out an inquest into an air accident. The other defendants are the Ministry of Aviation, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Accident Investigation Bureau, and the Nigeria Airspace Management Authority.

According to Ore, with Nigeria having ratified and domesticated the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Chicago 1944 Act, the coroner’s inquest into the DANA air crash is “unconstitutional, null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.

He further urged the court to declare that the Coroners’ Law does not apply to aviation related matters as well as deaths arising from aviation accidents.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 3

Oyerinde: Court slates ruling for September 14 From Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

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Benin City High Court 4, yesterday, reserved the 14th September 2012 for ruling on alleged conspiracy involving human right activist, Rev. David Ugolor in connection to the murder of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the principal private secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state.

In the same vein, the court has reserved ruling on N500 million suit filed by Ugolor against the Nigerian Police for illegally detaining him. The activist was quizzed on July 27, 2012 after one of the suspects in the police custody allegedly named him as sponsor of the killing.

Robbers raid corps members in Jalingo L-R: Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, Chairman, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Malam Ahmadu Giade, and Director General, NDLEA, Mr. Femi Ajayi, during the inauguration of the Governing Board of NDLEA, yesterday in Abuja.

PHOTO: JUSTIN IMO-OWO

Kano shuts down Turkish International School, 29 others From Edwin Olofu, Kano

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he Kano state Private Schools Task Force constituted by the state government has closed down the famous Nigerian/ Turkish International Schools and 29 others for violating the rules and regulations governing the educational activities of the state.

The taskforce committee chairman, Alhaji Baba Umar, announced the closure of the schools while briefing newsmen in Kano yesterday.

He explained that the closure of the schools became necessary because the management of the affected schools refused to comply with government regulations

governing the operation of private schools in the state.

He said other reasons for the action include indiscriminate increase of school fees without following the approved processes and lack of well-stocked laboratories/libraries in case of secondary schools.

Others are non-functional

academic records, log book, register, visitors’ book, syllabus and scheme of work books among others.

He warned that the schools would not be reopened until they fully comply with the directives.

Baba also hinted that most of the affected schools were operating without provisional approval/ certificates.

Gastro-entritis kills 13 in Katsina Flood submerges 236 houses From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

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n outbreak of gastro-entritis in Mununu and Fakarya villages in Faskari local government area of Katsina state has left no fewer than 13 people dead.

Reports indicate that a lot of the residents of the villages infected by the dreaded disease were receiving treatment from medical experts drafted to the areas.

The permanent-secretary of the state Ministry of Health, Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Qabasiyyu who could not confirm the number

of the dead, told newsmen that there was outbreak in the areas.

According to him, it’s premature to issue any statement on the incident as the ministry has dispatched medical experts to the areas to assess the situation.

Our correspondent similarly gathered that Faskari local government officials were in the areas throughout yesterday due to the severity of the situation.

A source who visited the area told our correspondent on condition of anonymity that the situation was frightening as a lot of peoples of the villages were affected.

in Benue

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

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bout 236 houses in Otukpo local government area of Benue state were yesterday submerged by flood just as farmlands and property worth millions of naira have been destroyed.

Our correspondent gathered that the areas mostly affected by the flood include, Otukpo-Icho Otukpo-Nobi, Upu, Emichi, Amla, Odudaje and Okpomaju.

The flood has also have cut off residents of Odudaje, Okpomaju,

Amla and Emichi as the bridge linking these communities from Otukpo-Icho was destroyed.

District head of Otukpo district, Chief John Eyimonye who lamented the situation, regretted that it has forced several people to become destitute in their own land.

Chief Eyimonye said no casualty was recorded and expressed satisfaction with the prompt response of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), whose officials came to the affected community’s to assess the level of damage.

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unmen suspected to be armed robbers yesterday attacked the Corpers’ Lodge behind Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) Jalingo, Taraba state capital, carting away thousands of naira including monthly allowances of the corps members.

The bandits who stormed the Family House of the Redeemed Christian Corpers Fellowship (RCCF), held the corps members hostage for hours after riding them of cash and other valuables.

The gunmen who gained entrance into the lodge from a toilet in the female wing of the building carted away three laptops, about 24 mobile phones and thousands of naira.

“We were about 20 corps members in the lodge when it happened and all our phones were taken away, some of us had two, three phones, also our monthly feeding allowance which we contributed was also taken away by the evil men”, one of the victims who declined identification said.

“We were sleeping when some men came in holding all sort of dangerous weapons but we didn’t resist them; we obeyed their orders because they threatened to behead us if we misbehave”.

RCCF president, Banji Omogbehin, said the motive of the attack was unknown because the bandits were asking us of our states of origin, threatening to rape our ladies and behead us.

However police spokesperson, Amos Olaoye said the case was not robbery but burglary and stealing.

“I can confirm the attack but it’s not robbery, we have not made any arrest yet we are investigating”.

13% derivation: RMAFC makes case for communities

By Abdulwahab Isa

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he Chairman Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Engr.

Elias N. Mbam has identified a misapplication of the principle of 13 percent derivation from monthly allocation extended to oilproducing states.

According to him, host

communities and local governments ought to enjoy the derivation instead of channeling the money to develop state capitals and other urban centers.

To correct the anomaly, he sought for an amendment to the States and Local Governments Joint Account Law to allow local government councils take direct control and administration of all

funds meant for them adding that the on-going review of the revenue allocation formula will also address some of the grievances of beneficiaries of the Federation Account in a just, fair and equitable way.

The Revenue Commission boss made the observation yesterday in Abuja when he received a delegation of

traditional rulers from Delta state on a courtesy.

A statement issued by the commissions’ spokesperson, Ibrahim Mohammed, said Mbam said the 13 percent derivation ought to be exclusively spent on oilproducing communities as being hosts, they suffer most from the impact of environmental

degradation occasioned by oil exploration in their domains.

Mbam opined that since local council chairmen are closer to the grass roots, they can be held accountable by local communities and when the host communities are well developed, the local people would jealously guard oil facilities against vandalisation as they take pride of ownership.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 4

Editors’ guild to meet on insecurity

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he annual All Nigerian Editors Conference (ANEC), an umbrella body for over Nigerian editors in the electronic, print and online media has been slated to hold in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital from September 12-16, 2012.

The event, which would be the 8th in the series, is expected to have the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) to deliver a keynote address, while Mr. Ita Ekpenyong, Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS) will present a paper with the theme: “Architecture of Terror”.

Highlight of the event will be an interactive session between the editors and governors of some states, including the host governor, Godswill Akpabio.

Former governor of Ogun state and also a veteran journalist, Chief Olusegun Osogba will chair the event while Senate President David Mark will be the special guest of honour.

New Ghanaian leader meets Jonathan for bilateral talks N

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

ewly sworn-in President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, was at the State House, Abuja yesterday to discuss bilateral issues with President Goodluck Jonathan.

He told State House correspondents after the closed

door meeting that he was also in the country to pay respect to President Jonathan and express his appreciation over the President’s solidarity with Ghana over the death of late President John Attah-Mills.

“This is just a friendly visit firstly to thank President Jonathan for taking time out to

join us in Ghana for the funeral of late President John Attah Mills. We want to express our sincere appreciation for the solidarity he and the people of Nigeria showed us.

“Secondly, to discuss bilateral issues. As you know, Nigeria and Ghana are very close, we are bound together by

FG pledges to support public institutions for effective performance

FG approves N106 billion for construction of 11 terminals

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

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By Muhammad Sada

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he Federal Government yesterday approved the award of contract worth N106 billion for the immediate take off of construction work on 11 terminals, of which five are commercial and six are perishable terminals across the country in order to boost the performance of the aviation sector.

This was disclosed by the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah at a press conference in Abuja. According to the minister, after going round to inspect the state of infrastructure and facilities around our airports, we saw a high level of decay and dilapidation and thus planned much on how to effectively strengthen the sector”, and we have so far given a facelift to our airports and eventually, getting to the stage of the simultaneous remodeling and construction of 11 airports, with six perishable cargo and five commercial terminals Kano, Portharcourt, Lagos, Abuja and Enugu”, she noted.

According to the minister, “the contracts for the construction of the five airports have a lifespan of 24 months and are to be executed with a concessionary loan of 22 years with five years moratorium at an interest rate of two percent”. “Our dream is to also strive to transform Nigeria’s aviation into a major contributor to the nation’s GDP and airports are pivotal to the actualisation of this dream”, she added.

On the issue of the ill fated Dana airline whose suspension from operations has been lifted, she noted that: “Our action is based on our satisfaction, after carrying out a technical audit of the operator, that the airline is airworthy, and thus deserves the recent cancellation of the suspension meted to the airline”.

historical links. We are two people, one and the same. We experienced the same colonialism, we have the same culture, we have the same food, and we have to continue to discuss how we can strengthen our bilateral cooperation”.

President Mahama revealed that the two leaders discussed the issue of security to make sure that the West African subregion was safe and secure “so that we can continue to pursue our integration and our economic cooperation”.

R-L: President Goodluck Jonathan, with his visiting Ghanian counterpart, President John Mahama, during the latter's official visit, yesterday to the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

2015 MDGs: Nigeria adopts Brazilian model

By Mohammed Kandi

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he office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), has expressed its readiness to adopt the Brazilian model of poverty reduction and social protection, to attain the MDGs. A statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the Deputy Director, Information, Kene N. Offie, said the move was part of the commitment of Dr. Precious Kalamba Gbeneol, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, towards the attainment of the MDGs, particularly those related to poverty and hunger reduction, health and education ahead the

2015 deadline.

The statement noted that some top government official had recently visited Brazil to understudy the Brazilian social protection system and Bolsa Familia.

“The South American country is reputed to have recorded huge success in the area of poverty reduction through the use of the world’s acclaimed ‘Bolsa Familia Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT and other complimentary social protection programmes,” the statement stressed.

It added that, “Brazil was also able to meet the MDGs goal one of halving the number of poor people and eliminating hunger within five years of the

millennium goals declaration.”

The statement quoted Gbeneol as saying that the lessons learnt from the study tour would help the MDGs office in strengthening the social safety interventions to the pro-poor in the country as the office move to fast-track implementation efforts ahead of 2015.

According to Gbeneol, Nigeria operates a CCT scheme similar to that of Brazil in that it is modelled to help attain achievement of health and education.

But with the new experience, she assured that her office is poised to work with key stakeholders in proffering solutions to various challenges faced by the Nigerian CCT.

he Federal Government has expressed its commitment to strengthening and repositioning of public institutions for effective discharge of their statutory mandate.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, made the declaration yesterday while inaugurating the Governing Board of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), five years after the dissolution of the last Board.

According to the minister, Nigeria has regrettably progressed from a drug transit nation to a drug-consuming nation with all its attendant negative consequences on the youths and the active population.

He charged the board of the agency to provide overall policy direction for the agency in its effort to overcome the challenges of drug trafficking and consumption in the country, just as he assured that government will provide the requisite support and enabling environment for NDLEA to excel in the discharge of its onerous responsibilities of curbing unlawful cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking and use of hard drugs.

“As members of the Governing Board, you must ensure that the Agency focuses its resources to addressing all the identified challenges and that all the activities of the agency are conducted in strict compliance with the enabling legislation”, Adoke stated.

In his speech, the Chairman, Governing Board of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Giade, called for more pragmatic and ingenious measures in the anti-drug campaign, in view of the increasing sophistication of drug barons and couriers.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 5

NPF launches gender policy for police

By Maryam Garba Hassan

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he Nigeria Police Force has on Wednesday, launched Gender Policy to give equal rights to its men and women and build society which allows them showcase their talents for sustainable development.

The Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar, who was represented by DIG Education, Peter Isa Gana, said this in his address at the occasion, adding that the gender policy for the Nigeria Police Force is a product of collaboration with many interest groups, institutions and the Ministry of Police Affairs.

The IGP said, a major step was taken in 2009 when the NPF in collaboration with development partners embarked on a sensitization workshop for senior officers and came out with resolutions which include development of gender policing, gender sensitive curriculum and training modules for the police and capacity building for juvenile welfare centers.

He said when the policy was implemented; it would eliminate all forms of gender based discrimination in the police as well as enhance the capacity of the officers to handle domestic violence with high level of professionalism and etiquette.

Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab said the policy derives its strength from the Nigerian constitution, the National Gender Policy and the validation of the present administration’s commitment to actualise gender equality.

L-R: Executive Secretary, National Commission on Mass Literacy, Malam Jibrin Y. Paiko, Minister of State for Education, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO, Ambassador Maryam Katagum, Director, Basic and Secondary Education, Mr Chika Umuzuoke, and Deputy Vice Chancellor of University of Abuja, Professor Gidado Tahir, during the high level round-table on literacy, yesterday at the UNESCO Headquarters, in Paris.

Dana air crash: NEMA urges collaboration From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

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he National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), on Wednesday, called for collaboration between the public and rescue agencies, in order to improve response operation to air crashes.

Director General of NEMA, Muhammed Sani Sidi, stated this at a one-day After Action Review seminar held in Lagos in respect of

the June 3, 2012 Dana plane crash in Lagos.

The DG lamented the negative impact of the crowd of sympathizers during the rescue operation, adding that, "We all know that at the scene of the Dana Crash, we are all witness to what happened; the major problem we had was crowd control”.

The NEMA boss while describing rescue operation as multi-dimensional, argued that there was need for a synthetic collaboration

between the public and NEMA and among rescue agencies in the country.

He denied insinuations that the agency had only rescued dead bodies from crash sites.

Alhaji Sidi was held that it germaine to examine the emergency response operations to the crash with a view to identifying lapses in order to make improvements in similar operations in the future.

Disabled persons ask Almakura for political posts S

By Stanley Onyekwere

ome persons living with disabilities under the aegis of Association of Cripples, Karu local council, in Nasarawa state has called on Governor Tanko Almakura to consider them for political appointments into his cabinet.

Making the appeal yesterday, the association’s chairman, Comrade Maikasuwa Magaji Kula, in a chat with Peoples Daily, decried the absence of a handicap political appointees in the current administration as well as equal employment opportunities.

According to him, there are lots of skilled

and educated persons living with disabilities who are willing to take up relevant jobs to earn a living from, including political positions, but are constrained by the discriminatory treatment they often get from some members of the society.

Kula said, when given the chance in government, the handicap community would be in a better position to manage the social welfare needs of the disabled who are pushed by lack of employment, to the streets to beg for alms.

“I’m appealing to both federal and state governments to help us by providing employments to persons with any form of disability, because we want to be able to fend for ourselves; it is not our wish to continue begging for alms from people on the streets”, he said.

FCT pilgrims board issues ultimatum to intending pilgrims

By Maryam Garba Hassan

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he FCT-Muslim Pilgrims’ Welfare Board has on Wednesday issued an ultimatum to intending pilgrims who deposited money for this year’s hajj to balance up their fares by today, September7, 2012.

A statement issued in Abuja by the Board’s Public Relations Officer, Malam Aliyu Usman, said this decision became necessary as the procurement of visa from

Saudi embassy for FCT pilgrims would be rounded off by the second week of this month.

The statement also warned that any intending pilgrims who failed to comply, would automatically lose his or her chance to perform this year’s hajj through the Board.

Usman called on intending pilgrims who are yet to submit their e-passports or return their application forms, to do so or lose their seats, as the Board is about to complete the process of visa procurement for its intending pilgrims.

PAGE 6

4 Igibinedion vars ity lecturers perish in road mishap

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Former ICPC boss advices Jonathan to toe path of rectitude

By Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

our lecturers Iginedion University, Okada near Benin City on Wednesday night, reportedly died at the Ovia River, few kilometres away from the institution.

The lecturers’ car was said to have plunged into the river as they made their return journey back to Benin City after a trip to Okada.

The names of those who died were given as Messrs Morgan Efosa Uwogiren, Lucky Ehiorobo, Mrs. Shirley Iwede of the University’s Department of Business Administration and Ms Shola Ajayi of the Department of Banking and Finance.

Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), sources said the corpses of the two women were still missing while the corpses of two men have since been deposited at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), morgue.

Mr. Amin Adewale of the FRSC, said the road crash occurred after the car a black Volkswagen Audi 80 station wagon with registration number Edo BF438 USLin which the victims were traveling plunged into the river near Ekiadolor in Edo South while trying to avoid an un-coming trailer, which in an attempt to avoid a failed portion of the road, drove into the other lane and forced the car into the river.

he former chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Justice Mustapha Akanbi, has said if Nigeria would move forward, leaders in the country especially President Goodluck Jonathan must toe the path of justice, honour and rectitude.

The former President of the Court of Appeal, who stated this during his 80th birth day

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anniversary press briefing at the Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF) African Hall yesterday, said he was fed up with the manner the judiciary and country's justice system was being handled.

On the reinstatement of Justice Isa Salami, Justice Akanbi said he could not be the adviser to the President who listens to the Attorney-General of the Federation.

The retired jurist who

vowed to continue to fight the cause of the masses till death, bemoaned the high rate of poverty in Nigeria advising that it would be better if the judiciary that had not derailed from their humanitarian jobs because of politicians who have inflicted them with corruption.

Regretting the status of ICPC after he left office, Justice Akanbi said: "When I left, a friend told me they have spoiled ICPC for me. I told him that they did not spoil ICPC for

me but for Nigerians".

He noted that for Nigeria to get rid of corrupt officers, the head of ICPC and EFCC must not be somebody who is after money and materials things; rather, a patriotic Nigerians who would just want to sacrifice for the progress of the nation and render leadership service.

Commenting on the call for state police, he said the idea may be good but will divide Nigeria's Police force and those behind it are those people who don't want the unity of the nation.

Kogi youths give FG 7-day ultimatum to declare oil producing status

By Adeola Tukuru he Network of Kogi State Youths Association has given the Federal Government seven days ultimatum to declare Kogi state an oil producing state, in view of the oil and gas deposits found in the land.

The coordinator of the association, Mr. Citizen Umar Goodman Akwu in a press briefing yesterday in Abuja, stated that failure to do so would prompt the network to mobilise its members at home and in Diaspora for street in protests.

He said the discovery of oil and gas deposits and the subsequent exploration and exploitation in Odeke, Echeno, Omabo, Anocha and Ihiele as it concerns OPL 915 and 916, all in Ibaji local government area has been a subject of jurisdiction controversy.

According to him, the Orient Petroleum Limited, its subsidiaries, agents and consultants should immediately go into a bond with all host communities stipulating in clear terms its cooperate social responsibility.

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L-R: President, Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Engineer Mustafa Shehu, NSE deputy president, Engineer Ademola Olorunfemi, and NSE vice-president, Engineer Ali Rabiu, during a press briefing on the development in the power sector, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

NHIS vows to adhere to professionalism From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

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he National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), has reiterated commitment towards engendering discipline in the discharge of healthcare services to further promote strict compliance to the ethics of the insurance profession through the Professional Indemnity Insurance, (PII).

It added that under the newly introduced scheme, "The insurer provides indemnity to the healthcare facilities against claims for damages, breach of professional duty, neglect, error or omission by the insured during the conduct of their professional duties.

"This often makes affected victims suffer injuries and after, proceeds to court of law seeking redress as a result of

which compensation is awarded to them".

This was contained in a lecture delivered yesterday by a Coordinator in the Northcentral zonal office of the agency, Mr. Bogunjoko Francis at the enrolees/stakeholders in federal ministries, departments, and agencies, held in Ilorin.

He stressed that the policy was designed to provide

Sokoto spends N289 m on new gov’s lodge in Kaduna From Lawal Sadiq Sanusi, Sokoto

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okoto state government is to expend the sum of over N 289 million in the construction of a new befitting governor's lodge in Kaduna.

Environmental Development Construction Ltd, which was awarded the project has one year within which to complete the work and has received 30 percent down

payment.

This was announced by the Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Nasiru Danladi Bako, after the weekly executive council meeting held at the Government House Sokoto on Wednesday.

The commissioner said another N205 million would be expended on the renovation and upgrading of the Governor's Lodge located in Sokoto and the project is expected to be completed within six

months with a down payment of 30 percent to the contractors.

He also announced that all the six items meant for the development of the state presented before the executive council were approved after debates, deliberations and decisions were taken.

The items approved in the meeting which was chaired by the state Governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, include

supply of N77.5 million technical and laboratory equipment for Sokoto State Polytechnic, purchase of two units of 2000 KVA generators for the state water board at the cost of N163 million.

Other items approved by the state government were the repairs and renovation of College of Nursing and Midwifery and the landscaping of the new orthopadaeic hospital in Wamakko at the cost of N77 million.

insurance cover for legal liabilities of all medical professionals in the various healthcare facilities insured.

While stating that medical doctors, surgeons, pharmacist, physiotherapist, nurses, laboratory scientists among others are the major targeted audience, Mr. Francis noted that the programme is mandatory for all health care facilities accredited by the agency.

Francis pointed out that "Organising a forum of this nature by the management of NHIS for enrolees and other stakeholders is highly beneficial as it serves as springboard for better understanding of the agency's operations.

In his welcome address, the acting Zonal Coordinator of NHIS, North-central, Alhaji Ganiyu Onimajesin, restated the commitment of NHIS to give up to date training of enrolees and other stakeholders on the developments in the scheme.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 7

FCTA trains midwives to prevent mother to child HIV transmission

Involve MPs in economic policy making, says Tambuwal

By Josephine Ella

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he Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) said it has trained 72 midwives in a bid to drastically reduce the unfortunate incidence of mother to child transmission of HIV, especially in the rural areas of the FCT. Disclosing this Wednesday in his office at Area 11, Garki, Abuja, the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed said that the trained midwives are presently serving in the Midwives Service Scheme.

He said that the training was conducted in collaboration with the United Nations International Children Education Fund(UNICEF) in preparation for scale up of prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) services to the public health centres across the territory.

Senator Mohammed disclosed that the FCT Primary Health Care Board has taken over five public health facilities in Apo, Wasa, Shere, Pegi and Kubwa owneroccupier estates to serve as model.

According to him, the FCT Administration in collaboration with UNFPA last month also trained middle cadre family health service providers from public and private health facilities on modern methods of family planning technology.

Absence of cranes slow down rescue operation, says FRSC

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he Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) has attributed its inability to remove crashed vehicles and victims from accident scenes to its inability to acquire heavy duty cranes.

The FRSC Zonal Commander in charge of Edo, Delta and Anambra states, Mr. Wole Olaniran, made the disclosure in an interview yesterday in Benin.

Olaniran said that the corps was more than ever committed to ensuring that the roads within the zone are safe for motorists and other users, as well as to save lives.

He quickly added that “we have reduced our response time to accident scenes to less than 20 minutes from the time of the receipt of any distress call”.

“Unfortunately, our operations in rescue and evacuation of crashed vehicles and victims from accident scenes are made difficult as we do not have heavy duty cranes.

“Because we rely on sister agencies and private collaborators to make these cranes available, the logistics involved increases our time of response and thus hinders our evacuation operations,’’ he said.

Olaniran said that because transportation was at the heart of government’s agenda, “FRSC, will contribute its quota to ensure that the transport sector is healthy, safe and secure for all Nigerians. (NAN)

and the SSS for a job well done on the arrest and prosecution of the suspects.

It would be recalled that the late Cynthia Osokogu was killed at Cosmilla Hotel, Lagos by her Facebook ‘friends’ after they drugged, raped and dispossessed her of her belongings.

By Lawrence Olaoye peaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Wednesday, advocated the involvement of parliamentarians in determining the kind of economic policies their countries implement, saying such measure will bolster global economic growth and defend weaker nations against exploitative tendencies.

Delivering a paper at the opening of the second Global Economic Leaders' summit in Changchu, China, Tambuwal said it is not enough for governments, especially those of developing nations and their donor counterparts, to drive individual countries' national development strategy without active involvement of national parliaments.

He said doing so would limit the ability of the lawmakers to improve the effectiveness of these policies to reflect the needs of their citizens.

The Speaker in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, said recent experiences in both Africa and Europe have shown that many parliaments are increasingly reluctant to pass laws that will permit their governments to honour international obligations because they feel it would harm their people.

He added “It is therefore appropriate that the Global Economic Leaders’ Summit, in trying to explore the best industrial development strategies for different countries and regions, has decided to examine the role of parliaments in global economy.

While challenging the global economic leaders to explore the investment opportunities that abound in Nigeria, Tambuwal said with a huge population and vast solid mineral potential, Nigeria offers a sure return in investment.

(MNCHW) and Planning for November MNCHW cosponsored by Helen Keller.

According to him, “There have been challenges; statistics showed that in each of the five rounds of MNCHW that we have so far conducted since inception in 2010, we have recorded remarkable improvement.”

He stressed that, the MNCHW strategy will ensure that Nigerian women and children under five years are

reached with the intervention in order to reverse what he described as “unacceptable high morbidity and mortality rate among women and children.”

In her remark, the representative of Helen Keller identified lack of proper planning, delay in release of fund and adequate community mobilization by states and local governments as main challenges of the programme. “I hope this meeting will address these shortcomings,” he said.

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L-R: Representative of Inspector General of Police, DIG Operations, Mr. Peter Isa Gana, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, and United Nations Resident Coordinator, Dr. Daouda Toure, during the launching of Gender Policy for the Nigeria Police Force, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

NULGE, ALGON discover kids in LG payrolls T he National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) said that names of children and some people receiving double salaries, have been discovered in the payrolls of some councils in Kogi state.

The President of the state chapter of NULGE, Mr Tom Abutu, who disclosed this to newsmen in Lokoja yesterday said that the underage ghost workers were detected during the ongoing screening exercise.

He said the exercise was being carried out in all the 21 local government areas by the union,

in partnership with ALGON. Commenting on the inability of many local governments in the state to pay the full salaries of their staff in the past three months, Abutu alleged that names of staff members that ought to have retired five years ago were discovered in the payrolls.

He blamed the development on politicians and some entrenched interests, saying that a final list of all the affected persons was being compiled with a view to showing them the way out.

Abutu also blamed the

inability of the local government to pay workers their full salaries on dwindling allocations from the federation account.

He called on the state and federal governments to come to the aid of the councils.

Abutu also expressed concern over the inability of the local governments in the state to pay their workers the approved new minimum wage of N18, 000.

He said that the state government had issued a circular directing the councils to commence implementation.

(NAN)

Cynthia saga: NTDC arraigns hotel

By Miriam Humbe

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rrangements have been concluded by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation to arraign owners of the hotel where Cynthia Osokogu was murdered in court, for operating illegally.

The Corporation intends to file formal charges against the management of Cosmilla Hotel of Lake View Estate near Festac Town for operating illegally since it was not registered with the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation.

A statement made available to Peoples Daily said the development was confirmed by the Director General of the Corporation, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe who said a formal query had been issued to the hotel to which it had replied.

According to Otunba Runsewe, the management of the hotel had already admitted not being registered with the Corporation which showed that the hotel has been operating illegally.

The Director General insisted that the law would be followed to the letter but said the Corporation would not interfere with the ongoing investigation by the security agencies, saying, “we will allow them to do their job after which we will go to court”.

He commended the security agencies especially the Police

Nigeria lifts in maternal child healthcare rating – NPHCDA

By A’isha Biola Raji

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ational Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has said that Nigeria had made notable improvement through numerous health intervention programmes.

NPHCDA Executive Director, Dr. Ado Muhammad, said this on Wednesday, at the National Review Meeting of the May 2012 Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Week

PAGE 10

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

2012 Hajj: Group lauds Ekiti pilgrims board From Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

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he Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR) has lauded the decision of the Ekiti State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board for disqualifying seven intending pilgrims over their inability to recite the Fatiha (opening chapter of the Holy Qur’an).

The group in a statement issued Wednesday by its National

Secretary, Ibrahim Muhammad, and Publicity Secretary, Abubakar Mahmoud, also commended the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) for subjecting all applicants for Hajj duty, especially the medical personnel, to an “open and transparent screening process.

According to the statement, “any Muslim who cannot recite the Suratul Fatiha leaves room for

suspicion on his or her true religious identity,” especially “to avoid a situation where a nonMuslim will infiltrate pilgrims during the Hajj exercise and engage in unwholesome practices in the Holy land”.

“The on-going screening of applicants for Hajj officiation at the National Mosque in Abuja by NAHCON is a commendable effort that will go a long way in ensuring

an efficient health service delivery for Nigerian pilgrims during Hajj exercise.

“The development will also close the door for nepotism and favouritism in the selection of Hajj officials..., state pilgrims welfare boards should be compelled by NAHCON to embrace the same procedure.

“We also urge NAHCON to try and improve on its last year’s achievements where over 70 per

cent of Nigeria pilgrims went to Medina before Arafat Day. “The effort was instrumental to the success recorded in the early return of Nigerian pilgrims last year. Strict adherence to Saudi Arabia’s stipulated conditions on the movement of pilgrims will boost the image of the country in the eyes of the Saudi government and may also lead to allocation of more hajj seats to Nigeria”, he said.

WAJA gets N336m grant

By Augustine Aminu

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Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide (middle), with Chairman, Bwari Area Council, Hon. Peter Ushafa (right), during an inspection of farm projects of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Project Support of the FCT administration, on Wednesday in Kuchibuyi and Guita communities of Bwari Area Council.

PHOTO: MAHMUD ISA

Service record will guide youths on hardwork - Obasanjo From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

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ormer President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday said biographies and records of works of the nation's heroes and professionals can serve as effective guides for Nigerian youths in pursuing self advancement.

Obasanjo made this remark in Ibadan during the formal presentation and launch of

biography of the late University don and industrialist, Prof. Ayo Ogunsheye titled 'Ayo Ogunseye: The workers' economist.'

