Peoples Daily Newspaper, Saturday 08, June, 2013

COVER

NGF: One election, two winners, many worries

Vol. 3 No. 44

Special Report

Rukubi: The inside story

– 12 & 13

– 9,10,11

SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

RAJAB 30 - SHA’ABAN 1, 1434 AH

Naval officer gets life jail for killing okada rider >>2

News Kaduna police detonates Bomb near Printers’ village -2

Kannywood I dropped out of school to marry and came back after marriage failed – Aisha - 24 Entertainment

Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba

Tragedy: Operator is electrocuted while fixing pure water machine >>8

Eucharia Anunobi prepares for another marriage

How Kano windstorm killed 2, destroyed houses and injured many

-25 >> 14

Page 2

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

News Extra

Kaduna police detonates bomb near Printers Village in Kaduna From Mohammad Ibrahim, Kaduna

P

rinters and shop owners were yesterday thrown into confusion as they all abandoned their shops when an Improvised Explosive Device concealed in a laptop carton was

detonated by the State police command anti- bomb squad near Printers Village along Junction Road by Jama’a Road in the metropolis.

According to eyewitness, the area was immediately cordoned off by security agents, who asked

motorist and traders to vacate the scene.

Peoples Daily Weekend gathered that the incident occurred around 4:50 pm as a laptop carton was sighted in the middle of the busy Ahmadu Bello way as business activities was going on.

A security source confirmed the IED found inside the laptop carton in the middle of the road..

The road was vacated as traders and residents stayed from a distance to watch as soldiers and anti –bomb squad police arrived the scene to maintain law and order. “ I was in a bus when we were told to divert from the main road because a laptop carton was sighted in the center of the lane separator. Most of us alighted from the bus to watch from the

US warns citizens on travel to Nigeria

By Agaju Madugba

T

he United States Government has issued a travel alert on the country with a warning to its citizens against travelling to Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States, the areas under emergency rule in Nigeria.

An updated statement released by the U.S. State Department dated June 3 said “the ability of the U.S. Mission in Nigeria to provide assistance to its citizens in those states remains severely limited”.

It said the department had continued to recommend that citizens avoid all but essential travels to some states in the country due to the risk of kidnappings, robberies and other armed attacks.

States listed in the travel warning are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa and Kaduna.

Others are: Kano, Katsina,

L-R: Delta state Governor Dr. Emmanuel Uduagha, Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Alison Madueke, Minister of State for Finance Dr. Yerima Lawan Ngama, Benue state governor Gabriel Suswam and the deputy chief of staff to the vice president Alhaji Mohammed Kachalla at the Emergency joint meeting of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company Ltd and National Council of Privatization (NCP) chaired by the Vice President at the presidential villa, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Rage as NAMA grounds Oshiomhole’s chopper

By Osaigbovo Iguobaro, Benin

T

he Nigerian Aviation Management Agency (NAMA), yesterday recalled and grounded an airborne OAS helicopter ferrying Governor Adams Oshiomhole to Awka, the Anambra State Capital for the funeral service of the late Mrs. Colette Obi, wife of Senator Ben Obi, Special Adviser on political matters to President Goodluck Jonathan.

Pilot of the helicopter, Captain James Manahash, a Filipino, said: “I was surprised that I was recalled after taking-off from Government House because I had communicated with the control tower on radio.

“We were already airborne when we got the call to return to the airport and was even threatened that failure to do so would lead to complete grounding of the aircraft. The

governor prevailed on me to return and listen to them.

“When we got back to the airport, I was told to pay landing and aerodrome fees

which ordinary we could pay later because we were already airborne.

“Even after completion of the process of payment within 10

minutes, we were still delayed for one hour fifteen minutes, only to be told that the aircraft is not fit to fly”. Mr. Manahash said ‘’the Governor left in anger after that”.

Pension fraud: Court orders remand of Teidi, others in prison

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

A

Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday ordered that the former Director, Pension Accounts Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu be remanded in Kuje prison over a N6 billion pension fraud.

Teidi was yesterday arraigned afresh alongside, Omoefe Uduesegbe and nine companies, before a Federal High Court sitting before Justice Adeniyi Ademola on a 22-count charge bordering on conspiracy and allegedly defrauding the pension funds of about N6 billion.

T h e LOSS OF LAND DOCUMENTS accused persons This is to inform the general public that the following documents are reported missing: pleaded not 1.

Certificate of Occupancy No. 3f2uw-afdez-71b2r-dafcu-10 dated guilty to the

25th day of August, 2005. File No AK 10162 in the name of 22-count

INDONGESIT EFFIONG EKPENYONG in respect of Plot 49 Kado

District, Cadastral Zone B09, Abuja. charge preferred 2.

Power Of Attorney Given by INDONGESIT EFFIONG

EKPENYOUNG TO BELOXXI LOGISTICS LIMITED a g ainst Registered them by the

as No. FC 15 at Page _ in Volume 66PA Register in the Federal

Capital Territory Land Registry Office, Abuja over the Economic same plot.

If found, please contact the undersigned or the nearest Police Station. a n d Financial Signed: BASSEY & BEN C r i m e s LEGAL PRACTITIONERS Commission PLOT 1496 BALANGA STREET AREA 11, GARKI. ABUJA. (EFCC).

Consequent upon their, “not guilty plea” , their counsel, Sunday Ameh (SAN) made an oral application for their bail, but the trial Judge refused to grant the application and asked the Defence to come before the court formally with the application for the accused persons.

Justice Ademola then ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison custody till June 18, 2013 when the court will hear argument on their bail application Count one of the 22-count charge reads: “That you, Dr. Sani Teidi Shuaibu, former Director, Pension Accounts, office of the Head of service of the Federation of Nigeria, Udusegbe

Erik Omoefe, Gozinga Enterprises, Uthathak Nigeria Limited, Krasiva Nigeria Limited and Riba-lle Petroleum Limited at various times between 2009 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired together to obtain by false pretence and with intent to defraud from Pensions Account Office of the Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria various sums in the aggregate amount of N1, 951, 592, 000.00 and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud related offences Act 2006 and Punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related offences Act 2006”.

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

the decisions of the General Court Martial and the Court of Appeal, Lagos.

Lieutenant Odulami (with force number: NN2121) was traveling from the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja to Apapa on July 25, 2005 when, at the Allen Roundabout, Ikeja, a commercial motorcycle ridden by Peter Edeh hit the naval officer’s car from behind.

On realising that the owner of the

distance because the soldiers that arrived the scene and cordoned off the area forcing vehicles, mostly buses to divert, to alternative routes,’ said Haruna Musa an eye witness.

It was gathered that the bomb was detonated by anti-bomb squad from the State Police command. The police were seen packing particles from the laptop carton into polythene bag for further investigation.

It was also gathered that there was uproar from the people as the bomb was detonated. There was also no casualty as people later continued their business activities.

Our reporter further reports that about five Army vans were stationed along Station round about with armed military personnel.

When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer Aminu Lawan said they were alerted through a distress call that a laptop carton was sighted near the Junction.

“Our men rushed to the scene and detonated it with equipment..

No casualty recorded as the area is now calm,” he said.

Minister appeals to polytechnic union to suspend strike From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

T

he Minister of Education Hajiya Rukayatu Rufai has made a passionate appeal to the National Union of Polytechnics to call-off or suspend their one month industrial strike action.

She made this appeal yesterday at Government House, Birnin Kebbi while paying a courtesy visit to Governor Saidu Usman Dakingari and fielding question with newsmen shortly after announcing the taking-off of the Federal University Birnin Kebbi.

She added that students are tired of staying at home and as such urged the union to go back to roundtable and return peace to the education sector. “ What remain is just between the administration and the union, please the stakeholders should resolve the differences to enable the students meet up with their academic calendar’’ she said.

Rufai said that about N1.5billoin has been set aside for the new federal University in the state and promised to support the Kebbi state government for its successful take-off.

S/Court affirms life sentence for Naval chief

T

he Supreme Court of Nigeria Friday affirmed the sentences of life imprisonment and dismissal handed over to a naval chief, Felix Olanrewaju Odunlami, who murdered a commercial motorcycle rider in Lagos state.

Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, in a lead judgment yesterday upheld

car was a military personnel, Edeh was said to have knelt down to beg Odunlami for forgiveness.

Unable to overcome his anger, the naval chief ignored Edeh’s plea, reached for his pistol holster, retrieved his pistol and shot Edeh in his mouth. He died instantly.

Passers-by, who were attracted by the naval chief’s action, attacked him, burnt his car and almost lynched him, but for the timely intervention of men of the police.

News

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

3

Kogi Gov on investment trip to UAE From Sam Egwu, lokoja

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he Governor of Kogi State, Capt. Idris Wada has travelled out of the country, on an economic mission.

He left for Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates yesterday through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. He is expected to remain abroad not more than one week.

While there, Capt.

Wada will explore the Arab world and hold scheduled discussions with captains of industry

and potential investors.

The focus of the deliberations will be on the virile agriculture and solid mineral sector capabilities in the State.

The trip will afford an opportunity to understudy the vibrant Agro-Allied industry of the Arabs.

It will be recalled that last month, the governor went on a similar trip for the African Economic Forum which took place in Cape Town, South Africa.

He was the only Nigerian governor invited for the event at the instance of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources.

The trip afforded Governor Wada an opportunity to showcase the state’s transformation agenda in agriculture to the international community.

Jacob Edi, Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Governor, who made the disclosure yesterday, said that the governor was expected back in the state next week.

Nigeria Police Deploys 140 peacekeepers to Mali

By Lambert Tyem

N

igerian Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar yesterday said that the police will on June 10 deploy 140 personnel to Mali in support of the ECOWAS and African Union-led peace initiative.

Abubakar said this while handing over the Nigerian and Police flags to the Commissioner of Police in charge of Peacekeeping, Mr Kayode Aderanti, at the Force Headquarters.

The flags according to the IGP are symbols of authority which empowered the troops to represent the nation and force in Mali.

The personnel drawn from the Formed Police Unit (FPU) comprised of specialized sections trained in riot control and counter-terrorism

and, are equipped with modern crime fighting and peacekeeping equipment.

Abubakar charged them to take their assignment serious and be good ambassadors of the force as well as the nation.

Abubakar also charged the troops to be dedicated, committed, honest and professional, shun all forms of vices and respect human rights while keeping the peace in Mali.

Currently, the force has seven Staff Officers in Mali including Deputy Commissioner of Police Subair Kamar, who is in charge of the African Mission in Mali.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, congratulated the officers for being selected to keep the

peace in Mali and also charged them to be true ambassadors of the force and nation.

Represented by Maj.-Gen. Hussain Saliu, he warned them to behave professionally as they would be closely monitored.

The Nigeria ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent representative to the AU, Mr Bulus Lolo, noted that peacekeeping was one of the areas where the country had excelled in its foreign policy.

The deployment to Mali brings to 10 the number of countries where Nigeria police are currently keeping the peace.

The other countries are Cote D’ I˜voire, DRC, East Timor, Guinea Bissau, Haiti, Liberia, Somalia, Southern and Northern Sudan.

Amnesty reports human rights violations in Mali From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

By Agaju Madugba Amnesty International says it has established “serious” human rights abuses in Mali, five months after French intervention forces entered that country.

“Civilians are among dozens of people who have been tortured, killed and disappeared, including while in detention, since the launch of the French army’s intervention,” Amnesty International said in a news briefing published on Thursday, in the run-up to the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force in Mali next month.

“The Malian security forces’ human rights record since January is simply, appalling as they continue to violate human rights with apparently no fear of being held accountable,” said Gaëtan Mootoo, Amnesty International researcher and member of the

research mission in Mali.

According to the report, “during the visit, Amnesty International documented dozens of cases of detainees being tortured or ill-treated after being arrested for having alleged links with armed groups.

“The organization also documented more than 20 cases of extra-judicial executions or enforced disappearances.

“Amnesty International’s delegates were able to speak to more than 80 of the 200 detainees held in the capital Bamako, most of them charged with acts of terrorism and other offences.

“Many of them said they were tortured or ill-treated and some were reportedly denied medical treatment.

“A number of them had marks and scars of burnings and cuts – including on their backs, chests and ears.

“At least, five detainees died in the facility in April 2013, most of them apparently as a result of the appalling

conditions of detention and lack of medical care.

“When Amnesty International visited (one of the detention centres), several child soldiers, some as young as 13 years old, were being held with adults.

“The authorities in Mali recognized that some human rights violations had been committed and said a number of cases were being investigated but so far, no one has been brought to justice.”

“During the mission, Amnesty International’s delegates also collected testimonies of abductions and arbitrary killings committed by the armed opposition group, Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa), against civilians accused of supporting the French and Malian armies.

“Armed opposition groups were also accused of sexually abusing women and girls and using children to carry weapons, control checkpoints and cook,” the report said.

L-R: Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, Former Chairman, NBA Section on Business Law, Mr. George Etomi and the Director General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Professor Epiphany Azinge, during the Centenary law Summit, recently in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

FIRS to surpass 5trn 2013 revenue target

By Abdulwahab Isa

B

asking in the euphoria of past sterling performances, the management of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has assured it will surpass government revenue target of N5.72 trillion by September 2013.

The Service’s confidence is coming on heels of its modernization and automation projects, particularly, the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS), which made it to also, jerk up its internal revenue target of 2013 to N6trillion. FIRS also

announced that, at the end of April, 2013, it collected a total of N1.5 trillion (1,581,480,553,562.50), saying the figure was an improvement on what it collected same period 2012. FIRS confirmation was contained in a statement issued

by Emmanuel Obeta, Director of Public Affairs.

The disclosures by FIRS came to light at a Regional Enlarged Management Meeting (REMM) that held in Lagos.

The Lagos forum of FIRS Management team was aimed at strategizing how the Service could achieve the targets.

Some of the issues discussed at the Lagos REMM included how to improve efficiency in FIRS revenue collection through the implementation of ITAS and improve staff motivation to ensure utmost performance.

According to the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Alhaji Kabiru Marshi “What I want to tell staff is that we must be focused and not be distracted. I like to assure you that we will remain resolute and committed on our mandate.”

Speaking on the essence of the REMM, the Coordinating Director, Field Operations

Group, Mr. Sunday Ogungbesan, said Management has seen the reason to always sit together with staff of different regions to gauge their pulse on their field operations.

He said such meetings have helped the FIRS to make effective decisions in the past, adding that the meeting in Lagos will help the Service to interact with the staff in Lagos regions and make good decisions.

“An up to date report of FIRS revenue collection as at the end of May 2013 shows that our collections are beginning to pick up and I will urge

all Tax Controllers, Regional Coordinators and Directors to work continuously so as to sustain the rising tempo and ensure that we are able to meet the half-year target at the end of June, 2013” Ogungbesan said.

Meanwhile, Mashi asked the general public to be wary of some fraudulent elements in the society who might be using the name of the Service or individuals to extort money from them in the name of giving those jobs in FIR saying, “At the moment, FIRS is not recruiting new staff”.

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

4

Images

Minister of Education, Professor Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai with Registrar, Liberian registration council of Nigeria (LRCN), Dr. Victoria Okojie, during the 4th Induction ceremony for registered Liberians, recently in Abuja.

Photo: Justin

Artisans taking their breskfast on the road side, yesterday in Area 3 junction, Abuja.

Cultural young Entertainers, Performing at a function, recently in Nyanya, Abuja.

Scavengers, picking useful items from the refuse dump site, recently in Nyanya, Abuja.

It’s closing hour for students of Government Secondary School Garki, with no school bus, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Page 5

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

News

Governor Yuguda defends relocation of Tafawa Balewa LG headquarters

By Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

G

overnor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State has said that he relocated the headquarters of Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area from Tafawa Balewa town to a neutral ground at Bununu, to avert further crisis in the area.

Yuguda stated this while laying the foundation stone of the local government secretariat in Bununu, the new headquarters of the LGA. He said that the relocation had halted the spate of destruction of lives and property, which was almost spreading to neighboring states.

Earlier, Yuguda had laid the foundation stone of the Bauchi Statev Specialist Hospital valued at N4 billion and expected to be completed in May next year.

The specialist hospital would replace the one taken over by the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital to qualify the state for training medical students.

He said that there was no justification whatsoever for groups, which should be living together in peace, to be embroiled in ceaseless conflicts largely propelled by religious intolerance, as neither Christianity nor Islam preaches violence. ”We had to say enough is enough to the ugly and near intractable situation by insisting that no further blood be shed on the land on account of the disagreement between some groups in the area. ”We believe the action has paved the way

for relative peace in the local government and we pray that blood will never be shed again on this land, which was founded

by Tafawa Balewa, our leader and man of peace and unity”, he said.

Yuguda, insisted that Bununu had come to stay as the local

government headquarters.

Earlier speaking, the speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Yahaya Mia, admitted that the Assembly spearheaded the relocation of the local government headquarters to Bununu as a means of ending the perennial threats to peace

and development by warring factions.

Mia said they had to pass the bill to transfer the local government to Bununu when all other measures, including several commissions of enquiry, could not halt the spate of violence in the area.

T

he Kaduna state government has initiated moves to upgrade its primary health outlets, to model centres.

According to the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Health Care Agency (KSPHCA), Dr. Safiyan M. Babale, the initiative would also involve the establishment of additional centres from the current 30, to 255, to cover all the political wards in the state.

Babale explained in an interview in Kaduna yesterday that, “the model centers will be equipped in such a manner that they should be able to provide the minimum essential health care packages. “By doing this, we will address our triple aim of better health care for individuals, better health outcomes in our communities and lower health care costs.

“To this end, the agency has developed its corporate organizational plan, a five-year strategic plan and 2013 operational plan to guide its operations.

“Primary health care remains the corner stone of health system development in Nigeria and the key to the attainment of health for all Nigerians.

“Despite being the bedrock of Nigeria’s health policy and identified as central to the health care delivery system, it has remained prostrate.

“Thus, coverage with key high

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

A

impact cost effective interventions remain limited and health status indicators have remained unacceptably high.

“The weakness in the health system is evidenced by decayed infrastructure, inequitable distribution of health facilities,

fragmentation of services and dearth of resources such as equipments,drugs and supplies.