He noted that cultures of hardwork and integrity were fast fizzling out among the youths and so, exposing them to records of life and service of notable personalities in the country could encourage them to be serious.

The former president who

extolled the virtues of Ogunsheye, said, "I want to urge family members of good Nigerians whose records we will like to have but we have not had, to work towards documenting their history and achievements.

“It is necessary particularly now that we have a country where anything goes. The moral value was very high in the country in not so distant past. That time, we

heard men of God.” Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said “Professor Ogunsheye blazed the trail to show how academics can impact on the private sector.

Before he left the University of Ibadan, where he was the first Dean of Faculty of Education, he had nurtured the Department of Adult Education to a fully developed department”.

Associates mark three years of Fawehinmi’s passing From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he June 12 Coalition of Democratic Formations (J12CODEF) and associates of the late human rights activist, Chief Ganiyu Oyesola Fawehinmi, yesterday, celebrated the third anniversary of the demise of rights activist, philanthropist and legal

icon, who died on September 5, 2009, lamenting that the nation is far from reaching his dreams.

The Nigeria Law Publication House, was venue of the commemorative anniversary where many friends of Fawehinmi included former Minority Leader of the Senate, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, wife of the deceased,

Ganiyat, his son, Mohammed as well as scores of associates in the civil society gathered.

Mamora lamented that the country was still far from realising the dreams of the legal luminary for a better, prosperous and egalitarian society where the needs of the people would be met by the government.

“It is unfortunate that the country has not in any way made any appreciable progress since the exit of this great man, rather we have been going backward down the slide and two reasons account largely for this, one we are a people that are never serious about nation building while we are also not morally upright”, he said.

n an effort to further enhance the capacity of journalists across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), President of West African Journalists Association, Malam Mohammed Garba, has secured a grant of US$2.1 million for the WAJA Capacity Building Project.

The grant which was from the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) is for a four (4) year capacity enhancement project aimed at strengthening the voices of the media in order to promote democracy and ensure participatory governance, accountability and transparency in ECOWAS member states.

In signing this agreement in Dakar, Senegal, recently, ACBF and WAJA through the implementation of this project seek to enhance the institutional and human capacity of journalists and media workers, to strengthen the legal protection, safety and security of West African Journalists.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mohammed Garba, who is also the President, Nigeria Union of Journalists, thanked ACBF for the support, adding that the grant signing ceremony marks another milestone in the history of WAJA because it remains the single highest assistance to be extended to Journalists Unions across the region.

The grant introduces key innovations which include the establishment of a Scholarship Programme in Investigative Journalism at both Masters and Diploma levels to promote investigative journalism in the region and legal support of journalists under criminal prosecution.

In her remarks, the ACBF Executive Secretary, Dr Frannie Leautier, said that ACBF is committed to strengthening the voices of the media on the continent through training and skills building through the increase in the number of media supported projects that ACBF is funding throughout Africa.

Fresh charge slammed on suspect in LASTMA official’s death From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

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he Lagos state government, yesterday, filed a fresh charge before an Igbosere Magistrate’s Court, against a female banker Mrs. Yinka Johnson, for alleged reckless driving.

Yinka was initially alleged to have killed an official of the Lagos State Traffic Management

Authority (LASMA), Mr. Hameed Balogun, while driving against the traffic in the Ajah area of the state.

At the hearing of the matter yesterday, police prosecutor, Chukwu Agwu, applied to withdraw the earlier charge and substituted it with the new charge.

The old charge which is the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2003 was replaced with the new Lagos

State Road Traffic Law 2012.

However, counsel to the accused person, Emeka Okpoko reminded the court that various publications in national newspapers gave the impression that the law was yet to take effect as government planned to carry out public enlightenments on the said law.

However, the trial Magistrate,

Jacob Adegun ruled that the prosecution has the right to substitute the charge under the law.

Shortly after the charge was substituted, the prosecutor informed the court that Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) has called for the case file and urged the court to adjourn the matter until DPP gives further

directives on the matter.

Magistrate Adegun, granted her bail on the earlier conditions and adjourned the matter till September 28, 2012 for mention.

Johnson, an employee of Stanbic IBTC, was alleged to have driven her Range Rover Jeep with Lagos number plate CY 276 LSD against traffic at Mega City, Ikota, along Lekki-Epe Expressway.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

MONEY SENSE

PAGE 11

10 ways to save a gallon of fuel

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imple tricks for going the distance -- without a pit stop at the fuel station.

To save a gallon of fuel, you probably need to cut about 22 miles of driving from your week.

Here are 10 of the easiest ways to save.

1. Use mass transit. Or carpool. Leaving the car at home and sharing your commute with others can help you reach your gallon goal very quickly.

2. Slow down. Research shows that speeding uses more fuel. If your average commute includes 20 miles of highway time, and you drive it at 60 mph instead of 70 mph, you'll save approximately 1.3 gallons of fuel in a 5-day workweek.

3. Combine errands. Need to pick up a prescription, mail a package and go to the bank? Instead of spreading these tasks out over a few trips, do them all at once. Park in a central spot and walk from place to place.

4. Shop online. Save the trips to the store, and consider other errands online, such as banking, buying stamps, and paying bills.

5. Drive the small car. Do you own an SUV and a fuel-efficient sedan? Take the smaller car on any long trips you can this week.

6. Take a hike (or ride a bike). Instead of driving everywhere, lace up your sneakers and get some exercise while you save fuel. A bicycle can help you rack up car-free miles even faster.

7. Work from home. If you have a job for which working from home is possible, ask the boss if you can pick one day when you and your coworkers can telecommute to save fuel. If you are the boss, make it a company-wide project (and be sure everyone makes a pledge online so we can include them in our tally).

8. Have a dinner party.

Instead of your usual dinner-anda-movie Saturday night out, invite your neighbors over for a small dinner party. You'll save the miles to the theater and restaurant - not to mention the money.

9. Share school rides. Instead of picking up your kids from school every day, ask a neighbor with kids in the same school to help. You can each take turns picking up the tykes.

10. Keep the trunk light.

The heavier the load your car has to carry, the more fuel it guzzles.

Don't use your trunk for long-term storage.

Quote You do not succeed because you do not know what you want, or you don’t want it intensely enough - Frank Crane

Tips on home energy savings B

ecome an environmentalist and increase home energy savings without changing your lazy lifestyle.

1. You want to do your part to protect the earth and save energy, then try these steps There are smart ways to reduce emissions of greenhouse fueles that don't take much effort.

They can even simplify your life by saving you time and money.

To become an armchair environmentalist, just relax and follow these little steps: 2. Hire someone to seal up

your house You could weatherproof your home yourself, of course, but you can lazily delegate the job and still come out ahead financially in the long run. Merely sealing leaks in windows and doors and insulating ducts could save you at least $100 a year and reduce CO2 emissions by at least 1,000 pounds per year - and possibly much more. Adding insulation to your home could double the savings.

3. Work from home The number of people who telecommute has increased by more than 40 percent since 1980.

Today more than 4 million workers telecommute most days, Telecommuting isn't for everyone, of course, but surveys have found that both employers and employees are warming up to this option.What's good for the bottom line and worker morale is also good for the atmosphere: One person telecommuting just one day a week can reduce emissions by 400 pounds per year.

4. Use Cuise control Letting your car's computer control the speed is a win-win for laziness and the environment.

Most tips for improving fuel mileage require some work on your part, like keeping your tires inflated properly (which can improve mileage by 3 percent and save about 250 pounds of CO2 annually for the average driver).

But you might double that improvement just by relaxing with cruise control. Tests by edmunds.com found that using cruise control improved mileage by 7 percent. (One exception: Cruise control can use more fuel if you're driving in very hilly terrain.)

Who needs a debit card you can't use?

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here is word in London about the tears shed by desperate Nigerian visitors carrying debit cards issued by the large, conservative Nigerian bank which prides itself as the country's most efficient.

The card in question carries the label of one of the two global card issuers operating in Nigeria.

Day after day, shop after shop and ATM after ATM, customers of this Nigerian bank walk the streets of London this summer hoping for luck. Not this time. At every point, the customers are prompted to key in their PIN, leaving you with some hope. But once the four digit PIN is keyed in, the POS terminal goes to sleep for more than a minute only to wake up with the same frustrating response, "transaction not authorised."

It is like going to your bank, writing a cheque and walking out without your cash because the bank has become your Master.

So, be careful which debit card you carry when you are leaving Nigeria.

If you put all your cash into your Naira account and hope to draw cash or pay for purchases on your travel, make sure you are carrying a card that won't be your

Master on the road.

If you are not so sure, forget this cashless talk. There is nowhere in the world that operates a cashless system. So when you travel, keep some of your funds in cash, this way, you are able to pay for your road or train trip from the airport on arrival.

And if you have to load your money in a card, make sure you are true to yourself. Frequent travellers say this particular bank card has failed in the past. So you should know. Otherwise, talk to friends and be well guided. Home can be quite far away when you are out and it is worse when you arrive into a miserable weather without access to your cash.

Tips to extend the life of your car (I)

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are and Maintenance Tips Keep Your Car Running in Top-Notch Condition We've compiled our best expert advice, surprising tricks, and car care tips to prolong the life of your automobile!

1. Be patient during the break-in period You've bought your dream car and now you want to make it last at long as possible in top condition.

Here are some things to remember as you pull it out of the dealer's lot: *During the break-in period, typically the first 1,000 miles (1,600 km), keep your speed under 55 mph (88 kpm) or to the speed recommended by your car's manufacturer. *Avoid heavy loads on the drive train, such as towing trailers, and loading the roof rack or trunk with heavy construction

materials. *Do not allow your new car to idle for long periods - this is good advice for the life of your car, but especially during breaking. The oil pressure generated by doing so may not be sending oil to every part of your engine. *Use only light to medium acceleration, keeping the engine rpms below 3,000 for the first few hours of driving.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 12

EDIT ORIAL EDITORIAL

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The Tehran Non-Aligned Movement Summit

he 16th summit of the heads of state and government of the 120-member states of the NonAligned Movement (NAM) ended last week in Tehran, the Iranian capital.

The meeting gave the host a whiff of fresh air after efforts by Washington and its allies to strangulate it. The movement, on account of the high visibility of the host nation, received a lot of publicity in international news media, unlike most before it.

The United States and its major Middle-eastern ally, Israel, did their utmost to persuade many guests, especially the United Nations General Secretary, Ban Ki-Moon, to stay away. As it turned out, many leaders of government and senior delegations went to the summit.

The host, Iran, had its day in the sun, as its supreme and spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, blasted away at its arch foe, the United States and its allies, for imposing their will and ways on the rest of the world in the name of defending international law and democracy. Iran used the opportunity to reaffirm its right have access to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and maintained that research in that respect was proceeding apace, despite distraction from its western traducers.

The NAM was formed in the 1960s as a platform for developing nations that did not wish to be entangled in the cold war between the United

States and the former Soviet Union.

But according to one of its founders, former Indonesian leader, Ahmed Surkano, the movement was a platform for states in common need of avoiding the heavy handed and bullish manipulations of the super powers. The Iranian spiritual leader maintained that such need is even

“

We agree that the NonAligned Movement, far from being a relic or dinosaur of the cold war era, is now even more relevant for containing the hazards and toxic effects of the current global order, dominated by one super power and her allies more important now than when the movement was founded.

We agree that the Non-Aligned Movement, far from being a relic or dinosaur of the cold war era, is now even more relevant for containing the hazards and toxic effects of the current global order, dominated by one super power and her allies. The

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”

desperation to define international political architecture and exclusively mould its norms without consultation with all stakeholders is not only dangerous to a rule-based international system but to peaceful co-existence. For example, the International Criminal Court at The Hague is increasingly looking like a big power political witch-hunt, created to take revenge on African leaders who dared to step out of line.

American and European leaders who international opinion has a consensus on to have committed crimes against humanity are clearly put beyond the purview of the ICC. Thankfully, the South African antiapartheid doyen, Bishop Desmond Tutu, recently called for former US President George W. Bush and exBritish Prime Minister Tony Blair to stand trial at the court for alleged war crimes in Iraq.

To actively engage in the redefinition of the international system and institutions, the NAM must step up its activities beyond the heads of state summit at twoyear intervals. In spite of the obvious varying interests of the 120 member states of the NAM, the common need for a fair and just international order makes a case for closer cooperation among member states.

We urge for the sustenance of the momentum, and energy which the Tehran summit seemed to have fired.

OUR PEOPLE

OUR VISION

CHAIRMAN MALAM WADA MAIDA, OON, FNGE DIRECTOR/ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RUFA’I IBRAHIM EDITOR, DAILY ABDULAZEEZ ABDULLAHI

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER ALI M. ALI

HEAD, ADVERT/MARKETING HUSSAINI ABDULRAHMAN, CNA

ACTING EDITOR, WEEKEND JAMILA NUHU MUSA

MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION HASSAN HAMMANYAJI

HEAD, LAGOS BUREAU ADESOJI OYINLOLA

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

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 13

Should Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala resign?

By Omoade Adelani

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et’s face it; corruption is at present the most popular culture in our nation today.

It has been entrenched so deeply in our national consciousness that it now seems odd not to practise it.

And anyone who sticks out his/ her neck in an attempt to check it would likely have his/her neck chopped off.

So, it is no surprise that those calling for the head of the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, are those whose means of livelihood are tied to the corrupt sources that are under ferocious attack from the former World Bank czar who is putting measures in place to block leakages in the system.

To have a proper understanding of my point, we need to take a mental flight from where we were to our present state. We live in an interesting time in the history of our nation.

Things are happening so fast.

While Boko Haram is wreaking havoc in the northern part of the country, our lower legislative chamber is clawing its way out of a mire of bribery scandal.

Let us recollect that shortly before the arrival of Mrs. OkonjoIweala in the cabinet of Goodluck

Jonathan in the later part of 2011, the recurrent expenditure in our national budget for that year stood at an embarrassing 74%. But, she would have none of it, and proceeded to reduce it to 71.47% in the 2012 budget, much to the chagrin of some vested interests. Still not satisfied with that, she affirmed that the sum would be further reduced to 68.66% in the proposed 2013 budget.

Mind you, this reduction in the recurrent expenditure started with cuts in personnel cost without the sack of any workers.

What this means is that the minister has succeeded in checking the menace of ghost workers in the Nigerian system to a considerable extent. Yet, she seems not done, as she has also publicly announced her intention to keep reducing the recurrent expenditure from the present figure to about 50% in the coming years.

Let us look at the budget implementation palaver which generated so much heat lately. In a far departure to what was obtainable in the country’s finance landscape, where disbursement of funds to MDAs was much like a bazaar, the finance minister told us that she has instituted a due diligence process whereby all

funds expended by MDAs have to be acknowledged and accounted for before further funds are released to them. This measure, more than anything, puts the MDAs on their toes, because subsequent disbursements to them are now tied to performance that would impact on Nigerians and not just the usual hoo-hah about grandiose initiatives which never got implemented, whilst taxpayers’ monies are stocked up in high interest-yielding private accounts of crooked civil servants, government officials and politicians.

In the wake of the brouhaha of this budget implementation saga, the minister is once quoted to have affirmed that “the issue at stake is more than MDAs getting money. MDAs should get money, but only when the purposes for which they are released are accomplished and properly accounted for.

Nigerians deserve no less!”

This makes it clear that Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala is as concerned as the social crusader next door that Nigerians get the best deal in budget implementation and not just media hype of projects that are only implemented on paper.

But, it seems our lawmakers see things differently. Their

ranting about budget implementation betrayed their impatience with the finance minister whom they seem to expect to disburse funds without checks – they way it’s always been done in our clime. Perhaps, they can’t bear the thought of losing their cut from monies disbursed to the MDAs when they go in the guise of oversight functions.

The wave of checks instituted by the finance ministry also extended to the country’s goosethat-lays-the-golden-egg – the petroleum industry – where a clamp on fraudulent claims by oil marketers has pitched the minister against fuel marketers and their sympathisers in NUPENG. We could recall that, prior to this period, oil marketers were having a field day, as any claim brought forward were speedily processed and paid without a second look. But when Okonjo Wahala, as madam minister is dreadfully called by those at the receiving end of her reforms, arrived, business ceased to be done as usual.

At a press conference to announce the NUPENG’s intention to side with crooked oil marketers over dispute on subsidy claims, the president of the union, Achese Igwe, brazenly

called for the resignation of the finance minister. To observers, the call for the resignation of Mrs Okonjo-Iweala was quite ridiculous. Because, rather than commending her for ensuring that taxpayers’ money is prudently managed, the hitherto noble union chose to side with the “enemies of Nigerians” whose sole aim is to sap the nation dry.

The foregoing confirms the home-grown truism that ‘when you fight corruption, corruption fights you back’; and it fights back with even greater vigour. It is, therefore, no surprise that calls for the resignation of madam minister are coming from those threatened by her determination to restore fiscal discipline and accountability in our economic system, which already has a global reputation for sleaze.

Since it is now so apparent that those against madam Ngozi’s anticorruption stance are unrelenting in their bid to see her through the exit door, it is therefore imperative that those discerning amongst us rise up to join forces with the reforms army and resist the enemies of our collective resources and wellbeing.

We must be wise and know who is truly on the side of Nigerians.

Omoade Adelani is a Lagosbased social commentator.

Sanusi’s defence of N5000 initiative

By Dino Melaye

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he move by the CBN to print a N5,000 note and mint new coins has been widely condemned as contradicting the bank’s cashless policy and it will definitely worsen inflation in the country. The Bank and indeed Mallam Sanusi however, insisted on going ahead despite the directive by the senate to suspend the action. Our question as an organisation is the over 40 billion naira that the CBN will use in printing this new note appropriated for in the 2012 budget? We say No to this wicked policy. Below are our postulations and position on this unfruitful venture.

What is the rationale behind Sanusi’s egomaniac policy? That is the question on the lips of every right thinking person – Nigerian or foreigner, economist or noneconomist. Spending over N40 billion to print large currency denomination in a ravaged economy with pressing developmental challenges speaks volumes about the thoughtlessness and intellectual emptiness of Sanusi’s CBN leadership.

The idea of restructuring the Naira is a grossly misplaced priority, coming at a time ordinary Nigerians cannot put 3 square meals on the table, given the high costs of goods and services, exacerbated by the fuel subsidy removal.

The United States, which is the strongest economy in the world, has $100 as its highest denomination in circulation. In the

UK, the largest denomination of the pound sterling ever printed for circulation was the £1000 note issued between 1725 and 1745.

The £100 note was issued from 1725 to 1943 and was withdrawn in 1945. Since then, the £50 note has remained the largest denomination of the British Pound in circulation. Saudi Arabia’s 500 Riyals is its highest denomination.

Sanusi’s clear message to the world is that the Naira’s value is so weak that we need more of it to do business. The implication of the N5,000 note on the economy is serious. The policy is unnecessary and will serve no useful purpose.

We have more socioeconomic challenges than restructuring currency at the moment.

Nigerians are suffering because of Sanusi’s inchoate and anti-people monetary policies.

Aside the cost, the coining of lower denominations will not reduce the cost of business. The N5, N10 and N20 coins will be unusable just like the N1 & 50k coins.

This policy is bound to worsen our inflation rate because the cost of goods and services will have to be rounded upward for ease of transactions. Things that used to cost N10 or N15 would now be pegged at N50, being the lowest currency note.

Sanusi introduced a cashless policy to discourage carrying much cash. How does the introduction of N5,000 note support a cashless economy? It doesn’t make sense: it’s incons The initiative is inconsistent with, and a contradiction of, the cashless policy, which Nigerians

are struggling to come to terms with.

Nigeria is notoriously a corrupt country: the N5,000 note will simply facilitate bribery and corruption. It will fan the flames of contract and political corruption.

The conversion of the lower currency notes into coins will eliminate these important historical names: Tafawa Balewa, Alvan Ikoku, and Murtala Muhammed.

How will the printing of N5,000 note ameliorate our growing unemployment? Will it improve our dilapidated infrastructure?

Will it solve our education and healthcare challenges? Will it reduce our poverty level?

The over N40 billion earmarked for the N5,000 note and the wasteful resources for its enlightenment campaigns can add about 100 megawatts of electricity to our national grid.

Why waste it in a roundly condemned project?

Sanusi seems to have coded

agenda in all these his illconceived, harsh, inconsiderate and egomaniac pursuits? There is more to his macabre behaviour than meets the eye. Surely, restructuring the Naira at this time is unpatriotic and smacks of a cover-up of other personal interests.

Is he ignorant of the current security situation in the country?

The social effects of his N5,000 note will worsen the security challenges. Isn’t Sanusi conscious that the N5,000 bill will foster the activities of Boko Haram? Isn’t Sanusi aware that the N5,000 bill will facilitate money laundering?

Doesn’t Sanusi know that the N5,000 bill will lead to increase in kidnapping, ritual killings and other societal vices?

Is Sanusi’s so-called love for Nigerian women real or feigned to achieve his selfish ends? Is there no better way to honour our heroines?

Or, is there more to Sanusi’s ambition than meets the eye by using these women to score cheap political point?

“

The over N40 billion earmarked for the N5,000 note and the wasteful resources for its enlightenment campaigns can add about 100 megawatts of electricity to our national grid. Why waste it in a roundly condemned project?

This policy lacks economic thought or logic and will accentuate the country’s economic decline, rather than its growth. Brazil, China, India, Malaysia and South Africa have all witnessed spectacular economic growth without having to restructure their currencies to higher denomination.

Nigerians are yet to come to terms with Sanusi’s egocentric reform agenda. Since Sanusi became CBN Governor, it has been one harsh policy after another.

Interest rate is still at double digit level. The dusts raised by Sanusi’s audit and nationalization of banks are yet to settle. Sanusi has created huge unemployment in Nigerian banks with his vengeful reforms without concern about their terminal benefits.

Sanusi has paralysed industrial development with his unchecked harsh economic policies. We ask again: What is Sanusi’s agenda for Nigeria? The President and security agencies should dig deep to unearth this before he plunges the country into cataclysm.

In conclusion, we reject the introduction of the 5,000 naira note and call on the CBN to immediately discard the idea and instead embark on economic policies that will provide growth and development in all facets of our national lives. If the CBN refuses to harken to the voice of reason, we will have no choice than to prove to them that Democracy must continue to be government of the people by the people and for the people.

Otunba Dino Melaye is the Executive Secretary, Anticorruption Network

PAGE 14

By Akinola M. A. The clear danger to public affairs commentary is that we have a lot of unintelligent people repeating stupid clichés and too many intelligent persons wasting their talents lending relevance to thoughtless conclusions - Reuben Abati

C

riticism is the practice of judging something or someone in an intelligible (or articulate) way, but what we have in Nigeria today is not criticism but hate, prejudice and push him down at all cost syndrome. A nation’s building process is a two-way traffic, independently and naturally regulated by scared doctrine of “SOCIAL CONTRACT”. How a society functions optimally is largely dependent on attitudes and behavioural pattern of its citizens because it is from these pool leaders will emerge. I’m very sure the president’s critics are very much aware of this concept as veritable principle for national developments and cohesion.

In a country, where virtually every healthy adults’ sense of shared responsibility, patriotism and civic obligation to the state and its institutions are almost diminished, it will take audacious

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

President Jonathan and his critics

miracle for such country to Yes, leadership is part of moral confidence. You don’t progress in any spheres of human Nigeria’s woes and neither the denigrate, damage and torment endeavours. Critics of President G. president nor people in position of a person to make a point!

E. Jonathan are not analyzing authority can be immune to Engaging in constructive Nigeria’s abysmal performance criticism. In fact, life itself is not criticism is best techniques to from empirical analysis based on interesting without challenges of voice our opinion. Constructive concept of an ideal society where critics. But engaging in rumour Criticism is best method to c i t i z e n s engage the voluntarily obey President, It less than basic appreciate a laws and p e r s o n regulations. It’s strength, Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text utter disaster celebrate it messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written and inferno from achievements, contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 hell when criticize it words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and healthy adults failures while a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed c a n n o t suggesting to: understand other areas of safety rules and improvements. consequences of it’s not The Editor, driving against damaging Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, t r a f f i c , neither does it 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. importation of make a person Email: let ters@peoplesdaily-online.com fake drugs and lesser being, in SMS: 07037756364 commodities, fact, it will spur arms smuggling, person to fraud, tax evasion etc. How do we & scare mongering tactics, smear improve his performance and intend to progress as nation with campaign, using of foul words persona, but what we have in audacious criminal tendencies against a sitting president in Nigeria today is far far below and unpatriotic traits as a cultural volatile country like Nigeria is constructive criticism. And norms? All of us are yawning and extremely too bad and uncalled mischievous element are really praying for a better country, but for. Some say it’s the beauty of cashing in on these arm chairs how many of us are ready to democracy but, i totally disagree. and self righteous critics. Boko sacrifice for our communal It’s purely a symptom of bad Haram menace is a good survival? education, lack of emotional and example.

WRITE TO US

Jonathan’s critics (not all) have finally thrown caution and decorum to the dogs. treacherous, inciting and Treasonable statements are now the hallmarks of these unpatriotic and mischievous critics, but one thing they should know is that President Jonathan is the captain of a distressed ship.

Navigating a “quasi” eternal, turbulent water with dilapidated engines is not a tea party. He needs the absolute patriotism and cooperation of all crew members for successful voyage. Anything less is a recipe for disaster.

Personally, I sympathize with President Goodluck Ebele Azikewe Jonathan. He is presiding over a country where the voice of felons, saboteurs, arsonists, terrorists, cynics, tax evaders coup plotters, fifth columnists, chronic unpatriotic citizens etc are the loudest. Can someone ask these critics to present their personal income and corporate tax payments records?

A nation on the path of greatness cannot be powered by unpatriotic citizens.

It’s practically impossible!

Akinola M. A is reachable on www.myspace.com

NTA Tuesday Live with youth devt minister: Matters arising

By Tijjani Ahmad

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watched with great interest and enthusiasm as the NTA TUESDAY LIVE of 21 August, 2012 featured the Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir , during which he and members of the panels, stakeholders and callers delved extensively on matters bordering on the fate of the Nigerian youth and the future of Nigeria.

The programme highlighted the enormous impediments facing the Nigerian youth today and the great task and challenges ahead for the Minister in tackling these hiccups.

While the panelists, stakeholders and callers agreed that there is much to be done in meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the Nigerian youth in getting them involved in nation building and development, the Honourable Minister was apt in noting the need for mainstreaming of activities of the Ministry and those of other ministries and Agencies as a holistic approach in order to achieve the much needed positive result.

The Minister’s statement is a clarion call for effective collaborative efforts of all stakeholders in matters affecting the nurturing, growth and development of the Nigerian youth into becoming productive, self fulfilled, functional and useful citizens in the society such that eventually, they become great contributors and major key players in nation building. In other words, the Minister’s mainstreaming idea can be akin to and accomplished through the establishment of an InterMinisterial or better still, a

Presidential Council on Youth Development. Because of the significance and importance the government attaches to youth development matters, this approach will offer government the best of opportunities and the needed cross fertilization of ideas that will place the nation’s youth development ministry on the right pedestal in addressing youth development matters of the country.

Under this arrangement, the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan will be the chairman and the Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir as Secretary of the council.

Membership of the council will be drawn from line ministries, agencies, State governments that have shown greater commitment to youth development, NGOs, CBOs and the organized private sector.

The council shall meet quarterly to draw up policy frame work, mode of implementation as well as assess progress or otherwise by and for all members in particular, and the entire government machineries in general, with regards youth developmental matters. The venue will be rotational and held in states that displayed the highest level of zeal and commitment to youth development.

A critical overview and assessment of the pride of place occupied by youths in the scheme of governance and nation development by the Nigerian government revealed that government has continuously undertaken proactive measures to better the lots of our teeming youths. However, how much of progress or achievement made in that regards leaves much to be desired.

Youth development and empowerment is one of the critical areas of priority identified by the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration in his pact with the Nigerian people in moving from promise to action using the transformation agenda as a platform towards its actualization.

The president has equally led by example through the display of transparency which is crucial to Nigeria’s efforts at building a prosperous, virile and united country.

This is the more reason why the president and minister need to reassess the country’s vision and mission statement on the growth and development of Nigerian youths through the provision of an enabling environment that gives them the training and opportunities necessary for them to realize their potentials and contribute meaningfully in nation building. Youths remain one of the most critical, crucial and greatest asset that a nation has. Because they are the future leaders of the country and play the daunting tasks of skill acquisition and leadership training necessary to be able to effectively fit into the society.

Nigeria is not an exception; with her population predominantly made up of youths, it has become more expedient for government to continuously regard the significance of youths in socio-economic and political development of the country by initiating policies and programmes aimed at tapping the vibrant energy and resourcefulness of the youths that will place Nigeria among the 20 most developed economies by the year 2020 as being envisaged and vigorously pursued by government.

The Inter-Ministerial or Presidential Council on Youth Development being proposed here is meant to synergize and harmonize the programmes and activities of the various government ministries, parastatals, agencies, private sector stakeholders, NGOs and CBOs through a well co-ordinated and articulated medium that will guide and assess the formulation, implementation and assessment of government’s youths development policies and programmes on a regular and continuous basis.

There are ministries and agencies whose activities directly or indirectly impact in one way or the other on youth development matters. Beginning with the Ministry of Education where the bulk of students at secondary and tertiary levels of education are youths. There is need for the two ministries to synergize on youth education and training because it is the base from which youth growth and development in terms of academic pursuits commences and is accomplished. National Planning Commission where the nation’s developmental plans are incubated and hatched needs to take full cognizance of the needs of the youths in nation building as well as incorporate them in their planning initiatives for the country.