“Human resource for health remains a challenge due to persistent attrition, poor distribution in terms of skills and mix, poor attitude to work, inadequate monitoring and

supervision”, he said. Babale added that, the agency was established in 2008 to be a leading agency in providing and promoting equitable, affordable, accessible and sustainable quality primary health care services, to achieve improved health status for all people in the state.”

n NGO, the Women Empowerment Initiative in Nigeria (WEIN) in Bauchi state has said that women’s contributions to peace building in Nigeria have been neglected over the years.

The Coordinator of WEIN in Bauchi, Mrs. Lydia Haruna Stammani who stated this at the Annual General Meeting of WEIN in Bauchi yesterday with the theme “the role of women in peace building”, added that the policy makers and the leaders have neglected women in all facets of life.

Lydia said it was necessary to include women in peace building process looking at the security challenges in the country especially the North East sub region.

According to her, over the years, women have been relegated to the background in the area of peace building, whereas they bear most of the negative consequences of violent conflicts.

She said, it was time to engage their participatory role in decision making and execution, in peace building and conflict resolution.

She said, conflicts in Nigeria are numerous to mention and though most have been forgotten, some remain fresh in the mind.

“The Ife/Modakeke, Aguleri/ Umuleri, Ijaw and Itsekiri, Hausas/Yorubas, the Benue/ Jukun axis, among others. Most prominent and recent are the clashes between the Christians and Muslims in both Plateau and Kano States, while, Borno, Yobe and Adamawa also had their owned taste of the crisis which pose serious challenges in the region and it’s always the women that suffered most”, she said.

In her paper, the Executive Director, Development Exchange Center, DEC, Mrs. Titi Yakubu said gender equality and in a wider sense of social justice, was an essential prerequisite for any sustainable development and peace building activities.

From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

exercise was meant for retrenchment, urging the public and the local council workers to ignore such unfounded speculations.

Barrister Ali said that apart from determining the actual workforce, the exercise would also help to determine the appropriate employments, grade levels, steps and salaries.

He further disclosed that there would be verification and data capturing of all staff so as to know bonafide staff in each local government.

He warned the council chairmen to adhere strictly to list A and B earlier given to them, stressing that no worker’s name is to be deleted from the payment voucher since screening was an on going exercise.

He enjoined all local government stakeholders and

workers to cooperate with the relevant bodies to achieve the aims of the exercise with a view of

implementing the minimum wage and transformation agenda of the state government.

L-R: Minister of State for Education, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike with the Ministry Director of Procurement, mallam Aliyu Shehu, during the Minister’s Meeting with Contractors handling the Ministry Federal projects, yesterday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Kaduna establishes additional primary health care centres

By Agaju Madugba

Women are neglected in peace building process says WEIN

Kogi gets biometric data of civil servants

K

ogi state commissioner for Local government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barrister Ndamodu Ali has said that the Biometric data capturing device embarked upon by the government was to ascertain the actual workforce of the state He assured Local government workers and stakeholders that the on-going screening exercise in the 21 Local government areas in the state, was geared towards ascertaining the actual number of staff in each local government.

The Commissioner gave the assurance in a press statement issued yesterday by the Public Relations Officer, PRO to the ministry, Mr. Akpata Jordan to debunk the rumours and speculation that the screening

Kogi state governor, Captain Idris Wada

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Page 6

Crime Cycle

pmlcrimecycle@gmail.com 08138559513 (SMS only)

Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar

Drug peddler jailed two years

A

Federal High Court, Lagos, has sentenced a 33-yearold man, OlusegunOlusesi, to two years imprisonment for drug trafficking.

Olusesi was charged by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on a one-count charge of dealing in restricted narcotic, cannabis sativa.

Justice Mohammed Idris, in his judgment, held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond doubt.

Idris also said that all the evidence led by the prosecution sufficiently linked the convict with the commission of the offence.

“The prosecution has succeeded in discharging its burden of proof before this honourable court.

“All evidences led, sufficiently links the accused with the commission of the offence.

“I hereby find the accused guilty of the offence, and he is hereby convicted as charged, and The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Olusesi was arraigned sometimes in February 2012, on a one-count charge of dealing on the narcotic.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charge, and the court had granted him bail, while it commenced full trial in the case.

The Prosecutor, MrKalu Orji, had told the court that the convict was arrested at his No.15, Oloto St. Residence, EbuteMetta on Oct. 20, 2011.

He said the convict used the said premises as an avenue for the storage and sale of the narcotic.

Orji told the court that 161.65 Kg. of cannabis was recovered from the residence of the convict. (NAN)

Man, 36, bags 2 years for illicit drugs trafficking

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man, OlaoluwaDaramola, 36, was sentenced to two years imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti, for dealing in illicit drugs.

Justice AdamuHobon sentenced the accused who had earlier pleaded guilty to the offence, but thereafter gave him an option of N50, 000 fine.

He also added that the jail term would take effect from April 15, the day

Security guard, 65, caught with 3 dried skulls

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security guard, SegunKayode, 65, was arraigned before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for being in unlawful possession of three dried human skulls.

The prosecutor, ASP EtimNkankuk told the court that Kayode of No. 2 Tungbehinst., Epe town, Lagos, committed the crime on May 26 at about 2.30.p.m at Epe. He said that the accused was a security guard at a cemetery in Epe area, where he allegedly took the skulls from.

Nkankuk said that the accused was arrested following a report by a resident who saw him and raised an alarm while displaying the three skulls for sale. (NAN)

of his arrest.

The Prosecutor for the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr. IliyaWaji, had earlier told the court that the accused committed the offence on April 15.

According to the charge sheet Daramola was caught at an Indian Hemp Joint in Ijero-Ekiti dealing in 4.2 Kilogrammes of Cannabis sativa, Narcotic drugs similar to Cocaine, heroin and LSD. Waji said the offence contravened Section 11(c) of NDLEA Act Cap N30 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. (NAN)

Man in court for allegedly assaulting colleague with broken bottle T he Police in Lagos have arraigned a 25-year-old, KamoruOladimeji, for allegedly assaulting a man with a broken bottle.

Oladimeji, who resides at No 2, Alao St., Papa-Ajao, Lagos, is charged with a two-count charge of a breach of the peace and assault at an Oshodi Magistrates’ Court.

According to the prosecutor, Cpl. KehindeOlatunde, the accused committed the offences on May 29 at the Methodist Primary School, Oshodi.

He said the accused assaulted one SeunOkegbenro by stabbing him with a broken bottle during a quarrel.

A

“The accused met the complainant (Okegbenro) and his friends at a beer parlour in Oshodi and the complainant ordered Oladimeji to leave the place.

“But the accused insisted that he will not leave because the beer parlour is a public place.

“The complainant stood up and poured beer on the accused’s face and also stabbed him with a broken bottle in parts of his body’’, Olatunde told the court.

Olatunde said the offences contravened Sections 166 and 171 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.(NAN)

Driver accused of attempted murder of judge, denied bail

Lagos High Court in Igbosere, has denied bail to a commercial bus driver, QuadriKasali, charged with attempted murder of a judge.

Justice Christopher Balogun ruled that there was no evidence to show that the accused and his family resided at a particular place.

“The defendant should have fulfilled certain conditions to show the court that he will stand trial,’’ he said.

The judge, however, gave the assurance that the court would expedite the trial.

He adjourned the case till June 25 for substantive trial.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kasali, 33, was first arraigned on March 9 before a Tinubu Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, over alleged attempted murder of Justice Ebenezer Adebanjo, of the Lagos State Judiciary.

The driver, however, pleaded not

guilty to the charge.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr. M.A. Ladipo, denied him bail and remanded him in prison custody.

The case was later transferred to the high court.

According to the prosecution, Kasali hit Adebanjo’s official car with his bus marked XA 242 KLK, at 2:20p.m., on Moloney Street, Lagos Island, where he (driver) obstructed traffic.

He allegedly hit the judge’s car three times and injured him on the hand, after the judicial officer reprimanded him for obstructing traffic.

The alleged offence contravenes Section 228 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

NAN reports that at the last adjournment, the Defence Counsel, MrOludareFalana, said that the driver would not jump bail, if granted.

He also said that the driver’s offence could be likened to traffic rule violation and not attempted murder. (NAN)

Two docked over vandalism

T

wo men, who allegedly vandalised the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) at the National Theatre, Iganmu, have been charged before an Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

The accused; MainaModu, 32, and Dauda Ali, 25, are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Cpl. OnaiwuIyobosa, told the court that the accused committed the offences

on May 29 at 10.00 p.m. at the complex.

According to him, the men also damaged the solar batteries of the CCTV, property of the Federal Government.

“A receptionist caught the accused in the act and alerted the security guards.

“They tried to escape, but the security guards caught the two of them, while others escaped,’’ Iyobosa said.

The prosecutor said the offences contravened Sections 285 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The accused, whose addresses are unknown, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Magistrate, Mr F.J. Adefioye, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.

He adjourned the case till June 24, for further hearing. (NAN)

Interview

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

7

We have good working relationship with Al-Makura but... – Jatau Hon. Danladi Jatau is a member representing Kokona West constituency in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly. In this interview with EMMANUEL EKO, he stressed the need for peace amongst the people of Agwada Development Area and many more.

Although there is more to the crisis, because till today, people are still living in fear but I believe that a lot of people are returning home. Majority of them are now at home and are engaging in their farming activities and the Fulanis are also now carrying on with their rearing activities for their daily living. Let me also use this medium to call on the youths not to allow themselves to be used by the politicians negatively, because it won’t be good for their future, because they are the future leaders. So, if they allow themselves to be used to instigate crisis, then they are destroying their future.

I want to appeal to the youth of my constituency, that we should embrace ourselves and look at ourselves as one entity, one family. That is the only way we can bring peace to that area and be able to attract development.

Hon. Danladi Jatau

Recently there was crisis between the Eggon and Fulani in Bassa where you come from.What is the situation now?

This year, we have witnessed a lot of crisis, particularly in my area, the Bassa District of Agwada Development Area. Sometime around January 9, 2013, there was a serous crisis between Eggon and Fulani herdsmen in some villages around Bassa, and that resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of properties worth millions of naira. Over two hundred people lost their lives, houses were destroyed, infact the community was totally deserted by people. But thank God as a representative of the people, I called for reconciliatory meeting of the affected ethnic groups with other neutral persons residing in Bassa and at the end of the day, a 15- man committee was put in place, made up of 7 Fulanis and 7 Eggons and the neutral person.

The committee after their inauguration, swung into action, and as am talking to you now, peace has returned to the area because each of the ethnic

groups went home and educated their people on the need to lay down their arms by giving peace a chance. At a point, I called for both national body of the Eggon Cultural Development Association (ECDA) and the Miyetti Allah Association. This situation never happened before in the area, we have been living together for decades, suddenly the same people started using arms against themselves. The people of Bassa have started returning home and there has been that understanding between the Fulanis and the Eggons and even other ethnic groups, because later the crisis also spread to other ethnic groups, and this led to burning down of houses and properties worth millions of naira. Attacks were also made but we thank the security agencies for their intervention towards resolving the crisis and the state governor too has tried. The Governor, during the crisis, went to affected communities to ascertain the level of destruction and he also called on the people to lay down their arms and embrace peace.

After the crisis in Bassa, there were allegations that the relief materials promised by the governor never gets to the affected victims?

Actually, what happened was that two weeks after the crisis, the Governor through the Nasarawa Emergency Management Agency (NESIMA) sent some relief materials like bags of rice, maize and other foodstuff. Even if it wasn’t enough, he has tried because it is not possible to feed the whole community that is displaced, but we believe that we are still looking up to the state governor to provide more. He has also promised to give some of the affected community N500,000 each to use pending the outcome of NESIMA findings. Then we will now know what the state governor will do, but that little relief materials were distributed by some chiefs and some elders in the community that distributed the materials.

It’s just because the materials are not enough, so he wouldn’t even know. Those that didn’t get will believe he didn’t bring, but I witnessed it when he brought relief materials.

Are there certain laws you have sponsored as a member representing the constituency?

Presently, I have a bill on discrimination of widows, that bill has gone through first reading and it has been constituted into a committee

of Women affairs in the Assembly so that they can come out with their own report which at the end of the day, would be passed into law by the State Assembly. If such bill is passed, widows in the State will not be discriminated or they will not be deprived of the properties of their late husbands. The bill forbids relatives from intervening with the properties left by their late husbands, so that the woman and the children can benefit from what the husband left behind. So that bill is in the process and very soon it would be passed into law.

Going back to the recent happenings in the state, there are allegations that your tribesmen, the Eggons want to take over the leadership of the state?

Well, every community have miscreants who cause trouble here and there. So, Eggon community will not be an exception, because in every community, there are bad eggs. We will not say it is only the Eggon that is causing trouble,that is not true. There were crisis in the state involving other ethnic groups also. It happened in Toto in 1999, it also happened in Nasarawa south senatorial zone where a traditional ruler, the Sarki of Azara was beheaded. It also happened in other places in other Senatorial zones like the Western Senatorial zone, Udege.

Crisis cannot be said to be peculiar to an ethnic group. So, we are appealing to those who are engaging in this violence to desist from it. Everyone knows an Eggon man to be very accommodating, very lovely, very friendly and a peace loving person. But the unfortunate incident that happened in Alakyo village, we really condemn it, though the issue is before the security personnel. They are doing their job and I don’t have to comment on that but it’s quite unfortunate that life that is so precious will have to be lost like that. So, I don’t want to say anything on this.

What is the relationship between the legislature and the executive in the State, considering the fact that there are more PDP lawmakers than those of the CPC?

The fact that the governor is from the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and we were 20 from the PDP, one died, and when there was a reelection, the CPC claimed the position, presently we are 19 PDP lawmakers. You see, one thing is if you win election, in whatever political party, the best thing for you is to achieve what actually brought you into that office, to keep your differences aside and work for the people.

The governor has been enjoying relatively good working relationship with us. 16 out of 24 could work against him and even impeach him, but that has never happened. We don’t have that intention for now. We don’t know what the future will hold, but we have been enjoying a very good working relationship.

Nasarawa is our own and all of us should work together for the good of the state. In the Assembly, we don’t talk much of party difference, we work as one family, and that is what has been happening and with that we will move the state forward. The governor has some people who have been advising him to show party difference and if we are to go by party differentiation too, I don’t think he can stay there for up to a year. We have been enjoying a good relationship and we believe and I hope that the relationship will continue. But if he turns otherwise, then we have no option but to use the stick.

What areas do you think the governor needs to improve in bringing meaningful development to the state?

Actually, when you go to Lafia, you will observe that the man is trying. He has constructed and rehabilitated so many routes which were completely abandoned by the previous administration. So, despite our party differences, I commend him for what is happening in Lafia. I think he has done a good job inside Lafia metropolis, but we need to do more than that.

He has to extend development to other villages because our communities outside Lafia will need development in terms of road network, water supply, electricity etc. Though like in my community, he has started a construction and degrading of Garaku, Darri and Amb, Bassa/ Yelwa road. He has awarded the contract and the work is going on. So, I commend him for that and I wish he will do more in other places. And I pray that Bassa road will be tarred before his tenure expires.

We will not say it is only the Eggon that is causing trouble,that is not true. There were crisis in the state involving other ethnic groups also. It happened in Toto in 1999, it also happened in Nasarawa south senatorial zone where a traditional ruler, the Sarki of Azara was beheaded.

News Feature

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

How pure water machine operator was electrocuted It was a sad end for a hardworking 25 years old, Emmanuel Nkwogba, who died in his work place performing his duty as machine operator of a popular Zenith Pure Water factory. Ahmed Kaigama, in Bauchi, reports.

O

n that fateful day, late Emma who worked with the pure water-making company along Yandoka road in Bauchi metropolis, left his parents and siblings at home after watching a movie and headed straight to work on a night shift.

Peoples Daily Weekend learnt that Emma had worked for the company for a number of years and manages the affairs of company properly until tragedy struck when Emma tried to fix one of the automatic sealing machines in the company. In the process, a nut from the machine fell out.

However, in an attempt by Emma to reach the nut which was now under the machine, he got electrocuted when his body had a close contact with the machine.

The late Emma, a native of Okigwe local government area of Imo State had no premonition of his death on the night of 28th May,2013 before he went to work and heeded the great call of all mortals.

Emma is the second child in a family of six and a hardworking staff of the pure water company which enabled him to augment the family income.

Sadly enough, the job which was a source of livelihood for him, turned out to be the cause of his death.

The Manager of Zenith Pure water in Bauchi, Mr. Nwankwo Eric who confirmed the incident to our correspondent, said Emma who was on a night shift, got electrocuted by one of the automatic pure water sealing machine when he attempted to take a nut that fell from the machine while he was operating it.

“My staff got electrocuted when he tried to bring out a nut that fell under the automatic sealing machine and he knelt down and pressed himself close to the cable wires where there was a circulation of electricity as he was trying to reach the nut.

As a result of his body contact with the wires, he got shocked and could not move again”. Mr. Nwankwo recalled with grief.

Mr. Nwankwo said there was no need for Emma to try reaching the nut that fell from the sealing machine because two of his colleagues who were working with him on the night shift, could have assisted him to get the nut as they were very close to him.

The grieving boss of the company who disclosed that he was out of town when the incident occurred said he was devastated when he got the news of the demise of his best staff because he was very hard-working and manages the affairs of the company with all seriousness.

“Emma is the most hardworking staff in my company.

He never complains when he is told to carry out any duty and he manages the business like his own. I will miss him because we were very close and he is like a son to me”, he said.

A colleague of late Emma’ called Ifeanyi Kingsley who was working with him on that fateful day said that the incident happened while his friend was trying to fix the pure water automatic sealing machine because it overheated.

According to him, “My colleague tried to repair the sealing machine because he was conversant with all the machines in the factory and normally fixes them whenever there was a fault. As he was fixing the machine, one of the nuts of the machine fell off and he tried to reach it by putting his hands under the machine”.

He described his late colleague as a gentle and hardworking person who never makes trouble with anybody and stressed that he will be greatly missed by everyone.