Here too, the collaborative effort of the two government bodies is quite essential.

Defence and security which involves both military and paramilitary establishments are mostly constituted by the vibrant and energetic youths of this country. Therefore, at any point in time of their training and operations, the character traits

which they exhibit must be in conformity with societal values and norms. Otherwise, their activities in the defence and security operations will certainly be incomplete. Therefore, beside the primary training in military and para-military tactics and operations, the inculcation of the values and norms of the country as they develop into productive individuals has to be inculcated into them. Herein lays the wisdom for close collaborative effort between the Youth Development Ministry and those in charge of selection, recruitment and eventual training in the military and para-military sector.

Agriculture is and still remains one of the biggest and most important employer of labour in this country. Virtually everywhere you go in this country; there is hardly a community whose major population does not constitute farming as its main pre occupation. One can recall how previous governments have initiated policies to get youths, who constitute a major part of the country’s population, into the national agriculture scheme. But, they all failed due to lack of synergy in formulation and implementation among the appropriate government agencies. This explains why if government needs to succeed in its transformation agenda in the agriculture sector, especially that of food sufficiency and food security, it has to bring all line ministries and agencies, including the ministry of youth development into the scheme from formulation to implementation.

Tijjani Ahmad wrote in from 80 Lagos Street, Garki 2, Abuja

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

By Ose Oyamendan

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nyone that knows anything about me knows I not only like General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, I adore the man.

When a man can roll a country like Nigeria around his nimble finger you gotta love that man.

Anything else would be player hating. Hell, if he was forty years younger and a woman, I would be hunting down flowers.

I was a mere teenager when he was a military president. I flirted with the idea of going into the military just so I can be his ADC. Now, there is no love greater than a man willing to take a bullet for another man.

Or, as my mother was quick to interject, no greater foolhardiness.

And, anyone who knows me know I don’t have that much love for the man who was his former friend and whom he kicked out of office with a simple telephone call, Muhammadu Buhari. Now that I think of it, IBB was a revolutionary before his time.

He dumped a leader with a phone call.

Imagine if the palace putsch had happened today, IBB would

PAGE 15

A Generals’ war

simply have texted Buhari a message that reads “Yo MB. Making a change. Taking over your seat. LOL”.

Why don’t I like Buhari? It’s simple really. You see when I decided against the dying for another man business, I went back to my first love – journalism or as people like Buhari are wont to think of it, intellectual ameboism. At that time, it was close to suicide because Buhari was busy threatening anyone with a pen and microphone. And, the man does not smile! At least, IBB can kill you with that gaptoothed smile.

Now the man who is so serious, a smile from him actually invokes pity is being accused of shadiness.

Buhari accusing IBB of corruption is like a girl telling me my lines are old and overused. People have been accusing IBB of corruption for as long as the man has been around. But, IBB saying he has juicy, corrupt tales about Buhari is something else. It’s like stumbling on a

diamond mine.

One thing I’ve always hated about Buhari is that he’s too pious for my liking. He seems like he’s better than every Nigerian because he’s not corrupt. I don’t know what the big deal is in that since it only makes him not very Nigerian, which means INEC should have banned him from contesting for any elective post anyway.

But, I’ve always suspected that there was more to this Daura general. He looks too good to be true. I mean this is a retired general turned politician. I’ve always felt he has very good public relations people guiding him, an hypothesis that was confirmed when Yinka Odumakin decided to work with him on the last campaign. Now, Yinka is as straight as a man can be but he’s also one cool word crafter and image molder. I didn’t have to be good at arithmetic to be able to put one and one together and get a solid 2.

But, here comes the man and

the legend himself, IBB. He’s insinuating that Buhari may not be as clean as some of those spotless kaftans he loves to wear.

He’s threatening to expose the seamy side of the general who as Head of State wasted his time trying to get us all disciplined instead of trying to make himself a civilian president.

IBB may be onto something here.

After all, this incorruptible former general who forgot something in the state house is the leader of a political party that seems fairly well funded. How does he fund the party? Everyone knows he doesn’t like OBJ and the men that prevented him from taking the keys to the Aso Villa.

Knowing the bad belle politics of Nigeria, you expect OBJ, Yar A’dua and Jonathan would have cut off his retirement allowance. You expect a man like that to be going from hand to mouth but the man is going from plane to jet. Doesn’t add up.

The man was minister of petroleum when there was no

gulf war, so you can forgive him for not filling the nation’s coffers with petro-dollars. But, my older friends swear Buhari was in charge of the oil company when N2.8B took a stroll from the treasury. And, we all know the general’s Petroleum Trust fund funded nothing people trusted.

This is shaping up to be a fight for the ages. I’m even ignoring the fact that Jonathan is thrown into the thing a bit. This is a fight between two elephants and Jonathan is clearly not an elephant. So, let’s focus on these two elephants and hope, finally, we may get an answer as to why the ship of the Nigerian nation is stalled at sea.

One night I even went to church and lit a candle that this promising war doesn’t flame out like last year’s epic battle that fizzled out like two kids beating their chests in the kindergarten playground. You see back then, it was OBJ vs. IBB. But, in acknowledgment that age had caught up with this two war veterans, they kissed and made up. Very French, if you ask me.

Ose Oyamendan is a Nigerian filmmaker resident in Los Angeles, Carlifornia, USA

Re-imagining the federal structure

By Udo Jude Ilo

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oday the realities of our environment show that our federalism has not lived up to the job of creating an ‘effective’ state. There are societal drivers for our challenges but the constitutional inadequacies have contributed in no small measures to our lack of expected success.

To recalibrate the effectiveness of our constitutional democracy and federal system, it is important that this committee should take a hard look at the following: The structure and composition of local governments in the country under sections 7 and 8 of 1999 Constitution: This Committee should make a decision on whether to make the local government the third tier of government or administrative unit of the state. The current arrangement is not just working. There is conflicting role between the National Assembly and the State government in the creation and management of local government. This grey area has allowed the state executive to swallow up the relative autonomy of local governments and also precluded the National Assembly or the state Houses of Assembly from exercising any meaningful oversight. The confusion undermines the effectiveness of this very valuable institution. There is need for clarification in the powers, autonomy and federal status of local government. This presentation will argue that it is in the best interest of grassroots development to make local government autonomous

with very strict structures of fiscal oversight put in place to avoid abuse. Local government should be in a position to use the judiciary to check perceived excesses of state or federal government.

Such arrangement should define a relationship of vertical accountability between the local government and the state in such a way that both have statutory authority to question each other’s activities.

The exclusive legislative list has 68 items for which the federal government can legislate on and by extension implement as against 30 items in the concurrent legislative list (for both state Houses of Assembly and the National Assembly to legislate on). The historical origin for this enlarged exclusive list for the central government stems from the long years of military leadership and the need to ‘keep the country together’ following the civil war. From empirical evidence which can be found in the everyday lives of Nigerians and the inability of the government to meet its objectives in performing its functions under the exclusive list, the extant legal framework has not been very efficient.

Without prescribing any ‘ideal model’, it is necessary to interrogate the effectiveness of the current framework and see to what extent we can unbundle the exclusive list to ensure efficiency.

It is important to underscore the point that what counts in the distribution of powers in a federation is the efficiency and effectiveness in having such function domiciled in a particular tier of government. If it relates to road for instance, the

question would be which tier of government is better positioned to perform the duty? Another question is as to where the nexus of accountability as between the tier of government and the beneficiaries of such services is better located. It would seem therefore, that some of the services of the federal government at the local level which by extension demands over-bloated workforce are not really necessary. These functions can be better performed by state governments and local governments.

Assigning extra functions to the states and local government will require therefore a review of the federal allocation formula especially a downwards review of what comes to the federal government. This will achieve two things: limit the overbearing influence of the federal government and also reduce the high stakes that has become federal political positions. This I will argue will also address the

contentious and divisive question of whom and which section of the country is in the saddle of power at the federal centre.

It is one thing to give state and local governments more money, it is another thing to ensure that such funds are properly utilised.

Fiscal autonomy does not necessarily mean absence of oversight that is located outside the constituent unit. Therefore, there has to be a constitutionally guaranteed independent anti-corruption agency that will have power to look into the books of federal, state and local government. If there is no effective fiscal oversight mechanism, then the whole aim of bringing services closer to the people will be unachievable. Let’s be clear, most state governments in Nigeria are run like private businesses and the system does not allow for any meaningful oversight. Therefore more money will only translate to

“

Assigning extra functions to the states and local government will require therefore a review of the federal allocation formula especially a downwards review of what comes to the federal government. This will achieve two things: limit the overbearing influence of the federal government and also reduce the high stakes that has become federal political positions

more power which brings me to the next point. If there has to be any meaningful oversight and check on corruption in Nigeria, the immunity clause in section 308 of the constitution has to be altered. I would argue for a qualified immunity that can be stripped by the court where a prima facie case of criminal misconduct has been established.

The appeal process can terminate at the Court of Appeal (that is questioning such stripping of immunity) to ensure objectivity and also expeditious determination of such court process. Unqualified immunity is simply undemocratic and has no place in an emerging democracy like ours riddled with endemic corruption.

Last word. This committee should resist in its entire ramification, the creation of more states. One primary characteristic of constituent units in a federation is viabilityability of such states to survive with little or no assistance from the federal government.

Currently, most of our states are administrative centres that wait on monthly handouts from the federation account to perform the basic of functions. You cannot build a stable federation with this kind of unsustainable and unrealistic arrangement.

More states have not translated into more development but rather have only created more recurrent expenditures.

This is a unique opportunity to trigger an evolution of an effective federation and your watch word should be what works and not what is politically expedient.

Udo Jude Ilo is reachable on jilo@osiwa.org

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

MTN Foundation donates five security patrol vans to FCTA

By Josephine Ella

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Some of the security patrol vans donated to the FCT administration by MTN yesterday in Abuja

Girl, 17, in court for allegedly sleeping with neighbour’s husband Stories by NAN

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17-years-old girl, Titilayo Ojo of Kado village of the FCT was yesterday arraigned before an Abuja Senior Magistrates Court for allegedly committing adultery with her neighbour’s husband.

The prosecutor, Sergeant Sim Emmanuel, told the court that one Mrs Idongesit Sunday of Kado

village, Abuja, reported the accused at the Life Camp Police station, on August 30, 2012.

Emmanuel said Mrs. Sunday reported that she caught the accused having sexual intercourse with her husband on her matrimonial bed on August 29.

He added that when Sunday picked up a quarrel with her husband over the incident, he poured a pot of boiling water, which

contained pepper on her.

According to the prosecutor, Sunday had since been admitted at the Asokoro General hospital following injuries she sustained in the attack.

He said that the accused was charged with adultery, adding that the offence was punishable under Section 388 of the Penal Code.

The accused, however, pleaded

not guilty to the charge.

The Senior Magistrate Abdullahi Illelah, therefore, granted her bail in the sum of N50, 000 with a surety in like sum.

Illelah ordered that the surety must be a reasonable and reliable Nigerian who must a known and of definite address within the jurisdiction of the court.

The case was adjourned to September 12, 2012 for hearing.

AEPB warns motorists against violation of traffic rules

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he Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) yesterday, warned motorists in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) against the violation of traffic rules.

Deputy Director, Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement of the board, Mrs. Aishat Adebayo, who gave the warning while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), blamed the challenge of traffic

congestion in most parts on the attitude of some motorists.

Adebayo said the board had sought the collaboration of the Directorate of Road Traffic Services in the FCT toward tackling ‘the recklessness of some motorists’ as well as the utter disregard to traffic rules.

According to her, the partnership with the road transport department would assist to tackle the problem of traffic

congestion around busy areas.

“We have written a letter to the Director, Road Transport Department, telling him our areas of challenges and the need to cooperate toward addressing the problem of traffic congestion; as we have severally advised commercial drivers to operate within designated places but they have not complied”, she explained.

The deputy director said the board would sustain environmental

best practice in the FCT with cooperation from the public and various agencies of government.

Adebayo warned the public to desist from attacking officials of the board (Enforcement Squad), explaining that their job was sacrosanct to enforcement of order within the city.

She said that the AEPB would do everything possible to ensure that perpetrators of such acts were punished.

Teenager jailed for being in possession of stolen motorcycle

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n Abuja Chief Magistrates Court has sentenced one Husseini Godwin, 19, of Kafanchan, Kaduna state, to three months imprisonment for stealing a motorcycle and trying to sell it.

Chief Magistrate Josephine Obanor sentenced Godwin without an option of fine.

She emphasised that the convict must acquire a skill while in prison to enable to be useful to the society after serving his term.

Godwin was convicted for

stealing a motorcycle in Akure and attempting to sell it in Abuja for N4,500.

Police prosecutor, Emmanuel Adiku had earlier told the court that on August 31, 2012 Rabiu Saidu and two others of Katampe, Abuja, reported the case to the police.

Adiku said the offence contravenes the provisions of Section 319 of the Penal Code.

The convict admitted committing the crime and said that he was deceived by a friend who

asked him to leave Kafanchan for Lagos in search for greener pastures.

The convict said his friend abandoned him in Akure and that after he was robbed of his money and other personal effects, he was stranded and resorted to stealing a bike to enable him return to Kafanchan.

“I rode the bike from Akure to Abuja and decided to sell it when I ran out of fuel, to enable me get some money to go back to Kafanchan,’’ he said.

Obanor said the sentence was supposed to serve as a lesson to him and others, as there was no excuse or justification to steal from other people.

She, however, advised the convict to concentrate on acquiring a skill in prison rather than mix up with hardened criminals.

“You are still young and have better prospects in life, so you should learn a trade while in prison,’’ she said.

TN Foundation yesterday, donated five fully equipped security vehicles to the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) as part of its Security Support Project to aid in crime prevention and control in the territory.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at the FCT administration secretariat at Area 11, Garki, Abuja, the Director, MTN Foundation, Akinwale Goodluck said the MTN Foundation Security Support(MTNF-SSP) was an initiative of the foundation aimed at contributing to government’s efforts to improve security operations across the country.

According to him, through the MTNF-SSP initiative, the foundation has provided 60 fully equipped security patrol vehicles with communication gadgets to 11 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said that apart from the FCT, other states which would benefit from the project include, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Delta, Imo, Kano, Katsina, Ogun , Oyo, Taraba and Plateau. “ With 316 project sites across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, the MTN Foundation has continued to improve the quality of life of Nigerians, through targeted, wide-impact corporate social investment initiatives in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment,” Godluck added.

This was as he reiterated MTN’s commitment to continue to invest in enriching the lives of Nigerians.

Responding after taking delivery of the vehicles, the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed thanked MTN for the support.

He remarked that security was a major concern of his administration, recalling that recently, “ we gave 114 new security vehicles to our security agencies because we intend to take security to the next level in the FCT”.

However, he said that the administration could not do it all alone, hence, he called for the support of Nigerians to make this a reality.

Also speaking on behalf of the police, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Mr. Adenrele Shinaba pledged that the vehicles would be used judiciously for the intended objectives.

“We will ensure that FCT residents get the better security services they deserve,” he said, calling on other corporate organisations and Nigerians to emulate the gesture by MTN.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 18

Two drivers charged for alleged theft Stories by NAN

T

Holticulturists waiting for patronage at Ahmadu Bello way in Abuja, recently.

Photo: Joe Oroye

AMAC chair donates first aid boxes to 141 primary schools A

By Adeola Tukuru

bout one hundred and forty-one primary schools under the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) yesterday, got two first aid boxes each from the AMAC to aid them in handling emergence situations.

The council Chairman, Hon Micah. Y. Jiba, who was represented by the Council Secretary, Hon Idris Tanko Mohammed during the donation of the first aid boxes to the beneficiary schools said the gesture was a partial fulfilment of promises made

by the chairman to the electorate during his electioneering campaign to provide them with basic amenities.

Jiba noted that the pupils were the future leaders of tomorrow, hence, they should given the necessary attention.

He said in addition, the administration would embark on training teachers and medical personnel in the school on how to make use of the first aide.

He also assured that the administration would continue to do extend more gesture to the 12 wards in the

council.

This was as he enjoined teachers and other health personnel in the schools to ensure that the first aid boxes are adequately utilized to prevent offer treatments to pupils.

Also the Head of Health Department of AMAC, Dr Modupe Adeyinka noted that first aid was the initial treatment given to a patient in case of any form of accident to prevent complications.

She disclosed that the AMAC administration would train health personnel in each schools they also have a school

health service in place, to monitor the use of the first aid boxes.

On her part, the Local Education Authority (LEA), Secretary, Mrs. Grace Adailo lauded the Chairman for the initiative and for his concern for the pupils.

She further assured that she would make sure that the first aid boxes in all the primary schools under AMAC are well utilized.

“I will ensure that the first aide boxes are utilised for the end users which are the pupils as we all know that health is wealth,” she said.

Foundation urges govts to empower water vendors

A

non-governmental organisation(NGO) in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT), the Bread of Life Development Foundation has urged state governments to provide water vendors with finances to enable them boost wholesome water supply and distribution.

The Executive Director of the foundation, Mr Babatope Babalopi, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)yesterday in Abuja, while commenting on the need for increased access to potable water in the country.

Babalopi, who noted that some state water corporations

were lacking in living up to their mandate of supplying adequate potable water to the public, said more populations were served by vendors popularly known as “mairuwa’’ particularly in the Northern parts of the country.

The director also called on state governments to engage the vendors in areas where water standards were not fully met, to ensure orderliness and effectiveness in harnessing and distributing the commodity.

“We have been lucky to work in some states. Almost 70 per cent of Lagosians are accessing water supply through vendors. They are left at the mercy of those private

vendors in terms of water quality in terms of water price.

“Lagos state is even better if you go to Anambra state, water supply is 99 per cent controlled by water vendors and what we argue is this, the state must know that it has the primary responsibility of providing water and sanitation services to the people.

“If it is not providing that responsibility then it’s a failure on its part.

Government must not abdicate that responsibility to the private sector but of course we know that it takes years, even if our government says today that they want to be responsible for that service, it

is still going to take years,” he said.

Continuing, the NGO boss suggested that : “To redress that, what we now advocate is that in areas where government is falling to provide these services, because it has the responsibility, it must engage with the present service providers to ensure that they could provide efficient services”.

He, therefore, urged governments to educate such vendors and empower them financially to be able to carry out geo-physical surveys before drilling their boreholes to ascertain the quality of the water before supplying the commodity to the public.

he police have arraigned two drivers, Zuberu Sani, 32, and Bature Lawal, 29, before an Abuja Magistrates Court for alleged theft.

The accused persons were drivers at Tipper Garage, Gwarimpa, Abuja.

Prosecutor Simon Ibrahim told the court that the suspect stole 15 bags of cement, one generator, two car-wipers, 35 litres of diesel, a security door, two plastic drums, water tank and tiles, valued at N300,000.

However, they pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Magistrate, Mrs Kastina Alu, granted them bail in the sum of N20, 000 each with a surety each in like sum.

Alu said that the surety should reside within the court’s jurisdiction and adjourned the case to September18, 2012, for further hearing.

Labourer arraigned for alleged extortion

A

labourer, David Aondoofa was arraigned yesterday by the police before an Abuja Magistrates Court for alleged joint act and extortion.

Police prosecutor, Simon Ibrahim told the court that Abubakar Zakari of Plot 45, Ambassador Drive, Kubwa, Abuja, reported the matter at the Utako Police Station on September 4, 2012.

Ibrahim said the accused, and others now at large, accosted the complainant when his car broke down on WuseKado Express Way. “They dispossessed him of his Blackberry cell phone, N87, 000 cash and other valuables,’’ he told the court.

He added that the accused was arrested when he was coming out from the place the attackers came from, but the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Magistrate, Mr Musa Jobbo, granted the accused bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Jobbo said the sureties must have fixed addresses and must reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

He adjourned the case to September 27, 2012 for hearing.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 17

1. Young children displaying their God’s given talent in a public function, recently in Garki, Abuja

2. Young girls hawking walnuts, yesterday in Area 1, Abuja.

3. A dry cleaner ironing his client’s cloth, yesterday in Apo village, Abuja.

4. A tailor taking his service to his clients' doorstep, yesterday in Nyanya.

1

5

. Keke NAPEP driver and friend sleeping in the tricycle, yesterday in Garki, Abuja.

Photos: Justin Imo-owo

3 2 4 5

BUSINESS

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Email: amunuimam@yahoo.co.uk

PAGE 19

INSIDE

- Pg 20

Shell gets N64bn in latest Nigeria oilfield deal

Mob: 08033644990

L-R: Representative of CBN Governor, Mr. Femi Fabanwo, MD/CEO of Bank of Industry (BOI), Ms. Evelyn Oputu Chairman and representative of Moci, Mohammed Dikwa, and the BOI's Secretary, Alhaji Waheed Olagunju, during the bank's 52nd Annual General Meeting (AGM), yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Jaiz Bank’s capital Base hits N10bn – MD

By Aminu Imam

N

igeria’s first non-interest bank, Jaiz Bank Plc have said its capital base has hit the N10 billion mark.

The Managing Director, Alhaji Mohammed Mustapha Bintube, who stated this in an interview with Economic Confidential, said the bank’s has about N10 billion in liquid cash as its capital base in its bid to achieve its target of N12 billion.

According to Alhaji Bintube,” We have gone very

far, I think right now we have about 80% of what we require; so, what is remaining is only 20%. But even the 20%, there are people that have indicated interest to take that. So, if you have investors you better tell them to come now, because in a while the whole thing will be taken up and you know that the bank has immense potential.

He further said, “The overall objective is to enable us raise the required capital that will enable us achieve our plan of going national by next year,

MTN records declining performance in Nigerian market

By Chris Alu

M

TN Nigeria, reflecting on its performance in the country from the beginning of the year to the second quarter said it discovered that its profit margin has dropped because of the increasing level of competition, regulatory issues, political unrest and global economic melt down.

The company further said it grew its subscriber base by 3.7 per cent to 43,184 million.

While market share declined slightly to 48 per cent, MTN has maintained its value share and captured more than 50 per cent of first time users in the market” “Total revenue in naira grew by 4.4 per cent. This was driven mainly by a 11.5 per cent increase in interconnect revenue and a 130 per cent increase in data revenue, which benefited from innovative data offerings, improved 3G coverage and an

increase in the number of smartphones.

At the end of June 2012, the company said it had 2.6 million smartphones on its network and over 479,685 dongles. Airtime and subscription revenue decreased by 4.4 per cent, a function of lower consumer spending and a reduction in effective tariffs. SMS revenue declined by 9.3 per cent largely due to the substitution effect of instant messaging.

…to soon go national God-willing. Our migration plan is to grow from a regional bank to a national bank and to Sub- Sahara Africa. By then, we will have branches in major commercial cities of all the states of the federation. Specifically, we would have branches in Lagos, Ibadan, Ilorin, Onitsha, Aba, Nnewi, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Calabar etc.

While debunking the perception in some quarters

that only Muslims patronise the bank, Alhaji Bintube said, “Right now, we have nonMuslims and Muslims who are benefiting from our services. As a matter of fact, our first ever credit was to a Christian. Besides him there other Christians that we have provided financing for and they actually got the largest share of the initial investment for facilities that we have provided.

Okonjo-Iweala doesn’t want to head WTO – Ministry

Arik Air, Lufthansa seal partnership deal

F

inance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is not interested in replacing Pascal Lamy as head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) when the Frenchman steps down in a year’s time, the finance ministry said on Thursday.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Dr Okonjo-Iweala is not a candidate for the leadership of the WTO. She has also not expressed any interest whatsoever in the position,” an emailed statement from the finance ministry said. (Reuters)

A

rik Air and Lufthansa Technik of Germany have sealed a new partnership deal that will ensure safe operations and support further growth of the Nigerian airline.

Lufthansa is West and Central Africa’s largest carrier and world renowned aircraft maintenance service provider.

A statement issued by Arik airline’s spokesman, Ola Adebanji said the agreement was sealed during a meeting held at Arik Air corporate head office in Lagos where the two organisations agreed to strengthen their partnership

Management Tip of the Day

I

Say no to extra work

f your boss continually piles work on your plate, even when it’s not related to your goals, learn to say no. Pushing back can be tricky, so handle the request carefully:· Don’t commit right away.

Resist the urge to say “Okay” or “No” immediately. Instead, ask

“In the next 5 years like I have said, we want to be first, a national bank with presence in all the state capitals of the federation. Then we will expand our footprints beyond the shores of Nigeria by expanding to subSaharan Africa. Not because of the name that we have. Mind you, we don’t necessarily have to be the biggest bank around, but we will be the best bank in all criteria of profitability, sound management, capital adequacy, solvency etc.”, he stated.

about the project and request some time to think it through.

Give a date when you’ll get back to her.· Prepare a response.

Use your bought time to think about your answer. You want to present an alternative plan that will enable your boss to get what she wants.· Go back to

your boss. Explain how the added project might jeopardize your ability to get your other projects done and meet your goals. Propose the alternative and explain why you think it will work better.

Source: Harvard Business Review

concluded about five years ago.

Under the new partnership, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Cityline will continue to provide technical support to Arik Air in the areas of line maintenance, base maintenance, and materials and pool spare parts for the next five years.

It said Lufthansa Technik would also assist Arik Air in the area of personnel training and the establishment of a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facility in Nigeria.

The leader of the Lufthansa team, who is also the Sales and Marketing Director, Mr Clemens Schrettl, said he was impressed with the outcome of the meeting, describing the deliberations as fruitful.

“Lufthansa is happy with the partnership we have had with Arik in the last five years and that is why we are here today to renew that cooperation and seek further areas of cooperation with the airline. We are looking at taking this partnership to the next level,” the statement quoted Schrettl as saying.

(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 20

COMPANY NEWS Naira

T

he Naira snapped three days of declines on inflows and on bets the CBN will support the currency as reserves increased.

The currency climbed 0.1 percent to 158.38 per dollar yesterday, climbing 2.5 percent this year, the second-best performer in Africa, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Nigeria’s foreign-currency reserves have risen 18 percent this year to $38.9 billion, according to Aug. 31 data compiled by the central bank. The regulator sold $200 million at a foreign currency auction yesterday, unchanged from the previous sale on Sept. 3, it said in an e- mailed statement.

T-bills

Y

ields on Nigeria’s treasury bills fell at its bi-monthly auction which was oversubscribed particularly by foreign investors whose strong demand also pushed up the local naira currency, dealers said yesterday.

The CBN sold N142.97 billion on Wednesday on a total subscription of N430.75 billion, this time selling N30 billion of 364-day notes which were absent from the last auction, dealers said.

It sold 32.9 billion naira in 91month bills at 13.64 percent, 20 billion naira in 182-day paper at 13.80 percent and 90 billion naira in 364-day notes at 13.87 percent. Dealers said it auctioned the bills at between 36 and 100 basis points lower than what it had offered at its previous auction last month.

DG gives reason for Osun state govt’s N18.38bn loan

T

he expectation that Gov. Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s administration would recover the N70 billion owed the state by the Federal Government before the end of its tenure informed the taking of a N18.38 billion loan from

UBA in 2010.

Mr Gbenga Abiola, the Director-General of Due Process Office, made this known on Wednesday, while giving evidence on the circumstance that led to the former governor taking the

loan.

Abiola said that during the period, the state government was expecting that the Federal Government would pay the N70 billion it was owing the state.

“Government at that time

Marks Professor of International Studies at Cornell University.

Having worked in a Ministry of Finance, in addition to his impressive academic achievements, Kaushik is uniquely suited to help us offer evidence-based solutions and advice to client countries and provide innovative excellence in leading our development research, said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. Kaushik brings first-hand experience from a developing

country and will be a terrific asset to the institution.

Basu, who holds a PhD from the London School of Economics, founded the Centre for Development Economics at the Delhi School of Economics in 1992 and is a founding member of the Madras School of Economics. He has held visiting professorial positions at Harvard University, the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, the London School of Economics, and M.I.T.

World Bank appoints Kaushik Basu as its Chief Economist

By Abdulwahab Isa

T

he World Bank’s Group President, Jim Yong Kim yesterday announced the appointment of Kaushik Basu as the institutions new Chief Economist and Senior VicePresident.

Basu, an Indian national, most recently served as Chief Economic Adviser of the Government of India, Ministry of Finance, while on leave from his position as Professor of Economics and the C.

8 vessels waiting to berth at Lagos ports

Starcomms

S

tarcomms appoints Olusola Oladokun as Interim Chief Executive, in succession to Logan Pather.

Olusola Oladokun has held the position of Finance Director at Starcomms since December 2011 and will for the next few months combine the responsibilities for both roles. Logan Pather has decided to leave Starcomms after 12 months as Chief Executive. He has remained in his post until 31 August to ensure a smooth handover to the new Interim Chief Executive.

As part of Olusola Oladokun’s new role he will also become a Director of Starcomms and take a seat on the board of directors.

Telecoms

I

t has been disclosed that Nigeria has less than 10% human capacity control in telecoms market in spite of the impressive growth of the industry.

The Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), led by its President, Engineer Lanre Ajayi has also condemned the trend saying that it was killing local enterprise.

decided to seek for the loan hoping to pay off immediately the N70 billion entered the purse of the state, and in addition, it was the state legislature that brought the idea of borrowing to finance the budget.

“But when it became obvious that the money was not forthcoming after the loan had been drawn, government decided to refund the balance of about N8 billion to the bank,” Abiola explained.

He, however, told the panel that the committee he headed to work on the conception and application of the loan recommended a credit line “though the recommendation was not formal”.

Abiola, who said he was not part of the negotiation with UBA management on the terms of the loan, remarked that he would have done better if he had participated.

The accountant-general of the state, Mr. Akintayo Kolawole, who was the Director of Treachery and Pension Service during the period, told the panel that the average income of the state, over the years, was between N35 billion and N40 billion.

Kolawole said the timing of the loan was not appropriate “because the end of the administration was very near and as such that it was not right to have taken such action’’.

The Prof. Femi Odekunle five-man panel continued its sitting yesterday (NAN)

E L-R: Minister of Mine and Steel Development, Architect Musa Mohammed Sada, Director-General, Chief Executive Officer, National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC), Jos, Professor Ibrahim Madugu and Chairman, Total Steel Limited, Alhaji Hussaini Abdulrahman, during the 2012 stakeholders forum on transportation of the solid minerals, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Shell gets N64bn in latest Nigeria oilfield deal

By Muhammad Nasir, with agency report

R

oyal Dutch Shell Plc’s long-running auction of its older Niger Delta oil fields continued on Wednesday, with the company announcing it had agreed to sell its share of the OML-34 license block to ND Western Ltd., a local entity, for $400 million (N64 billion).

ND Western is effectively buying a 30% interest in the 15,000 barrels a day of oil produced from the Utorogu, Ughelli and Warri River fields.

The transaction is Shell’s latest in a string of planned divestments from the restive

Delta region and comes two days after its local joint venture announced a deal to sell the OML 40 block had finally been concluded. In all, Shell has sold seven of its onshore license blocks since 2010.

Shell has in recent years sought to refocus its Niger Delta business, selling off several onshore blocks to local investors.

The Anglo-Dutch major’s onshore Nigeria operations have long been beset by sabotage and theft, and the company has faced years of criticism from environmental and humanrights groups concerned about the impact its activities have had on the local ecosystem.

Shell has said the vast majority of the pollution in its Nigeria operations in recent years has been caused by oil theft and militant attacks.

France’s Total SA and Italy’s Eni SpA, Shell company’s partners in its local joint venture have also ceded their interests in the OML-34 block to ND Western, taking its overall stake to 45%. Financial details of these transactions weren’t disclosed.

In July, Shell sold its most prolific oil block to Shoreline Natural Resources Ltd., a local entity backed by U.K. explorer Heritage Oil PLC (HOIL.LN), for $850 million.

ight vessels carrying various cargoes are waiting to berth at the Lagos ports, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said.

The shipping position, made available to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recently , indicated that the eight ships were discharging general cargo, fertiliser and containers.

It said that three out of the eight ships would discharge rice while a ship would discharge fish.

The shipping position also indicated that 19 tankers were waiting to discharge petroleum products.

The tankers would discharge diesel, bulk gas, aviation fuel, base oil, as well as petrol.

According to the shipping position, 93 ships carrying various goods are also expected to sail into the Lagos ports.

It showed that the ships are laden with used and new vehicles, containers, bulk urea, truck heads, general cargo, fish, and rice. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 21

Fiscal dispute resolution (appeal) mechanisms (1)

I

n the course of frequent interaction and engagement between the various levels and tiers of Government, and between the taxpayer, or between taxpayers, it is expected that disputes would arise from time to time. Such disputes may extend to general fiscal issues, of which taxation is a key component.

In the past, little or no efforts were made to promptly address and resolve such issues. In addition, there are usually weak formal and informal

I

n this regard, it is expected that tax authorities would give priority to refund requests and that the verification process shall be rigorous, air and objective and that decisions are made within a reasonable time from the date of application by the taxpayers.

Tax authorities, would therefore be required to provide clarifications to taxpayers in the event of an undue delay in reaching a decision on the refund application of the taxpayer. In this regard, tax authorities shall ensure that there is a structured system in place to ensure timely verification and payment of claims to tax payers.

structures and in some cases, complete absence of a workable and acceptable structure or framework for the resolution of such disputes. The Tax policy therefore seeks to address this challenge and provide a general framework for the resolution of such disputes as follows: Between Federal State Governments

and

The Nigerian Constitution provides that disputes between Federal and State Governments in Nigeria on certain matters

shall be referred to the Supreme Court as a court of first and final instance. It is therefore not the intention of the Tax Policy to detract from this constitutional provision. However, it is expected that resort to the Supreme Court shall be the final option and that all necessary avenues shall be explored for the resolution of such disputes before there is resort to oblitigation.

Such avenues which may be explored include:

The Governors forum, where the Federal Government may be invited to deliberate on such disputes with the affected State or Sate Governments; Deliberations at the National Economic Council, where the affected Federal, State or Local Governments may be invited to resolve the issues in dispute; Deliberations at the Federal/ State Executive Council, where the affected Federal/State/ Local Government Ministry, Department or Agency may be invited to resolve the issues in

Tax administration (3)

Source of funding for Tax Refund It is expected that all tax/ revenue authorities that have refund obligations will meet them diligently and efficiently.

To facilitate these refund, a specified percentage of total revenue collected by these authorities in any financial year, shall be set aside to meet these obligations' in the following year.

The amount set aside for refunds should be dully appropriated by the National Assembly (as the case may be) in their budgetary allocation to enable tax authorities meet these obligations. Any unspent portion of the appropriated fund at the end of the financial year should be returned to the relevant tier of government in line with existing financial regulations.

Automation of Processes A recurring theme throughout the discussion of various components of the tax administration process has been the use and deployment of technology related systems in various aspects of tax administration.In this regard, it is recognized that certain areas of the tax administration are more amenable to the use of electronic and technology systems than others.

Notwithstanding, it shall be the duty of tax authorities to work towards the automation of all processes involved in tax administration to avoid uneven development of certain aspects of tax administration to the detriment of others.

Tax authorities shall therefore ensure uniform deployment of technology in the

aid of all aspects of tax administration. It shall be the responsibility of Government to provide the required funding and platform for the automation of tax administration processes, as this would aid effective and efficient administration of taxes in Nigeria.

Automated processes would minimize or eliminate leakages in the system, which may be due to error or misconduct on the part of tax officials or taxpayers, safeguard the integrity of the system and lead to greater professionalism on the part of tax officials and greater confidence on the part of taxpayers.

In addition, automated systems would lead to greater specialization and reduce the costs and time required in the tax administration process thereby leading to higher compliance by

taxpayers due to the ease with processes can be commenced and completed.

It is expected that all processes starting from registration of taxpayers, filing of returns, audits and investigations, payment of taxes and including correspondence with taxpayers would be automated. Where there are gaps in current tax laws or where the laws do not support the use of such systems, necessary amendments shall be made to ensure that the use of the systems are in line with the law.

Where electronic systems are already in use, they shall be standardized to ensure that there can be seamless interaction between all tax administrative processes.

Tax officials shall be trained in the use and maintenance of

automated systems and the general public and taxpayers encouraged to embrace the use of these systems so that Nigeria can have a tax system that is in line with global best practices.

Accounting for Tax Revenue Collected At the completion of the tax administration process, it is expected that tax revenue would have been paid by the taxpayers and collected by the tax authority.

This usually viewed as the end of the compliance process in relation to interaction between taxpayers and the tax authorities.

The end of this process is the commencement of another process where tax authorities are required to account for tax revenue collected. This process is

disputes.

Deliberations at the Council of State level, which is a more formal process than (I) to (II) above; and Mediation by other State Governments or Federal Government agencies/other organs of Government, such as the Judiciary. However, where the Judiciary is involved, mediation shall be carried out in a manner as not to affect the independence or impartiality of the Judiciary, given that the dispute may subsequently be referred to the judiciary for adjudication. not usually open to the taxpayer or the general public and may therefore not be treated with deserving attention.

It shall therefore be the responsibility of all tax authorities to ensure that proper, timely and complete account is given of all tax revenue collected within specified periods. This is necessary to ensure taxpayers that revenue being collected is accounted for and to ensure that there are no leakages on the part of tax authorities or their collecting agents (such as banks, Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies).

Tax authorities shall ensure that records of revenue collected are published in a manner in which it would be available to the general Public and other stakeholders in the tax system.

Tax authorities shall ensure that records of revenue collected are published in a manner in which it would be available to the general public and other stakeholders in the system.

Tax authorities shall also provide these records formally to the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant-General's Office at various levels of government.

This process would act as a check on the collection and accounting systems of tax authorities. In this way, leakages can be promptly identified and necessary action taken to safeguard tax revenue.

In addition, this would enable tax authorities properly monitor tax collection, so that tax revenue which is not being collected can be easily and promptly identified and collected.

In addition, accounting for tax revenue assists tax authorities and the Government in fiscal Planning, since collection trends can be used to project revenue which would be available to the Government.ike all other aspects of the tax administration process, tax authorities shall also utilize electronic and technology based systems for the purpose of accounting for tax revenue.

Adequate training and resources shall be provided to tax officials to ensure that tax revenue is properly accounted for. Where certain persons/institutions are identified as being responsible for leakage of tax revenue, such person/institutions shall be treated in line with existing provisions of the law.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 22

The most successful cars of 2012 Mercedes Benz C-class

Flight Schedules Aero

C

hrysler, Ford and General Motors each beat expected sales numbers for August, with Chrysler up 14 percent, Ford up 13 percent and GM up 10 percent.

And among export brands, Toyota in particular reported stellar figures: Sales surged 46 percent last month, exceeding the 40-percent gain many analysts had predicted.

Executives at the Toyota City, Japan-based company credit the rise to the strength of new and updated modelsso it's no surprise that four of them made our list of the most successful cars of the year. The Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Prius and Toyota RAV-4 all made the cut.

The success has to do with more than straight sales numbers-think strong sales combined with high consumer satisfaction rates and rave reviews.

To determine which cars and trucks were the most successful of 2012, we looked at three factors: total sales volume to date nationwide; c o n s u m e r satisfaction ratings

the final cut.

For simplicity sake, we also blended variants rated into the main model. For instance, if a Lexus LS 460L ranks highest on overall scores for Consumer Reports-and it does-it listed it under the Lexus LS line.

The list d o e s ,

consistently outsells mid-luxury players like the Audi A6, Infiniti M and Lexus GS. Consumer Reports named it the most

Los-Abj: 06:50, 13:30, 16:30, 19:45 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun); 12:30 (Sun); 16:45 (Sat) Abj-Los: 07:30, 13:00, 19:00 (Mon-Fri/Sat); 10:30, 14:30, 19:30 (Sun), 18:30 (Sat)

IRS Los-Abj: 9:45, 11:45, 2:45, (Mon-Fri); 9:30, 12:45 (Sat & Sun) Abj-Los: 11.30, 3:45, 4.45 (Mon-Fri); 12.00, 14:30, (Sat/Sun) Los-Kano: 6:15 (Mon-Fri); 16:30 (Sat & Sun) Kano-Los: 07:30 (Mon-Fri), 10:30 (Sat & Sun)

however, include such gems as the Hyundai Genesis.

Hyundai's $34,200 (n5.47 BN) sedan saw double-digit sales over last year and

dependable midsized premium car, the first vehicle to win that

Hyondia Sonata

on brands compiled by the American Customer Satisfaction Index, and overall grades for performance, reliability, safety and value awarded by Consumer Reports.

We included in the prospective winners the top-five selling luxury cars, since their sell-rates by design are lower than those of economy sedans but they often receive extremely high satisfaction. A few of them, like the BMW 3-Series, did make

distinction its first year of eligibility.

In fact, this has been a good year from the Korean manufacturer-the Hyundai Sonata and Elantra also made

BMW 3 series

our list.

Mercedes-Benz, too, landed a few winners. The Benz gateway model C-Class qualified by virtue of its exceptional satisfaction ratings and high popularity among consumers (it routinely outsells its competitors).

Likewise, a high overall score from Consumer Reports and best-selling status versus several of its competitors helped the $51,000 (n8.2 BN) Mercedes-Benz E-Class land a spot.

Arik Lag-Abj: 07:15, 09:15, 13:45, 15:50, 18:45 (MonFri); 7:15, 10:20, 2:20 (Sat & Sun) Lag-Kad: 10:00, 15:10 (MonFri) Lag-Kano: 12.20 (Mon-Fri);

Air Nigeria

Lag-Abj: 07:15, 11:40, 14:00, 16:30, 17.00, 17.20, 18.30 (Mon-Fri, Sat & Sun); 08.00, 12.40, 13.10, 20.00 (Fri) Abj-Lag: 07:00, o9:30, 10.30, 11.15, 16.15, 19.15, 19.25, 19.35 (Mon-Fri/Sat/ Sun), 14.55, 15.15, 20.45 (Fri), 19.45 (Sun), 11.25, 13.35, 16.25 (Mon) Abj-Kano: 18.40 (Mon-Fri/ Sun) Kano-Abj: 08.35 (Mon-Fri/ Sat) Abj-Sok: 09.35 (Mon), 10.10 (Fri), 11.20 (Wed/Sun) Sok-Abj: 11.35 (Mon), 12.00 (Fri), 13.20 (Wed/Sun)

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

Why public health care delivery in FCT is poor, explains Dr. Mohammed It was to make health care services available to rural dwellers in the territory that the FCT Primary Health Care Development Board was established in 2010. The strategy was to revitalise all primary health facilities in the nation’s capital. In this interview with Josephine Ella and A’isha Biola Raji, the pioneer Executive Secretary of the board, Dr. Rilwan Mohammed, himself a public health physician, speaks on the journey so far, particularly challenges of primary health care delivery. Excerpts:

W

hat is your overview of the journey

so far?

When we came on board we decided that we needed to know what and

Dr. Rilwan Mohammed

what we were; we carried out an inventory of infrastructure for primary health care delivery in the FCT. That took us to all the primary health care centres in the

area councils. We found out that there were 216 primary health care centres but only 33 were functional, and some had one medical personnel. I couldn’t see any magic

that only one member of staff could perform. That is the reason why we have low turnout of patients in the primary health care centres. Instead they are moving in large numbers

to general hospitals in the territory especially those at Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse and other secondary and tertiary health care facilities like National Hospital and

Abuja University Teaching Hospital because primary health care centres are not working.

Let me state that Nigeria’s health care policy is based on primary health care delivery in rural area where 70 per cent of the populace is living. We need to make sure that we capture them over there.

If primary health care centres are working, we will be able to reduce the burden of secondary health care. From our survey, we found out that we have 1, 384 health workers as against the 4,892 benchmark set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and we are supposed to have 280 primary health care centres but we have only 216 in the FCT, out of which only 33 are functional. It is to redress this imbalance that the Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed, has set up the board to revitalise the primary health care.

After ascertaining where we were, we then moved on to plan where we wanted to go.

What are the board’s strategies towards revitalization?

We’ve decided to carry out a five-year strategic plan of action, from 2011 to 2015.

With that strategic plan of action, we have started our activities in earnest. We have our budget line. We have carried out some activities with all the chairmen of the area councils to solicit for their cooperation and support. The reason is because all primary health centres are in the area councils. If we don’t have

their support we cannot carry out our activities.

We are sensitizing them on the need to take care of the primary health care centres under their jurisdiction and we are trying to take over the primary health care centres gradually. We’ve also paid courtesy calls on our traditional rulers, religious leaders to bring them together.

What effort are you making in the area of community mobilization?

We have carried out activities on nutrition, family planning particularly, during our Maternal Newborn Child Health Care Week in July and November; another one is coming up soon. It is usually to mobilize the communities to take care of their health through hand washing, family planning, child health care, b i rth regi st ratio n .

It is an integrated health care approach.

We distributed free drugs, malaria insecticides, treated nets and we gave lecture on the need to use them and lecture on HIV/AIDS and other health related topics.

Along the line, the FCT minister established and inaugurated the board members this year, under the chairmanship of Altine Kajiji, with 13 other members. All the area council chairmen are members of the board. We also have representatives of private organizations, private health care centres. The board is the policy making body in primary health care; they are to make sure all

the primary health care centres are functional, they carry out supervisory functions and bring out some policies that will guide primary health care activities in the FCT. What would you say about polio in the FCT? We had one case of polio in November 2010 and even the polio case was a migrant from a neighbouring state. We are not keeping quiet in the FCT. We want to inform the public that immunisation is important because prevention is easier than cure. The FCT is the centre of the nation, so people come and go everyday because of insecurity and instability in some parts of the north. They are bringing polio back, so we are doing immunisation every time to make sure we prevent any possible case. We are going to hold a Local Immunisation Day which the Nigerian First Lady, Patience Jonathan herself, will flag off this month (September). This

will give us high political support. We are not waiting for the Immunisation Plus Day (IPD) because the FCT is very close to high risk states like Niger, Nasarawa and Kaduna; we have to be very careful. A polio task force was inaugurated by the FCT minister earlier this year of which the Minister of State Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide is the chairman and the Health Secretary, area council chairmen are members as well as traditional rulers.

There are about 33 members of the task force and we are mandated to ask all the area councils to set up their task forces; we don’t want to take any chance.

What support do you get from partners for your health programmes?

We have a lot of support from the FCT minister who gave us N53 million for our programmes, N20 million for the first quarter and now we have asked for N33 million for the second quarter for

“

The only problem we have now is the issue of staffing. We have an acute shortage of personnel to man those primary health care facilities. We plan to recruit but the FCT administration has not given us the approval because of the high cost of personnel payments in the FCT. We are still hoping that this year we will get the approval to employ more staff that will man these centres

our polio eradication activity. We carry out a lot of activities in nutrition, supported by the United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) in the area of nutrition supplements and family planning materials.

Also, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDFA) gives us support in training of our midwives, renovation of 12 primary health care centres and this year they want to renovate 9. We also have support from the MDGs Office in the Presidency.

They are constructing 30 primary health care centres. They have done 12 now out of the 30. As they are building, they are equipping and we are very happy about that.

What are the challenges ahead of the board?

The only problem we have now is the issue of staffing. We have an acute shortage of personnel to man those primary health care facilities. We plan to recruit but the FCT administration has not given us the approval because of the high cost of personnel payments in the FCT. We are still hoping that this year we will get the approval to employ more staff that will man these centres. In this year’s budget we have about 18 that we are going to renovate; we want to renovate about three laboratories in these primary care centres so that we will be able to get the staff and five new primary health care centres are going to

Dr. Rilwan Mohammed

be set up, so we need more staff. We are also problem in the area of acceptance by the local government councils. We are trying our best but we are not getting financial support from the area councils.

They are supposed to pick up bills, put staff in all the primary health care centres because they are under them. They are supposed to give us money to carry out these activities. Another thing that is giving us problem is the issue of legitimacy.

The bill that establishes the board is part of the National Health Bill which has its own problem. The two Houses of the National Assembly have passed the bill but up till now we are waiting for the assent of Mr. President. If the bill is passed it will give us the legitimacy to carry out our activities based on the approval of the FCT Executive Council.

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Fundamental conditions of Islam's testimony (II) A llah says: “As for those who say, ‘Our Lord is Allah.’ And, further, stand straight and steadfast, the angels descend on them (from time to time): ‘Fear ye not!’ (They suggest), ‘Nor grieve! but receive the glad tidings of the Garden (of bliss), the which ye were promised!’” [al-Fussilaat: 30] In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All Praise is due to Allah! We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our evils and bad deeds.

Anyone who is guided by Allah, is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and final messenger to mankind. May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon His last and final Apostle, his Household, his companions and all his followers until the end of time.

Last Friday we started discussing this very significant topic to every Muslim in his or her life time prelude to their exit from this temporary abode. We were able to understand in no uncertainty the need for all of us to appreciate our knowledge of this most important kalimah in Islam.

Today by the leave of Allah, we will proceed to next condition.

However, for the sake of those were not able to read the first part of this discussion, I will try to sum up the general import in few words what was discussed last week.

In essence, we discussed the general meaning of the kalimah as unconditional declaration and conviction of the exclusive right of Allah to be worshipped alone without a partner or associate of any form or structure. Such that no one has any eligibility, notwithstanding the nature or temperament of that being to either be worshipped, separately or along with Allah, subhanuhu wa ta’ala!

Secondly, I started explaining those conditions that must be fulfilled fully before one's faith and conviction in Allah, as the only deity worthy of adoration and worship, can be firmly ascertained and established. i began with article number one of the seven conditions as stipulated by scholars of the first and second generations.

The conditions again, as reminder: 1. Al-Ilm (Knowledge of the meaning of the Kalimah, its negation and affirmation) 2. Al-Yaqeen (Certainty perfect knowledge of it that counter-acts suspicion and doubt) 3. Al-Ikhlas (Sincerity which negates shirk) 4. Al-Sidq (Truthfulness that permits neither falsehood nor hypocrisy) 5. Al-Mahabbah (Love of the Kalimah and its meaning, and being happy with it) 6. Al-Inqiyad (Submission to its rightful requirements, which are

the duties that must be performed devotion, being true (in faith); to with sincerity to Allah (alone) establish regular prayer; and to practise regular charity; and that is seeking His pleasure) 7. Al-Qubul (Acceptance which the Religion right and straight”. [alBayyinah: 5] contradicts rejection).

I explained the first and s e c o n d conditions stated above with evidences from the Qur'an and

By Husain Zakariyya Sunnah thus: A l - I l m Yawale (Knowledge of the meaning of +234-8052952900 (sms only) the Kalimah, its islamexplained35@yahoo.com negation and And: “And those whom They affirmation) This means that one has to seek invoke besides Allah have no power for the knowledge that can of intercession;- only He who bears undoubtedly influence and witness to the truth, and They know persuade him or her to a belief that (him).” [az-Zukhruf: 86] The Apostle of Allah said on the is steady and unshaken, in close and in open. To this end, the first authority of Abu Hurairah: “The revelation of the Qur'an to the most happy people to be salvaged Messenger of Allah, was a by me (on the day of resurrection)

ISLAM EXPLAINED

sincerely from his heart.” (Related

by Al-Bukhari) For anyone to attain this level of genuineness one should be truthful to himself in his or her belief, and then aspire to accomplish unwavering sincerity to Allah.

4.

Al-Sidq: Truthfulness devoid of neither falsehood nor hypocrisy.

For anyone's faith to be genuine and steadfast, all effort to attain this level must be worked for by addition righteousness in both deeds and utterances, and in open and close circumstances.

Allah says: “A.L.M. Do men think that They will be left alone on saying, ‘We believe’, and that They will not be tested? We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly

power, and Allah will strongly enforce the penalty.” [al-Baqarah: 165] And: “O ye who believe! if any from among you turn back from His Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love As They will love him,- lowly with the believers, mighty against the rejecters, Fighting In the way of Allah, and never afraid of the reproaches of such As find fault. that is the Grace of Allah, which He will bestow on whom He pleaseth. and Allah Encompasseth all, and He knoweth all things.” [al-Ma'idah: 54] From the Hadith collection with authenticity, the Apostle of Allah (SAW) said: It was narrated by Anas (RD) that the prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: “Whoever possses the following three virtues attains the sweetness of conviction: 1) Allah and his messenger are dearer to him than anything else, 2) To Love a person

Cross section of eminent Islamic scholars and clerics of northern Nigeria at preservation symposium in Kaduna recently. command to read! Reading is regarded in Islam as the surest source of knowledge and education to all humankind.

In continuance, Al-Yaqeen means that ideal knowledge which thwarts distrust and hesitation which usually throbs out insinuating reservation leading to spoiling one's belief. therefore, only firm and unshakable conviction which withstand such position can be called al-yaqeen.

Now, the third condition, AlIkhlas: Means earnestness and sincerity in one's belief very strong enough to negate any ulterior misgiving which can be constitute an iota of shirk. It is that inner certainty which can withstand any qualm and pang from the susurration of Satan that cause distrust.

Allah says; “Verily it is we who have revealed the Book to Thee In truth: so serve Allah, offering Him sincere devotion.” [az-Zumar: 2] He says again: “And They have been commanded no more than this: to worship Allah, offering Him sincere

are those who solemnly from the bottom of their heart or mind declare that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah”. [Bukhari] Another Hadith by Utbaan bin Malik (RD) narrated that the messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Indeed Allah has made forbidden from Hell fire any person who profess that there is no deity worthy of worship, with the sole objective of winning the face of Allah, the Most high”. [Bukhari] In another narration of Abu Hurairah (RD), said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah (SAW): O Messenger of Allah! Who will be most fortunate to enjoy your shafaa’ah (intercession) on the Day of Resurrection? The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: I was certain that no one else would ask me about this other than you, because I have noticed your keenness for Hadith (collection).

The most fortunate of men who will enjoy my shafaa’ah on the Day of Resurrection is the one who says: La Ilaha Illallah ‘None has the right to be worshipped except Allah’,

know those who are true from those who are false.” [al-Ankabut: 1-3] In another chapter Allah says: “Of the people there are some who say: ‘We believe In Allah and the Last Day;’ but They do not (really) believe.

Fain would They deceive Allah and those who believe, but They only deceive themselves, and realise (it) not! In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease: and grievous is the penalty They (incur), because They are false (to themselves)”. [al-Baqarah: 8-10] 5. Al-Mahabbah is an internally effectuated love of the Kalimah and its meaning owing to steadfastness, sincerity and proper understanding of it, and being cheerful with it before all and sundry.

The Qur'an has this to buttress this point: “Yet there are men who take (for worship) others besides Allah, As equal (with Allah. They love them As They should love Allah. but those of Faith are overflowing In their love for Allah. if only the unrighteous could see, Behold, They would see the penalty: that to Allah belongs all

only for the sake of Allah, 3) To hate to slip back to disbelief, having been saved from it by Allah, as he hates being thrown into the hell fire".

[Muslim] In reaffirming that love is a serious business and must not be wasted for any other sake save that of Allah, He says: “Thou wilt not find any people who believe In Allah and the Last Day, loving those who resist Allah and His Messenger, Even though They were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers, or their kindred. for such He has written Faith In their hearts, and strengthened them with a spirit from Himself. and He will admit them to Gardens beneath which rivers flow, to dwell therein (for ever). Allah will be well pleased with them, and They with Him. They are the party of Allah. truly it is the party of Allah that will achieve felicity.” [al-Mujadalah: 22] My brothers and sisters, I will have to leave you here until next week, Insha Allah, when we will conclude this segment.

Wassalaamu alaikum.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

By Temitope Ponle

F

unmilayo RansomeKuti was a Nigerian foremost political activist who advocated for Nigerian women’s right to vote.

Her radical involvement in canvassing for the rights of women led to her being described as “the doyen of female rights in Nigeria” and also being regarded as “the Mother of Africa”.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the 24th President of Liberia after the Liberian people elected her in the 2007 elections, making her the first elected female Head of State in Africa.

Sirleaf was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Leymah Gbowee of Liberia and Tawakel Karman of Yemen.

The women were recognised for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building.

Observers say their achievements signify the recognition on the world stage, of the essential role that women must play in building peace and sustainable communities in the 21st century.

Clinton became the 67th U.S. Secretary of State under President Barack Obama’s administration in 2009, which made her the first former First Lady to serve in a president’s cabinet.

In time past, women struggled to be heard in a maledominated society but as time passed, women strived to make positive contributions to the society.

Different social reforms across the world saw the participation of women fighting for a common goal of women empowerment and equal opportunities.

Women such as Francis Wright, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucrecia Mott who began the women’s right movement in America during the 1820s, brought women globally to the realisation of their unequal position, according to reports.

As time passed, governments across the world also paid more attention to the needs of women and the importance of their contributions to nationbuilding.

International recognition of the importance of women’s contributions to reforming the society has spurred women globally to address salient issues that promote development in their societies.

With the spate of varying global crises, women at different levels of the society look for opportunities through which they can contribute meaningfully to national policy making.

The 1995 United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, formed a major platform where world governments determined to “advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere in the interest of humanity”.

In Nigeria, the recent seventh African First Ladies’ Peace Mission (AFPLM) in Abuja,

PAGE 27

African Women as a veritable voice for peace

Nigeria’s First Lady and President, African First Ladies Peace Mission, Patience Jonathan (3rd left), with other country’s first ladies during the inauguration of the interim secretariat of the mission in Abuja shows one of such efforts by women to address threats to peace and stability on the continent.

The mission is aimed at examining the challenges to peace and stability on the continent and to mobilise both government and nongovernment resources to help mitigate incidences of violent conflicts and humanitarian emergencies.

The AFLPM with the theme: “The African Woman: A Voice for Peace” saw the African First Ladies, leaders of both sexes and regional and international bodies coming together making commitments towards resolving lasting peace in the continent.

Mrs Patience Jonathan, President of the AFLPM, said on the occasion that the summit was to come up with ways of ending violent conflicts in Africa.

She noted that as a result of such conflicts, Africa currently has “more than five million refugees with more than 75 per cent of them being women and children”.

“About the same percentage of more than 12 million displaced persons are women and children, many of whom are being recruited as child soldiers, militants and children,” she said..

She noted that one of the ways through which conflicts could be ended in Africa was for other First Ladies to support the course of peace by supporting their spouses in peace-building efforts.

Another way was for women at all levels to contribute to peace-building efforts through advocacy, capacity building, negotiations, reconciliations, provision of relief materials and involvement in the rehabilitation of victims of conflicts.

One of the major concerns of the summit was the inability of African women to fully utilise their potential for the resolution of incessant conflicts on the continent.

The summit particularly recognised local customs and traditional practices that are barriers to women’s participation in nation building such as early marriage, poor education, lack of entrepreneurial skills, low income, low participation in politics and limited access to leadership positions.

It restated the need for

national and sub-regional levels to enhance the role of women in the process of prevention, management and resolution of crises through the removal of “all” barriers against women.

President Joyce Banda of Malawi stressed the importance of including women and gender perspectives in the planning and implementation of peace operations.