When our correspondent visited the bereaved family in Aminu street at Bakinkura,a suburb of Bauchi metropolis,

Late Emmanuel Nkwogba the entire family were still yet to come to terms with the demise of Emma because everything still looked a dream to them.

Mr.Onyeka Nkwogba, the father of late Emma and a tailor by profession said he received the news of the death of his son with shock.

He said,“ it was around 11’ o clock in the night that some staff of the Zenith pure water

came to my house that they wanted to see me. By that time I was not in the house. So, they met my wife who told them I was not at home. When my wife enquired from them what happened, they told her that my son had an accident and my attention was required at the Bauchi Teaching Hospital. So, my wife contacted me and told me what

happened. I came home immediately and we all rushed to the Teaching Hospital where they confirmed to us that my son was already dead and kept in the mortuary”.

Mr. Onyeka who described the death of his son as the will of God, said hewill miss him because just when he had so much to live for, death snatched him away.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

NGF chairmanship: One election, two winners, many worries

Gov. Rotimi Amaechi

Gov. Jonah Jang

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

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NGF chairmanship: One election, two winners, many worries

By Abdul-Azeez Suleiman

M

any days after, the fire ignited by the controversial emergence of two winners of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum chairmanship election continue to rage causing concerns for the survival of the nation’s fourteen-year-old democracy and the fear that if the outcome of the poll is anything to go by, then the 2015 general polls will be more problematic .

Already, the rancorous outcome of the election which initially produced Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State as winner, but later saw Plateau State’s Governor Jonah David Jang claiming victory for the same position, has pitched the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party against a section of the Nigerian Governors while threatening to shatter the Northern Governors’ Forum.

Consequently, Governors Rotimi Amaechi and Aliyu Magatakarda Wammakko – both of PDP controlled states- have been suspended by the party’s national secretariat and are fighting back.

While the PDP insisted that Amaechi was suspended from the party on grounds of disobedience and the need to ensure discipline in the party. The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, which took the decision after an emergency meeting in Abuja, said its decision was anchored on a petition it received from the Rivers State Executive Committee of the party against the governor regarding allegation of disobedience to the State chapter of the party.

Amaechi on his part, in a swift reaction, said that his purported suspension was a political witch hunt and argued further that he was neither invited nor given a fair hearing on the matter prior to his suspension.

As a bandwagon effect, the aftermath of the NGF election is apparently posing a serious threat to the existence of the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), an umbrella body for the governors of the 19 northern states. This threat became imminent when in protest over what some of them described as an act of betrayal by their colleagues who voted for Amaechi, 14 northern governors shunned the NSGF meeting, which took place in Kaduna on Thursday.

Earlier, the Bauchi State Governor, Isa Yuguda had announced that he was opting out of the NSGF and accused the Niger

Gov. Isa Yuguda State Governor and Chairman of the NSGF, Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, of betrayal.

Yuguda was obviously basing his stand on reports that prior to the controversial NGF election, the governors on the plat-

PDP Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur form of the PDP had met and asked their colleagues – Yuguda and the Katsina State Governor, Ibrahim Shema – who had thrown their hats into the ring, to step down for the Jang, as the consensus candidate of the party.

However, during the election, five of the northern governors turned around to vote for Amaechi, thus handing victory in the chairmanship contest to the River State governor. As a result of the crisis that has ensued since then, and the consequent factionalisation of the NGF, only five of the governors attended the meeting of the NSGF in person though seven were represented by their deputies, two by their Secretaries to the State Government (SSG), two were absent but sent their apologies, while three stayed away without explanation.

The governors, who attended the meeting, included Aliyu, Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa), Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo (Gombe) and the host governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State.

Those who were represented by their deputies included Kwara, Kano, Kogi, Borno, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi States, while Plateau and Benue were represented by their SSGs. Adamawa and Taraba States, according to the chairman of the forum, sent their apologies, while the governors of Katsina, Yobe and Bauchi States were absent.

But Aliyu while responding to reporters’ questions shortly after reading the communiqué of the meeting insisted that sending deputies to the meeting did not reduce the importance of any decision taken at the meeting.

He, however, admitted that there were problems with the NGF election but promised they would be resolved.

“If I’m to tell you what led to the problem in the NGF, we will stay here till tomorrow, so I have no intention of doing that. I will only tell you that in whatever process of elec-

tion or whatever, there may be one person or the other that will be aggrieved. But we seem to be developing a culture, even in our normal elections, such that as you prepare to contest for elec- tions, you should also prepare to contest it in the court.

“I am speaking to you as the chairman of NSGF, so if you want my view I will tell you we had an election, we have a problem, but we will resolve it,” the governor said but declined to state categorically who had emerged winner of the NGF election.

Adding to the confusion in the fo-

NGF election, all the 19 governors, who are members of the NSGF had agreed in principle that Jang was their consensus candidate for the post of the NGF leadership.

Observing that since Amaechi was a product of a consensus arrangement, Yuguda therefore insisted that Jang remained the leader of the NGF, against the backdrop of their adoption of the Plateau governor, saying the crisis could have been averted if Aliyu had provided astute leadership and direction.

“In the first place, we have never had elections in the NGF. I was in Ilorin and I seconded the motion that made Amaechi the chairman of NGF. There were only 13 of us in Ilorin, so if 19 governors presented a candidate in a 35- member association, I think the game should have been over that a consensus had been reached.

“In all things, my word should be my bond. If I had sat down with 19 of my colleagues and we agreed on something, I should not see the chairman of that forum not coming to protect the integrity of the Northern Governors’ Forum and by extension, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and that is why I say all the crisis and all the unfortunate comments made about the governors today, the fault should be traced to the Northern Governors’ Forum.

“We are the culprits and that is why I say on his honour, let the chairman of the Northern Governors Forum come out and tell Nigerians that either we in the forum did not agree on Jang or we did,” Yuguda stressed.

Explaining why he quit the NSGF, Yuguda said he did so because he felt that leadership is about integrity and honour; and having taken the path of dignity, it would be inconsistent with his status to continue to pitch his tent with Aliyu as a person. Instead, he said his deputy would seat on the NSGF on behalf of his state, adding: “As for me as a person, I d o n ’ t want t o

Gov. Babatunde Fashola rum, some believe that the decision to present Jang as the consensus candidate for the NGF chairmanship election was a plot to edge him out of the chairmanship of the NSGF. According to this theory, the chairmanship of the NSGF is passed on in an alphabetical order, on the basis of the name of the states. By this arrangement, Plateau should have produced the next chairman of the NSGF after Niger.

But the Plateau State SSG, Prof. Shedrack Best, who represented Jang at the meeting, said Jang had no grudges against the NSGF. But Yuguda was not as diplomatic when he told State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday that prior to the controversial

attend their meetings, but my deputy can attend on behalf of the people and government of Bauchi State.

But as a person, I will not. That has always been my position.”

The wider North however, does not seem to believe in Yuguda’s point of view.

Consequently, a coalition of northern youth groups frowned at what they call Yuguda’s open treachery to the North by aligning with President Jonathan against the interest of the region and its people.

In a joint statement, the Arewa Citizens

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

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Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed

Gov. Aliyu Babangida

Gov. Peter Obi

NGF chairmanship: One election, two winners, many worries Action for Change and the Northern Emancipation Network disclosed that they have concluded plans for a statewide protest by youths in Bauchi to press home the anger of the northern people against Yuguda’s latest political moves.

The statement signed by Nastura Ashir Sheriff and Engineer Bala Misau for the two groups, observed that Yuguda’s romance with Jonathan at this critical time signifies a clear betrayal of the collective wish of the northern people.

“It is regrettable that people like Yuguda who have benefitted from the grace of the people of their states and the North at large should turn against the collective interest of their people for self-serving reasons,” the youths said.

The groups warned that the North would no longer accommodate and pardon traitors who parade themselves as leaders in the region whereas, they merely play the Judas.

“Antics such as those recently displayed

by Yuguda are no longer acceptable and would not be allowed to go unchallenged.

“We are aware that Yuguda and a few unpatriotic northern elements are being sponsored to disrupt the present structure of the Northern Governors’ Forum so as to pave way for Jonathan’s ploy for an automatic presidential ticket in his party.

“We are watching keenly for any such moves from Yuguda and his dissenting allies and we shall resist them sufficiently.

“Measures to be taken against such treachery include mobilisation for a mass statewide protest in Bauchi to show the people’s anger with the governor’s position that is evidently detrimental to the larger interest of the North,” the groups explained.

They warned that henceforth, any leader in the region who prioritises self interest above the people’s collective will, shall be met with stiff resistance from the youths.

“This is not Yuguda’s first time of betraying the interest of the majority: the way he dumped the people and the party that got him into office are still fresh in the people’s mind; and now this shameful act of aligning with the presidency’s plans to further estrange the north.

Let him know that there is a limit to even treachery and that the limit in this case, has been over-stretched and would not be acceptable,” the youth groups said.

At the center of the controversy are the leadership of the PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan who are believed to be backing Governor Jang’ faction against Amaechi’s supporters who are perceived as moving to thwart President Jonathan’s ambition for a return to power in 2015.

The NGF descended into chaos when President Jonathan and the national leadership of the PDP masterminded the formation of a splinter group with the presentation of the Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill

Akpabio, as the chairman of a newly formed PDP Governors’ Forum as a last effort to dilute the perceived growing political influence of Amaechi, who was elected chairman of the NGF in June 2011 for an initial twoyear term and was gearing up to re-contest after the expiration of his tenure.

Since 1999 when the NGF was formed, whoever led the NGF had always served as coordinator of an informal association of PDP governors, but the presidency and the top brass of the PDP had of late become uncomfortable with Amaechi who is believed to be leading a massive opposition against Tukur and the president as well as using his post to strategically position himself as vice-presidential candidate of the party in t h e coming election.

W i t h the PDP b l o c hijacked from his grip, Amaechi began to turn to his sympathetic colleagues to ensure the presidency was not allowed t o foist a

been defeated by Amaechi.

The party said it is a travesty of democracy for Jonathan, who has repeatedly claimed not to have had any interest in, or backed any candidate for the forum’s election, to recognize Jang, even when the governor had lost to Amaechi in what has been widely acknowledged as a free, fair and transparent poll.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said the President’s “ill-advised” decision has shown that he has little or no respect for democracy, and will stop at nothing to jettison time-tested ideals on the altar of political opportunism.

It said the recognition of the defeated candidate for the Chairmanship of the NGF has also shown that the president’s spokesmen either do not know the thinking of their principal or have chosen to engage in downright lies in his defence.

“President Jonathan is frittering away whatever is left of his credibility by the day,’” the party said. “His spokesman said in a statement the day after the NGF election that ‘the President has always shown a willingness to work harmoniously with any leadership freely and independentl y

Gov. Godswill Akpabio chairman on the group and thus garnered the support of opposition governors and some of his colleagues within the PDP. Those believed to be opposed to him were Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa) Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Theodore Orji (Abia), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi),) and Acting Governor Garba Umar (Taraba).

This was the position of things before the elections were held.

Threatening a major implosion in the hitherto all powerful PDP, the blazing fire has also provided an opportunity for the opposition which has already moved in for the kill by describing it as a national disgrace that should be frowned at by the electorate. Firing the first salvo, The Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, slammed Jonathan for recognizing Jang, as the “chairman” despite his having

chosen by the Governors Forum for the collective progress and development of all sections of the country and will continue to do so.

“President Jonathan trusts that as true democrats and respected national political leaders, members of the Governors Forum will quickly resolve the issues and differences amongst them which emerged yesterday (May 24th) and continue to contribute effectively to national development as a strong, and progressive body’.

ACN however said ”…it is now clear that the presidency’s statement is not worth the paper on which it is written, that in the Nigerian presidency, words do not carry their exact meanings and that the spokesmen for the President speak for no one but themselves.

When viewed in the context of similar deceitful statements by the presidency in

Gov. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso the past, especially on the health of the First Lady, one can see a growing pattern of a lying presidency, a presidency that likes to hide behind one finger.

This is sad, because without credibility, a president cannot govern successfully,” ACN said.

The party said the president, who should be looked up to as the father of all, has become the father of a few “renegades”, and descended from being the President of Nigeria to the President of the PDP and now the President of a faction of the PDP. “This President is daily cementing his unenviable reputation as the most divisive President in the history of Nigeria. By raising partisan politics to a pedestal higher than national interest, he has divided the country along religious, ethnic and political lines more than any of his predecessors,” the party said.

“In the process he has destroyed or about to destroy national institutions and organisations. First, he succumbed to the pressure from his party to deal with the judiciary for daring to reverse the outcome of some of PDP’s rigged polls.

But for a courageous Chief Justice of Nigeria who cannot be teleguided now in the saddle, the judiciary will have been emasculated altogether ”Then the President all but put an end to the fight against corruption, which is widely acknowledged as a canker worm that is fast destroying the fabric of our society, and now he has destroyed the NGF. This is not an enviable legacy for any President,” it said.

Special Report PAGE 12

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Rukubi:

The inside story From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

W

hat happened in Rukubi, a small fishing community in Ekye development area of Nasarawa state last Tuesday, was like a scene out of an old western movie, with trigger happy goons moving into the shanty town and killing and burning everything in sight?

Bullet flying everywhere For the people of Rukubi on that fateful day, it was Armageddon, with bullets flying from every angle, even as the deafening sound of an explosive thrown by the marauders added to the milieu.

By the time the shooting was over, precisely two hours later, over 40 residents lost their lives, 15 houses got burnt as well as 6 vehicles together with several motorcycles. The victims of this latest carnage were mostly women and children caught in the open fields as they tended to their farms or were on the river, a tributary of the River Benue, catching fish.

In what may appear to be similar with previous attacks across the state, residents say over 500 armed militias, suspected to be Tivs, dressed in mobile police uniforms and wielding sophisticated weapons including AK 47 and SMGs, stormed Rukubi at around 7 am, shooting and killing anyone in sight, throwing an occasional grenade to bring down a building.

Caught unawares, the strong among the Rukubi community members, mostly men, fled the town, taking refuge at the premises of the Olam Rice Farm, a private concern said to be the largest rice farm in Africa, while others ran into the nearby bush, leaving mostly the elderly, women and children behind to be massacred by the invaders.

When our reporter visited the area, Rukubi had been deserted save for the brave few, mostly young men who were able to return after the gun men had left, taking along with them as hostages an unidentified lady and a boy, Baba Abari.

Along the route from Lafia to Doma and through villages like Yalwa, and Igbabo, truck loads of fleeing residents were sighted, mostly women and children, being conveyed to safety at displaced persons

us

Homeless: Internally Displaced Persons from Rukubi taking refuge at the Doma Central Pilot School camps in Doma.

When Peoples Daily Weekend interacted with some resi-

How they killed my mother-victim For Mamman Bala, a fisher-

Gov. Tanko Al-makura dents of Rukubi, their tale was pathetic and heart wrenching.

man in his late 40s, the attack in Rukubi was like a view into

hell. Unable to control his rage, Bala narrated how his younger brother called on phone to alert him over the situation in the town. For as at the time of the attack, Bala was already on the river plying his trade.

“When I looked towards Rukubi, I saw the town was engulfed in smoke and everybody was running helter skelter. And there was the sound of gunshot”, he narrated.

Unable to get back into the town, the fisherman continued, he took refuge in the bush and only came out after the gun men had left. However, the story that awaited him back home was most shocking and devastating.

“When the attackers came, my mother ran into the bush but then she remembered leaving behind her ward, a little boy brought from our relations for her to look after. So she ran back to pick the boy only for them to run into the killers who shot her through the chest, with the little boy also shot through the head and they both died,” Bala narrated, eyes clouding with tears as a huge rage shook through him.

How Fulani men saved

For the duo of Aminu Kano Kiyawa and Yakubu Sumaila, who were in Rukubi to work at the Olams Rice Farm, the attack came as a rude shock, as their third partner, simply called Osama, got missing and could not be founds days after the skirmishes.

Narrating their ordeal, Aminu disclosed that the three of them left Kano to come and work on the rice fields in Rukubi but that after the attack, “our friend Osama could not be found and we lost all our money and belongings.”

Aminu however added a twist in the tale when he lamented that despite the presence of a number of armed security operatives at the Olams farm, it was the Fulanis who came to their aid, bringing along with them ”about 100 sophisticated weapons, not even the army or mobile police could have had.”

When prodded further, he narrated that when the attackers came, both the workers of the company and youths from Rukubi bounded together in self defense but that while the security operatives remained behind the locked gates of the rice company, Fulani men from surrounding villages emerged to assist them with sophisticated weapons numbering around 100, with which they attempted to scare off the marauders.

Confirming the help coming from the Fulanis, a young herdsman riding a motorcycle, Mohammadu Sani, denied that Rukubi residents were harboring them to attack the Tivs but however said members of his community brought help to the people while the attack was ongoing.

When asked by our reporter on the nature of the assistance, Mohammad Sani could not say but referred our reporter to the leaders of the Fulani community.

Another victim, an elderly man, Yakubu Duka, disclosed that he lost two of his brothers as a result of the attack, Ishaku Biko and Christian Jakada, both of them killed during the invasion. Though Baba Duka could not find a reason for the attack, he narrated that he was at home when he heard gun-

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Special Report

PAGE 13

••• attackers were over 500

A house and car burnt in Rukubi shots and he was people running helter sketer.

Attackers were over 500 For Mustapha Danladi Ayaga, an information officer with Ekye development area and a resident of Rukubi, narrated that on that black Tuesday, “over 500 militants invaded this area armed with sophisticated weapons, shooting.”

Ayaga told journalists that prior to the attack; the people of Rukubi had been inundated with series of rumors of threat from the Tivs, suggesting that the Tivs were coming to punish the Agatus for sheltering the Fulanis who were responsible for sending them packing from the area.

He pointed out that it is not true the Agatus were harboring the Fulanis to attack the Tivs, saying that in Rukubi, there are about 7 different tribes and that there are Tivs still residing in the area, in such places like Idadu.

“For the Tivs demand for us to chase away the Fulanis from Rukubi, we don’t have the constitutional right to do that. Some of the Tiv attackers were working here before they left when they got into trouble with the Fulanis.