President Banda recalled that most of the 24 major armed conflicts worldwide recorded by the UN Security Council in 2011 occurred on the African continent with 11 of them lasting eight years or more.

She noted that much of the impact of these crises and heavy social development costs “excessively affect women since women do not just lose children and husbands but their bodies also become battle grounds as soldiers plunder women’s bodies

“

Another way was for women at all levels to contribute to peacebuilding efforts through advocacy, capacity building, negotiations, reconciliations, provision of relief materials and involvement in the rehabilitation of victims of conflicts

too, through sexual violence”.

“The purpose of the AFPLM will be felt when the recommendations it has made to peace and development are included in the different national and international policies.

“The commitment of the African Union to implement the recommendations of the AFLPM is a step in the right direction, she added.

The AU Representative, Litha Musyimi-Ogana, said that the 2010-2020 African Women’s Decade by the AU was an opportunity for women to contribute to development efforts particularly at the grassroots level.

She said :“I want to assure you that through the Fund for African Women that the AU has put in place, we would be able to identify grassroots peace initiatives and support them to make sure that we turn the UN resolutions to action.”

A sociologist, Dr Anne Fagbemi, says the AFLPM is just one of the many examples of women contribution to global development.

She says these women have been able to inspire a society where women are educated, celebrated and transformed into 21st century leaders and global thinkers.

Fagbemi says that although the level of women recognition has been commended, more still needs to be done in addressing the barriers that impede their participation.

Source: NAN

PAGE 28

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Boosting food security through Growth Enhancement Support Scheme S

By Emmanuel Acha

uccessive governments have expressed worry about the slow growth rate in the agricultural sector. The worry stems from the fact that the country has rich agricultural resource endowments but still imports many products.

Analysts identify policy inconsistencies and too much emphasis on production without due consideration to other value chain requirements, agroprocessing, market infrastructure and funding as the major weaknesses of previous initiatives.

Previous administrations have initiated various programmes and policies to address these challenges in order to boost development of the sector.

The present administration’s agenda to boost agriculture is through the Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme, a component of the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA).

The GES is an innovative approach to fertiliser subsidy and other input administration, through an electronic system that ensures that only registered farmers benefit.

It is meant to change the mentality of Nigerians to view agriculture as a business instead of a pastime.

According to Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources, GES is an agenda for the transformation of agriculture, noting that food production will increase income of farmers, and boost value accorded to locally-produced agricultural produce.

Adesina who spoke in Umuahia when he inaugurated the GES scheme in Abia, noted that Nigeria spends N1.3 trillion annually to import basic food.

“We spend N635 billion importing wheat, N356 billion importing rice, N271 billion importing sugar and N71 billion importing fish.

“As we do this, we are making farmers in the exporting countries rich, while our farmers wallow in penury, because our farmers have no market. Yet we have the population.

“We will not be slaves and dependent on other countries, and the sure way out is to transform agriculture in Nigeria,” he said.

Adesina believes that with 84 million hectares, “we can feed ourselves and the rest of the world.

“We have therefore launched GES and the target is to produce 20 million tonnes of food by 2015.”

He emphasised that under the GES, the government would steer clear of distribution of farm inputs to farmers, which he noted, had been hijacked by ‘ political farmers.’

It is expected that in the long run, more than 3.5 million jobs would be created through the agricultural value chains.

The minister noted that in the

Food security has been considered as a universal indicator of households’ and individuals’ personal well – being, an important aspect in any consideration of wealth and economic sustainability of a nation. past, the challenges of affordable farm inputs like fertilisers, improved seedlings and highyield cassava cuttings, have been daunting.

“Government always buys fertilisers and distributes, but they are taken over by ‘political farmers’ into other countries.

“Less than 11 per cent of farmers in the country get the fertilisers subsidised by government and we have decided to clean up the corruption in the fertiliser sector”, he said.

Adesina said that under the scheme, five million farmers would be provided with enticing benefits, including fertilisers at 50 per cent subsidy and free improved seedlings and cassava cuttings over a period of four years.

“We have done a data-base of farmers in the country and President Goodluck Jonathan has directed that we give 50kg and 40 kg improved seedlings of rice and maize respectively and cassava cuttings to every single farmer free,’’ he said.

The Federal Government has also signed an MoU with the Chinese Government for the exportation of one million tonnes of cassava chips valued $136 million.

“This is just one of the measures that will boost the capacity of our farmers.

“Nigeria will earn $136 million just this year as a result of this exportation and this is happening for the first time in our

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina history.

“We must use cassava to create a whole lot of things and that is why we have to double our efforts on cassava cultivation.”

Chief Ike Onyenweaku, the Abia Commissioner for Agriculture, said that the state had started implementing the GES scheme, as selling points have been opened in the rural areas.

“We have properly keyed into this initiative and also given instructions to the accredited farm input dealers to open up selling points in all local government areas so that those

at the hinterland will not find it difficult to buy.”

The commissioner said oil palm sector is being given attention, adding that a Malaysian conglomerate would invest in the state’s palm oil sector.

Mr Monday Chigbu, an agriculturist, commended government for its agricultural policies, but advised that necessary steps should be taken to avoid policy failure as well as address critical issues like land tenure.

“The problem of land tenure system in Abia has been endemic because there is no piece of land

available for the cultivation of cassava all year round and this has affected availability of food.”

The commissioner said that obnoxious traditional practices inhibiting land acquisition should be discarded.

Mr Dunlop Okoro, Chairman, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Abia chapter, said that the ATA and GES should be backed with legislation.

“This euphoria that has greeted the ATA and GES may be short-lived without an enabling legislation.

“Most of the juicy agricultural programmes in Nigeria did not succeed due to lack of legislation backing them and this has necessitated the need for such in the life of the current reform”.

Chief Innocent Ule, traditional ruler of Obofia Nkporo, in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia, said that most communities were already looking into some of the traditional practices that hinder acquisition of land for agriculture.

“In our community, we make sure that widows are not denied plots of land for farming, as women constitute the majority of the agricultural workforce.”

It is being canvassed by stakeholders that as the potential of the agricultural sector is well known, government should put sustainable measures in place to boost food production and processing.

Source: NAN

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 29

08050639900

C

an you introduce yourself?

My name is Maryam Muhammad Tahan. I am the proprietress and the Executive Director of Nurul- Bayan International Academy, an Islamic oriented school in Abuja.

Can you give us brief history of your life?

I was born and brought up in Kuwait, which is my country. I married a Nigerian and the marriage is blessed with seven children and six grand children. I read computer science and statistics in the University of Kuwait. After my marriage, I came to Nigeria in 1982 where I established my first school in Apapa in Lagos, named Al- Najat International school and later, I opened another branch at Surulere. In 2000, I opened AlBayan International school in Abuja followed by Nurul –Bayan International Academy all in Abuja.

I still have many things I want to achieve in life because touching the lives of people does not have an end and my dream is not only to establish the schools but too make positive changes in the educational system in the country.

Presently we are planning to open more branches of the school in other states of the federation as well as to open a university and vocational centres for men and women who cannot further their education to learn skills to help them become self reliant in future.

What informed your decision to establish the schools?

What motivated me to establish my schools in Nigeria is because I feel that Nigeria is still lacking behind in the education sector and the Muslims are also not doing what they are supposed to do to encourage the young generation to acquire knowledge.

Secondly, I also want to contribute in my own quota in the development of Nigeria as my second country.

What are the challenges you face in an establishment where majority of the staff are men who are answerable to you?

It is not easy especially when you are a Muslim career woman.

The society will always challenge you because they feel as a woman you have a limit to what you can become and achieve, even as Islam as a religion does not limit the woman to what she can do especially when she respects herself.

The second challenge comes from men in most cases where when a woman is progressing in her chosen career it does not go down well with some of them.

Well, that misconception is gradually changing world wide.

Apart from running of the schools, what else do you do?

I have other Islamic and philanthropic activities I do. One of them is our newly established Islamic orphanage in Abuja. I also counsel the youth and their parents sometimes.

This is the first time we are establishing an Islamic orphanage. We had to come up with one because we feel that to some extent Muslims are not

I want to make positive changes in Nigeria Maryam Muhammad Tahan is an educationist and the Executive Director and proprietress of Nurul Bayan International Academy. She is one of the pioneers of the first newly established Islamic orphanage in Abuja. In this interview with Maryam Garba Hassan, she talks about her plans to open a University, the country’s system of education and her marriage to a Nigerian. living up to expectations and we realized that, in this country there are many orphans who need to be catered for. The orphanage was established by myself and some Muslim sisters and brothers who came together and established the orphanage.

We employed about 36 field workers to do a field study in Abuja, the area councils and the remote areas and we worked on the field for 3 months and in the end registered 5000 orphans. We had to find out what the need of each child is and for that reason, we could not cater for 5000 children at the same time. We are collaborating with the social welfare and the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development; so far, we have registered 50 orphans in the orphanage.

Our biggest programme now is called the “intervention programme” which involves payment of school fees, providing shelter and paying of medical bills for the orphans and providing aids to the people living with disabilities where ever they are as well as support their relations and those who take care of them.

We want to give them a sense of belonging because if they are not taken care of, they can become criminals and nuisance to the society in future. Also, Nurul –Bayan gives scholarship to blind students.

As a foreigner married to a Nigerian, do you encounter challenges in terms of cultural differences?

Cultural barrier sometimes break marriages no matter how solid the relationship was before the marriage. In my own case, it was a little different because I love the man I married but cultural differences tested the strength of our love when we came to Nigeria, because we got married in Kuwait. The society gave me the biggest challenge because I was not accepted easily because I am a foreigner and I was expected to behave like my husband’s people, dress like them and things like that, without considering the fact that I had a life before I came to Nigeria and it may take me time to adjust.

With the patience and understanding of my husband who played an important between his family members and myself to ensure that I was given enough time to adjust , I overcome that and all that is in the past now. I love Nigeria’s rich culture even though it was very

Maryam Muhammad Tahan challenging for me to understand it from the beginning, now I feel like all my life I have been a Nigerian and today, foreign women who are married to Nigerians come to me for counseling.

In what way do you think the problems of Nigeria’s education sector can be addressed?

The Nigeria’s education sector needs a lot of changes and

improvement because development of a nation also lies in the system of the country’s education. Our education system is old fashioned, we do not use modern methodology of teaching and we are poor in material and facility especially in government institutions, but some private schools in the country are trying to bridge the gap by introducing new method of teaching.

Teachers also need to be

“

In my own case, it was a little different because I love the man I married but cultural differences tested the strength of our love when we came to Nigeria, because we got married in Kuwait

trained to know how to teach according to the modern methodology of teaching.

How would you assess the role of women in the educational sector of the country?

You know, whatever a woman make up her mind to do, she do it to the best of her ability, a typical example is the record the current minister of education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’I, is setting. A number of the private schools in the county are mostly owned and managed by women who are working hard to see that they succeed in that field.

How would you assess private schools in the country?

This day, the establishment of private schools has become shoddy business because schools are no more established by educationists who have the interest of education at heart but by businessmen and women and housewives who have no sound educational background and cannot give the children sound education and build the personality of a child. Once they have money they can use in building mansions, they establish schools.

A successful educationist must climb through the ladder, he or she must start as a teacher for at least 10 years to gain experience before he can establish a school and must have a passion for teaching before he can be a good proprietor.

As a professional, mother and a wife, how do you cope with the demands of your work?

It is not easy because it requires a lot of time planning, sacrifice and understanding by one’s family. I ensure that none of these suffer in any way up to the time I finished having my children who are now grown ups and now all of us are working together towards the success of the schools.

Who gave you the most support to have come this far in your career?

It is God and my passion for education, then my family and friends who are my pillars of strength.

What is your advice to the young generation?

Let them think beyond making money in whatever they do and have passion for it. Youth should value knowledge, principles and values because that alone can open doors for one to make good name and clean money. They should seek for knowledge.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 30

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2012 Romney raps Obama over Democratic convention: Bill growing Clinton backs Barack Obama debt, food stamp record

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epublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney blasted U.S. President Barack Obama over the size of the national debt and the record number of Americans on food stamps, in a jab on the eve of a major speech by the Democrat.

Romney said “two big numbers out this week” prove that Americans are not better off than when Obama took office in 2009.

“We’ve gone from $10 trillion that the president inherited from all prior presidents to $16 trillion,” Romney told reporters in the swing state of New Hampshire. The Treasury Department this week announced that the public debt had surpassed $16 trillion.

“The other number’s fortyseven. Forty-seven million now on food stamps. When he came to office there were 32 million. He’s added 15 million people,” Romney said.

He was referring to an Agriculture Department report on Tuesday that showed the number of people on food stamps jumped to a record high of 46.7 million in June.

Romney has stayed mostly off the campaign trail this week, preparing for presidential debates while the Democrats hold their national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The former Massachusetts governor said he did not watch first lady Michelle Obama’s speech to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, but said he thinks, “She’s done a fine job as our first lady.”

“I’m certainly not going to make any comments about the first lady’s speech other than I respect her and she’s a lovely person and a fine mom,” Romney said.

Michelle Obama asked voters to give her husband four more years to fix the U.S. economy in an impassioned speech. Obama himself makes an address to the convention on Thursday night to accept the Democratic presidential nomination.

When asked how the debate preparation is going, Romney joked that Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman, who is standing in as Obama during the mock debates, was a tough opponent.

“I’m just glad I won’t be debating Rob Portman in the final debates. He’s good,” Romney said.

Mitt Romney

Former US President Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, when the former delivered Obama’s defence nominating him for a second term in the White House.

F

ormer US President Bill Clinton has delivered a prime-time defence of Barack Obama, nominating the president for a second term in the White House.

His 50-minute speech at the Democratic convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, was strongly critical of Republican economic plans.

He launched a full-throated defence of Mr Obama’s policies, saying his economic policies were working.

Mr Obama will take on Republican Mitt Romney in November’s election.

Bill Clinton’s speech is being seen as the high point of a revitalised relationship between the two presidents and as an attempt to boost Mr Obama’s appeal with white working-class voters.

Polls show these traditional Democratic voters are wary of Mr Obama, but Mr Clinton has a strong record in winning their support.

Mr Clinton told the crowd that they would “decide what kind of country you want to live in”.

“If you want a ‘you’re on your own, winner take all society’ you should support the Republican ticket,” he said. “If you want a country of shared opportunities and shared responsibilities - a ‘we’re all in it together’ society you should vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.”

Mr Clinton accused

Republicans of having blocked further progress on the economic recovery.

“In order to look like an acceptable, moderate alternative to President Obama, they couldn’t say much about the ideas they have offered over the last two years,” he said, referring to the Republican convention in Florida a week ago.

Reminding the crowd that Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell had revealed that their number one priority was to get Mr Obama out of office, he declared: “We’re going to keep President Obama on the job.”

Mr Clinton argued that Mr Obama’s economic policies on taking office had prevented further collapse and begun the recovery, but said he knew that many Americans were still struggling.

He compared Mr Obama’s experience to his own first term in office, when “our policies were working and the economy was growing but most people didn’t feel it yet”.

“No president. No president not me, not any of my predecessors - no-one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years,” he said.

“But he has laid the foundations for a new, modern, successful economy of shared prosperity. And if you will renew the president’s contract you will feel it. You will feel it.”

Mr Clinton criticised Republican vice-presidential

candidate Paul Ryan, who he said misrepresented Mr Obama’s Medicare policy at last week’s Republican convention.

He argued that Mr Ryan had made the same amount in cuts as part of his plan for governmentsponsored healthcare for the elderly.

“It takes some brass to attack a guy for doing what you did,” Mr Clinton.

He also countered a Republican ad that Mr Obama had weakened the work requirement for welfare, which Mr Clinton signed into law.

“When some Republican governors asked to try new ways to put people on welfare back to work, the Obama administration said they would only do it if they had a credible plan to increase employment by 20%,” Mr Clinton said, adding that the Republican charge was “just not true”.

After the former president finished a lengthy and partially ad-libbed speech, Mr Obama joined him on stage.

The pair have previously sparred, most notably during the 2008 primaries when Mr Clinton supported his wife Hillary’s bid for the nomination, and they are known not have a close personal bond.

Earlier, House minority leader Nancy Pelosi was just one of a string of speakers who highlighted social causes including women’s issues, and economic concerns such as the future of the auto

industry.

Ms Pelosi warned that “democracy was on the ballot” in November.

“Republicans support opening the floodgates to special interest money and suppressing the right to vote,” she said. “It’s just plain wrong.”

Sandra Fluke: ‘We talk often about choice... it’s time to choose’ Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren railed against inequality, saying Mitt Romney’s policy would amount to “I’ve got mine, the rest of you are on your own”.

And Sandra Fluke, a student branded a “slut” by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh during a row over contraception, made a prime-time appearance calling for action on women’s issues.

In a procedural surprise as Wednesday’s events got under way, the convention reinstated language from the 2008 platform describing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

In confusing scenes a voice vote on the language was called three times. Despite loud boos in the audience, convention chair Antonio Villaraigosa said he had determined that two-thirds of the convention had voted in favour.

Reports emerged shortly afterwards that Mr Obama had personally intervened to change the platform’s language.

In 2008 President Obama galvanised volunteers. Four years later some still heed the call - but others have become disillusioned.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 31

ANALYSIS

By Sarah Kendzior

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n February 19, 2004, Azerbaijani Army Lieutenant Ramil Safarov took an axe and bludgeoned to death Gurgen Margaryan, an officer in the Armenian army who was asleep at the Budapest military academy where they were attending English-language courses organised by NATO. After nearly decapitating Margaryan, Safarov stabbed his corpse repeatedly in the chest. Safarov was arrested and tried in Hungarian court. In 2006, he was sentenced to life in prison.

On August 31, 2012, Ramil Safarov was extradited to Azerbaijan, where he was greeted as a hero. As an adoring crowd cheered, Safarov walked the streets of the capital draped in an Azerbaijani flag, carrying a bouquet of roses. He was pardoned

by President Ilham Aliyev, promoted to the rank of major and given a new apartment and money by the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry.

"I am glad to be back with the Azeri people," Safarov said. "It's as if I am born again. I never lost hope of returning to my motherland and believed that the time would come when the supreme commander would resolve this question."

The small petrostate of Azerbaijan has made headlines in 2012. In May, it hosted Eurovision, the annual singing competition watched by hundreds of millions around the world. As Azerbaijan's government spent more than $700 million on promotion and infrastructure in an effort to put its best face forward, activists focused on alerting the world to Azerbaijan's atrocious record on human rights.

Eurovision was seen as an "opportunity to highlight Azerbaijan's failings", with the understanding that Azerbaijan's international image was of great importance to the Aliyev administration.

The Safarov case makes clear that it is not. While during Eurovision the Azerbaijani government paid lip service to democracy - "Azerbaijan is not an authoritarian state - we want to prove this to the whole world" an Aliyev aide told the Guardian they have since brazenly promoted a murderer as a national hero, despite Western condemnation and a possible violation of international law.

Azerbaijani officials portray Safarov's murder of Margaryan as a capsule version of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, a region which Azerbaijan and Armenia have fought over for decades. The conflict led to the deaths of thousands on each side, a massive refugee crisis for Azerbaijan, and the occupation of the territory by Armenia.

Safarov versus Margaryan stems from Nagorno-Karabakh and serves as its representation. Only in this version, Azerbaijan won.

"Safarov's moral superiority was apparent even when he was in prison. The Armenian's insults towards our people, touching upon our national feelings, forced him to take this step," said Mubariz Gurbanli, a leading member of the ruling New Azerbaijan party.

On August 31, 2012, Ramil Safarov (centre) was extradited to Azerbaijan, where he was greeted as a hero [AP]

The axe murderer who became a Facebook hero

Gurbanli refers to an alleged desecration of the Azerbaijani flag

by Margaryan and presents Safarov's response of hacking him to death as moral and justified.

The Safarov case serves as a warning to the West that they should never underestimate the insularity of dictatorships. Dictators struggle to shield citizens from foreign influence, with the result that foreigners come to believe that their influence matters. But the desire to block out the outside world stems from paranoia more than respect and that paranoia plays out in domestic politics - politics that strengthen pride by encouraging enmity.

Azerbaijan does not care what the rest of the world thinks. No action of a foreign power - be it international media or international law - has the resonance of revenge.

When Safarov was released, Azerbaijani officials immediately proclaimed it was for the benefit of the nation. "His release will raise the moral and psychological mood of the society," parliament member Zahid Oruj predicted. He was right. Since

August 31, Azerbaijanis have lauded Safarov as a hero, and one of the main ways they do so is through digital media.

Unlike most authoritarian states, Azerbaijan does not censor the internet. An open internet has proven valuable for Azerbaijani officials, as it allows them to monitor citizens and publicise the punishment of dissenters in the online forums they frequent, deterring sympathisers from further activism.

The Safarov case shows that the open internet is also a useful venue for the spread of nationalism rooted in bigotry, vengeance and pain.

Tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis have declared their support for Safarov online. His Facebook page has over 49,000 fans. Supporters praise him in poetry, thanking God and the Aliyev regime for his return.

Convicted axe murderer welcomed in Azerbaijan A picture of him in his regalia as major has over 2,000 "likes". On the unofficial Facebook page of President Aliyev, which is followed by over 57,000 people, Safarov was made the cover photo, with a

“

smiling Aliyev in the profile picture below.

On Twitter, jubilant Azerbaijanis tweeted their approval under the hashtag #Xo?G?ldinRamil - Welcome, Ramil.

These posts and tweets were not manufactured by the Aliyev regime. They are genuine expressions of gratitude to a man who murdered another man in his sleep.

In 2011, the government of Azerbaijan launched a propaganda campaign designed to deter citizens from using technologies that connect them with the outside world. The goal of this campaign was to strengthen nationalist sentiment while stigmatising the use of media that may further dissent.

Foreign television programmes were banned as an affront to the "national mentality", while domestic television programmes showed "family tragedies" after young people joined Facebook and Twitter.

In March 2011, the country's

Advocates of an open internet have long hoped that openness will augur democratic reform. But an open internet is of little benefit to activists living in a state that punishes them for using it. It is also of little consolation when the state is adept at capitalising on public agony.

chief psychiatrist proclaimed that social media users suffer mental disorders. As a result, internet use in Azerbaijan has stagnated compared to its neighbours in the Caucasus.

The reaction to Safarov shows that such efforts may be misplaced.

The government never needed to promote Safarov as a hero or denounce his detractors.

Azerbaijani citizens are doing it on their own and social media is enabling their efforts, validating their veneration of a murderer through clicks and likes.

Not all Azerbaijanis agree with the adulation, but they are in the minority.

With Safarov, Azerbaijan is having an online grassroots movement - a movement by Azerbaijanis and for Azerbaijanis, indifferent to international indignation.

Advocates of an open internet have long hoped that openness will augur democratic reform. But an open internet is of little benefit to activists living in a state that punishes them for using it. It is also of little consolation when the state is adept at capitalising on public agony.

The online embrace of Safarov reflects the heartache of Azerbaijan's history as well as the ways digital media can strengthen dictatorship.

The people spread the cause and the government reaps the glory.

Sarah Kendzior is an anthropologist who recently received her PhD from Washington University in St Louis.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 32

South Africa’s Marikana mine: Julius Malema rallies strikers S Gaddafi's exspy to be questioned in Libya

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ibya is set to question Abdullah al-Senussi, Muammar Gaddafi's former spy chief, following his extradition from Mauritania.

Thursday's announcement was met with calls by the United States and international rights groups that Senussi be granted a free and fair trial.

"It will be critical that Libya take all necessary steps to ensure that he's held securely, treated humanely and tried fairly in full compliance with Libya's international obligations," Patrick Ventrell, US state department deputy spokesman, told journalists.

Senussi, former head of military intelligence in Libya and one of the most feared men in Gaddafi's government, is wanted by the International Criminal Court in the Hague, where he is accused of crimes against humanity.

Senussi was extradited from Mauritania on Wednesday, after his March arrest for illegally entering the West African country.

Senussi was discovered in Mauritania as he tried to enter the country from Morocco using a Malian passport under a different name..

Washington swiftly urged Libya to ensure that the former spy chief gets a fair trial, but stopped short of insisting he be handed over to the ICC. "We think it's important that he's held to account, whether that's in a Libyan setting or otherwise," Ventrell added.

However, rights watchdog Amnesty International said Senussi should have been surrendered to the international court.

"The decision to send him to Libya - with its weak justice system and inadequate fair-trial guarantees - will inevitably delay justice for victims and could lead to violations of Senussi's rights to a fair trial," Marek Marczynski, head of the London-based rights group's International Justice campaign, said in a statement.

In the capital Tripoli, deputy prosecutor general Taha Baara confirmed to the AFP news agency that Senussi was back in the country.

"A short time ago he was delivered to the office of the prosecutor general. He will undergo routine medical examination before questioning begins immediately afterwards," he said.

outh African activist Julius Malema says mine workers must put down tools until wage demands are met, amid a deadly dispute at a platinum mine.

Mr Malema is set to march with workers later at the Marikana mine where police shot dead 34 people last month.

The march is due to coincide with the release of more miners who were controversially charged with murder.

The union involved in the conflict has refused to sign a peace accord with mine owner Lonmin and the government.

The National Union of Mineworkers (Num), which is allied to the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, signed the accord.

It commits miners to return to work on Monday, ending a strike that started on 10 August.

However, the rival Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and representatives of non-unionised workers refused to the sign the accord, brokered by church leaders.

They vowed to intensify their strike action by confronting those

who report for duty.

They say they will not return to talks until the topic of wages is on the table.

Lonmin said the deal "lays a firm foundation for the beginnings of the elimination of violence and intimidation".

The company is the world's third biggest producer of

platinum, most of which comes from Marikana.

Mr Malema, who was expelled from the governing African National Congress earlier this year for indiscipline, had earlier called for striking workers to make the mines ungovernable, but said he was not calling for violence.

"People are just being

sensational about the word 'ungovernable'. I mean, they must put down their tools. I'm not calling for violence. I'm not calling for killing of anybody," he said.

"Workers must refuse to sell their labour. Enough is enough, unless capital is prepared to pay enough living wage."

Earlier the South African

… As court frees jailed miners S

outh African miners, arrested after the Marikana shooting, have been released by a Pretoria court after key players refused to sign a deal to end a deadly strike.

More than a 100 miners were held in a South African jail after being charged last week under an obscure apartheid-era security law with murdering their fellow miners, despite video of the incident clearly showing it was police who fired on the strikers.

Al Jazeera's Tania Page,

Julius Malema: "I am not calling for violence"

reporting from Marikana, said that the miners were part of 270 that were arrested after police shot 34 miners dead.

"Some of them were released on Monday," our correspondent said, after prosecutors dropped murder charges against them and released 162.

"Very late last night a peace accord was signed, but two important groups have not signed them."

A worker representative and mediator said that key players

refused to sign the peace accord that was agreed on late last night.

Management of the Lonmin mine inked the agreement late on Wednesday with the main unions to end the illegal strike that started in August and that has left 44 people dead.

But non-unionised workers and a key union, whose agreement is essential to ending the action, have refused to sign up to the deal.

"We cannot agree to sign that

thing. It shows once you sign the workers must resume work. But we know the workers won't return," said non-unionised workers' representative Zolisa Bodlani of a peace accord on the strike at Lonmin's Marikana platinum mine.

Mediator Bishop Jo Seoka said a key union, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu), also refused to sign.

"AMCU, the union that is new in that sector, was not willing to sign the peace accord," Seoka said.

South Sudan’s first Khartoum ambassador urges trade not war

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R-L: President Goodluck Jonathan, with his visiting Sierra Leon’an Counterpart, President Bai Koroma, during the latter's official visit, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

outh Sudan's first ambassador to Sudan, Mayan Dut Wol , urged the countries to put their conflicts behind them and get back to trading as he took up his post.

South Sudan split away from Sudan last year under a 2005 peace deal.

The countries agreed to exchange ambassadors and patch up their differences but within months came close to war over lingering disputes about oil rights, the position of their border and string of other issues.

Tensions eased when both sides, under pressure from the United Nations and the African Union, agreed to return to negotiations.

Southern ambassador Mayan Dut Wol arrived in Khartoum in August and presented his credentials to Sudanese President Omar

Hassan al-Bashir. ``The political conflicts have greatly impacted both economies," Wol told reporters at South Sudan's new embassy in Khartoum's up-market Riyadh district. ``We want to boost bilateral trade, joint agricultural projects and open customs points," he added.

Wol said Bashir had promised to help speed up the return of thousands of southerners still trapped in legal limbo on the northern side of the border.

Many were left without any valid papers after a deadline passed for them to apply for Sudanese citizenship.

Overwhelmed with the task of building up a state from scratch, Juba was slow to set up a diplomatic corps and open an embassy in Khartoum that could issue the passports needed to get residency permits. (Reuters/ NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Asia and Middle East

S

ave the Children's foreign staff have been ordered to leave Pakistan within two weeks, the aid agency confirms.

It says it has been given no reason for the order, but correspondents say the move is thought be fall-out from the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden.

Following the raid, a Pakistani doctor was arrested for working for the

PAGE 33

Save the Children foreign staff ordered out of Pakistan CIA. Pakistani intelligence officials accuse Save the Children of involvement - the group denies the claims. Six of its staff in Pakistan are foreigners.

The charity, which has operations all over the world, has worked in

Pakistan for more than 30 years.

Correspondents say that it is not thought that the forthcoming expulsions will have any significant impact on its operations in the country in the short term.

A Save the Children spokesman in London told the BBC that the charity

was seeking "clarification" from the Pakistani authorities in relation to the expulsions. The spokesman said it was not yet clear whether the agency would be allowed to send replacement expatriate staff.

The Pakistani government has so far not officially commented on the

Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes ‘kill six Palestinans’

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t least six Palestinians have been killed in two Israeli strikes in Gaza against what Israel says were militants preparing rocket and bomb attacks.

Palestinians said three were killed by Israeli fire in the north of the strip on Thursday morning.

Israel said they were planting a bomb near its fence.

Hours earlier, an air strike in central Gaza killed three militants who Israel said were set to fire rockets.

There has been a spate of rocket attacks and air strikes in recent days.

In the latest incident, Israel said it had fired at a "terrorist squad that was planting an explosive device" near the town of Beit Hanoun.

A Gaza health ministry official, Ashraf al-Qudra, said those killed were civilians, the AFP news agency reports.

It came hours after another strike which Israel said "targeted a terrorist squad... involved in previous rocket launches at communities located in southern Israel".

Witnesses said the air strike hit a car in which four people were travelling near the Bureij refugee camp.

Huge Tajikistan market fire provokes angry protest

H

The three men killed on Wednesday were travelling in a car near the Bureij refugee camp

undreds of people have taken to the streets in the Tajik capital Dushanbe after a huge fire broke out on Wednesday night in the Kaarvaan market in the south of the city.

The protesters are angry over what they say is the failure of the government to protect their stalls from the blaze, which killed at least one man.

But the interior ministry says that firefighters were not alerted in time.

Many protesters say that they lost everything in the blaze.

They gathered near the country's parliament but the security forces restricted their movements.

The government has announced an inquiry into the outbreak of the fire, which it says spread over a 5,000 sq m (54,000 sq ft) area.

It says that firefighters were only alerted to the blaze 40 minutes after it broke out. It says that the fire was made worse by strong winds "and lots of combustible materials in the market place".

Burmese MPs force out constitutional court judges

Kabul declares crackdown over insider attacks

A

fghan authorities say they have cracked down on hundreds of soldiers believed to have links to the Taliban in a bid to crush the rise of alleged insider attacks.

The announcement was made on Wednesday after Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO chief, expressed his concerns to President Hamid Karzai over the recent increase in the so-called green-on-blue attacks.

At least 45 NATO-led soldiers have been killed by Afghan security personnel this year - an increase from 35 killings from last year.

According to a NATO spokeswoman, Rasmussen outlined measures taken by NATO-led forces to stop the insider attacks and urged Karzai to join the efforts, The measures include strengthening vetting procedures, better counterintelligence and giving troops cultural awareness training.

Zahir Azimi, an Afghan defence ministry spokesman, said in Kabul that Karzai had ordered Afghan forces to devise ways to stop insider attacks.

expulsions.

Dr Shakil Afridi was arrested after it emerged he had been running a fake vaccination programme on behalf of the CIA as part of efforts to track Bin Laden, who was killed by US special forces in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad in May last year.

M

The fire spread over a huge area, leaving many traders destitute

Burmese lawmakers have fiercely resisted the ruling by the constitutional court

Ps in Burma have forced out all nine judges of the constitutional court, in a row pitting the government against the parliament created as part of political reforms.

State media said that President Thein Sein had accepted the resignations.

The impeachment was supported by the governing USDP - which has close ties to the military - as well as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD party.

Thein Sein's government took office in 2011 after the military ceded power.

The current row erupted in March when the court issued an order limiting the power of parliamentary committees and commissions to summon ministers for questioning.

President Thein Sein had asked it to study the issue.

However, the order enraged MPs and sparked Burma's first major political crisis since the military ceded power in March last year.

Analysts say it has pitted the government against the parliament and in particular lower house speaker Thura Shwe Mann, a senior figure in the former junta.

PAGE 34

Europe and Americas Embattled Qantas joins hands with Emirates

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truggling Australian carrier Qantas has announced a major global alliance with mirates that will see its hub for European flights shift to Dubai from Singapore in a bid to stem losses.

The 10-year partnership was announced on Thursday and is part of Qantas's drive to turn around its fortunes after posting its first annual loss last month since privatisation in 1995.

The move, described as a "momentous day" in global aviation, was welcomed by the market with Qantas shares jumping nearly five per cent by early afternoon.

Subject to regulatory approval, the deal goes beyond codesharing to include coordinated pricing, sales and scheduling and a benefitsharing model, although neither airline will take equity in the other.

It also means an end to Qantas's partnership with British Airways on the so-called kangaroo route to London, which has spanned nearly two decades.

"This agreement represents a step-change for the aviation industry," Alan Joyce, Qantas chief, said.

"It is far bigger than a codeshare or even a joint services agreement.

This is the biggest arrangement Qantas has ever entered into with another airline.

"There will be considerable benefits for the broader economy as we collaborate with industry to drive more inbound trade and tourism," he added.

Under the deal, Qantas will fly daily A380 services from both Sydney and Melbourne to London via Dubai, meaning that between the two airlines there will be 98 weekly services between Australia and the Emirates hub.

It will see Qantas become the only other airline operating to Terminal 3 and the new purposebuilt A380 concourse at Dubai International Airport.

As a consequence, Qantas flights to Singapore and Hong Kong will terminate in those countries and be rescheduled to enable more sameday connections across Asia.

For Emirates customers, the alliance will open up Qantas' Australian domestic network of more than 50 destinations and nearly 5,000 flights per week.

"This is a momentous day in international aviation and it's exciting to be part of," Tim Clark, Emirates chief, said.

"The time was right to develop a long-term partnership with Qantas, the iconic Australian airline.

"By establishing this partnership we are providing our passengers with additional connectivity in Australia and the region, the ability to utilise reciprocal frequent flyer benefits and access to premium lounges and travel experiences."

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Strike continues to ground Lufthansa

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assengers remain grounded as Lufthansa Airlines cancelled 50 flights ahead of a planned 24-hour walkout by cabin crew at six major airports on Friday.

Thursday's strike, the latest in a round that has left thousands stranded, affected mainly domestic and European services, though some intercontinental flights, including New York-Frankfurt and Hong Kong-Munich were also hit.

On Tuesday, the carrier had cancelled over 200 flights in and out Germany.

The series of cancellations, affecting the German flag carrier's Frankfurt hub, as well as several other German cities, came as a union chief threatened to hit every airport in Germany with a 24-hour strike on Friday.

Late Wednesday, the cabin staff's labour union, Independent Flight Attendants' Organisation, UFO, said its members will stage a 24-hour stoppage on Friday at the airports of Frankfurt, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Duesseldorf and Stuttgart in an escalation of their ongoing pay and conditions dispute.

Lufthansa has therefore said it will cancel 1,200 flights, or twothirds of its total 1,800 flights on Friday.

The airline already faces headwinds because of rising fuel prices and fierce competition.

The dispute appeared to escalate

after UFO chief Nicoley Baublies threatened industrial action by the Lufthansa staff across Germany if the airline failed to compromise.

Lufthansa responded by saying that it was considering taking legal action against the union.

"We're prepared to go to

mediation on the issue of pay hikes.

But negotiations cannot include the use of temporary staff," a Lufthansa spokesman told the AFP news agency.

Lufthansa and UFO traded verbal blows earlier in the week, with each accusing the other of

arrogance.

Lufthansa had shown "no sign of bending", Dirk Vogelsang, who is leading the negotiations, told the AFP news agency, adding that "at the moment, it looks very, very difficult" with the attitude hardening on both sides.

A 24-hour walkout on Friday could lead to 1,200 flights being grounded across several German airports [Reuters

Dozens of Turkish soldiers killed in blast

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The soldiers' remains were discovered after the blaze that caused by the explosion was extinguished [AFP)

n explosion at a military ammunition storage in western Turkey has killed 25 soldiers and left another four wounded, according to the Turkish army.

The blast occurred late on Wednesday at a military ammunition depot where hand grenades were stored and its cause was not yet known, said the chief of staff in a statement posted on the army's website.

Government officials dismissed any act of terrorism or sabotage.

"This is most probably an accident ... It was probably caused after a hand grenade was dropped" Veysel Eroglu,

environment and forestry minister, said in televised remarks.

The blast caused a fire in the depot which officials said was contained early on Thursday.

The soldiers' remains were discovered after the blaze that caused by the explosion was extinguished.

Their remains will be sent to a military hospital in Ankara for DNA testing, NTV, a private television station reported.

Unexploded hand grenades were found strewn around the storage facility after the explosion, authorities are working to defuse them.

to the Greek islands. Many of the immigrants on the boat were women and children," reported Al Jazeera's Ozgun Levent in Istanbul.

The boat set sail from

Ahmetbeyli, a Turkish town on the western coast of Turkey close to Greek islands, and hit the rocks, officials said.

It was reported that some of the 48 immigrants who swam to the shore told rescue officials that they were attempting to make their way to the United Kingdom. They said that they had entered into deals with people smugglers based in Izmir in order to make the journey.

The survivors said several people had been trapped below the deck of the submerged vessel, and divers launched an operation to try to find them.

The survivors were all on the deck, rather than below with other members of their group.

Authorities have arrested two Turkish suspects in the smuggling operation, Turkey's TRT television reported.

Over 50 killed after Turkey refugee boat sinks

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t least 58 people have died when a boat carrying more than 100 refugees sank off the western Turkish coast, officials have told the Anatolia news agency.

Dozens of survivors were able to swim through the Aegean waters to the shore, just 160 feet away, after the accident on Thursday.

"The death toll from the accident is 58," said Ardahan Totuk, acting governor of Izmir province. Forty-three bodies were recovered from the sea and 15 others were retrieved from the boat locker, he added.

The boat's captain and his mate, as well as dozens of illegal immigrants, were rescued alive, he said. Tahsin Kurtbeyoglu, a local administrator in Izmir province in western Turkey, confirmed the toll to Turkish

media.

"We know that a fishing vessel carrying 102 illegal immigrants, mostly from Syria and Iraq ... hit the rocks off the coast of Izmir, which is very close

More than 100 illegal immigrants, mostly from Iraq and Syria, were reportedly on board the vessel [EPA]

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 35

Man shoots himself trying to crush mouse

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Canadian man trying to smash a mouse with his gun accidentally shot himself in the forehead instead.

Police said Dale Whitmell tried to kill the mouse with the butt of his rifle when the weapon went off accidentally Wednesday at a camp on Anjigami Lake in Ontario, according to the

Canadian news agency QMI. He didn't know the weapon was loaded when the bullet grazed his forehead. "He was very lucky," Constable Amanda Huff said.

Whitmell was admitted to and released from the hospital, then charged with careless use of a firearm.

Two men stopped at U.S. border for illegal candy

Man didn't know weapon was loaded when he went mouse-hunting.

Surfing goats ride waves in orange county

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Kinder Eggs (not shown here) are illegal in the U.S. because of the toy inside

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wo Seattle men got stopped at the Canadian border for attempting to bring home several chocolate eggs for friends and family.

Brandon Loo and Christopher Sweeney were driving back from a trip to Vancouver, British Columbia when U.S. border guards discovered six illegal Kinder Eggs in their car, Seattlebased KOMO-TV reported.

Loo and Sweeney said they were then held for two hours in a detention center and told each egg carried a $2,500 fine.

The chocolate eggs are illegal

in the U.S. because children could choke on the small plastic toys inside.

Loo and Sweeney eventually got off with a warning.

"They wasted our time," Sweeney told KOMO-TV. "They wasted the money spent on the agents to do this and there are other cars that went through without checking them at all."

The U.S. Customs and Border agency confiscated more than 60,000 of the illegal sweets from travelers' baggage and international packages last year.

Thief pilfers fake sandwiches

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ake sandwiches have come a long way in masquerading as the real

deal.

A Canadian man apparently learned that the hard way when caught swiping two plastic sandwiches Wednesday morning.

At around 3 a.m. the man took the two fake breakfast sandwiches from a 7-Eleven convenience store, according to the Nanaimo Daily News in British

Columbia. When he realized they were made of plastic, he ditched one of the $70 models, absconding with the other to a nearby hotel, the Daily News reported.

Police cornered him soon after and recovered the second sandwich without incident, according to the Daily News.

The paper also reported that the store manager decided not to press charges.

A Canadian man thought he was getting asavory sandwich when he stole two from a convenience store, only to soon discover they were fake.

wo goats named Goatee and Pismo are wowing California beachgoers with their surfing skills.

The goats' owner, Dana McGregor, says he taught his goats to surf because he loves to ride the waves and thought they would like it, too.

The goats stood on surfboards and cruised along waves Wednesday at San Onofre State Beach, as bystanders watched in amazement.

Goatee, a nanny goat, and her billy goat, Pismo, even rode waves together. But after a few rides, Goatee swam to shore.

McGregor says he originally got Goatee to eat unwanted foliage on his property.

He began taking the goat to the beach with him, eventually putting her on a surfboard.

McGregor says he started putting Pismo on a board after he was born in March.

Two goats have been wowing surfing spectators

Bloodsucking parasite species named in honor of Bob Marley

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ob Marley advocated world peace through his music, but the blood feeder named after him is anything but peaceful.

The bloodsucking crustacean species-now known as Gnathiamarleyi-was recently discovered in a Caribbean coral reef by Paul

Sikkel, a marine biologist at Arkansas State University, the Guardian reported.

"I named this species, which is truly a natural wonder, after Marley because of my respect and admiration for Marley's music," Sikkel said Tuesday in a press release from the National Science Foundation.

The "One Love" singer now has at least two species named after him.

"Plus, this species is as uniquely Caribbean as Marley."

Gnathiamarleyi hide among coral rubble to attack fish, which they infest and feed on until they die off as adults, Sikkel explained.

Sikkel and his colleagues have been intensely investigating the species because it could be contributing to the decline in Caribbean coral reef health.

They suspect coral degradation facilitates parasite attacks, increasing the spread of bloodborne diseases that cause a decrease in the fish population.

The parasite is similar to bloodsucking ticks and diseasecarrying mosquitoes, Sikkel said.

Specimens of the Gnathiamarleyi will be held indefinitely at the American Museum of Natural History in New York for future reference.

Marley has other creatures named after him, including the Bob Marley sponge in the Great Barrier Reef. The late reggae icon from Jamaica is one of many celebrities with species named in their honor. A wasp was named after Elvis Presley and a lichen after Barack Obama, according to the Guardian.

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Steroid inhalers ‘can make children suffering from asthma shorter in adulthood’

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hildren taking inhaled steroid drugs for asthma end up being slightly shorter as adults than those not using the medication, say researchers.

On average, children on steroids for asthma were half an inch shorter than their peers.

It is the first major study to follow children with asthma into adulthood for height checks, even though many parents have long held concerns about steroids potentially affecting their growth.

But they should be reassured that steroids can be lifesaving and untreated asthma can also lead to poor growth, according to doctors.

The study findings were presented yesterday at the European Respiratory Society meeting in Vienna, Austria, and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine.

It involved more than 1,000 children aged 5-12 who were treated for mild to moderate asthma for four years as part of a U.S. clinical trial.

The children were divided into three groups: one received twice-daily budesonide, an inhaled corticosteroid medication; a second group received nedocromil, an inhaled non-steroid medication; and a third group received a placebo.

All children received albuterol, a fast-acting drug also known as salbutamol for relief of acute asthma symptoms, and oral corticosteroids as needed for asthma symptoms.

The researchers followed 943 participants in the trial at regular intervals until they reached adult height at 18 for

girls and 20 or older for men.

The average adult height was about one-half inch, or 1.2cm, shorter in the group that received budesonide than in those taking nedocromil or placebo.

The patients who had slower growth were primarily between 5-11 years old when they began using budesonide.

The slower growth took place only in the first two years of the four-year study.

As the study progressed, the children who took the budesonide remained one-half inch shorter through adulthood than the children who did not use the drug.

Study leader Robert Strunk, the Donald Strominger Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, said ‘This was surprising because in previous studies, we found that the slower growth would be temporary, not affecting adult height.

‘But none of those studies followed patients from the time they entered the study until they had reached adult height.’

The researchers considered other factors that might have affected growth, including gender, age at the time the child entered the trial, how long the child had had asthma, as well as ethnicity, severity of asthma and reactivity to a skin test for allergies.

Prof Strunk said ‘We found it made no difference if they were boys or girls or how long they had had asthma.

‘We also looked at the height of the parents, and that didn’t have any impact, either.’

Prof Strunk said physicians

A major study has found on average, children on steroids for asthma were half an inch shorter than their peers monitor the progress of children with asthma to check for side effects from steroids.

He said ‘If a child is not growing as they should, we may reduce their steroid dose.

‘But we think that the halfinch of lowered adult height must be balanced against the well-established benefit of inhaled corticosteroids in controlling persistent asthma.

‘We will use the lowest effective dose to control symptoms to minimise

concerns about effects on adult height.’

Inhaled corticosteroids are the most effective form of antiinflammatory treatment for asthma, which affects one in seven children in Britain.

Malayka Rahman, research analysis and communications officer at Asthma UK, says: ‘We know that some people with asthma don’t always take their medicines as prescribed because they are concerned about the side effects of their medication.

‘Inhaled corticosteroids are highly effective in the treatment of asthma and can save lives. So it is crucial to remember the benefits of taking inhaled steroids and these often far outweigh the costs.

‘It is important to note that chronic untreated asthma in children can itself cause poor growth. If parents are concerned about any aspect of their child’s medication they should talk to their doctor or asthma nurse.’

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

How basking in the sunshine could help treat patients with TB

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itamin D can speed up recovery in tuberculosis (TB) patients, say researchers.

It suggests that the 19th century practice of sending patients to retreats to soak up the sun’s rays could have done some good.

The latest study found patients recovered more quickly from the infection lung disease if they combined antibiotics with exposure to sunlight.

The findings, from Queen Mary University, suggest high doses of the vitamin dampen down the body’s inflammatory response to infection, reducing damage to the lungs.

Study leader Adrian Martineau, said: ‘Sometimes these inflammatory responses can cause tissue damage leading to ... cavities in the lung.

‘If we can help these cavities to heal more quickly, then patients should be infectious for a shorter period of time, and they may also suffer less lung damage.’

The researchers also said they think vitamin D’s ability to dampen inflammatory

responses without interfering with the action of antibiotics suggests supplements might be

useful for patients taking antibiotics for diseases like pneumonia, sepsis and other

Catching the rays: Vitamin D appears to dampen inflammatory responses.

lung infections.

TB, which people in wealthier parts of the world often mistakenly believe to be a thing of the past, is proving a tough disease to beat. In 2010, it infected 8.8 million people worldwide and killed 1.4 million.

Drug-resistant cases of Tuberculosis are on the rise in the UK, according to figures released in July. In 2010, there were 342 cases which could not be dealt with by traditional antibiotics, while in 2011, this figure rose to 431.

The infection destroys lung tissue, causing patients to cough up the bacteria which then spreads through the air and can be inhaled by others.

In recent years, rates of drug-resistant TB have been spreading fast across the world, causing alarm among public health officials and prompting calls for more research into new and more effective treatments.

The researchers, whose study was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, split 95 TB patients who were on

standard antibiotic treatment into two groups. For the first eight weeks of their treatment, 44 of them were also given high dose vitamin D, while the remaining 51 got placebos.

Anna Coussens from Britain’s National Institute for Medical Research measured signs of inflammation in blood samples to see what effect the vitamin D had on immune responses.

‘We found that a large number of these inflammatory markers fell further and faster in patients receiving vitamin D,’ she said.

The researchers also found that Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause TB, cleared from the phlegm coughed up from deep in the lungs faster in patients on vitamin D, taking an average of 23 days to become undetectable under the microscope compared to 36 days in those on placebo.

Martineau said it was too early to recommend all TB patients take high-dose vitamin D alongside antibiotics, as more research with a larger group of patients was needed first.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 37

PDP @ 14: Lessons for the opposition ANALYSIS Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently celebrated 14th anniversary of its political leadership in Nigeria. In this piece, Okaforadi Ikechukwu takes a look at the lessons which the opposition parties could learn from the ruling party’s style of managing its internal differences.

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fter celebrating the 14 th anniversary of being at the helm of the political leadership in the country, particularly at the interface of myriad of challenges facing the nation, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has witnessed attacks and comments from both its political rivals and the general public.

While some political observers argued that the celebration amounts only to a caricature on the plights of Nigerians, others openly described it as celebration of 14 years of complete misrule.

This is essentially as the majority of Nigerians believe that PDP remains the architect of the woes betiding it. This view is equally shared by lots of political activists, including some important members of the party.

Nevertheless, the leadership of the party has enumerated the various giant strides which it recorded since it came on board power in 1999, insisting that Nigerian opposition parties are not even qualified to be trusted with power in the country.

However, one essential mark which the PDP is known for remains its ability to manage its internal differences and accommodate divergent interests of the party loyalists.

This strategy is variously described as ‘fall in or fall out’ rule, which its leadership uses to stabilize the party. This rule has enabled the party, which is acclaimed the largest in Africa, to manage its fortunes, both material and humans, to its advantage.

It accounts for why the party has the finest and craftiest of members. To a certain extent, one can say that those who have nothing new to offer in the party may not find a place in its echelon unless such are content with the position of floor members.

In addition to this, the party has a special strategy of compensating its members who are aggrieved, and as such retain them in the fold unlike most political parties.

After its resounding victory in the 1999 general election,

the PDP’s fortunes grew in leaps and bounds, creating the challenge of how best to manage the new entrants most of who obviously came in with divergent interests.

The quest then was how to give equal treatment to members since they have different political backgrounds and interest that coalesced into those of the self acclaimed largest political party in the sub Sahara. These become more apparent due to inequality in both the economic and political resources of the states of the federation.

It was the realization of this reality that precipitated the concept of zoning in the party.

Thus, one can say without fear of contradiction that PDP is the foremost party that formalized the zoning arrangement before other parties began to follow suit. However, the death of then President Musa Yar’Adua, inflicted another injury on this arrangement, which opposition folds decried for being undemocratic and unsustainable.

Political watchers have maintained that the death of the late Yar’Adua and the subsequent victory of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011 Presidential election, after he

PDP Chairman, Bamanga Tukuru completed Yar’Adua’s tenure, had buried zoning. But the election of Dr. Bamangar Tukur as the National Chairman of the party eloquently highlighted the fact that zoning my have been revived in the PDP. As at 1999, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) was the second largest political platform in Nigeria. However, shortly after the election, the party was unable to manage its resources which culminated into mass exodus of heavy political figures out of the party created the vacuum that is threatening to sound the death knell on the party.

For instance, former

ANPP Chairman, Chief Ogbonnaya Onu

CPC Chairman, Chief Tonny Momoh Governor Attahiru Bafarawa of Sokoto state who used to be a staunch member of ANPP left the party over minor internal squabbles; his successor, Magatakada Wammako equally left the party for the ruling PDP and has since been in the saddle.

ANPP’s Presidential candidate in the 2007 Presidential election, General Muhammadu Buhari, also left the party to float the Congress for Progressive change (CPC).

This exodus of staunch

“

As the 2015 approaches, opposition parties, if they are serious in wresting leadership from PDP, should start by learning how to address their internal wrangling rather than allow it to derail their political focus members of the ANPP and the dearth of their replacement has made the party to become a shell of its old self.

A reliable source within the ANPP noted that the party still mourns the exit of General Buhari, disclosing that these exits have cost the party the governorship of not less than six states.

Apart from ANPP, just recently, a severe face off arose between Governor Peter Obi of Anambra state and the Chairman of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Victor Umeh. This face off has, just like what obtained in ANPP, threatened the strength of APGA, which observers say may as well be heading towards extinction..

Study by a University of California based political researcher has indications that the greatest stumbling block to the progress of opposition parties across Africa is not funds as being propagated by their leadership but their inability to manage their internal differences a la PDP. This research revealed that inability of opposition parties the to manage their internal differences creates the tendency and desire by their members to either defect to other parties or float another platform which usually may not be as politically strong as their parent party.

Placed with Nigerian political experience, the research only goes to confirm reason for proliferation of parties. This proliferation, rather than expand the democratic frontiers of the country, has hampered same due to its tendency to make nonsense of the opposition politics.

As the 2015 approaches, opposition parties, if they are serious in wresting leadership from PDP, should start by learning how to address their internal wrangling rather than allow it to derail their political focus.

PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Dissolve Kebbi NULGE, National body urged From Ahmed Idris, Birni Kebbi

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member of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Bala Baba Abubakar, has urged the national body of the union to dissolve the executive of its Kebbi branch Abubakar said the election that brought in the executive led

by Bello Barande was flawed and as such should be annulled to allow for transparent poll.

He insisted that there was no NULGE election in Kebbi saying ''We don't have any executive, we are calling on the National

L-R: Chief Femi Falana (SAN), Comrade Isa Aremu, and Permanent Secretary(Political), Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Aliyu Ismaila, during the presidential retreat for Civil Society Organisations, yesterday at the State House, in Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

ACN throwing South/West states into debt, PDP alleges From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

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he National Vice Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (South-West), Chief Segun Oni has alleged that the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governments in the South West is throwing the region into debts.

The party also called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other financial clearing houses to do everything possible to checkmate the rate at which the states are obtaining loans, which he described as alarming.

Oni, who said the ACN controlled States will go bankrupt if they continue with "this regime of taking loans and bonds and giving promissory notes on multi billion naira contracts to execute questionable projects like building new government houses.

He added that all well-meaning Yoruba sons and daughters must caution these ACN governors before they completely mortgage the children yet unborn.

In a release signed by his Media aide, Mr Lere Olayinka, the PDP National Vice Chairman said it was worrisome that less than two years that ACN took over Osun and Ekiti states, the two states are now indebted to the tune of over N150 billion, with Ogun State on the verge of taking N100 billion bond.

He said Osun state alone was owing over N120 billion, Ekiti is owing over N30 billion and is rumoured to be planning to take another N30 billion while Lagos state government was said to have, as at June 30, 2012, accumulated an external debt profile of $517,677,672 (more than half a billion dollars), despite having a monthly revenue of about N23 billion.

"We wish to alert all well-meaning Yoruba sons and daughters on the dangerous trend of obtaining frivolous loans by the ACN governors in the South-West, and call on the CBN and other financial regulatory agencies to put a stop it.

"As at today, Osun state has taken N60 billion bond, N25 billion loan from the First Bank, N17.8 billion

from Infrastructure Bank (to construct Oshogbo-Kwara Boundary road), N17.5 billion road project (six inter-township roads) to RATCON on contractor financing and another N7.6 billion Ilesha and Oshogbo township roads to RATCON on contractor financing. Contractor financing means you are borrowing from your contractor at a cost higher than even bank term loans.

"In Oyo state, a 4km road project around Challenge area in Ibadan was awarded for N5.7 billion to Hitech Construction Company, owned by ACN leader, Bola Tinubu on contractor financing basis while the same practice is going on in Ogun state, and one begins to wonder where the States incomes (federal allocation and Internally Generated Revenue) are going into.

"It is therefore on this note that we are calling on well meaning Yoruba people to intervene in the affairs of the region by preventing these ACN governors from mortgaging the future of our children through frivolous loans because most of the loans being obtained now cannot be paid back in the next 50 years."

Orji’s aide defends introduction of bio-metrics in Abia LGs

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hief Lucky Akabuike, a Special Adviser to Abia Governor on Labour Matters, has said that the introduction of bio-metric system in the local government system was not to witch-hunt anybody.

Akabuike made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Wednesday.

He explained that the measure was intended to correct the ‘’rot and decadence’’ that characterised the local government administration in the state.

He said that the policy had come to stay, adding that those opposed to it were “the ones benefitting from the rot and

decadence. ’’ “These are the people who would report for duty when they like and leave when they like or not come to work at all, but receive salary every month.

“This is not only evil but criminal and government is determined to put an end to it, ’’ Akabuike said.

The governor’s aide said that genuine workers, who were always at their duty posts, had nothing to fear about the biometric system.

He explained that the system would serve the same purpose as the attendance register and only required the worker to “log in and log out’ on a daily basis.

“The difference is that the manual register is analogue,

while the bio-metric system is digital.’’

He described those opposed to it as ‘living in the analogue era’ and blamed the problem of irregular payment of council workers’ salaries in the wake of the introduction of the policy ``on the resistance against it by some workers.’’

NAN reports that most of the 17 Local Government Areas have been battling with the problem of workers’ salary since the bio-metric system was introduced.

Akabuike said that those who had been captured by the biometrics had always collected their salaries as at when due and remarked that the problem was a “normal problem associated

leadership of the union to send a delegate to Kebbi state and inaugurate another executive to the state chapter just for peace to reign'' he said.

Abubakar appealed to the national body to dissolve the exco in order to ensure fairness and justice and resolve the crisis currently threatening to tear the union apart in the state.

He said "Frankly, we at the local government's level are not properly and adequately represented since the leaders were not elected by members of the union, rather what we have was just a mare kangaroo nominations" he said.

Makinde tasks Amosun on governance

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he Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr Sunday Makinde, on Wednesday urged Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun to make performance the pivot of his administration.

Makinde made the appeal in Abeokuta when he led a delegation of the church to the governor’s office in Oke-Mosan.

The cleric specifically appealed to the governor to ensure adequate provision of social amenities in order to improve the living standard of the people.

The prelate also implored the governor to justify his choice by ensuring that the dividends of democracy were extended to the people.

Makinde argued that the success of the administration would depend on the level of service to the people, adding that it would also enhance any possible second term bid.

“Today, we all remember late Chief Obafemi Awolowo because of the selfless service he rendered to his people.