We don’t have any problem with them,” Ayaga stated.

The Tivs’ threat On the rumors of threat, the information officer confirmed that based on the threat from the Tivs to deal with the Agatus for harboring the Fulani in Rukubi,

the people of the community reported the matter to the security operatives.

According to him,” the Tivs even listed 13 communities they would attack if we did not send the Fulanis packing from our area.

Rukubi is among the areas listed.”

“The attackers were fully armed, dressed in mobile police uniforms. They used explosives to destroy some of our houses. At the last count, there were 35 dead bodies. The attackers also kidnapped one lady and a boy, Baba Abari,” Ayaga further disclosed.

While denying as a fallacy, the claim that Rukubi harbors Fulani herdsmen who attack the Tivs, Ayaga stated that in Rukubi, there are about seven different tribes; the Agatu, who are natives of the area, the Alagos, the Kabawa, Hausa, Mada, Eggon, Mighili, Chawai and Bassa. And that the people of Rukubi have no right to send the Fulanis packing from the area.

“The people that came for this attack are right from Benue state, even their Tivs brothers living among us here are not happy with the attack, those living in Idadu, Agatu land. The attackers are mostly from Daudu area, inside Makurdi and Gboko. They are mostly hired to come and destroy our area.”

On his part, Regis George, head of the farming project at the Olam Rice Farm, described the skirmishes, “as a tribal attack”, adding that even though the at-

tack was not targeted at the company or any member of its staff, still flying bullets and the sound of gunshots was enough to instill fear in them.

He urged the Nasarawa state government to put in place a permanent security team in the area particularly along the border between Benue and Nasarawa states.

Mr George disclosed that the company as part of its responsibility to the Rukubi community,

provided succor to the victims of the crisis by providing them with food as well as transportation to convey those fleeing the area for safety.

He explained that the security men on the premises of the company were detailed to maintain security around the company that they were already discussing with the Rukubi community leaders on the need for added security when the incident occurred.

Mamman Bala lost his mother and sibling during the crisis

However, with the people of Rukubi mourning their dead and recounting their losses after the gunmen had done their thing and disappeared, it remains for the security operatives to move into action with a view to unraveling the Rukubi attackers. Government also must brace up to the unfolding security challenges through the maximum utilization of intelligence, by being proactive in checking this type of orgy.

Focus

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

How windstorm killed two, injured others, destroyed houses in Kano

Amina Abubakar victim

PRO, Kano State Fire Service, Kassim Musa

From Mustapha Adamu, Kano.

O

n Saturday, June 1, 2013, disaster struck Layin Baure of Rijiyar Lemo in Ungoggo Local Government of Kano State, as storm hit the area and destroyed hundreds of houses, killing two people and injuring others.

Residents of the area said the incident happened around 9:00 pm, when a powerful storm hit the area, blowing off roofs and damaging buildings before the coming of rainfall, forcing most of them to vacate the area to a nearby primary school.

Narrating her ordeal, one of the victims, Amina Abubakar, told Peoples Daily Weekend that the tragedy was an act of God but appealed to authorities to come to their rescue.

“The incident happened around 9:00 pm. As we were preparing for sleep, a storm suddenly began to raise our roofs and heard a sound like that of collapsing of building. After the storm was over, we came out and found that parts of our building had collapsed and our roofs wiped out. Another building, in our neighbourhood, collapsed and killed one person as he was passing by. Another building, which is a viewing center had

completely collapsed. It is an act of God and I pray to Him to hep us.” “ Up till now, authorities have not come here to see what happened to us. Let me use this opportunity to call on government to help us as we have become displaced and homeless”, she said.

Another victim, 15 years old Muhammad Nasir, described the storm as very powerful and said he was injured during the incident as he was running for safety. “ I was terrified by the storm. I just came out from our house for a safer place, fearing that the storm could collapse our house, It just threw me away as I was running and had sustained dislocation on my ankle. It was a very powerful storm that lasted for few minutes but destroyed houses and killed people.”

A resident of the area and block seller, Abdulrahman Alasan, said that the incident is a sad one but they must accept that it is an act of God. He said that about hundred houses and properties were destroyed.

He also described the storm as very powerful such that it destroyed houses built with rods and blocks.

“I was not affected but I participated actively in rescuing the victims until everything became normal. We helped the fire service to evacuate the copse the dead persons.”

Alasan also said that apart from the man killed by the collapsed building, another young girl was also killed by the building. “ Apart from that man that was killed by the building, another young girl, a daughter of Mallam Cindo, was also killed.”

Asked if government officials had visited the scene, Alasan said none of them had come to see what happened and appealed to the authorities to come and witness the incident. “ Non of the government officials had come here. I appeal to government to come and witness the incident and provide succour to the affected victims.” “ The area entirely needs government’s attention as the land needs to be planned. Government should come and see the area, assess the geographical area and provide plan. We need road in the area and there is a big hole which needs to be filled and cleared. We think it is responsible for the flood bedevelling the area”, he said.

The Public Relations Officer,

Kano State Fire Service, Kassim Musa, confirmed the incident saying that they received a distress call from one Fahad Ali around 10:17 pm, that a building had collapsed and one person was feared dead. “ As soon as we were informed, our men at Rijiyar Lemo Unit reported to the area in just 5 minutes, that is 10:22 pm.

They saw the incident and retrieved the deceased person, whom the building collapsed on, called Badaru Magaji, 38 years old, and handed over his corpse to one Mallam Muhammad Ibrahim, who claimed to be the deceased father.”

Contrary to Alasan’s report that two persons, man and a girl, died in the incident, Musa said they had received the report of only the dead person trapped by the collapsed building and until the time of this report, they have not received another report from the area. “ We received only the report of one person that was killed by the collapsed building which our men went to rescue. We have not received another death report up till now. So, we are not aware of the report that another young girl died in the incident. But we aware

that the storm destroyed roofs and houses.”

Musa also attributed the problem to bad environmental management. He said weather reports have shown that there would be heavy rainfall and storm this season, with warning that people should take note by maintaining their environment. “ Let me use this opportunity to draw attention of people about good environmental management. Weather reports have shown that there would be heavy rainfall and storm this season which could destroy lives and properties. If care is not taken, people would be severely affected.”

The PRO also advised people who have a cracked or weakened building to quickly rebuild it to avoid collapse “ before the rainfall get intense to avoid collapse that could cause loss of lives and properties... also clear our drains to allow free flow of water to avoid flood... strengthen our roofs to avoid being removed by storm.”

This incident is not the first this season as it happened in Rano and Sumaila Local Government Areas of Kano State about three weeks ago. Many houses and properties were lost.

Interview

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

PAGE 15

Al-makura and Tonnie Iredia’s pointblank prognosis-Nasarawa NSUBEB Chairman Mallam Abdulkarim Mohammad Abdullahi, is the Executive Chairman of the Nasarawa State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB). In this interview with our Lafia correspondent, Ali Abare Abubakar, the fiery Mallam Abdulkarim, in his characteristic candor, x-rayed the performance of Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura two years after, against a prognosis given by Mr Tonnie Iredia, former director general of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), in his article, “For states like Nasarawa, it’s now or never”, published in the Sunday Trust of July 17, 2011. Excerpts:

S

hortly after Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura was sworn into office in 2011, Tonnie Iredia, former DG of the NTA, lamenting the state of the political anarchy in the country, predicted that unless political players address the fundamental issue of public trust, accountability and service delivery, Nigerian democracy would forever remain doomed. Now, two years in office and given Iredia’s prophetic prognosis, how has Almakura fared?

Given the tenuous and delicate nature of the Nigerian political environment, when Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa state, triumphed over the much celebrated rigging machine called the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at a time when nobody took him serious, it was a replica of the David and Goliath episode in the scriptures. As with that historic encounter, Al-makura has been vindicated by the hands of the voters,

most of them ordinary peasants who were the victims of the PDP regimes of anti-democracy, impunity and kleptomania. One has to understand the factors in the political environment, the forces in the political environment that have made success a big task for a long time in this country. The obvious fact is that we have a political system where value orientation is placed on materialism, not on service delivery. In a nutshell, Al-makura has fared very well because; you have to contextualize the efforts and achievements on the ground. How much has he achieved, visibly not in terms of the public declarations that most politicians are used to. Against the current of reality, Al-makura has done well because even those that would seem to be with him were not actually with him, those in his party, because there is a difference between somebody wearing a dress and actualizing the potentials of that dress. There are more forces bastardizing the identity and doctrine of the CPC. That is why the Nigerian political system has

Mallam Abdulkarim Mohammad Abdullahi never had a good opposition party because most of them are nurtured along this predatory line of exploiting the resources of the country for personal interest.

Al-makura has come to make a difference by saying while there is nothing wrong in trying to acquire wealth legitimately; there is no reason to allow the plunder of public funds. So given the amount of goodwill generated by his activities in the minds of the people, Almakura has succeeded very well; he is on the path of growth. He is not yet at that level but he is walking his way on a terrible terrain. So I think given the prognostic analysis

by Dr. Iredia, he has made a lot of tremendous progress.

Tonnie Iredia also recommended service delivery as being integral to delivering good governance. So far,

how has Al-makura succeeded in delivering the dividends of democracy to the people of Nasarawa state?

I think Iredia’s article is a great piece He gave us an insight into the nature of good governance, the quality of leadership and I belief, how these can change the destiny of our people.

He has said it all and it is an all encompassing article, the metaphorical and allegorical dimensions. Al-makura has been able to achieve some measure of success, because governance is a continuous process. He has been able to achieve many of the aspects Tonnie Iredia was making reference to. For instance, look at the education sector, how he has been able to bring some changes to redeem the image of the state as the poor, backward performing educationally disposed state, to a new position where even the senate committee on education and the general public, the ordinary rural community member, that have been benefitting from the renewal process and positive change agenda of the governor, have been commending. The provision of water supply, rural road network, even the urban renewal process, Al-makura has done well in many sectors of service delivery and dividends of democracy.

He has done so many things within a very short period of two years that none of his predecessors could boast of having attained one quarter of. I think to that extent, he has tried. But he still has a lot more to do, because Nasarawa state is a state in a haste, after been left behind, abandoned, it needs somebody to spearhead a motion, a spiral of social change, But it is difficult to do that because you are still dealing with those forces in the environment who still see governance as a place where the upper class should exploit the lower class. This is what Almakura has also managed to stop. He has in his heart a passion for the ordi-

nary people that is why they now call him the peoples’ governor. I hope he recognizes that and should not allow those forces of impunity to veer him away from his focus.

You have discussed about service delivery, what about the system?

That is a very important question.

The Nigerian political system, the bureaucratic system is very delicate and dangerous. I think that Al-makura needs to address the role of the civil servants in the political mechanism of service deliverance. The problem we had is that we have a good number of civil servants that have been completely isolated and alienated. There are of course, major players in the civil service structure that are also injurious because over time they have become like the handmade of the politicians and they have orchestrated the process of corruption. But not all of them and I think the governor needs to pay attention to the civil service, because since his arrival, in the first two years, it’s as if government is in the hands of a few clique who have caged him. He need to address the fundamental issue of access, people must access him.

There are people, young men in the civil service yearning for change, with a vision to redesign the political landscape of Nasarawa state but who have not been opportune. He has made or those who advice him, have decided to cage him, to quarantine him and allow only those they like to see him. I think he needs to discard this method as government is an open door system.

The dangerous power point gangsters that surround him should be dismantled because they are not helping him.

In fact, most of the grumbles and the grievances the people have is that the peoples’governor has been hijacked by anti-people forces or gangsters. I think Al-makura should look at that.

But the civil servants themselves must purge themselves of the ills of the past.

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

16

People & Polity

With Sonde Abbah 0803-2159-249 (SMS only) asonde@yahoo.com

Moghalu, CBN chief, mirrors ‘Emerging Africa’

K

ingsley Chiedu Moghalu, this name needs little or no introduction.

Moghalu, deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was the founder and CEO of Sogato Strategies, a global strategy and risk management consulting firm in Geneva, Switzerland.

What impresses not a few people about the alumnus of Harvard Business School is his

What impresses not a few people about the alumnus of Harvard Business School is his expertise and track record of performance and industry in a wide range of areas, including legal affairs, international relations, economics, strategic planning, etc.

expertise and track record of performance and industry in a wide range of areas, including legal affairs, international relations, economics, strategic planning, etc.

Want to have a glimpse of his weatlh of wisdom? check out his new book, ‘EMERGING AFRICA: How the global economy’s last frontier can prosper and matter”.

Containing over 400 pages, Moghalu’s new work has been enjoying rave reviews across the land.

“One of the finest such work to have been crafted in recent memory,” crooned one reviewer. Hold on, dear reader, for us to go get a copy and get back to you soonest...

Ahmed Musa’s magic feet

‘War’ against commuters

T

he sight in this photograph speaks for itself.

It vividly portrays the agony and frustration which commuters in Abuja have been enduring lately, thanks to the new pig-headed policy of the government.

The controversial transport policy prohibits mini-buses from venturing into the capital city.

The people must now depend only on taxis (which charge grossly inadequate).

The consequence is obvious: Pain, pain, and tears everywhere. Commuters stranded at scores of bus stops, left to their own devices. And of course, countless hours lost on the road.

This lousy policy is said to be part of the fabled Abuja “master plan”. Some master plan indeed.

“Wing wizard.”

“A midfielder like no other.”

“A talented, creative and determined player whose bag of tricks knows no bounds”.

Which Nigerian footballer is being showered with such accolades in recent times? Answer: Ahmed Musa.

On Wednesday the fleet-footed player justified his rating in style. Musa produced a moment of magic in the all-important Kenya versus Nigeria World Cup qualification match.

As the contest appears to be stretching to a goaless draw, Ahmed Musa scored a glorious goal which earned Nigeria a priceless 0-1 victory. Talk of a lad with magic feet.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Homes

17

Will you go for curtains or opt for drapes?

W

hen it comes to treating and dressing the windows, you sure can have a myriad of options and choices at your disposal. While having an extensive variety to select from is definitely great, it is also known to be confusing also. For instance, should you go for curtain or settle with drapes.

Drapes and curtains are the most

common window options and used intermost of the people

dressing often are changeably as are unable to

differentiate between both of them. Though drapes and curtains may seem not to be very similar, they are definitely quite different from each other.

Drapes are nothing but heavy weight, floor

length, lined fabrics hung on the rods with hooks for traversing. On the other hand, curtains are unlined, light weight fabrics of varying length attached to the rods with rings, tabs, grommets, or rod pocket casing.

If you want to incorporate rich fabrics in your room such as silk or velvet then you need to go for drapes, whereas curtains are best done in linen, cotton, sheer or lacy fabrics.

Drapes are always done in pleats and of floor length. American, French, etc is some of the popular pleating styles. Curtains may or

may not bear the pleats, and their length varies with the size of the window.

Generally, curtains for sliding glass doors are not pleated and those for French doors are pleated.

If you do not want any light to come in then you should go for drapes as they are made out of thick fabrics and are lined.

Curtains are not lined and allow light to pass across them due to their light sheer fabric.

To decide on whether you should go for curtains or settle or with drapes, you need to consider your need, budget and the area where they are to be installed. If you have a restricted budget then you should go for curtains as drapes are much expensive than

the curtains due to the heavy fabric and the quantity. Drapes demand professional installation but you can easily install curtains by yourself. Drapes are more suitable for large open spaces such as churches, m a n s i o n s , manors, banquet

halls, marriage halls, etc.

And for offices, homes, studios and other small establishments, curtains are more appropriate.

Here is a detailed comparison between the two to make you wise and help you make the right selection when next you go shopping for your home.

Homedit.com

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Relationship

18

Serious questions you should not ask your new boyfriend

By Shoshana Jackson How many men have you chased away with the wrong questions asked at the wrong time?

When you first start dating someone you want to know everything about them. After all that’s how you’ll decide if he’s the man you want to spend the rest of your life with.

It’s only natural to ask your boyfriend questions to get to know what he wants in life and in a relationship. However there are some serious questions you should not ask your boyfriend.

If you have serious questions to ask your boyfriend, you may want to think about waiting.

Some questions are best left until you’re ready for an exclusive relationship with each other.

There are some questions which may be proper as your relationship becomes more serious, but may scare off a man in the beginning.

While these questions are important, they are not essential when you’re still dating.

How important am I to you? What do I mean to you? Do you love me?

While this is something you want to know, it’s not an appropriate question in the beginning of a relationship.

How important you are to him in the beginning of dating will be different from when you’re in a committed relationship. However since actions speak louder than words, this is something you’ll see before you get a chance to ask the question.

He’ll show how important you are to him by the way he treats you.

Are you still seeing other women? How many women are you dating right now?

Unless you’re in a committed relationship, the answer will probably be yes.

If you are dating someone they can date other people until you both agree to an exclusive relationship. By the same token you should still be dating other men,

Heart Matterz With A’isha Biola Raji

E-mail: rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com Phone: 08082071393 (Text only)

I hate him but I couldn’t say no to my parents M

and he should not have an issue with this.

How many women have you dated before?

This is a loaded question.

Most people who ask this question don’t really want to know the answer. No matter what a man or a woman for that matter says, the other person can have issue with it. Too few people can be as much of a problem to some people as too many. Think to yourself “why do I need to know this, does this really make a difference?” If it doesn’t, and it shouldn’t, don’t make you and your boyfriend feel uncomfortable.

How many children do you want to have?

Children may be a dealmaker or deal breaker for you. It is appropriate to

When you first start dating someone you want to know everything about them. After all that’s how you’ll decide if he’s the man you want to spend the rest of your life with.

ask if he plans on having a family in the future, but don’t start getting into specifics.

You can delve deeper into this when you are deciding to make a commitment.

Asking specific questions about having children and building a family will make your boyfriend feel things are moving too fast, which may cause him to back off.

While it may seem that these questions are innocent enough, if he’s serious, it’s important to remember in the beginning stages of a relationship he’s not. No matter how much fun you have together, how perfect you seem for each other and how much you want him to be the man of your dreams, he’s not serious about your relationship until he and you make a commitment to each other.