‘’Once you meet the needs of the people through provision of social amenities, you will have less work to do in convincing them of any possible second term ambition. ‘’This is because your performance will be there to speak for you and you will not have much explanation to do,’’ he said.

In his remarks, Amosun pledged his administration’s commitment to good governance in the state.

He dismissed rumours that the state government had plans to permanently take over missions schools in the state.

The governor said he was a beneficiary of a mission school, recalling that he attended the African Church Grammar School.

“We have only requested to be given time to sort out ourselves so that over 20,000 children will not begin to roam the streets by the time we return the schools to the missionaries. ‘’We are presently building model schools that will compete favourably with private schools,’’ he said. (NAN)

Vincent’s death, great loss to Nigeria – Ajimobi

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ov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo state has described the death of former CBN governor, Mr Ola Vincent, as a great loss to the country.

The governor, in a statement issued in Ibadan by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr Festus Adedayo, said the news of the demise came as a rude shock.

“It was with rude shock that I received the news of the passing away of Pa Ola Vincent in a Lagos hospital. “ Even though he died at the ripe age of 87, nevertheless his death is very unfortunate and a great loss to Nigeria.

“He was a world-class economist, distinguished banker and public servant. He was an illustrious son of Nigeria,’’ Ajimobi said.

Ajimobi said Vincent’s tenure as CBN governor witnessed rapid

economic growth owing to his sound economic policies and administrative dexterity.

“It is particularly painful that Pa Vincent passed away at such an auspicious time when his wealth of experience is most needed to salvage the country from its present economic doldrums.

“As painful as his death is, we are, however, consoled by the fact that he lived a fulfilled life; a life of unflinching commitment, dedication, patriotism and service to humanity; a life that is worthy of emulation,’’ he said.

While praying God to grant the deceased eternal rest, Ajimobi urged his immediate family, friends and associate not to mourn him but to celebrate him as a great achiever who put his God-given endowments at the disposal of his country.(NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 39

Group threatens litigation against planned sack of 15,000 workers in Zamfara

By Lawrence Olaoye

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group of opposition politicians in Zamfara state under the leadership of Rep Muhammadu Bello Matawalle has given two weeks ultimatum to the state government to rescind its plan to sack 15, 000 of its workers or face legal action.

Spokesperson of the group, Alhaji Ahmed Leda, who issued

the ultimatum in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said the planned mass sack of the civil servant by the state government would deprive more than 60, 000 people of the state their means of livelihood.

Leda noted that if implemented, the planned sack will aggravate the prevailing security challenges facing the North and increase the high level of poverty in the

state. He described the planned mass sack as “antipeople and even anti-Islam.”

The statement cautioned the state governor, Abdulazeez Yari against what it called “ his penchant for championing anti-people policies,” recalling that the governor was the first among his northern colleagues to support the recent removal of fuel subsidy by President

Goodluck Jonathan.

The Group insisted that rather than retrenching civil servant, the state governor should instead cut down the number of his numerous aides, which it said add no any value to the state, adding that “the cut should be extended to the offices of three first ladies being operated in the state.”

It noted that even Federal Government could not afford to

sack 15,000 of its workers at a go, and called on organized labour at the state and federal level, as well other stakeholders in the state to resist the planned retrenchment and halt the impending crisis it would generate.

“We therefore called on the state Governor not to stretch his luck to far by allowing our two weeks ultimatum to lapse,” the Group warned.

CPC chairman advocates fairness in governance From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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he Vice Chairman of Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, NorthCentral zone, Alhaji Abu Onaji yesterday called on the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to consider opposition as veritable tools for good governance.

Onaji who made the call yesterday in Lokoja during reconciliation of aggrieved party members in Kogi state enjoined the ruling party to listen to the advice of the opposition for proper focus in the overall interest of the citizenry.

Admonishing members of CPC in the state to close ranks for the success of the party, he noted that hard work and loyalty to party are important even as he urged the members to avoid any rancour that could tarnish individual image and deter the progress of the party.

He informed the members that merger of CPC with Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, is progressing satisfactorily with other opposition indicating interests in the project. He assured that with transparency of the party leader, Gen Muhammadu Buhari in handling the matter, every member should be proud of the great party.

He urged every member of the party to map out strategies at winning position in the December 8 , council election in the state, stressing that all interested aspirants for the election should be given form based on compliance with set rules.

L-R: Senate President David Mark, Senator Tunde Ogbeha,Captain Ehiede Samson, and Major-Genera Alwali Kazir, in a chat during the annual general meeting of 3rd regular course of Nigerian Defence Academy Alumni Association, yesterday in Otukpo, Benue state.

Jonathan's Refusal to sack Okupe an official endorsement of corruption-ACN

By Umar Muhammad Puma

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he Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described the inability of President Goodluck Goodluck Jonathan to sack his embattled Senior Special Assistance on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe despite the corrupt allegation leveled against him by the former Governor of Benue, Mr. George Akume, as an official endorsement of corruption by his administration.

The party in a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated "This is a case which raises serious legal

and financial issues that must necessarily warrant the intervention of the EFCC in terms of investigating the allegation of financial impropriety leveled against the Presidential Aide if the Federal Government wants it to be taken seriously on its war against corruption."

It said that on several occasions in the past, the EFCC had preffered criminal charges against individuals and companies who received money for the purpose of the execution of contracts awarded to them and failed or refused to fulfill such.

"Dr. Doyin Okupe's case is not

different from any of these. In the face of the obvious attempt by the Presidency, the Peoples Democratic Party and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission to sweep this case under the carpet, the Action Congress of Nigeria sees the need to present once again unadorned the facts of this case to the public, which are as follows: Value Trust, a company in which Dr. Doyin Okupe serves as Chairman, received the sum ofN886.8 million as mobilisation from the Benue State Government out of the contract sum of N2.3 billion to construct 230 kilometres of rural road and failed to execute

the contract.

"This non-performance of the contract after having collected the sum of N886.8 million mobilisation fee is a clear-cut situation where the provisions of the law relating to obtaining money under false pretence should be invoked and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission must treat this incident in the same manner as it has been treating all other similar cases of obtaining money under false pretences.

"Therefore, the stance of both the Benue State Government and the Peoples Democratic Party to treat this obvious criminal act with triviality by treating it as a mere civil commercial disagreement that could be summarily resolved

59 female aspirants jostle for chairmanship, councillorship positions in Benue

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total of 59 female aspirants have s i g n i f i e d interest in chairmanship and councillorship positions on the platform of the three major political parties in the forthcoming local government election in Benue.

Investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi showed that the

parties are PDP, ACN and ANPP. The investigation also showed that of the number, 15 are vying for chairmanship positions while 44 are going for councillorship in the 23 local government areas.

It further showed that for the chairmanship position, 12 of the aspirants are seeking nomination on the platform of

the PDP while three are for the ACN. The PDP has 32 female aspirants for counci llorship position, ACN has 11 and ANPP, one.

NAN reports that a total of 44 councillorship aspirants have already picked forms to seek nomination as councillors out of the 276 councillorship slots in the forthcoming council

poll.

NAN, however, reports that the few female aspirants were already alleging imposition of candidates on the electorate and the use of money to induce the people.

One of the female aspirants, Mrs Ann Makama, was apprehensive that the polls might be hijacked by money bags.

She expressed regrets that money politics had affected women’s participation in the polls, saying that they were not given adequate support by the government as it gave their male counterparts.

NAN reports that some gender-based NGOs have promised to support the female aspirants across the state.

(NAN)

PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012 With Tobias Lengnan Dapam 07036990957

Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj light up performance at VMAs

P

rolific rapper, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, yesterday in Los Angeles, lights-up performance at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), including Rihanna, who opened the show with a remix of her song “Cockiness.”

Hollywood reporter confirmed that it was a night to remember, as the artists sang to the delight of their fans and crowd who came to be part of the award night.

However, early in the week,

host Kevin Hart announced that Nicki Minaj will perform as a surprise guest with a previously announced performer.

Hart did not disclose who the hip-hop star would pair up with, but other performers on the show include Frank Ocean, Alicia Keys, Green Day, Pink and One Direction.

At the press event on Tuesday, Hart also announced that rapper 2 Chainz will be performing and Demi Lovato,

Rita Orr and Psy would all appear on the show.

Also, three of the five U.S. Olympics gymnasts were also present at the press conference.

Gabby Douglas, Kyla Ross and McKayla Maroney announced that Lil Wayne will be performing his new song “No Worries” and that Katy Perry would give out the first award for best pop video.

Hart, who hosted the VMAs for the first time yesterday, told reporters that he planned

on taking some jabs at members of the music community during his opening monologue.

“The beauty of me being the host is that, you don’t know what to expect. Nobody is off

limits,” he said. “I think it’s my job to put the room in a place where people can relax and have a good time and the best way to do that is to show people they can poke fun at themselves”, he said.

NBC bans Wande Coal’s new video

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he National Broadcasting Commission has banned Wande Coal’s new video, ‘Go Low’, Nigeriafilm.com authoritatively revealed.

However, several emails were sent out regarding this report but no official statement was heard from the MAVIN records or Wande Coal as regards this recent development.

Nigeriafil.com gathered that Barely a week and a few

days after its release, the video managed to get the NTBB (not to be broadcast) ban which only restricts the video from being played on ‘Free-to-air’ TV stations, meaning that viewers of cable TV stations can still watch the video as the ban doesn’t affect them.

Many people have however apportioned blame to low-key singer, Kenny Saint – Best, who made her displeasure for the video public on twitter. Her

comments were sent to OAP’s and to the singer, Wande coal and Mavin records boss, Don Jazzy.

Best suggested that the video be taken down due to the high level of nudity shown in the video.

According to her, the video would ultimately contribute to the rise of rape cases in the country.

However, there has been no word from all parties involved.

Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj

D’Banj dumps Genevieve for Ndimi’s daughter

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igeria’s music vocalist Dapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’Banj is rumoured to be in sizzling romance with a high class lady, Adama Ndimi, a

sister to IBB’s son’s wife.

However, the Kokomaster, as he is also fondly called, was in the past romantically linked with superstar Nollywood actress,

Genevieve Nnaji.

Nigeriafilm.com revealed that there was a romance tale trailing D’Banj with Adama Ndimi, who is the younger sister of IBB’s son’s first wife, Muhammed Babangida, Rahama Indimi. She is the daughter of Maiduguri based multi-millionaire, Alhaji Mohammed Ndimi. Adama is a student of Lynn University, Florida, USA. It was reported that a

series of tweets started this speculations, making some people to ask if D’Banj has finally dropped Genevieve for Adama.

On August 13, 2012, Dbanj tweeted, “On my way to Club Icon with Naeto C and the crew! Tonight, we are drinking to celebrate my baby @Presido_Adama (Adama). Happy birthday love!

This was later followed by

a tweet on August 27, 2012 when Dbanj performed at a London concert which read, “You make me happy.” Then she posted some pictures of herself and D’Banj’s dancers backstage.

On August 29, 2012 she tweeted, “Happy love, happy laugh, happy soul!”You make me feel happy!” Hours later, she tweeted, “Mumsi said ‘I like your new Hannah Montana remix’.

Aki and Paw Paw see me as threat -Ibrahim Musa

T D’Banj and Adama Ndimi

Akon, Wyclef feature in Jeta Amata’s Film

I

nternational superstars, Akon and Wyclef Jean have displayed their love for Nigeria’s entertainment industry by appearing in one of Nollywood finests, Jeta Amata in his new flick, Black November.

The Multiple platinum international recording artists, Wyclef Jean and Akon have in recent time associated themselves to Nigeria in affable way.

While Wyclef aligned himself with Nigerian acts Soundsultan and Faze in past years, Akon on the other hand has been spotted more recently with P-square on music collaborations.

The two stars have however taken their artistry to another level by featuring in this new flick.

The movie recently shot in Los Angeles California USA,is about the struggles of the Niger Delta.

Akon and Wyclef are said to have joined the set during the last phase of shooting, and the movie has since entered post production stage.

Other actors making the list included; Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Mbong Amata, Mickey Rourke(iron man2), Kim Basinger, Sarah Wayne Callies, Enyinna Nwigwe, and Anne Heche. Also featured in the film are Fred Amata, Nse IkpeEtim, OC Ukeje, and Robert Peters.

he brouhaha raging in the midst of the small sized actors in the Nollywood industry could no longer be contented as one of them, Ibro Ibrahim Musa has taken the showdown attitude which he receives from two Nollywood actors, Chinedu Ikedieze and Osita Iheme popularly known as Aki N’Ukwa to the public.

According to the Benue state born actor who has so far featured in over sixty movies, the duo believe that his entrance into the Nollywood industry would bring down their longtime built reputation and fame to nothing, now enraging them to ponder hatreds on him as the surviving actor.

“They believe I want to take over from them, while that is not my intention. The industry is so big that it can contain whatever good talent anybody is coming with. I have received series of report, from people, both on pages of newspaper on how they are biffing me,” he said.

On if he is muttering intentions of hitting the

formers back following the level of disrespect he receives from them, he said, “Not that I don’t

Ibrahim Musa

care, but what keeps me going is the talent in me. Your talent is the determining factor, the level of prominence and feed back you receive from your fans will tell you if you are trying or not. So, I keep telling them to take it easy, because they have their own fans while I have mine. I see and take them as my brothers”, he said Having made his sojourn into the Nollywood industry in 2001, Ibrahim admitted that his achievement could be measured with that of many actors when the entertainment industry took its place in the country. For him, Nollywood has changed his life, as he could boldly testify to it, “the kind of people I go out and hang out with now are mostly top business friends.

Sometimes I wonder if I would have achieved the position I have gotten in life without being an actor,” he asserted.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 41

FIFA rates Nigerian women football high

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Desire Oparanozie, Falconets’ top scorer

Road to Brazil begins in Europe

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he first set of European Zone qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil gets underway today and Saturday, with no fewer than 24 intriguing fixtures on the agenda. All 53 UEFA member associations will take part in Round 1, which will see the nine group winners qualify automatically, while Round 2 will consist of four home-andaway play-offs between the eight best runners-up.

While reigning world champions Spain, placed in the five-team Group I, will sit out the first weekend of action, there are hugely important games spread throughout the pools, many of which appear difficult to predict.

One of the biggest clash will be between Netherlands and Turkey.

Wales-Belgium Croatia-Macedonia Scotland-Serbia (Sept 8) Malta-Armenia Bulgaria-Italy Denmark-Czech Rep. (Sept 8) Germany-Faroe Islands Kazakhstan - Ireland Netherlands-Turkey Andorra-Hungary Estonia-Romania Iceland-Norway Albania-Cyprus Slovenia-Switzerland Russia-N/Ireland Luxembourg-Portugal Azerbaijan-Israel Liechtenstein-B/ Herzegovina Lithuania-Slovakia Latvia-Greece Montenegro-Poland Moldova-England Georgia-Belarus Finland-France

also happen in the women’s game.

“I must also use this opportunity to commend the huge steps that Japan and indeed other Asian countries have taken in women’s football.”

IFA President Sepp Blatter has paid glowing tributes to Nigeria’s growing women’s football, saying that the leading is one of the leading lights in global female soccer.

“Nigeria has not only shown great potential and ability in the men’s game; she has continued to exert strength and direction in the women’s game. Thanks to Nigeria, women football in Africa is becoming stronger in strength and enterprise, and we are the happier for it as a world body.

“The Falconets finished second at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany, and now have opportunity to take the bronze

after losing in the semi final against the USA. They will be very strong against the host nation (Japanese) for the bronze medal match and anything can happen, “ said Blatter.

He gave the praise at a dinner in honour of the remaining teams in the ongoing FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan.

The dinner, which was attended by FIFA Executive Committee, top officials of the Japanese monarchy and the local organizing committee of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Japan 2012, members of various FIFA Committees, women football icons, officials of the four teams remaining in the competition and FIFA staff, was

T

Savic banned for life by CAS

he Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) yesterday rejected an appeal by Serbian tennis player David Savic and upheld the life ban for match-fixing imposed on him by the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU).

Savic was banned by the TIU in 2010 and the CAS said it was proven he “had made invitations to another tennis player to fix the outcome of tennis matches.”

“The CAS has confirmed the

decision... to rule that David Savic be permanently ineligible to participate in any event organised or sanctioned by any tennis governing body,” the Swiss-based court said.

Savic, who never managed a place in the top 300 of the men’s ATP rankings and spent all but his entire career on the

an opportunity for Blatter to appraise the progress of the tournament.

“I remember very well that when at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Germany, the final was between USA and Japan and Japan was triumphant. At the 2012 Olympic Games Women’s Football Tournament in London few weeks ago, the final was also between USA and Japan, but this time, USA was triumphant.

“Yet, in all my years in football, I have never seen a losing team in the final so happy.

They lost but they were happy, because they knew they already put their best efforts and these were not enough. I wish this can

Challenger circuit, argued he did not attempt to fix matches and was set up by another player.

But the CAS panel annulled a 100 000-dollar fine the TIU also imposed on Savic because it was “inappropriate” on top of a life ban “which provides for the deterrence that corruption offences call for.”

Sepp Blatter

The TIU was created in 2008 to deal with corruption issues in the sport, and is backed by the International Tennis Federation and the men’s and women’s professional tours.

Savic is the second player to receive a life ban for matchfixing, following Austrian Daniel Koellerer, who received the same sanction last year.

Nations Cup: Keshi vows to quit .....if

By Patrick Andrew “If I fail, I won’t wait to be asked to go. I will throw in the towel and move on.” uper Eagles Head Coach, Stephen Keshi, has vowed to resign from the post if the Eagles failed to secure the ticket to the 2013 Nations Cup Finals at the expense of Liberia.

The coach, who was unusually boisterous especially following the physical and mental disposition of his squad ahead of tomorrow’s crucial first clash between the Eagles and the Lone Stars in Monrovia, said should the Eagles cannot afford to lose to their opponents.

Keshi, who exuded confidence especially following the visit of President Goodluck Jonathan to the team where he charged them to beat the Lone Stars and ensure Nigeria berth at the 2013 Nations Cup to be hosted by South Africa, asserted that he would not have to wait to booted out of the post before kicking himself out if matters get to that level.

“But God forbid that we get to a stage where we do not qualify. My boys are focussed and I am sure they also want to be in South Africa after they failed to get to the last competition in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea,” he said.

Though he acknowledged the unpredictability of football, but

S

Keshi was confident his charges have the depth, experience, confidence, poise and determination to confront and conquer any opponents at the moment because of their hunger to rule Africa again.

“But football can be unpredictable and that is why we have to redouble our efforts to ensure we qualify. If I fail, I won’t wait to be asked to go. I will throw in the towel and move on,” Keshi declared.

Keshi, who denied narrowing his attacking options to Chelsea’s new acquisition, Victor Moses, said he intends to adopt a formation that makes holistic approach to the game a priority.

“The most important thing right now is the game against Liberia.

Nigerians want a victory and we must do our best to get a good result in that game,” he stressed. he also spoke of their opponents stressing that he was unperturbed by neither their foreign-based professionals nor their formation.

“Their new coach has turned the team around since we beat them 2-0 and this only means we have to lift our game to win again,”said the coach, who watched the Lone Star beat Malawi in a warm-up match on Tuesday. “They play a 4-4-2 formation, which means they will be very active in the middle. We shall see how we will counter them and get the goals.”

The Eagles will early this morning fly out to Liberia from Abuja on a chartered flight.

Ikechukwu Uche, Godfrey Oboabana, Elderson Echiejie, Vincent Enyeama, the men Keshi would rely on to remain on the post

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Curtain drops today on NPL season

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hampions Dolphin are one of several clubs who could well be demoted after final Nigeria Premier League matches today.

The Port Harcourt-based team suddenly dropped from title holders and contenders to battling relegation largely because four losses to Niger Tornadoes (0-4), Lobi Stars (0-2), Kano Pillars (1-2) and Heartland (0-1).

However, they hope to make up at the last moment by doing the double on relegated Rising Stars, who lost

Champions Dolphins battle relegation the reverse game 0-1 to a Kennedy Chinwo free kick.

Already Bayelsa United have set a precedent when they won the league in 2009 only to be relegated the following season. On account of the Ocean Boys ruling, Dolphin are now 16th on the table, just a point above the relegation pack with 47 points.

Pillars hail Ocean Boys expulsion

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oach of yet-to-becrowned Kano Pillars, Baba Ganaru, has hailed Wednesday’s NPL board decision to expel Ocean Boys from the league for flouting the rule.

Ganaru said it was the best move that has happened to the league in recent years.

“The decision is the best thing that ever happened to the league in recent years because the law is clear on this if you failed to honour two consecutive matches such team will be expelled and their matches played and u n p l a y e d cancelled,”applauded Ganaru.

“We are delighted that justice has prevailed finally.

We are going to Ijebu-Ode to enjoy ourselves now that we are no more under any pressure.”

And basking in the euphoria of already being crowned champions, Kano Pillars flew by air to Lagos for their final match at Sunshine Stars.

This will only be the second time this year they will be flying by air for a league game as they also flew to Calabar by air in their last league match against Akwa United before the Federation Cup break.

“We flew to Lagos and will then make the short trip by road to Ijebu Ode by road,” Ganaru said.

David Tyakvase, Lobi Stars, Ibrahim Ajani, Sunshine Stars, Sibi Gwir, the leading contender for the Golden Boot

Champions Kano Pillars won’t take chances have lost the points. to secure against Sunshine team The result is that Pillars victory.

By Patrick Andrew

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in or lose in today’s final match of the season, yet-to-becrowned new champions of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL), Kano Pillars will leave nothing to chance as they tackle Sunshine Stars in Ijebu-Ode hoping to confirm their status as deserved winners of the elite division.

Penultimate night, the board of the NPL fater dilly dallying for awhile eventually acted in consonance with its Article 4 section 2 (3), which stipulated that any team that fails to honour two consecutive matches without reasonable force majeur stands expelled from the league and thus relegated, threw out Ocean Boys that had acted in breach of the provision.

It also deducted all points won, lost and shared by Ocean Boys on the course of the season meaning that teams that had hitherto beaten the Yenegoa-based

PUBLIC NOTICE

AFRICAN WOMEN ENTREPRENEUSHIP PROGRAMME NIGERIAN CHAPTER THE GENERAL PUBLIC IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT THE ABOVE NAMED ORGANIZATION HAS APPLIED TO THE CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION ABUJA FOR ADDITIONAL TRUSTEES UNDER PART ‘C’ OF THE COMPANIES AND ALLIED MATTERS ACT 1990 THE OLD TRUSTEES ARE : 1. AMMUNA LAWAN ALI 2. MS EVELYN OPUTU 3. FOLAKE MARKUS-BELLO THE ADDITIONAL TRUSTEES ARE: 1. MRS FOLAKE ITOHAN OKE-SALAMI 2. HAJIYA ASAMAU ABDULKADIR 3. MRS STELLA OKOLI THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES REMAIN THE SAME. ANY OBJECTION TO THESE CHANGES SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, MAITAMA ABUJA WITHIN 28 DAYS OF THIS PUBLICATION SIGNED: NURA SAIDU, ESQ. 08060245283

profited from it having lost its first match and would not be awarded the second since Ocean Boys had opted out before the game against them. It also meant that rivals such as Rangers and Lobi Stars that had rivalled Pillars had its points docked off-six points each.

“If a club fails to honour two consecutive matches without an acceptable reason such a club shall be expelled from the league and its matches played and unplayed shall be cancelled” to expel Ocean Boys as well as cancel their matches, played and un-played.

This leaves Kano Pillars on top of the log on 61 points ahead of their closest rivals, Lobi Stars and Enugu Rangers with 57 and 55 points respectively.

Thus, win or lose the Pillars are champions. But that won’t lead to complacency against Sunshine, whom though not severely threatened may have to watch their backs because they could be embarrassed.

Theophilus Afelokhai, goalkeeper, who is still furious over missing out in the Challenge Cup party following their semi-finals loss and defeat to Prime FC in the Losers’ final, said they will leave no stone unturned

They are home to already relegated Rising Stars and will have to win to move above the likes of Sunshine, who have 49 points, and ABS, Warri Wolves, Heartland, Gombe United, Jigawa Golden Stars, who are all on 48 points.

However, ABS are stuck on 48 points as their final game at home against Ocean Boys has been cancelled based on Wednesday’s ruling by the NPL. A big win by Gombe United against another threatened team Warri Wolves could well do ABS at a big favour and keep them up.

Another troubled club Jigawa are away to doomed Niger Tornadoes, who have refused to train for Friday’s match over their pay and may well be walked over at home.

All the other teams in the drop zone, Heartland and Kaduna United, will play their final games at home.

Ocean Boys, Rising Stars and Niger Tornadoes are already relegated to the lower Nigeria National League (NNL).

Current LOGS after decision

unassailable

“We want to end the season with a win, so we’re going to Ijebu-Ode to beat Sunshine Stars on Friday.

Our minds are made up to win well despite the latest development that handed the league title to us, so the match is a must win for us,” he said.

But they won’t have an easy ride against in-form Sunshine Stars who are basking in their CAF Champions League semifinals placement. It would be a morale booster if they beat new champions Pillars and thus psyche themselves ahead of the continental duel next month.

Besides, they want to end the season on the high and beating Pillars could well be just it. But will Pillars allow it? Not if Afelokhai is to be believed.

“It’s a challenge to us now that we’re champions and will fly Nigeria’s flag at the continent. Last time on the continent we left at the semifinal stage. Now we want to be champions.

“We, the players, have taken it up as a big task on our hands, once we’re done with the Sunshine Stars’ tie on Friday we’ll come back home to start preparation for the CAF Champions League campaign,” he said.

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CHANGE OF NAME

CHANGE OF NAME

I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS ADENIYI OMOTOMIYE OMOBOLANLE VICTORIA, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS ADENIYI OMOBOLANLE ZAINAB. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

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TODAYS’ MATCHES Kaduna United - Lobi Stars Kwara United - Shooting Stars Gombe United - Warri Wolves Heartland FC - Akwa Utd Tornadoes - Golden Stars Sunshine Stars - Kano Pillars Enyimba - Wikki Tourists Dolphin FC - Rising Stars Enugu Rangers - Sharks ABS - Ocean Boys * With the expulsion of Ocean Boys that game won't hold.

Teams standing before the expulsion of Ocean Boys

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 43

Olympic champ, Perkovic, breaks meet record as four others fall in Zagreb

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Sandra Perkovic

andra Perkovic breaks her meet record five days after she captured the Samsung Diamond League’s Diamond Race Trophy in the event, with a 65.79m effort which broke the meeting record she set two years ago.

Victories by three other Olympic champions and five new meeting records capped another highenergy edition of the Hanzekovic Memorial in Zagreb on Tuesday, the penultimate 2012

Rivers to host School Sports Festival in October, says Commissioner

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he Rivers Commissioner for Sports, Mr Fred Igwe, says the state will host the 5 th National Schools Sports Festival in October.

He told sportswriters in Port Harcourt on Wednesday that the Games would be for primary, junior secondary and senior secondary schools students.

Igwe said the state would host its own schools sports festival to select pupils and students that would represent it at the national event.

He, however, did not give the date when the national event will hold but said the state’s festival would preceded the competition in October.

“This is necessary to ensure we present a remarkable team to represent the state as host and also as a source for seeking young talents to represent the country in the future,” he said.

Igwe said School Sports would serve as an avenue to groom the next generation of Nigerian athletes.

He said the ability to groom school children into maturity and sustaining them would make the country win medals in future international Games. The commissioner said the state was already working on the proposed Sports Policy which entails drastic development of sports at the grassroots.

Draw for African Nations Championship 2014 qualifiers completed

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he Confederation of African Football has conducted the draw for the qualifiers for the African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2014 to be held in South Africa.

The draw was held at CAF HQ in Cairo led by Secretary General, Hicham El Amrani and included the fixtures for the preliminaries, first and second round matches from which 15 teams will emerge to join hosts South Africa for the finals.

The qualifiers are played on regional basis with the composition of the finalists as follows : two from North Zone, two from West A Zone, three from West B Zone, three from Central Zone, three from Central East and three from South Zone (including hosts South Africa) The seeding system used for the draw took into consideration amongst other criteria the teams’ performances from the last two editions of CHAN finals rankings.

meeting of the IAAF World Challenge series.

One of those records fell early before a nearcapacity crowd at the Sportpark Mladost courtesy of hometown girl Sandra Perkovic, whose London triumph in the Discus Throw was the firstever track and field Olympic gold for Croatia.

The 22-year-old perkovic dominated the early evening, opening with 65.40m, hitting the winner in round two and

again throwing beyond 65 metres in round five.

“I was a little disappointed with the competition,” said the 22year-old, who added 23 centimetres to the previous meet standard.

“They didn’t really motivate me. I wanted to throw 70 metres, but that’s ok.

I have to leave something for next season.”

Zinaida Sendriute of Lithuania was a distant second with 62.69m with Frenchwoman Melina Robert-Michon (60.50m)

another two metres back.

Another record to fall at the meeting’s 62nd

edition came in the final event, courtesy of Olympic 200.

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Blake looking to upstage Bolt in Brussels again today

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ohan Blake failed to upstage Usain Bolt at the Olympics when it really counted. He stands a better chance at the Van Damme Memorial today, even though the two Jamaicans won’t race each other.

Blake is returning to race the 200 metres at King Baudouin Stadium, one year after stunning everyone, Bolt included, by running the second-fastest time in history.

After beating Blake in the 100 and 200 at the London Games, three-time Olympic champion Bolt

will take centre stage again in the 100.

Blake says he is fit and eager to beat the 19.26 seconds he ran last year and the fickle weather should cooperate, with balmy temperatures and clear skies predicted in what would be perfect conditions for sprinting.

“I kept my body in good condition for this moment to finish the season on a high,” he said of the last Diamond League meet of the year.

Bolt’s world record in the 200 stands at 19.19 in his favourite event, but Blake

PUBLIC NOTICE

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feels he is getting better and better at the half-lap race.

“My 200 metres is getting much, much better,” Blake said. “I feel like I just started in a way.”

Help may also be offered by one of the best stadiums for the race. The 50 000capacity stadium is unexceptional in many ways but it has some of the widest corners on the circuit.

Three of the top-10 times were set in Brussels. Cut out the Olympics and world championships when the top stars always peak, and three of the four fastest times at the distance were set at King Baudouin.

That makes Blake’s race all the more alluring.

After the Olympics, Blake became the secondfastest man in history in the 100 when he clocked 9.69 in Lausanne, Switzerland, underscoring his form ahead of today’s race.

There will be overall winners in 15 events at the 14th and final Diamond League meeting this season.

Already leading and with Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell not competing, Bolt has a lock on the diamond trophy in the 100.

Yohan Blake

Usain Bolt

Police say ban on football viewing centres in Jos still on

T

Mohammed Abubakar , IGP

he Plateau Police C o m m a n d a n n o u n c e d yesterday in Jos that the ban on TV viewing centres in Jos was still in force and warned operators against flouting the order.

Mr Emmanuel Abu, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, said that the ban had not been reviewed, and stated that defaulters would be dealt with “decisively’’, if they were caught.

It would be recalled that

the police and the Special Task Force (STF) maintaining peace had banned viewing centres after discovering that they had become targets of terrorist attacks.

Some people were killed and many others injured in separate attacks on four viewing centres between April and June, prompting the ban.

Abu, however, said that the ban would be reviewed when the security situation in the metropolis

improved, and denied knowledge of any centre that was flouting the order.

“We have no report of any disobedience, but we shall start checking some of the viewing centres now that European nations have resume soccer action.

“Already, the Police Commissioner has directed all Divisional Police Officers to monitor their vicinities to ensure that the directive is complied with by operators in view of

security challenges in Plateau.’’

Some of the operators alleged that they had “a way of agreeing with the police officers in spite of the ban’’.

Capt. Salisu Mustapha, STF spokesman, who also spoke on the matter, disclosed that the ban was still in force.

“We have not announced a reversal and I shall be surprised if anyone flouts the order because it is in the interest of the public,’’ he said.

PAGE 44

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

Chukwu thumbs up for Keshi foreign, home-based players blending

F

ormer Super Eagles Coach, Christian Chukwu, has commended Coach Stephen Keshi’s principle and blending of both the home and foreign-based Eagles players.

Chukwu, who believes that the team was gradually gelling, lauded Keshi for the development stressing that it would start yielding positive results.

“I am happy with what Keshi is doing by giving both

Current Golden Eaglets are Nigeria’s youngest ever, says coach Garba

home and foreign based players’ equal amounts of opportunities to prove themselves. He’s doing a wonderful job and I’m positive that soon his initiative will materialise.

Nigerians should just be patient with him,” Chukwu said.

According to Chukwu, Keshi’s experiment has given the home-based players the sense of belonging and motivation.

“The era where foreignbased players were made to

be superior over the home based is over, as the home based players are now giving equal opportunity to prove themselves,” he said.

Commenting on Nigeria’s Nation’s Cup first leg qualifier match on Sept. 8 against Liberian Lone Stars, Chukwu urged the team not to underrate their opponent saying it could be dangerous.

Chukwu said that, rather, the Eagles should utilise every scoring chances to subdue the Lone Stars and warned them not to take the

Liberians for granted.

“My advice to the team is that they should not underrate the Liberians because doing that would be at their detriment.

“They should also make sure they utilise every chance that comes their way so that we don’t have a tense atmosphere in the second leg.

According to him, the Eagles should not sit back and try to defend, urging that they should go all out and get a win.

He added that with the players invited by Coach Stephen Keshi and with the

training they have passed through, he believed they were in good shape for the encounter.

“If we have the chance to wrap it up in Liberia, we should. I don’t expect us to sit back and try to defend or look for a draw.

“But, I believe that with the players invited and the training they’ve passed through, I’m sure that they are in good shape to get a win,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) has appointed Malian, Koman Coulibaly, as centre referee for the crucial first leg encounter in Monrovia.

G

olden Eaglets chief coach Manu Garba said he was in the process of grooming the youngest U-17 national football team in the nation’s history.

“I have been with the national teams for some time now and I assisted the late coach Yemi Tella to build one of Nigeria’s best junior teams that won the FIFA U17 World Cup in 2007 in Korea.

“But I can also assure that the current Golden Eaglets are going to be the youngest set of players Nigeria has ever presented for the U-17 competition.

“This is because the era of age cheating is gone as we have put in place several measures to check it,’’ the coach said on telephone from Calabar.

He praised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for continuing with the U13 national team programme, saying that it had made his job easier.

Garba said this had helped him to invite to camp more players from the U-15 national team, who graduated from the U-13 team.

“These players have gone through the proper development of learning the game’s basic skills at a young age and this has helped to make our job as coaches easier.

“This has also helped us in moulding a good Golden Eaglets team, one of the best and which I am confident will not disappoint Nigerians,’’ he said.

The Golden Eaglets will this weekend face Niger Republic in the first leg match of the 2013 African U-17 Championship qualifying tournament in Niamey.

The fixture’s second leg match will take place at the U. J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar on Sept. 22.

Godfrey Oboabana, Chigozie Agbim, Ejike Uzoenyi, Azubuike Egwueke, some of the homebased players making waves in Keshi’s new Eagles

CAF Champions League

Sunshine’ll win trophy for Nigeria, says Itodo Sunshine Stars FC of Akure player, Cletus Itodo, has declared that the club, will win the prestigious CAF Champions League in spite of all odds.

Already, Sunshine Stars, who qualified for the semi-final of the Confederation Cup on first time of asking just as they have done in the continental elite clubs c h a m p i o n s h i p s , according to the player have the potentials to become champions.

Though they lost narrowly 0-1 to Esperance of Tunisia a week ago, but had qualified on the account of the disqualification of Etoile du Sahel who were expelled for crowd trouble by the CAF. The riot caused the abandonment of a group stage match against Esperance FC of Tunisia on Aug. 18 in Sousse, Tunisia and Sunshine emerged second in group

Gbenga Ogunbote

A alongside, Esperance.

Aso Chlef of Algeria and Etoile lost out in the struggle.

“We believe that with our level of preparation, we’ll excel in the competition.

Our paramount ambition now, after succeeding all odds for the semis, is to bring home the cup and we can only achieve that if the country supports us with prayers,” he said.

He added that the team’s performance at the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) has been satisfactory and only hoped that they do better next season.

Sunshine Stars is currently 10 th on the league table with 53 points from 37 matches and with an outstanding match to go.

“The team’s performance in the league has been excellent, but we hope for a better performance in the next season because I know we can improve,” he said Itodo then appealed to the various clubs in the NPL to ensure that they encourage their players by paying their sign-on fees as constantly as possible.

“We players cannot continue playing with our sign-on fees unpaid by our clubs. Although, I’m not demanding for a raise in the sign-on fees, clubs should ensure regular and timely payments.

According to Itodo, owing players by clubs dampens their spirits,

stressing that they have

dependants.

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CHANGE OF NAME I, FORMERLY KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS AGUEGBOH MALCOM CHUKWUEMEKA, NOW WISH TO BE KNOWN AND ADDRESSED AS OMEGO MALCOM CHUKWUEMEKA. ALL FORMER DOCUMENTS REMAIN VALID. GENERAL PUBLIC SHOULD PLEASE TAKE NOTE.

PUBLIC NOTICE

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THE TRUSTEES ARE: 1. PASTOR MRS ESTHER OKOROEZI 2. REV. SONSY NDUBUISE 3. IMMANUEL NWACHUKWU THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES ARE: 1. TO PROPAGATE THE GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST WORLDWIDE AND PREPARE SOULS FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 2. TO TRAIN, ORDAIN GOSPEL MINISTERS AND CHURCH WORKERS AND LICENSE MEMBERS FOR THE WORK OF THE GOSPEL. 3. TO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST TO THE GENERALITY OF POEPLE TO THE END OF THE WORLD. 4. TO RENDER HELP TO THE FATHERLESS, MOTHERLESS, WIDOWS AND THE LESS PRIVILEGED IN THE SOCIETY. ANY OBJECTION TO THIS REGISTRATION SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO THE REGISTRAR-GENERAL, CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMISSION, PLOT 420, TIGRIS CRESCENT, OFF AGUIYI IRONSI STREET, MAITAMA, P.M.B. 198, GARKI, ABUJA WITHIN TWENTY-EIGHT (28) DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THIS PUBLICATION. SIGNED: BARR. ISHAKU SHUAIBU (08062659270)

Flamingoes can rule the world in Azerbaijan, says NFF

T

he Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is upbeat that the U-17 female team, Flamingoes, have the qualities to beat the rest of the world in Azerbaijan during the forthcoming FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The federation also said that the team have the necessary logistic support and exposure and therefore lack for naught in their quest to conquer the world.

NFF’s General Secretary, Musa Amadu, said shortly before the team departed the shore of the country for the tournament.

“We have given the U17 girls like we always give our National teams the very best in terms of training facilities,” he said of the Flamingoes who are drawn in Group A along with the host country, Azerbaijan, Colombia and Canada.

“They have completed their local training, as we speak they have landed in Lisbon and they are on their way to Faro in Portugal for the training camp that will last two weeks.

“While they are there, they will play series of friendly matches and get in shape for the competition that starts on Sept. 22.”

“We are obviously hoping that they will go beyond the quarter finals that their predecessors did in Trinidad and Tobago two years ago. And of course we are confident that they will also the nation proud in Azerbaijan.”

The Flamingoes defeated Kenya 5-0 and Zambia 6-1 on aggregate to qualify for the tournament and Amadu said this was yet another reason for confidence.

They left Nigeria on Monday on a training tour of Portugal on the final leg of their preparation for the World Cup in Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijan tournament, which is the third edition, will hold from Sept. 22 to Oct. 13 with three African representatives - Nigeria, Gambia and Ghana.

They were evicted from the last edition in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010 at the quarter final stage by Korea Republic, who became the eventual winners of the tournament.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 45

When President Jonathan sneezes

F

inally, after what seems like 'Waiting for Godot', President Goodluck Jonathan sneezes. He had been cowed into silence and utter in action two years ago.

Then, pissed off by incessant altercations within the sports sector and the embarrassing failures at continental and global soccer fiestas and other games, a worried Jonathan, by Presidential fiat, banned Nigeria from further participation in international football at least for two years.

But there were mixed reactions with the antagonists droning and drowning out what the protagonists termed 'necessary panacea for a perennial ailment'. The president was to eat the humble pie by rescinding his directive. How sad!

Had that path been trodden, Nigeria would have speared itself the embarrassment of not qualifying for the 2012 Nations Cup Finals, Olympic soccer failures and the sundry misadventures with their concomitant irritant developments occasioned

by Nigeria's involvement in the round leather game.

But Jonathan pandered

to sentiment rather than the logic of his thoughts which had engendered the initial action and set the stage for another monumental wastage of public funds in the guise of participation in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Imagine! In this time of 'financial meltdown' the Federal Government, cajoled as it were by some sugar-coated tongue individuals, committed N2.3 billion down the cesspool.

No, nothing wrong with investing in sports, but doing so driven by some whimsical, putative persuasions invalidate whatever logical intent such expenditure had been meant to serve.

What shame there was when Team Nigeria, pompous, boisterous, and visible as ever, failed to win medal of whatever complexion in spite of intimidating the rest of the world with its exuberance and false confidence prior to the Games.

And Jonathan sneezed but in bated breath.

Perhaps, conscious of the disdain with which his order banning Nigeria from international competitions was treated, he opted to issue sheepish directive for

the re-organisation of the sports sector.

Veiled threats were issued to the leadership of the National Sports Commission (NSC), yes, the egg-heads who superintend over sports in the country albeit in name and on documents.

They in turn belched fire and brimstone against their subordinates.

The Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi assembled federations' presidents and secretaries and barked out orders, threatened to sack coaches and other technical personnel. They so-called technocrats weren't left out.

Actually, there is nothing new under the sun. We have heard it before. And it amounted to naught.

However, what puzzles and indeed is unprecedented seems to be Jonathan's sudden wakefulness. Perhaps, he may have been inspired by US president Barack Obama, who before the London Olympics visited and played with the American Dream Teamthe basketball team that has dominated the game in the last three Olympics. Or Jonathan felt challenged by President Sirleaf Johnson, the Liberian Amazon, who mingled, rubbed shoulders

WATCH DOG

with members of the Lone Stars and charged them to pluck down and trample on Nigeria's Super Eagles come September 8. owoidoho_ng35@yahoo.com Whatever the reason, Jonathan's sudden visit to career must surely hit the political will and see sports the Super Eagles during sky! beyond the superficial and their Wednesday's evening And so Jonathan sneezes. bequeath as a legacy such training session, is not only He charges. The players policies that will truly unprecedented, historical need no other vinegar to make the NSC a but could mark a new era steer them to die on the pitch commission complete with in the nation's sports polity. for Nigeria. It's a spoken and shrewd board composed of President Jonathan was demonstrated Presidential private sector persons and not there alone, he was Fiat: beat Liberia for me. therefore out of the accompanied by the Vice Period. purview of civil servants, President, Namadi Sambo, And will the Eagles catch who excel in destructive the chairman of the cold?

Will it be the mien than pious and Governors' Forum, Rotimi inevitable panacea needed deliberate acts for positive Amaechi. They met the to truly re-jigged, outcome? players while they were repositioned Nigerian President Jonathan sweating it out preparatory sports, re-envisioned the must act now: ceased from for the Monrovia duel. path, prioritized, and paying lip service to sports What honour!

What sufficiently empowered the that provide a huge motivation! Indeed what sector in men and materials employment avenue for tonic and ginger could and policies to function our youths. The Federal there be than being cheered optimally?

Government must divest on, encouraged, patted on Will The President's its investment in sports to the back by the number sneeze frightened out of the allow the private sector to one citizen of your nation, sector the many charlatans take over. It's the norm the president! The men on who are fleecing the sector everywhere that sports whose tables every buck and impoverishing it to the have thriven. stops! utter detriment of Nigerian Government only needs to That event will linger on youths and the economic create the ambience in the minds of the players, and social wellbeing of the conducive for sports to it will be hard to erase, for nation? thrive not manage it. May it's memorable, epochal and Will Jonathan the sports sector catch cold adrenaline boosting. Their eventually cultivate the as Jonathan sneezes.

By Patrick Andrew

Paralympics: Oluwafemiayo expresses sadness over silver victory

N

igeria’s Folashade Oluwafemiayo was in tears after setting a new World reord but only won silver in the -75kg category in powerlifting.

Folashade lost to China’s Taoying Fu in the women’sin event but believes she rather than the Chinese woman deserved the gold in the event.

The new Paralympic record that she set was in the 143kg in her second attempt and a world record of 146kg in her final attempt. Her Chinese opponent thereafter lifted 146kg in her final attempt and was awarded the gold medal.

Fu also lifted 147kg after the competition which was a new World Record but the Nigerian bettered the record with a lift of 148kg.

While speaking with National Mirror at the competition venue, Oluwafemiayo said, “I was robbed of my gold medal. The Chinese opponent was supposed to go out before me but I was asked to come out before her for the final lift. I was the one who first broke the world record but I was surprised that the gold was awarded to her.

“I was bitter yesterday. It wasn’t the fault of our coaches because she had booked 145kg as her last lift while I booked 146kg.

“However, her coach ran to the juries to change it at the last minute and the screen inside was switched off so we didn’t know what was happening until I came out to compete. I went further to 148kg at the end of the competition but the damage had already been done.”

Nigeria’s Folashade Oluwafemiayo

Owolabi urges govt, stakeholders collaboration sports restructuring

A

n ex-international, Felix Owolabi, has called on the Federal Government and stakeholders to collaborate in

the restructuring of the sports sector for it to grow.

Owolabi said in Ibadan that structures for sports needed to be

re-organised as directed by President Goodluck Jonathan should be comprehensive and deliberate.

Williams defends ‘Friends of Rugby League’

N

tiense Williams, the Secretary, Friends of Rugby League, has advanced reasons for organising the‘Friends’ of Rugby League’ stressing that it was done to sustain the game in the country.

Williams disclosed in Lagos that that was the reason why the members of the body came together to sponsor fortnightly, the Friends of Rugby tournament.

“We members of the Friends of Rugby came together to sponsor the tournament to ensure that the love for rugby lives on in Nigeria,” Williams said.

Williams said that the twice

monthly tournament at the main bowl of the National Stadium, Lagos, was to make up for the dearth of competitions in the federation.

The secretary who is also the Technical Adviser, Nigeria Rugby Football Federation, also admitted that the game also suffered set back due to lots of political play in the federation.

“There has been a lot of politics in the federation militating against the organising of competitions.

That is why we decided to put this competition in place. “If we all decide to abandon the game for the political wrangling in the federation, the game which in the

first place is not popular will fade out,” he said.

The first phase of the league was held between May 13 and July 28, while the second phase which started on Sept. 1 would end in November.

Six teams were featuring in the second phase out of which five were from outside Lagos. The teams were Cowrie RFC, Gosar RFC, Police RFC, Young Lions RFC Ilorin RFC and Lagos RFC. Williams said at the last match played at the weekend where Lagos defeated Gosar 18-0, Police beat Ilorin 22-0, while Cowrie outpointed Young Lions 74-7, their intention remains for the good of the game.

“In an ideal situation, players can fight for their rights, but in Nigeria it is not so. Look at sports generally; the structure is so bad that there is nothing anybody can do that you can get the best out of him.

“It is the social responsibility of the government to take care of you and I and it is the society that is supposed to make you and me.

“We need to ensure that in every sport, children participate,’’ he said He said government needed to ensure that technocrats and professionals were involved in sports administration, adding that such would enhance its development.

Owolabi said that in the past, the involvement of people who knew what they wanted for Nigeria and worked for it had made the State Sports Councils relevant.

“How can you want to go to the village now and get somebody to go for the Olympics in another four years? We have the structures on ground but nobody is interested in reshaping them.

“We have school sports Games, we have University Games and we have NIPOGA, the Navy and the Police where we used to have good athletes.

“If we have all these structures on ground, the state sports councils, which are supposed to be the grassroots, will be very relevant,’’ he said.

He noted the current system was not good enough for good result at sports events like the Olympics, adding that those who won at the Olympics prepared for it and had functional structures.

Owolabi said the nation was blessed with talents but had no functional structure, and urged that the situation be redressed.

PEOPLES DAILY, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 47

FACTS * The youngest pope was 11 years old. * Mark Twain didn't graduate from elementary school. * Proportional to their weight, men are stronger than horses. * Pilgrims ate popcorn at the first Thanksgiving dinner. * They have square watermelons in Japan - they stack better. * Iceland consumes more Coca-Cola per capita than any other nation. * Heinz Catsup leaving the bottle travels at 25 miles per year. * It is possible to lead a cow upstairs but not downstairs. * Armadillos can be housebroken.

Source: Weird facts

Quick CrossWord (22)

JOKE

ACROSS

New Lawyer Joe grew up in a small town, then moved away to attend college and law school. He decided to come back to the small town because he could be a big man in this small town. He really wanted to impress everyone. He opened his new law office, but business was very slow at first. One day, he saw a man coming up the sidewalk. He decided to make a big impression on this new client when he arrived.

As the man came to the door, Joe picked up the phone. He motioned the man in, all the while talking..

"No. Absolutely not. You tell those clowns in New York that I won't settle this case for less than one million.."

"Yes. The Appeals Court has agreed to hear that case next week. I'll be handling the primary argument and the other members of my team will provide support.."

"Okay. Tell the DA that I'll meet with him next week to discuss the details.."

This sort of thing went on for almost 5 minutes. All the while the man sat patiently as Joe rattled instructions. Finally, Joe put down the phone and turned to the man. "I'm sorry for the delay, but as you can see, I'm very busy.

What can I do for you?"

The man replied "I'm from the phone company..I came to hook up your phone."

1 Automata (6) 4 Ancient Egyptian beetle symbol (6) 9 Area of high level ground (7) 10 Rubbish! (5) 11 Big rubbish container (4) 12In a violent frenzy (7) 14 Truthful (6) 16 Car operator (6) 19 Pan scrub (7) 21 Male deer or rabbit (4) 23 Cite 24 Set of military clothing (7) 25 In an unnerving way (6) 26 Private communication with God (6)

DOWN

PHOTO OF THE DAY

1 Thick cord (4) 2 Discredit (7) 3 Truss (3,2) 5 Supplier of food and drink (7) 6 Lift up, elevate (5) 7 Coastal snurf (8) 8 Sport played at Twickenham (5) 13 Body shape (8) 15 Bizzare, dream-like (7) 17 Triumph in a battle (7) 18 Projecting (5) 20 Pong (5) 21 Wild rose (5) 22 Ruler of some Muslim countries of the Middle East (4)

Yesterday’s answer

Big snuggles in little China! A desk is as good as anywhere to take a nap for these sleepy Chinese schoolchildren (and at least they won't be late for class) Source: Dailymail.co.uk

www.peoplesdaily-online.com

. . . putting the people first

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

SPORTS LA TEST LATEST

Roddick retires after US Open defeat

A

ndy Roddick's illustrious career came to a close with a four-set defeat by Juan Martin Del Potro in the fourth round of the US Open.

Home favourite Roddick played his final match on Arthur Ashe Stadium, the court where he enjoyed his biggest success in winning his one major title in 2003.

Seventh seed De Potro won 6-7 (1-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 6-4 to set up a quarter-final meeting with Serbia's Novak Djokovic.

Roddick saved one match point to huge cheers from a partisan crowd but it was not to be as Del Potro won in three hours and 15 minutes.

Roddick struggled to mask his emotions in the final couple of games and was in floods of tears before he addressed the crowd.

Speaking at the post-match news conference, Roddick said: "It was tough. Once he got up in that match it was a different set of circumstances than my previous matches.

He cited the physical wear and tear that left him unable to play at the level that took him to five Grand Slam finals, including three losses to Roger Federer at Wimbledon, in 2004 , 2005 and 2009.

Roddick's retirement means there is no American male currently playing who has won a Grand Slam singles title and it leaves only three American men in the top 50 in the world.

Andy Roddick

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QUO TABLE Q UO TE UOT QUO UOTE If Nigerians can go home in December and do their parties without generators and can drive to their states without gutters on our roads stopping them, I think the rating of government will improve — President Goodluck Jonathan

The angry young Nigerian T

he numbers tell the story. It is not news that the average young Nigerian is angry and in most cases, hungry. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 60% of Nigerians live on less than $1 (~N160) a day. Though problematic, Nigeria’s minimum wage law provides this standard of living: N600/day = N18,000/ month = N216,000/year.

However, for those living in poverty, this is their reality: N160/ day = N4,800/month = N57,600/ year.

The National Youth Policy defines a Nigerian youth as someone between the ages of 18 and 35. Per the 2006 Census, 50% of Nigerians were between 18 and 35.

According to the National Population Council, there are 167 million Nigerians as of July 2012.

If we assume the ratio has stayed the same, there are approximately 83.5 million Nigerians in this age bracket. The Africa Economic Outlook 2012 estimates that Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate is 37.7%. In reality, the rate is probably higher. So, little surprise that young Nigerians are angry and hungry when 31 million of them are jobless!

A report released by ‘The Next Generation Nigeria Task Force’ convened by the British Council in 2010 - highlights the unique position Nigeria finds itself in with its demographic spread, stating: If Nigeria fails to collect its demographic dividend, the seriousness of the country's predicament should not be underestimated. Its prospects will be bleak and could be catastrophic. … In the worst case, Nigeria will see: growing numbers of restless young people frustrated by lack of opportunity; increased competition for jobs, land, natural resources, and political patronage; cities that are increasingly unable to cope with the pressures placed on them; ethnic and religious conflict and radicalisation; and a political system discredited by its failure to improve lives.

The Ministry of Youth Development was established in February 2007 with a mandate to “promote the physical, mental and socio-economic development of Nigerian youth through the advancement and protection of their rights within the Nigerian state, the promotion of their welfare and provision of opportunities for their self-actualization.” With six ministers in five years, the revolving door has produced policy inconsistencies and flip-flops. Bolaji Abdullahi was appointed Minister in June 2011. By the time he was ‘promoted’ to Sports in May 2012, he had drawn up a new blueprint for NYSC, set up a new website and actively maintained a social media presence to engage his constituency. In the 3 months since

311 689 606 327 454

7458 1765 3308 1969 0344

GUEST COLUMNIST Yemi Adamolekun

Minister of Youth Development, Inuwa Abdulkadir Inuwa Abdul-Kadir was appointed Minister, one is unsure what he plans to do with the beleaguered NYSC and the Ministry’s social media presence has died. Even the website was not functional for a few weeks. How can we expect to institutionalise change when give no time to policy implementation and removing one man grinds a whole program to a halt?

From YouWin! to incentives in agriculture, the Federal Government is trying to increase opportunities for self-employment to young Nigerians, though tax and regulatory obstacles remain unresolved. In the 2012 Budget, N1.6 billion has been allocated for youth employment, but the Youth Ministry is yet to unveil its plans.

The Ministry’s 2012 budget is N76 billion. Of this amount, N70 billion (92%) is allocated to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) which trains about 250,000 young Nigerians every year.

In summary, 0.3% of young Nigerians spend 92% of the budget meant for young Nigerians. This parallels the discovery Mrs Oby Ezekwesili made as Minister of Education when she realized that about 80% of the Federal Ministry of Education's budget and over 85% of the Ministry's staff resources were being spent on the management of the 102 Unity schools, which had only 120,718 students and 27,200 staff out of a total national population of 6.4 million secondary school students. This alone is enough to make any sane person angry!

Amplified voices Despite the many shortcomings of government in addressing our concerns, this demographic continues to adapt and innovate; keeping abreast with global developments in

technology. With the penetration of mobile phones and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, this generation has taken to tweeting and blogging about its fears, successes, frustrations, disappointments, and yes, its anger. Unfortunately, for those in government, they see social media as the enemy, not as a platform to engage and receive constructive criticism. Then again, you would only care about constructive criticism if you actually want feedback. Our rulers do not want feedback and are very used to traditional media where traffic is uni-directional.

With social media, people talk back!

And, no, it is not a small population of the educated elite who have these opinions. Most Nigerians feel shortchanged by government and believe government is not working, but what social media does is amplify voices. For traditional media, you need to know someone to get an article published or have money to pay for an advertorial. With social media, all you need is a mobile phone and some credit for a data package and people from Kaduna to Brazil will know exactly why you think the Federal Government’s Cassava Policy is a joke or follow you as you track the supposed fuel subsidy savings.

Nigeria’s cyberspace is highly critical, but what else would one expect from an angry generation?

At least the anger is being channeled in a public and relatively controlled medium.

Technology has given this generation a voice and we are using it actively. Now, we have to use it wisely! From the Minister of Information to the Senate President, to Mr President, all have acknowledged the power of these platforms to spread information quickly (false and true) and galvanise a people to action. From the Enough is Enough March 2010 protest to the National Assembly to the January 2012 country-wide protests on government waste triggered by the fuel subsidy removal, people are plugging in to get educated. Let us break down the numbers. As of July 2012, there were 5 million Nigerians (in Nigeria) on Facebook. Assume 200,000 of them become more educated and aware based on the information they learn online and each person influences 5 people in their network (not necessarily online), who then influence another

5 people. Imagine the exponential growth and the Facebook population is not stagnant!

What next?

This Nigeria is our reality; not our desire. No one seems fundamentally interested in handing over a functional Nigeria to the next generation and since waiting for Godot is not an option, not only must we demand that they make this country work, we must also be willing to get involved to ensure our demographic strength is to our advantage, not our destruction. A few options are before us: 1. Financiers: “If Nigeria’s younger and more politically conscious elite really want to change the face of politics in Nigeria; they will do well to speak louder in the only way Nigerian politics knows to listen; money. … An influx of private money strategically and surreptitiously employed to counter corrupt public money to support the campaigns of better qualified candidates.” – Iyin Aboyeji One can be singularly focused on amassing enough wealth to have a voice. Ask Dangote. Financial support is needed for candidates and advocacy campaigns.

2. Advocates (Civil Society): There will always be a role for those on the outside looking in to provide checks & balances.

3. Politicians: Our numbers as a voting bloc can be used to get serious people into positions. Young people should join political parties – run for office or support as strategists, campaign managers, mobilisers etc.

4. Media: As writers investigative & analytical pieces.

As owners of the medium – all news platforms have a slant. More platforms are needed to educate the population especially through radio.

5. Intellectuals: Policy makers – you can either consult from the outside or be appointed as a technocrat.

6. Civil Servants: Government programs are only as good as the people who execute them. We must return to the days when being a civil servant was a role of service discharged with passion, honour and integrity. We all can’t want to work in the private sector and expect miracles in the public sector.

How will you make your mark?

Mr. President’s administration can shout the word ‘transformation’ till they are black and blue, however, as summarized in the British Council Report, “The next generation can make a huge contribution to Nigeria’s future, but if its potential is not harnessed, it will become an increasingly disruptive force.” ’Yemi Adamolekun is the Executive Director of Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE) – www.eienigeria.org

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