So, remember this, there are some serious questions you should not ask your new boyfriend.

Before commitment it may be better to ask questions that are more interesting, but fun, and avoid the serious ones until you’re ready for an exclusive relationship.

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

y name is Nafeesa I just graduated from secondary school last year. While I was in school, I had a boyfriend, his name is Salihu. He was several years my senior. We promised to get married one day.

When Salihu finished his SSCE exams, his uncle immediately took him to England but his relocation did not affect our relationship as he was always calling me on phone.

When I finished however, my guardian (aunt) suggested I get married. She noticed I was always on phone with Salihu. She discouraged and she refused to let me use all the gifts he was sending through his friends and relatives. She also refused to tell my father about him and forbade me from doing so.

My aunt’s attitude began to frustrate me; I then realized for the first time that I didn’t have a mother. I had lost my mother when I became two years old and had since been living with my aunt.

I told Salihu my problem. He said he would continue to have faith that if God had destined us to be, my aunt couldn’t stop us.

By this time, my aunt had suggested marriage plan concerning me to my father

who immediately agreed. My father believed my aunt had been taking care of me for a long time and would want the best for me.

On my so called wedding day, I still hadn’t known my husband to be. It was when I was taken into an attached mud house in very low class compound that I realized what my husband would look like.

Ahmed my husband came back from his okada business smelling of sweat and grease.

He was not in support of the marriage too hence his reason to have gone to work on the day he was supposed to dress for marriage ceremony.

He was however gentle with me, he told me how much he pitied my condition as he knew that I am not his class and that I didn’t love him.

When news got to my father that I was living a wretched life, he sprang into action; he called Ahmed, gave him a lot of money to erect a decent building in their compound since they have enough land. He also gave him money to make me comfortable.

He has been nice to me but deep down in my heart, I hate him and I wouldn’t have married him if not that, I could not say no to my parents.

What can I do to get Salihu out of my mind and be a good wife to Ahmed? I am so sad.

Beauty Tips PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

19

Getting old: Simple ways to tighten sagging skin

T

ightening of sagging skin can now be achieved naturally and without any side effects. There are 3 secrets of skin tightening.

Secret ingredients: The 3 secrets or factors that will enhance the tightening of sagging skin are as followed: 1. Eating proper food nutrients 2. Taking Omega-3 fatty acid supplement 3. Using natural ingredient skin cream Food Nutrients Rely on food rich in antioxidants.

It fights off free radical that does harm the body and skin. Dearth of antioxidants can aid to sagging skin particularly on the neck and under the eyes. Most of the nutrients we require are generally available in our food. But it is suggested to take a good multi-nutrient supplement regularly to be in the safe side. Here are some of the foods items that are free radical fighters and good antioxidants: Honey Grapes,Olives and Avocado More special antioxidants for skin Not all necessary antioxidants are generally available in the food we eat as they are in plants a little outside of the food cycle. One such antioxidant is the blue passion flower. It is special for its antioxidant called Chrysin. Chrysin that make blood vessels firmer and therefore enables tightening the sagging skin.

Fish oil, is also a factor in tightening the skin. Fish oil is important because it is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Natural skin cream with right ingredients Most skin creams available in the market are not that effective in tightening sagging skin. The reason behind this is that, most of them either do not have the right ingredients or not sufficient of them.

Right skin cream The skin cream formulation must be appropriate to get the desired results. It goes to say that the components blend in the skin cream should work in the proper concentration. A few of them are kelp, Chrysin, Keratin etc.

Effective skin care regime • Consume foods containing plant based antioxidants • Consume fish oil supplement daily • Apply a skin cream Most department stores sell cheap or ineffective skin care products. Some are even harmful to the skin. Follow the above said skin care regime and you can have the desired results in a short span of time.

Vitamins for skin tightening Why Vitamin E

Vitamin E is one of a number of vitamins that function as an antioxidant. Vitamin E is required by the body for its general function. It prevents the oxidation of cholesterol and fat, in the absence of which waxy fat can accumulate into blood vessel walls and generate circulatory problems. Vitamin E enhances circulation which is necessary for tissue repair, cell regeneration and healthy skin. It regulates the generation of rostaglandins, and simmers down inflammation.

Vitamin E may inhibit the development of a few cancers, and is also useful in immune function traumas, angina, heart attacks, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, skin ulcers, wound healing, dermatitis, diabetes, bronchitis among several others.

Vitamin E for skin Vitamin E also manifests several benefits to the skin. In fact, one of the prominent components in good skin care products is vitamin E. Its antioxidant property turns it effective for combating free radicals thus reducing skin sagging, wrinkles and aging. It inhibits us from the adverse effects of UV-A rays. Vitamin E also promotes healing of inflammation and skin traumas like eczema. It also cuts down trans-epidermal water loss from the skin to retain moisture and consolidate the skin’s barrier function.

Tips to get enough vitamin E As you know how important vitamin E is, to the skin, let us have a look how you can give your skin sufficient vitamin E. Here are some easy tips: • Apply a skin cream that contain high quantity of vitamin E. Vitamin E is present in a diverse range of skin care products. Ensure that you choose one that is rich in vitamin E - quantity sufficient enough to combat skin aging.

• If you use makeup daily, don a nourishing day cream beneath your makeup that contain vitamin E. A day cream with vitamin E will offer your skin ample nourishment for long duration. Even if your skin is exposed to environmental roughness or harmful UV rays, your skin will be protected all day long.

• Avoid ingredients causing inflammatory effects to the skin. Make sure you avoid skin care products containing harsh chemicals that can damage the skin, create inflammation and lead to allergies.

Conclusion If you dream of smooth, beautiful and refreshing skin, make sure you pamper your skin with enough vitamins for skin tightening, i.e. vitamin E and others. It offers your skin with the nurture and protection it requires on a day to day basis.

Omega-3 Fish Oil

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Learning

With Emmanuel Eko junioremma419@gmail.com 08165618872

Page 20

Did you know that?

Book Review

American dream machine

By Matthew Specktor It’s a man’s man’s man’s world, James Brown proclaimed in his celebrated wail inside a New York recording studio in 1966 — around the same time Beau Rosenwald, the focal character of Matthew

Specktor’s sprawling, atmospheric second novel, “American Dream Machine,” sires two sons with two different women. One of those sons — the illegitimate one, Nate Myer — is the novel’s pensive narrator, and he presents his father as a cross between Augie

March and Willy Loman: the child of a Queens shoemaker who works his way up from the mailroom of a former vaudeville agency in New York to representing A-list Hollywood stars while earning virulent enemies, a handful of ex-wives and millions of dollars along the perilous, ego-driven way.

The art of controversy

By Victor S. Navasky It has been eight years since a set of Danish cartoons portraying the prophet Muhammad incited rioting in much of the Muslim world. In the eyes of many Americans, the protests

were incomprehensible, a collective temper tantrum spawned by dopey sketches.

Muslims were accused, among much else, of lacking a sense of humor. But what if the outcry reflected less on Islamic culture than on cartoon culture, which

has its own history of flare-ups and meltdowns? The question goes to the heart of Victor S. Navasky’s thoughtful and deftly illustrated book, “The Art of Controversy: Political Cartoons and Their Enduring Power.”

Bound for the Hamptons G eorge Monbiot’s dream of a wilder Britain would replace entire areas of sheep farming with natural ecosystems and restore species that have long since disappeared You don’t need to dig to uncover traces of prehistoric fauna and flora. If you know what to look for, the ecological biography of nearly half a million years ago can still be read in today’s landscape.

Many of our trees and shrubs, including oak, ash, beech, lime, sycamore, alder and willow, can re-grow from the point at which the stem is broken. This resprouting, or coppicing, could be an evolutionary response to attacks by elephants, who habitually snap or uproot trees.

The ability of some trees to survive the removal of much of their bark is also suggestive of elephant-proofing. In another adaptation, the robin may have turned to land disturbed by humans, following the demise of the wild boar, a notoriously messy eater.

An optimist might find something to celebrate here: the remarkable capacity of nature to adjust to change and its enviable escape from what Nietzsche termed “the malady of history”. The tree does not sigh for the elephant, the robin does not fret for the boar; they are not made melancholy or sleepless by the pastness of the past. Animals may have memory, they may even have consciousness, but unlike humans they don’t strain to make urgent meaning out of life. Humanity is an existential prejudice of which they, like the trees, are free.

In Feral, we find George Monbiot in gloomy mood,

mourning the loss of the improbable bestiary that lies under Nelson’s Column, and with it a world that was once rugged and wild and big.

Hemmed in by JG Ballard’s “drowsy villas, sheltered by benevolent shopping malls”, life feels shrunken, “cautious, constrained, meticulous”.

We are ruled by “prohibitive decencies”, our passions are sublimated, we have had to learn “to press our roaring

blood into quieter channels”.

The closest we get to nature is feeding ducks in the park, and “the greatest trial of strength and ingenuity we face is opening a badly designed packet of nuts”. In short, civilisation has squeezed the wildness out of our environment and out of us.

Unable to flex our Paleolithic muscles, we have withered, aetiolated, gone to seed.

– guardian.co.uk

• Tennessee is bordered by 8 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia - more than any other in the US • Stewardesses is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand • There is no such thing as a naturally blue food • Honey is the only natural food which never goes off • M&M’s chocolate stands for the initials for its inventors Mars and Murrie • That you burn more calories eating celery than it contains (the more you eat the thinner you become)

• The only continent with no active volcanoes is Australia • The longest street in the world is Yonge street in Toronto Canada measuring 1,896 km (1,178 miles) • About 90% of the worlds population kisses • C o c a - C o l a originally contained cocaine • In every episode of Seinfeld there is a reference to Superman • The Internet was originally called ARPANet (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) designed by the US department of defense • Sound travels almost 5 times faster underwater than in air.

How to establish a reading schedule

D

espite your best efforts, it’s sometimes difficult to stick with your plan to finish that list of books. Other projects get in the way. You may find yourself overwhelmed by the size of the book you’ve chosen. You may just let the habit of reading slide or slip until you’ve forgotten much of the plot and/or characters; and, you feel that you might as well just start over. Here’s a solution:

Set up a reading schedule to get you through those books!

Here’s how: 1.

Pick a list of books you’d like to read.

2.

Determine when you will start reading your first book.

3.

Select the order in which you’d like to read the books on your reading list.

4.

Decide how many pages you will read every day.

5.

If you’ve decided that you’ll read 5 pages per day, count the number of pages in the book that you’ve selected to read first.

6.

Write the page span (15) down on paper next to your selected start date. It’s also a great idea to the write your schedule up on the calendar, so you can track your reading progress by crossing off the date when you’ve finished your reading for that day.

7.

Continue through the book, tracking where each stopping point will be. You may decide to mark the stopping points in your book with a postit or pencil mark, so the reading will seem more manageable.

8.

As you page through the book, you may decide to alter your reading schedule (add or subtract pages for a particular day), so you’ll stop and/or start on a new chapter or section of the book.

9.

Once you’ve determined the schedule for the first book, you can move on to the next book on your reading list. Follow the same process of paging through the

book to determine your reading schedule. Don’t forget to write the page numbers down next to the appropriate date on a piece of paper and/or on your calendar.

10. By structuring your reading schedule in this way, you should find it easier to get through those books on your reading list. You can also get your friends involved. Share your schedule with them, and encourage them to join you in your reading. It’s great fun, you’ll be able to discuss your reading experience with others!

You could even turn this reading schedule into a book club...

Even if you have lots of experience in reading books, you will still come across books that are just difficult to get through.

You may find the reading slow because of the subject matter, the language, word usage, or the convoluted plot and character elements. When you are just attempting to get through the book, it may not really matter to you why the book is difficult.

You just want to finish the work, so you can move on to your next reading pick.

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Page 21

Health

Diabetes education as a tool in diabetes management (11)

A Diabetes expert, Mr. Isaac Yakubu Akogu, is also Pharmacist with over 16 years experience with specialisation in Diabetes Education.

Trained by The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Johannesburg, South Africa, he also acquired training in Tanzania, Uganda and Cameroon in 2011 to qualify as a Diabetes Conversation Map Expert Trainer saddled with responsibility of training doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other health care professionals on current dynamics in diabetes education.

He holds a Postgraduate certificate in Diabetes Management from Dares Salaam, Tanzania and is currently the 2nd Vice President of Diabetes Association of Nigeria, North Central Zone. In his weekly column, Wellness, in Peoples Daily Weekend, he brings to you, the appropriate and current information on diabetes and other health matters.

D

iabetes Education from our previous discuss in this column, Is a form of therapy in Diabetes management. It is important to note that Diabetes is a journey that the most potent arsenal to acquire is Education.

One issue most important in Diabetes Education for a person living with Diabetes is a term referred to as “Hypoglycaemia”. This is a word coined from “Hypo” meaning Low and “Glycaemia” meaning glucose in blood.

Every person living with Diabetes and relations of those living with Diabetes need to know about hypoglycaemia and what to do as it is regarded as an Emergency.

In my previous Diabetes awareness outreach to a motor park in Abuja, FCT, I met with drivers to educate them about Diabetes and what to do should the find a passenger with Diabetes in their vehicle with Hypoglycaemia during a journey. It was surprising the level of information they drivers know about this condition.

Many express complete ignorance on this important issue, some drivers that live with Diabetes themselves lack knowledge on what to do, our visit was highly appreciated and we thank God for giving us the opportunity to create that enlightenment, knowing that someday a life will be saved with the information made available to the drivers, we intend to do more based on availability of funds.

The normal blood glucose level when fasting (abstinence

from food for about 8 hours) ranges between 4 to 6 mmol/L, using these numbers for the purpose of this audience, blood glucose that tends from 3 mmol/L towards 1 mmol/L denotes a state of hypoglycaemia.

There are various signs and symptoms that results as the blood glucose level falls, it is important that anybody living with Diabetes recognize the symptom common to him or her as it varies in different individuals.

Symptoms of Hypoglycaemia includes some or all the following: Trembling Perspiration Feeling of weakness Rapid heart beat (palpitation) Hunger Agitation Difficulty Concentrating Blurred vision Temporary loss of Consciousness Coma and eventual Death.

It is important to note that an individual most not show all the above symptoms to be diagnosed with Hypoglycaemia. The use of glucose meter to ascertain the

actual blood glucose result is of necessity.

Causes of Hypoglycemia • Too much insulin compared to the amount of dietary carbohydrate consumed and presence of tumour most times often benign in the insulin producing pancreas or overdose of anti diabetic drugs either by mistake or on purpose.

• Increased physical activity without extra carbohydrate. Exercise can lower the blood glucose level but will normally not cause hypoglycaemic reactions in non diabetic persons. If symptoms of hypoglycaemia arfe experienced during exercise or sports, try eating some complex carbohydrates (with fibres) before beginning and during the exercise consume simple carbohydrates like glucose if need be.

• Irregular timing of insulin, meals, or activity • Alcohol consumed without food, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to hypoglycaemia.

During prolonged overnight fast, we all require release of stored glucose

(gluconeogenesis) from the liver and Alcohol has been shown to be transiently toxic to this process. A person without diabetes who has too much to drink will be slightly hypoglycemic several hours later---only slight because the pancreas “turns off” insulin production.

However, a person with Diabetes on exogenous insulin administered will become more severely hypoglycemic, thereby manifesting some of the symptoms listed above.

How to Avoid AlcoholInduced Hypoglycemia Moderate intake is adviced.

One drink for a woman and two drinks for a man and alcohol should be consumed at meal, not on empty stomach. Bed time snacks is also useful.

It should be noted that some People may assume someone who is disoriented because of hypoglycemia is drunk even if they have had no alcohol, that is why it is important that a companion or close relation knows the symptoms of hypoglycemia and what to do.

Other diseases that can cause hypoglycaemia

Pharm. Isaac Yakubu Akogu www.diabetesguidenigeria.blogspot.com, 08176179496, diabetesconcepts@gmail.com

includes: - A disease of the adrenal gland ( Addison’s disease) - A weakened pituitary gland - A severe reduction in liver function - Patients who have had their stomach removed.

- Fasting, malnutrition following alcohol ingestion.

Reactive hypoglycaemia is possibly the most common reason for hypoglycaemia in non diabetics but is often over diagnosed. This form of hypoglycaemia is probably caused by an excess production of insulin from the pancreas after a large meal with a lot of carbohydrates.This condition is most common in over weight persons and those with type 2 diabetes where the large demand for insulin can lead to too much insulin to be produced in the pancreas, evidence thus suggest that reactive hypoglycaemia precedes type iabetes. When reactive hypoglycaemia is diagnosed, the most urgent action is to change the diet.

It should consist of complex carbohydrates example potatoes, rice etc and be divided into more but smaller meals viz breakfast, launch, dinner and in between meal snacks to avoid the big fluctuations in the insulin secretions from the pancreas.

Treatment of Hypoglycemia Hypoglycaemia is persons living with Diabetes is an emergency, it requires knowledge and proactive measure as many lives have been lost due to ignorance on what to do. The following measures could be adopted.

1. Carbohydrates • 30 grams if severe, otherwise 15 grams of carbohydrate in form of simple sugars 120 ml juice or sugared soda, 2 table spoon of honey, jam or sugar, 240 ml milk • Don’t over treat .

2. Glucose tablets which are readily available can be used as soon as one notice any of the symptoms listed above, for those using insulin, glucose tablets can be carried in bags or luggage during travel.

3. Glucagon injection Glucagon injection can be given but it is not readily available especially in rural environments.

4. IV Glucose This can be life saving however, the person with hypoglycaemia should have people around him recognize the symptoms of hypoglycaemia and report same to the health care provider especially if there is confusion and probably already setting in.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Kiddies World 22

With Aunty A'isha rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS Alhaji Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto)

H

e was born in June 1909 (official date is put at 1910) in the Sokoto Province of Rabah in the then Northern Protectorate of what would later become known as Nigeria.

He was the only surviving son of Ibrahim, the District Head of Rabah and his Mariyamu; he was also a greatgreat-grandson of the great Fulani theocrat, UthmanDan Fodio.

After domestic Quraniceducation, he started his western education at the Sokoto Provincial School where he finished top of his class.

In 1926, he proceeded to the Katsina Training College (which later became the legendary Barewa College) where he graduated as a teacher in 1931 with a creditequivalent Grade III result.

Later that year, he became a teacher at the Sokoto Middle School. In 1932 he married his first wife, Hafsatu, daughter of WaziriMaccido.

In 1934 he was asked to replace his late cousin, Suleiman as the District Head of Rabah. His entry into the native administration system improved the modest socio-political influence he had begun to build in his teaching days at the Sokoto Middle School.

Thus when the incumbent Sultan Hassan of Sokoto died in 1934, of the six candidates that contested for the Sultanate: Abdurrahman,

SarkinGobir of Gwadabawa, SarkinGobir of Isa, Mamman, Sarkin Kudu of Sifawa, Suleiman Isa, Sarkin Kudu of Gusau, Ahmadu Bello, Sarkin Rabah and Abubakar, favourite nephew and Sardauna to the deceased Sultan. He presented the most formidable challenge in spite of his youth and relative inexperience.

In 1954 he emerged as Premier of the Northern Region in his capacity as leader of the majority Northern People’s Congress. In 1955 he went on the hajj pilgrimage for the first time.

He led the north through the selfgovernment period of 1959 and was then created a KBE by Queen Elizabeth II. He was killed in the January 15, 1966 coup alongside first wife, Hafsatu and a bodyguard in Lugard House, Kaduna by Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu.

His controversial but sincere and successful northernisation policy, establishment of the Ahmadu Bello University and Stadium, Bank of the North, and even the Nigerian Defence Academy to mention few still endure as one of his post-independence developmental legacies to Northern Nigeria.

In November 2000 the then OlusegunObasanjo a d m i n i s t r a t i o n immortalized him by putting his portrait on the side of 200 naira note.

B E AD C

SHORT STORY

Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree

O

nce upon a time there was a king who had a wife, whose name was Silver-tree, and a daughter, whose name was Gold-tree.

One day Gold-tree and Silvertree went to a well, and in it there was a bony fish.

Silver tree asked, “Bonny little fellow, am I not the most beautiful queen in the world?””Oh! Indeed you are not” answered bony fish.

“Who then?”“Gold-tree your daughter,” bonny fish said.

Silver-tree went home, blind with rage. She lay down on the bed, and vowed she would never be well until she could get the heart and the liver of Gold-tree, her daughter to eat.

At nightfall, the king came home, and he was told that Silver- tree, his wife, was very ill. He went to ask her what was wrong. She said she would only get well if she could have heart and the liver of Gold-tree to eat.

At the time, the son of a great king had come from abroad to ask for the hand of Gold-tree in marriage. The king had agreed and they had gone abroad.

The king then sent hunters to bring a he- goat, and he gave its heart and its liver to his wife to eat and she became well.

A year after this Silver-tree went to the well where bony fish was; “bonny little fish, am I not the most beautiful queen in the world?” she asked.”Oh!

Indeed you are not,” bony fish answered. “Who then?” she asked again. “Gold-tree, your daughter,” fish said.

“She is dead. It is a year since I ate her heart and liver,” the queen said. “Oh! Indeed, she is not dead. She is married to a great prince abroad,” fish told her.

Silver-tree went home, she begged the king to put the

long-ship in order, and said, “I am going to see my dear Goldtree, for it is so long since I saw her.” The long-ship was put in order, and they went away.

Silver-tree steered the ship herself. She steered it so well that they were not long at all before they arrived.

The prince was out hunting on the hills. Gold-tree saw the long- ship of her father coming.

HIS AND HERS’ CORNER The protective way to go this raining season

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

B

Kiddies World E AD

C

AFRICAN TALES

The Ape, the snake, and the lion

T

he second day, ’MvooLaana found a snake in the same trap. He started to the village to give the alarm, but the snake shouted: “Come back, son of Adam; don’t call the people from the village to come and kill me. I am Neeo′ka, the snake. Let me out of this trap, I pray you. Save me from the rain to-day, that I may be able to save you from the sun to-morrow, if you should be in need of help.”

So the youth let him go; and as he went he said, “I will return your kindness if I can, but do not trust any man; if you do him a kindness he will d o you an injury in return at the first opportunity.”

The third day, ’MvooLaana found a lion in the same trap that had caught the ape and the snake, and he was afraid to go near it. But the lion said: “Don’t run away; I am Sim′baKong′way, the very old lion.

Sock doll

L

ine up a few of these dolls on a windowsill or mantel and you’re guaranteed to spread cheer to family and guests alike.

What you need: Cotton socks Pieces of foam A few rubber bands Red and black paint Scissors What to do: Fill a cotton sock three quarters of the way with the foam pieces.

Secure it by tying a rubber band at

23

With Aunty A'isha rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

Let me out of this trap, and I will not hurt you. Save me from the rain, that I may save you from the sun if you should need help.”

MvooLaana believed him and let him out of the trap, and SimbaKongway, before

going h i s w a y , s a i d : “Son of Adam, you have been kind to me, and I will repay you with kindness if I can; but never do a kindness to a man, or he will pay you back with unkindness.”

The next day a man was caught in the same trap, and when the youth released him, he repeatedly assured him that he would never forget the service he had done him in restoring his liberty and saving his life.

CREATIVITY

the end of the filling.

Cut the remaining part of the sock with a scissors into long strips and turn these inside out.

Now for the doll’s nose, with your fingertips, grasp a small amount of foam halfway down from the top of the sock. Wrap a rubber band around the base to secure it.

The doll has a long nose now.

Make the eyes and mouth with black and red paint.

For a family of dolls, use baby socks to make children and adult socks for parents. Or, if you want to show a family in which the children tower over their parents, then do it the other way round!

Well, it seemed that he had caught all the game that could be taken in traps, and ’MvooLaana and his mother were hungry every day, with nothing to satisfy them, as they had been before. At last he said to his mother, one day: “Mother, make me seven cakes of the little meal we have left, and I will go hunting with my bow and arrows.” So she baked him the cakes, and he took them and his bow and arrows and went into the forest.

The youth walked and walked, but could see no game, and finally he found that he had lost his way, and had eaten all his cakes but one.

He went on and on, not knowing whether he was going away from his home or toward it, until he came to the wildest and most desolate looking wood he had ever seen. He was so wretched and tired that he felt he must lie down and die, when suddenly he heard someone calling him, and looking up he saw Neeanee, the ape, who said, “Son of Adam, where are you going?”“I don’t know,” replied ’MvooLaana, sadly; “I’m lost.”

“Well, well,” said the ape; “don’t worry. Just sit down here and rest yourself until I come back, and I will repay with kindness the kindness you once showed me.”

T h e n Neeanee went away off to some gardens and stole a w h o l e lot of ripe pawpaws and bananas, a n d brought them to ’MvooLaana, and said: “Here’s plenty of food for you. Is there anything else you want? Would you like a drink?” And before the youth could answer he ran off with a calabash and brought it back full of water. So the youth ate heartily, and drank all the water he needed, and then each said to the other, “Goodbye, till we meet again,” and went their separate ways.

To be continued…

MODEL OF THE WEEK Emmanuel Eko is saying hello

ACTIVITIES

Using the right colours, shade the image below. How many females and males are in the picture?Show your work to your teacher for correction. Cheers!

Page 24

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Kannywood There are many young talented girls, who for one reason or the other find Hausa film industry the place to be, among them is Aisha HUmar. Aside other benefits she chose the Kannywood way so as to educate and enlighten the general public. The soft spoken young artist, in this interview with Mohammad Ibrahim, said this, and more.

Tell us about yourself?

I was born in Kaduna state; I attended the Sultan Bello Primary School located at Unguwar Sarki, Kaduna state. From there I went to Dallet Secondary School but stopped half way to get married and when the marriage did not work I enrolled back in school to complete my secondary education at the KTC, secondary school Kaduna.

How long have you been acting and why?

About four years, I like the way actors and actresses pass messages through their acting, so I felt the need to contribute my own quota in educating people through movies. I thank God my parents tried their best to educate me religiously and I am grateful I acquired Islamic knowledge but I could not teach in school because I am impatient with kids. I hope with this profession that I will be able not only to educate but entertain the people. This reason I will say led me to be involved in the film industry.

Within these four years that you have been in the

film industry, how many movies do you have to your credit and which is your favourite?

They are many, I can not remember them all, I can only mention few of them. I featured in ‘ Na mamajo” Mijin Kanwata” Kitab” Tazuru” Talaka” among others.

Talaka is my favourite, even though I only appeared in one scene but that single scene was what brought me to limelight. I became popular because of that film which is why I selected the movie as one of my favorite. I played a major role in the film. Same with Mijin Kanwata which will soon be released soon, I like the role I played in that film really.

Tell us about the role?

Umma Nolibu, which was me, acted as the wife of the major Character in the film Ali Nuhu, where she pestered him because he was poor. She then asked to participate in a local saving scheme with other women in the neigbourhood ( Adashi) but after she collected her own share she refused to give her contribution for the other women to also benefit. “I went to the house of the woman in charge of the affair to collect the money. I met her husband in the house after a stressful day at farm and forced him to pay the money on behalf of his troublesome wife which he did. The way I acted the scene was what made many people to

know me in the movie.

What challenges have you faced?

The truth is that at first when I started featuring in movies my parents were against it but today they have accepted the fact that whatever God has destined for any person it will surely happen. Their advised to me always is to maintain my dignity and praises to Allah I have been doing that.

Among the famous actors you have worked with and those in the industry, who do you like most?

As far as I am concerned I like featuring with all of them that’s all.

They are all my mentors.

Among the producers I have worked with I think I like Ali Rusuni very much followed by Maina Yusuf because they are really hard working and trying their best so I like working with them.

There are also other producers that are good that I will want to work with in future.

How long will you stay in the industry?

Honestly, for now I cannot say but one thing I know for sure is that for any responsible girl marriage is her dream. So for now I will remain in the film industry pending when God will provide me with a responsible man that will ask for my hand in marriage. This means the moment I get a husband I will quit acting. Whatever I have

Entertainment

With Stanley Onyekwere 08138559513

I dropped out of school to marry and came back after marriage failed – Aisha

benefited in the industry will be good enough for me to settle down.

How lucrative has acting been for you?

Thanks to Allah, I have achieved a lot through acting.

Whenever you see me with an expensive earring, attire, GSM phone or shoes among other luxuries, I got them through acting So these are the other reasons you ventured into Kannywood?

No, don’t get me wrong, all I am saying is that through acting, I am able to take care of myself. But as I said earlier I decided to be an actress so as to enlighten and educate.

Do you sing in movies?

Yes, I do. It is an area I am also doing well.

Advice to up-coming female artists I have been looking for this opportunity for so long, frankly speaking my advice to them is that they should try by all means to maintain their dignity, they should never allow anybody to take advantage of them in the name of assisting them to get roles in films.

I know of many young girls that misbehaved, while some came to earn a living. I will advice the irresponsible ones to fear God and stop ridiculing themselves and tarnishing the image of the industry and other artists through their unsavoury attitudes. We don’t want such girls in the industry.

American Idol executive producer might leave show

I

n a move widely expected by industry insiders, American Idol executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick “will be leaving the show,” a source tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Even though formal exit discussions have not yet begun.

THR noted in a May 8 story that the

two longtime friends and showbiz pros would likely be shown the door, as the Fox series continues to weather a public beating due to sinking ratings -- the season 12 finale was down more than 40 percent when compared to Idol’s closer in 2011.

As recently as this past weekend, a war room-like meeting

was called to go over a laundry list of issues facing the troubled program. Coming off of “a difficult season,” as a well-placed show insider calls its most recent run, led to drastic measures like the exodus of most of the judging panel, including Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj and longtime Idol fixture Randy Jackson.

Eucharia Anunobi prepares for another marriage

N

igeriafilms.com has revealed that Nollywood actress, Eucharia Anunobi Ekwu is now set to welcome another man into her life as she drops her marital for maiden name, Akuwa Anunobi.

The information was made known yesterday when she

Van Vicker gets new job as radio OAP

G

hana’s popular actor, Van Vicker has taken up a new job as a radio On Air Personality (OAP), Nigeriafilms.com has said.

It added that the actor, who is also a darling of Nollywood buffs, has made a return to his first love, which is radio, before dabbling into acting some years ago.

It also learnt that Van Vicker now hosts his own show, ‘Live from the capital’, a radio station recently

launched in Accra, Ghana.

The show, as Nigeriafilms.com reliably learnt, has been gaining good listeners.

Van Vicker became a household name through acting.

He was seen by Nollywood followers as a threat to Ramsey Nouah while he was coming up as an rookie actor.

He has acted in many movies both in Ghana and Nigeria. The actor is happily married with children.

I’m a loner, I cry alone – Kenny Saint Brown confesses

N

igeriafilms.com has gathered that popular Nigerian musician, Kenny Saint Brown is currently living a life of turment, ever since she separated from her hubby, Eddy Remedy, years back.

Kehinde Ogungbe popularly called KSB has finally confessed that she is a loner and that whenever she needs to cry, she cries

alone since there is no one to cry on.

She said, “I am a loner, I cry alone, and when I cry, I don’t shout to the world to let them know about it. Rather, I go out to seek laughter.

Most times, the person I go to is my elder sister, Moji Dokpesi.

I would have called her to let her know that I am depressed.

She would laugh and urge me to come

Page 25

over. Being a woman with a large heart, she would definitely dwarf my depression, and whatever it is that took me to her would become so insignificant that I’ll leave her place smiling.”

Meanwhile, the issue between Saint Kenny and her husband, Eddy Remedy, might be a serious one but from the look of things, Kehinde, probably,

may not want to go back into that marriage again. Though, she has stated on a number of occasions that she is only separated from her hubby not divorced.

T h o u g h , Nigeriafilms.com gathered that Eddy Remedy has tried to crawl back into her heart, KSB, according to a family source, is not ready to welcome him back into her life.

reverted to her maiden name and notified the general public about it.

The Nollywood actress turned evangelist, Eucharia Anunobi, who was once married to Ekwu, is now known and addressed as Miss Eucharia Akuwa Anunobi.

Nigeriafilms. com gathered that the reason for the change of name

was necessitated by collapse of her marriage years back, and in a bid to prepare herself for another marriage, she finally dropped her ex.’s name.

While some are nurturing the ambition of advising her to mend her broken marriage, Eucharia shocked them as she reverted to her maiden name.

She loved me when I had nothing, Peter Okoye on his child’s mother

P

eter Okoye of the P-Square has come out to shower encomium on Lola Omotayo, the mother of his only child, describing her as a woman of substance.

In a chat with Nigeriafilms.com, Okoye said, “she met me when i was a nobody and loved me for who i am and not what i have become. She is a woman with no equal and has distinct herself

from other women who only fall for the money and fame. There ate a lot of women who show you love when you have something for them”.

He also said that her kind are rare to find in the present society where money take precedence over everything.

Though Okoye is not yet married to Lola, but with this words of praises, the ring might be lurking in a corner.

Page 26

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Hollywood/Bollywood Khloe Kardashian: Kris Jenner, Bruce Jenner “Like to Live Apart”

A

re Kris Jenner and Bruce Jenner heading towards divorce? Not according to daughter Khloe Kardashian, but she did tell Jay Leno on The Tonight Show Wednesday, June 5 that they’re spending a lot of time apart.

“Well, they’re not having problems but they still like to live apart, which is definitely different,” the 28-year-old Keeping Up With the Kardashians star, married to Lamar Odom,

explained. “In my house, there is a man room for Lamar. A room, not a different house. I think they took my idea and ran with it and they got another house. Bruce stays there sometimes.”

“It’s in the same state, a different city,” Khloe clarified to the host. “I’m not for that, but you know, to each their own. I don’t compare relationships. I just think a little too much time apart maybe isn’t the best thing.”

Kardashian and Odom, 33,

have been married for three years, while Kris, 57, and Bruce, 63, have been together for over 20 years and share two biological children together.

“They’re like, ‘Don’t judge us.

We’ve been married 22 years,’” Khloe recalled. “I’m like, ‘I know people that have been married longer that still live together.’”

The entire family came together on Sunday, June 2 to celebrate sister Kim Kardashian’s baby shower. The 32-year-old reality star will welcome her first child with boyfriend Kanye West in July.

Another hurdle comes in Anurag’s way F ew days back we had said that there is everything going smooth with Anurag Basu’s biopic on Kishore Kumar, however everything doesn’t seem to be sorted out with this film. This time the delay can be attributed to Madhubala’s family.

Madhubala’s sister Madhur Bhushan, wants to know how Madhubala’s reference will be used in the film. She doesn’t want Madhubala and Kishore Kumar’s mis-understandings and fights to be sensationalised.

Hope everything falls in place for this biopic.

Madhuri gives little fan, chocolates and big hug

M

adhuri Dixit is one sweet lady. Recently, while shooting for Dedh Ishqiya, she comforted an eight-year-old fan, who got nervous before taking a

picture with her. The little kid, who is the son of a crew member of the film, was so excited to meet his favourite actress that he couldn’t control his tears. Besides

cheering him up, she even gave him chocolates and a big hug. The boy and his father were obviously thrilled. Its stories like this that warms our hearts. Don’t you agree?

Ranbir has back injury

R

anbir Kapoor is all set to start shooting for Anurag Kashyap’s next film, Bombay Velvet opposite Anushka Sharma this July, where he plays an ambitious character who is also a street fighter. Ranbir has already started training for this role and recently suffered a back injury

while training for Mixed Martial Arts. Kapoor, who is very ecstatic to play the grey character for the first time in his career, confirmed that he will resume training soon. We equally excited to see you on screen Ranbir, but for now we’d only wish you a speedy recovery.

Issues

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

PAGE 27

Adamawa Flood: Victims demand probe of quick response committee

I

nvestigation by our correspondent in Yola, revealed that most of the victims of the flood in the frontline Local Government Areas, LGA, in the state which includes: Yola North,Yola South, Girei , Numan, Shelleng,Guyuk, Demsa, Lamurde and Fufore LGAs did not actually collect the money claimed to be disbursed by the quick response committee on flood headed by the Secretary to the State Government(SSG), Mr. Kobis Ari-Thimnu.

New warnings by the National Metrological Agency, NIMET and the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, that there is likely going to be the worst flood disaster this raining seasons motivated the victims yesterday in Yola into asking more questions and lamenting the utilization of N500 million FG assistance to the state, which they have not received for almost a year now.

Victims of Demsa LGA have criticized the handling of the Federal Government assistance to flood victims in the state.

A victim from Gindin-Kuka ward, one of the worst affected areas by the flood ,Dennis Yohanna said many of them were yet to get any assistance except for an offer of between N200 to N240.

Like the other victims Yohanna urged for a probe into how the N500 million was utilised in the interest of justice and fairplay.

Yoila Ginam, a victim, said he learnt of the N500 million fedral government assistance in the media but was yet to receive any help but was however told that the sum of N93,000 was allocated to affected people in his area whereby each person would get N250.

“To be candid, I only heard it in the media that N500 million was given to Adamawa state.

We were told that we were given N93,000 and when you divide the money, each household will get N240 “Federal government should investigate this matter because people affected were not people benefitting from it” Another victim, Mrs Veron-

ica Musa , who also called for a probe, said her community in Mbula chiefdom had rejected the N1.5 million given to them as its so meagre to go round.

“They sent N1.5 million to the entire Mbula chiefdom and the people refused it because if you are going to share this money to the people, each will get just two hundred and something naira.

“Immagine somebody that lost his house, farm and you are giving him just N200..”, Musa lamented.

Mallam Yakubu Isa, who also called for investigation into the handling of the federal government assistance, said he was asked to go and collect N240 from the ward head as assistance but he rejected the offer.

Commenting on the utilization of the federal Government N500 million, the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government, Mr Kobis Thimnu who is also the state chairman of Quick Response Committee that handled the issues of flood victims, had earlier said the money was used for the purchase of 60 trucks of fertilizer and early variety of seedlings among others for farmers.

Thimnu said the measure was taken in view of the fact that most of those affected were farmers.

“You are aware that the state is an agrarian state and that is why we decided to give priority to food security by providing fertilizer and seedlings to farmers”, Thimnu said.

He also explained that cash was given to affected local governments based on level of destruction citing Lamurde local government as the worst affected and was given N29 million.

Thimnu said committees were set up in each of the affected local government with commissioners from the affected local government serving as chairmen of the committees to handle the disbursement of the assistance to victims.

It would be recalled that many lives and properties worth over N20 billion was lost to last year’s flood incident in Adamawa State described by

Victims of last year flood disasters in Adamawa state have continued to cry out that no Kobo out of the N500 million assistance dolled-out by the Federal government has reached them. Umar Dankano, found this out in Yola.

President Goodluck Jonathan

Alhaji Aliko Dangote

Page 28

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Cuisine Tuwon semovita da Miyan Kubewa (Okra) Ingredients: Okra 3 Hot chilli (Atarugu) 2 Long pepper (Tatasai) 4 fresh tomato or one large tin of tomato puree 1 Onions(Alubasa) 5 Garlic Ox tail Cow ribs Dried fish Spices: Cooking cubes, curry, bajji, coriander and turmeric Method: Marinate ox tail and cow ribs. Chop in garlic, onions, and a little bitter chilli. Allow to simmer for 15-20mins. Blend tomato, chilli, long pepper. Pour mixture into the marinated meat add a little salt to your taste and stock cubes.

Allow tomato puree to marinate with the meat

Fresh squeezed tangerine juice Ingredients: 12 tangerines Directions Lightly roll each tangerine on the counter and cut in half.

Use a citrus press or reamer and squeeze into a glass. Strain and serve over ice if desired.

for about 10minutes.

Soak dried fish in hot water and clean, pour fish into the soup and stir. Allow to simmer for half an hour. Pour a little “Kanwu”(bicarbonate of soda) and pour the

okra. Allow to boil for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pre-heat water to boil and pour grounded semolina.

Use a whisk or wooden spoon to stir for about 3 minutes and allow to

heat. Use wooden spoon to stir and drive the semolina. Pour half a cup of water to soften it, cover the pot and allow to simmer.

Serve or dish out as desired.

With Hajiya Ramatu Usman Dorayi

Page 29

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Womanhood

He drenched me with bleach from head to toe, laments woman trapped in abusive relationship ………Continued from last week There was also a couple from Fiji. They said they had come to Canada to try to resettle. Their papers hadn’t come through yet, and they needed a church to help them out. As far as I know, they were good people.

They were really nice to me, and I paid Suki to babysit my children sometimes. I lack enough words to describe how poorly they were treated by Chris. Immigration is such a delicate matter, and these good people needed Chris to help with extending their religious worker Visas. They brought the application and all, and I filled out the necessary paperwork.

Their visas were extended for the first two years, and as I recall, it had to be renewed every year or two.

Suki and Adam were forced by their obligation to him practically every waking minute. I requested at that time that my name be removed from the church board, and that Adam be put in in my stead, and Chris was very happy to do that.

This put Adam really deep in his nets, because that was the way Chris operated. He would do something for you and you would now be obligated to him and be paying through it for as long as he could possibly milk it.

I continued to be overly nice to Camille just so that she would tell Chris that I was nice to her and that would keep his fists away from me, and it really worked. I would also mention things to her, like “Don’t you think David needs a haircut?”

And without fail they would have his haircut. Or sometimes I would say to her, “Hmm, I think David needs new boots,” and sure enough I would see my son with new boots. It really worked all around for me.

When the complaints of the congregation became too much for Chris to bear regarding her continued stay at the church, he asked Adam and Suki, who had a two bedroom basement suite, to allow Camille to move in with them. I don’t think they had too much of a choice than to do as he said, so she moved in with them. But really, this soon proved to be Chris’s undoing.

One evening, about three months after Camille had moved in with Adam and Suki, Chris barged into the house shouting at the top of his voice, “I am going to kill him! I will kill him!” I got up, I screamed, and I ran to grab David, thinking that it was my five year old that he was talking about, and I thought David had maybe

Amaka and her children

broken something and had somehow angered Chris, who had discovered it and come to punish my son for it. “Please don’t hurt him!” I was already in tears as I grabbed his arm.

He gave me a vicious blow, and I said, “David run and hide.”

Chris came over and continued to beat me saying, “Shut up, shut up, shut your mouth! It’s not David!” When I heard that I calmed down, I stopped crying, and I said, “Oh, I thought you were angry with David.” I quickly took the children and I put them to bed.

When I came back, he was in the kitchen downstairs, he was pacing back and forth, he was so angry. I decided to brave it.

I said, “What is the matter.”

He was practically in tears as he told me that Camille was pregnant and that it was Adam and Suki’s nephew or cousin, I don’t remember exactly what the relationship was, but that the young man had gotten Camille pregnant. He said he was going to kill the man.

I said, “Well, maybe you shouldn’t say you’re going to kill him. If anything happens to him, whether or not it is you that has killed him, you will be held responsible for it.” He said, “Shut up! What do you know?!” Nobody told me to run upstairs. I had a quick bath, and I went to barricade myself in the little crawl space where I started to do my homework.

I did not come out until 1:30 am. I tiptoed around the house,

and he wasn’t in the living room where he usually slept on the couch or on the floor, nor was he in David’s room, where he also slept sometimes. He wasn’t in my bed, of course. I actually checked Christine’s room as well, and he wasn’t there.

I gratefully locked the door and went to bed. I was rudely awakened at about 5:30 am by him viciously raping me. He took out all of his frustration at the loss of Camille on me.

I had a microbiology exam that morning, and I can’t ever forget it. I threw up all the way to school. I was throwing up so much that I actually had to stop at one point on the side of the road to vomit. I drove to school in tears. I strengthened my heart, and I wrote my exam.

Strangely enough, I actually did quite well in that exam.

As for Chris, he fell into this strange sort of depression after that. He was always around

when I came home. I said nothing to him. I just looked after the kids and I hid in my little crawl space and studied.

I locked the door and slept there a lot of times. I would hear him on the phone all the time fighting with Camille and also fighting with Adam and Suki, accusing them of having introduced Camille to their nephew or cousin. He said out loud that his heart was broken that an unmarried girl became pregnant. He was openly crushed. I didn’t dare say anything. A lot of people expected it to be his baby that Camille carried, and said as much to me. I said I didn’t care because I really didn’t. She was a great and a much-needed diversion for me. And I for one was sorry to see the end of their relationship.

Well, poor Adam and Suki also had to pay the price for their perceived role in the

I gratefully locked the door and went to bed. I was rudely awakened at about 5:30 am by him viciously raping me. He took out all of his frustration at the loss of Camille on me. I had a microbiology exam that morning, and I can’t ever forget it. I threw up all the way to school.

whole process. They were forced to resign from the church and Chris sent their letters of resignation to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, of course, effectively withdrawing the jobs that kept their religious worker Visas valid. They ended up moving to another province, and I never heard from them again. I don’t know if they remain in Canada or not. They were nothing but kind to me, and Suki did help me with my babysitting quite a bit. So, I bear them no ill will at all.

Chris’s madness over Camille’s issue was unending; it spilled over into every aspect of my life. After my graduation from school on my very first day at work, I was to work an evening shift from 4:00 pm to midnight. The children were, I think, 6 and 4-1/2 at the time, and all he really had to do was to give them dinner and put them in their beds. I had bathed both of them already. I could see that he was in quite a terrible mood, and I stayed away from him.

After I got the children bathed and dressed, I went to David’s room, where Chris was on the phone talking to a man called Robert, about Camille. I went in to say “I’m getting ready to leave for work, please mind the children.” He said, “Hold on.” to the person on the phone, and he turned to me and screamed, “Can you not see that I am on the phone?! Get out! Get out from here before I slap your head!”

I left, but as I left I said sotto voce, “That’s why she left you for another man, because she knows you’re evil and you will slap her head.” I didn’t know he had heard me. He grabbed me in a headlock and started to hit me. “Don’t let me hear you talk about Camille ever again!”

I was struggling madly to get away from him. I had only had a towel wrapped around me and that came loose and fell to the ground, and as I struggled to get free from him, I reached around him toward the shelf trying to get something to hit him with.

My hand grabbed the cover off of a 2 liter jug of bleach and it came off in my hand, and the next thing I knew, I was drenched in bleach.

This man had poured bleach on me from my head to my toes, and the bleach just burned, and I ran into the bathroom half blind and I started to wash off myself. I cried and cried for the miserable life I was living.

To be continued……

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

30

Do you have old pictures for memories?

Send them to junioremma419@gmail.com

ARCHIVES

Queen Elizabeth II inspects men of the newlyrenamed Queen’s Own Nigeria Regiment, Royal West African Frontier Force, at Kaduna Airport, Nigeria, during her Commonwealth Tour, 2nd February 1956

Railroad construction project in 1963 to open market for agricultural produce in Northeastern Nigeria

Nigeria Afrobeat Special: The New Explosive Sound in 1970s

Continuing Education Center- Nsukka, Nigeria: 19631964

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Leisure

31

WORD SEARCH

Photo of the day

Find the words which are listed at the right side of this page in the Word Search grid. The words can be forwards, backwards, up, down, or diagonal. Circle each letter separately and keep in mind that the letters in each words may be used in more than one words name.

Education Design Health Government Malnutrition Fashion

Motivational tips Be a part of the solution

conomic dependency which E is the major cause of poverty, diseases, crime and insecurity

Spectrum Specimen Diagram Specialist Alphabet Executive

STRANGE FACT Superfluid helium can climb walls

Y

ou don’t have to worry about a soft drink spontaneously overflowing its rim or shooting up and out of the straw from which you’re trying to drink. That’s because soft drinks are nothing like a superfluid helium.

Researchers have known for decades that if you cool liquid helium just a few degrees below its boiling point of –452 degrees Fahrenheit (–269 degrees Celsius) it will suddenly be able to do things that other fluids can’t, like dribble through moleculethin cracks, climb up and over the sides of a dish, and remain motionless when its container is spun.

No longer a mere liquid, the helium has become a superfluid—a liquid that flows without friction. “If you set [down] a cup with a liquid circulating around and you come back 10 minutes later, of course it’s

stopped moving,” says John Beamish, an experimental physicist at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

Atoms in the liquid will collide with one another

and slow down. “But if you did that with helium at low temperature and came back a million years later,” he says, “it would still be moving.”

Identical twins’ genes are not identical

I

dentical twins are identical, right? After all, they derive from just one fertilized egg, which contains one set of genetic instructions, or genome, formed from combining the chromosomes of mother and father.

But experience shows that identical twins are rarely completely the same. Until recently, any differences between twins had largely been attributed to environmental

influences (otherwise known as “nurture”), but a recent study contradicts that belief.

Geneticist Carl Bruder of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and his colleagues closely compared the genomes of 19 sets of adult identical twins. In some cases, one twin’s DNA differed from the other’s at various points on their genomes. At these sites of genetic divergence, one bore a different number of copies

Great Quotations - True to Life

O

pportunities Are Like Sunrises, If You Wait Too Long You Can Miss Them.

When You Are In The Light, Everything Follows You. But When You Enter Into The Dark, Even Your Own Shadow Doesn’t Follow You. The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people, but because of the silence of good people.

I wrote on the door of heart,

“Please do not enter” Love came smiling and said: “Sorry I am an illiterate.”

I am thankful to all those who said NO to me?

It’s Because of them I did it myself.

If friendship is your weakest point then you are the strongest person in the world.

Laughing Faces Do Not Mean That There Is Absence Of Sorrow.

that has become the order of the day can never be blamed on any institution, society or nativity rather it should be blemed to mankind’s inability to know himself. He who feel it knows mankind have deviated from the spiritual warning that says “Man knows thyself, if we must profer a solution to any vises in the world, we must adhered to this spiritual warning that says man know thyself instead of putting the blames on one institution, society or nativity.

To be part of the solution to the world’s challenges, man must participate in some certain spiritual activities that is born out of mental awakeness. A man without mental awakeness cannot be posed by an optimistic spirit to be optimistic when considering the odds around one, makes him part of the solution than a catalyst to the problems play that spiritual game of optimism to be part of the solution to the world problems and challenges.

Do you know that unity and love cannot prosper in a society where there is no respect for

human dignity. The earlier mankind begin to respect their fellow human being for who they are and not what they are, fo what they do and not what the society want them to do as long as their doings does not in any way affects the progress of the society can be strong solution. If you must be a part of the solution wherever you are, whoever you are, and whatever position you occupies, learn to have respect for human dignity.

Unhealthy and unnecessary competition born out of inferiority complex cannot be a solution to our economic dependency laziness of the mind that could not allow men think and reason well, search deeply to discover the big them, makes them live a life of pretence and inferiority. The look at situation and their fellow man as having an upper hand in life and thereby remain economically dependant on them to be part of the solution today, throw away inferiority complex, discover the big you that does not envy and see how problems are solved.

Ukanwa Enoch UK can reached on 07094262573

CARTOON

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

32 Compiled by Ekah Theodora

Fashion

Make over your man H orrified by what your guy calls fashion? Before you give up on his style, try these simple steps to give him more sartorial confidence and keep you both happy. Ask yourself honestly what your motivation is for changing the way your man dresses are; the purer the motivation (i.e. to help him develop confidence), the better the results. If you haven’t discussed his style issues before, now is the time to let him know you’d like to take over in the fashion department.

If he complains, stop here and try again in six months time. If he’s relieved to have some help, start by assessing his current wardrobe.

Pitch everything that doesn’t fit, needs serious mending or is totally out of style. Assess your guy’s current style with him. Is he dressing for power, comfort or stylishness? Work with him to decide what image he wants to portray. Start slowly redoing his wardrobe, working from the inside out -- buy new underwear, undershirts, socks and hankies.

Take advantage of the expertise of the salespeople and tailors at the best stores. They’ll help him find the right professional looks that fit. Buy just one new suit that looks terrific, two new shirts and two new ties. Pay attention to details like shoes, belts and

socks: they should be good quality and complement the total look.For weekend wear, neatness goes a long way, so just buy replacement shirts, pants, shorts and athletic shoes. Well-worn jeans and Tshirts may have to be pried from his fingers: replace with new jeans and a few new logo Ts. Let him keep his logo caps for weekend wear (it’s a small compromise.)

Page 33

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Digest

High heels: Pain starts in the leg after one hour – Survey together can

By Rachel Reilly

A

ny woman who wears high heels will be surprised it takes so long...

After one hour, six minutes and 48 seconds heels start to hurt, a survey found.

B u t for a

delicate 20 per cent, dancing shoes start to pinch after just ten minutes.

More than a third of respondents said their feet had been so sore on a night out that they danced shoeless and walked home barefoot.

The statistics come from the College of Podiatry, which surveyed 2,000 British men and women and 60 podiatrists and chiropodists.

Consultant podiatrist Mike O’Neill, from the College of Podiatry, warned that squeezing feet into smaller shoes can cause long-term damage including arthritis, stress fractures, and trapped nerves, which may even require surgery or steroid injections.

Mr. O’Neill said: ‘There’s absolutely no doubt women who wear high heels are putting

themselves at risk of permanent injury in the name of fashion.

Given a choice between a stylish pair of shoes or nice feet, many will go for the stylish shoes.

‘However, the higher the heel, the more they tilt y o u r body

forward and the more you have to lean back to compensate.

This can put your pelvis out of alignment and cause compression of the spine.

‘High heels ram your foot forward, which squishes your toes

and cause ingrown t o e nails, rough areas of skin,

blemishes, a n d calluses. ‘ A n d b e c a u s e your toes are squashed, the moisture gets trapped, causing soggy toes, which is a breeding ground for athlete’s foot.’

According to the study, one in four have danced bare foot in a club when they could not put up with the pain any longer and a third have been forced to remove their shoes a n d w a l k h o m e barefoot because of the discomfort.

Mr. O’Neill added: ‘Shoes make you walk on the balls of your feet and can cause aches and pains, and ultimately, stress fractures.

‘They also cause increased wear and tear in the joints and soft tissue, which can cause arthritis.

‘Some women also suffer from trapped nerves, which may require surgery or steroid injections to combat the pain.

‘Wearing high heels shortens the Achilles tendon dramatically, which causes incredible aches when y o u then try to w e a r flats.

Top 10 f o o t problems suffered by women 1 Blisters (55%) 2 Cracked heels (45%) 3 Veruccas (28%) 4 Corns (24%)

5 Ingrown toe nails (20%) 5 Athletes foot (20%) 6 Bunions (13%) 7 Joint problems (11%) 8 Excessive foot odour (9%) 9 Arthritis (9%) 10 Muscular problems (8%) ‘Any shoes with a heel higher than two inches are a concern.

I f women w a n t t h e extra

up with stylish but uncomfortable shoes Twice as many women as men report suffering from corns, cracked heels and bunions.

Yet despite these problems, 20 per cent of women refused to seek medical help because they believed their foot complaint was not important.

Finally, results showed that younger women are doing themselves the most harm. The study found that the younger the woman, the higher their heels.

Roughly 20 per cent of those aged 18 to 24 own a pair of six-inch high heeled shoes. This compares with 10 per cent of those aged 25 to 34 and just 3 per cent of 35 to 44 year olds.

Source: Dailymail. co.uk

height, they would be better off wearing stacks (such as platforms or wedges).’

T h e study also discovered that while w o m e n typically own 17 pair of shoes, m e n own just eight.

Only 12 per cent of men admitted to putting

Consultant podiatrist Mike O’Neill, from the College of Podiatry, warned that squeezing feet into smaller shoes can cause long-term damage including arthritis, stress fractures, and trapped nerves, which may even require surgery or steroid injections.

BU$I#€SS PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Toyota unveils bigger, curvier Corolla T oyota Motor Co. unveiled the first completely redesigned version of its popular Corolla in many years at a lavish event in Santa Monica, Calif.

Thursday. The Corolla is, arguably, the world’s most popular car.

It was introduced in Japan in 1966, coming to the United States two years later. By now, Toyota (TM) claims to have sold almost 40 million of them. Even in its current version, which is far from cutting edge in terms of its engineering and technology, the Corolla is already the best-selling compact car in America and Toyota’s second bestselling model after the Camry, CNN reports.

The new car, which will go on sale in the fall, has sharper lines and, while still a compact model, is four inches longer than the current Corolla. The extra size allows for more rear seat comfort Toyota says.

While Toyota has not yet released fuel economy figures, the automaker did say that it expects the most fuel-efficient version of the new Corolla to achieve 40 miles per

gallon on the highway.

That would make it competitive with newer non-hybrid compact cars. Currently, the most efficient version of the Corolla gets an EPAestimated 34 mpg on the highway.

The fuel economy improvements come from, among other things, a more aerodynamic design and an available hi-tech transmission.

The new transmission is continuously variable.

Rather than having just f o u r “speeds,” as today’s Corolla has, this type of transmission can change gear ratios in a smooth, continuous fashion as the car speeds up or

slows down. Continuously variable transmissions, or CVTs, can be more fuel efficient than ordinary

T

he economic potentials of Nigeria will be maximally harnessed thereby attracting more investors if infrastructural deficit gap is tackled, Managing Director of Legacy Investment Management Company, Dr. Enitan Obasanjo-Adeleye, has stressed.

Dr. Obasanjo-Adeleye, spoke recently at a press conference in Lagos on the 3rd West African Investment Forum.

He said that the nation’s economic potentials cannot be meaningfully exploited unless the nation’s infrastructural deficit was aggressively addressed.

According to her, the investment forum will hold at Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos from June 6, 2013 to June 8, 2013 with more than 500 foreign investors participating.

She said that the forum, which

debuted in Brussels under the auspices of the European Union and ECOWAS Commission in 2009, had its second edition in 2011 at Eko Hotel, Lagos.

Stressing the huge economic benefits of the forum to West African states, Dr. Obasanjo-Adeleye said it would now be a yearly event with Cote D’ivoire being the hosts next year.

The managing director said that the main focus of the forum was to attract more investible capital to the sub-region especially Nigeria which controls more than half of the region’s population with her 167 million people.

Dr. Obasanjo-Adeleye said that the forum was being sponsored by The Infrastructure Bank Plc and the ECOWAS COMMISSION through the Association of Investment Promotion Agencies of West African States (IPAWAS).

Also speaking at the conference which took place at the Li-

drivers accustomed to ordinary automatic transmis-

stepped transmissions.

Stakeholders urge massive infrastructural development to attract investors

By Abdulwahab Isa

But CVTs can feel strange to

aison office of The Infrastructure Bank, the Acting Executive Secretary of IPAWAS, Mr. Stephen Amase, said that this is another opportunity to showcase the region’s huge economic potentions to the global investors.

Mr. Amase said that the region’s economic potentials were invaluable citing the unprecedented investment returns for investors in Nigeria’s liberalised telecommunication sector.

In his own remarks, the Executive Director (Finance), The Infrastructure Bank Plc., Mr Taiwo Dauda, said that the bank would further showcase the frame work of the proposed Lagos red line rail project which run from Alagbado to Marina at the forum.

Dauda said that the bank was a key player in the financial engineering of the rail project which, he said, will bring tremendous relief to Lagos commuters and yield huge returns for its investors.

sions. They can make the car’s engine sound as if it’s straining. To combat this, Toyota has added computer software that causes the CVT to behave like a seven-speed transmission.

During acceleration, the engine will speed up and slow down as if gears were being shifted in the ordinary way. The transmission can be programmed to behave differently in different versions of the car.

For instance, in the Corolla LE ECO it will be have a special fuel economy mode. In the Corolla S there will be a performance-tuned sport mode and drivers will be able to “shift gears” themselves using steeringwheel-mounted paddle shifters or using the gear selector.

Lafarge Cement WAPCO pays N3.6bn worth of dividend From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

L

afarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc has paid out a total of N3.602billion as dividend following unanimous approval by the company’s shareholders at its 54th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Lagos last Tuesday.

The company recorded a 41 per cent increase in its turnover from N62.502billion in 2011 to N87.965billion for the year ended December 31, 2012. Its profit after tax (PAT) also rose by 70 percent from N8.6billion the previous year to N14.712billion in 2012, while its operating profit rose by 98 per cent from N13.252billion the year before to N26.264billion in the year under consideration. The company’s financials also showed that the volume of cement dispatched for the year was 2.9 metric tonnes, up by 35 per cent in 2011.

The N3.602billion total dividend payout by the company translates into a dividend payout of N1.20k per share, and represents an increase of 60 per cent over 75 kobo dividend paid the previous year.

Chairman, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria, Olusegun Osunk-

eye said, “In order to maximise the return to our shareholders, we have as much as cash flow requirements will allow, accelerated the repayment of some of our bank loans in order to minimise interest expense.

No additional loans were taken in 2012 and the increase in finance from N1.7billion in 2011 to N5.4billion in 2012 arose principally from the cessation of capitalisation of financing cost of the new cement and power plant following its inauguration for production at the end of 2011.”

Chairman, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria, Olusegun Osunkeye

iStore Ikeja starts super savings weekend promo

From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

i

Store Ikeja, Apple’s flagship retail store in Nigeria has announced the immediate commencement of its weekend super bonanza to reward and bond with loyal customers in Nigeria especially in Lagos. iStore Communications Manager, Taryn Hyam, said the super savings promo which will run for six weeks was designed to excite and reward Nigerian consumers who patronize official Apple products from the iStore.

“The Super Savings promo which will feature in form of a whooping weekly deal on Saturdays for six weeks will have a lucky customer buy a device and get great accessories worth between N10,000 and N150,000 to complement the original product purchased, that is the deal,” she said. “For instance, the deal for the first week is for a customer to buy a MacBook Pro 13 and get original SuperDrive CD drive which cost about N140,000 for free or buy an ipod Touch and instantly

get an ipod Protector and TotalGuard or buy a third generation ipad at a highly discounted price.”

The iStore spokesperson remarked that, only customers who buy official products from the Apple store will benefit from this amazing offer.

She enjoined Nigerian phone and tech customers and enthusiasts to buy only genuine Apple products through the official partner channels to enjoy rest of mind via product security, two-year warranty which will

be honoured, world class after sales support from well-trained personnel, product set up and education, and speedy access to accessories and spare parts.

Apart from the iStore Ikeja, Hyam listed iConnect (Lagos), Meed Networks (Abuja), Orchard (Lagos) and Cross-Energy Supply (Abuja) as other Apple Authorised Resellers who are fully equipped and positioned to provide customers with best-in-class service support, stressing that there are ongo-

ing efforts to appoint more channel partners. iStore Nigeria is the same Apple model retail store available in top cities around the world including South Africa, Paris and Dubai with the objective of bringing original Apple devices close to its customers and end users across the globe. This way, discerning Nigerian consumers do not need to buy grey Apple products from unauthorised resellers who do not offer any after sales support and peace of mind.

Economy

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

PAGE 35

Unbundling the rail transport for private investors’ participation

After more than a century of government domination, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is opening its doors for private investment, Suleiman Idris examines the journey for the gradual take-off.

S

ince 1895 when the Lagos Government Railway began the construction of a rail line from Iddo on the mainland city of Lagos to Ibadan, and became operational six years later on March 4, 1901, railway has remained an exclusive preserve of the federal government.

What began as a mere passenger services on the Lagos Steam Tramway became a major transporter of passengers and cargoes to the different parts of the country where track were laid.

There is no doubt that in the ever expanding economies of the world, transportation of persons and goods (cargoes) is the life-wire. Developed nations have identified the fact and put in place effective rail transport system as it is critical to both economic growth and development.

Also, stakeholders has identified rail transport system as one that “provides the cost-effective affordable, energy-saving and environmentally-friendly form of transportation, when traffic densities are high.

It offers services for high volumes of containerised cargo or bulk freight such as oil, coal, steel or agricultural produce”.

Nigeria currently has a rail system of about 3,557 kilometres of 1,067mm (3ft 6in) narrow gauge tracks with two major rail lines: one connects Lagos on the Bight of Benin and Nguru in the northern state of Yobe while the other connects Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta and Maiduguri in the north-eastern state of Borno.

Challenges of effective management and lack of maintenances became the hallmark of the Nigeria rail system at some point hence the unwarranted pressure on the roads everywhere hence the high rates of accidents witnessed daily on our roads.

There is no denying the fact that rail transport is capital intensive and government cannot run the system all alone especially with other things competing for the same resources thus the need to demystified government monopoly and allow participation by private investors.

In recent time, government has allocated huge resources into rehabilitation work, maintenance and other auxiliary aspects of the rail system in other to make it profitable and provide the needed succour to the road transport network in the country, It is in line with the pursuit of this vision that the Nigerian Railway Corporation NRC recently unveiled the Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives in Lagos.

At a briefing at the corporation’s headquarters in Oyingbo, Ebute Metta, Managing Director of NRC, Engineer Seyi Sijuwade said the 25 years Railway Strategic Vision en-

The Lagos-Kano train service will compliment the existing Lagos-Ilorin and Minna-Kano intercity train services. compasses System Transition, Modernisation and Stabilization. The first two which are going on concurrently will terminate by 2015 while the last commences the following year (2016).

Part of the strategic goal he also noted include among others linking all state capitals and major economic centers, link all the country’s international and cargo airports, sea and river ports, all inland container depots to the rail network. Making the rail the major mover of freight over long distance within Nigeria and improve its infrastructure and services ( tracks, workshops, running sheds, signalling and communication system) as well making the rail a viable alternative mode of transport to passengers.

To begin with, the NRC said the first steps in the PPP initiatives covers outsourcing on-board cleaning of passenger trains, cleaning of major train stations and on-board catering. The other outsourcing plan will cover facilities management of all major stations,

ticketing service and building of park and ride (for car parking).

The second certainly form the foundation of profit making for investors looking to participate in any public private investment initiative.

The Supply Chain will include the Design, Build, Maintain, Operate and Transfer (DBMOT) of warehousing to provide suitable safe and secure storage space for goods, finance, supply and operate modern facilities and provide services for loading and offloading of goods and also finance, supply and jointly manage both railway coaches and wagons to enhance passengers and haulage capacity.

To achieve this, the federal government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding MOU with General Electric to set up a locomotive assembly plant in Nigeria for which it is selecting a Transaction Advisor and equally commenced the procurement process for selecting potential logistics service providers to partner the NRC in the areas.

Sijuwade explained that the

corporation has finalized the presentation of the OBC for the Western and Eastern concession which is the third and the genesis of the journey to gradually free the rail system of government monopoly.

The railway bill has seen the light of day with the approval by the National Council on Privatisation and will be shortly presented to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.

In his words: “government have taken steps in the right direction and a lot has been committed which has already started yielding the desired benefits. While we are working to address other areas of challenges, we belief these PPP initiatives will help in increasing capacity, efficiency and better service to Nigerians.”

Giving a breakdown of rehabilitation work on the 7 contracts scattered across the country so far in order to achieve its objectives of creating an enabling environment or private sector participation in the provision of rail infrastructure and operations, Engr. Sijuwade ex-

plained some work has reached advanced stages while others ongoing coupled with challenges ranging from security to delay in the supply of materials.

Expectedly, rehabilitation work on the Lagos-Kano gauge which has the highest traffic and also formed the first and second contracts is substantially completed, the signalling component is nearing completion, the line move 26, 000 passengers on short distance daily while it ferries 15, 200 on a weekly basis with 11, 500 tons of freight traffic monthly.

Other routes that has reach advance work stage in the north includes the Makurdi-Kuru, Kaura-Namoda and Kuru-Maiduguri axis. Also upgrading the eastern line signalling and telecommunication system with Modernisation programme taking place on the Ajaokuta/Itakpe to Warri Standard Gauge, the Abuja to Kaduna Standard Gauge with the Lagos-Ibadan gauge recently awarded.

With over a million passengers already ferried across the country in the first quarter of the 2013, the NRC MD is optimistic that with the combined efforts of 4 CNR locomotives due in July and an additional six 68-seater Modern coaches to be delivered by December, 2 sets of Diesel Multiple Units (DMU) also expected by Dec. The country will witnessed massive improvement in both human and cargo traffic.

However, the transition from the ugly past is not without challenges. The obvious one being the Railway Act of 1955 that still ensure the central government legislate exclusively on the running of railway in the country. Obsolete machineries still litters the railway stations across Nigeria while workshops equipment is barely available with insufficient locomotive, coaches and wagon often leading to congestion at trail stations. The country still has only two access to the seaports by rail and non to any of the emerging standard airports being constructed by the aviation ministry.

With human capital challenges also staring the corporation in the eye, government however needs to put in more fund to complete the rehabilitation work on the Western and Eastern lines, procure and rehabilitate abandoned locomotives and maintenance equipment.

Among others, government must equally fast track the modernisation projects which will help build confidence in potential investors, provide addendum for sidings and loop lines on the Western line and rehabilitate and construct new links to the sea, rivers and airports.

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

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LETTERS & ONLINE COMMENTS

Igbo presidency shamelessly sold

By Obinna Akukwe

I

t is obvious to informed political strategists that the Igbos have schemed themselves out of possible presidency for 2015 for a probable paltry sum of N5billion naira (subsidy thieves stole N1.7 billion naira). Since the Ohaneze crisis started in February 2012, various versions of how much was released to the body through various guise, means and reasons was rife. A news media (247ureports) reported that ’’ Jonathan’s N5billion bribe tears Ohaneze Apart ‘‘and went on to publish together with another media site ( Elombah) one of the secret bank accounts used to siphon the funds, but since the South East Governors set up a committee to look into the matter, facts before them suggested that the amount surpasses the N5 billion reported in the news. Some Committee members were availed of some secret account including the Diamond Bank account where over N275 million naira was withdrawn over a period of about two years without the knowledge of Ohaneze Secretariat. Informed sources have explained that the South East Governors were shocked when they realized that the presidency have been bombarding Ohaneze with cash, contracts and businesses and some Reconciliation Committee Members were so ashamed that they buried their heads in and sought an exit strategy.

That is why a two- week assignment turned to over eight weeks and was concluded just before the Easter week.

Their assignment is likened to a doctor called to cure malaria fever only to discover that the patient had acute Hepatitis B and needs complicated medication.

Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma , at the peak of the Ohaneze crisis , put a call through to Governor Peter Obi, and asked what Igbo Governors were

WRITE TO US Peoples Daily Weekend welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed to: The Editor, Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja.

Email: opinion@peoplesdailyng.com doing to checkmate the spiraling crisis.

Peter Obi responded by scheduling a meeting of the five South East Governors at Government House, Enugu, and they responded within 24 hours to deliberate on the matter. The five governors of the South East set up 11 man committee to look into the Ohaneze crisis after the controversial January 2013 elections, unify the aggrieved chieftains and make Ohaneze stronger. The committee members include Bishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, Rev Prof Obiora Ike, Senator Uche Chukwumerije, Senator Ben Obi, Prof Joe Irukwu, Hon Ohuabunwa and among others, but the extent of shit oozing from the place was such that even the Governors were reluctant to call for speedy conclusion of the report.

Among the revelations which shocked them, though not new to the informed observers was that the Ime Obi meeting of Ohaneze was called only four times throughout the four year tenure of the immediate past leadership. Ime Obi meeting is like the council of elders and they hold monthly meetings during which they review situations that concerns Igbos with a view to taking appropriate

positions. The aggrieved parties alleged that the organization was run from Asaba without due consultations to forestall any attempt for Igbos to rally in pursuit of common agenda.

Another revelation was that the past leadership had audience with President Goodluck Jonathan 21 times and there was no infrastructure in Igbo land to show for the meetings. They alleged that he never attended any of the meetings with President Jonathan in the company of any member of Ime Obi nor member of the National Executive Council, therefore nobody knows whether Igbo interest is being sold during the meetings. However, the immediate past president, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue had countered that the president had always requested to see only himself and as such he cannot be expected to carry a crowd to the Sate House.

The committee were told that all the monies collected on behalf of the group was never lodged into the account and that the organization as at the time of swearing in of new executives, had less than N100,000 in the account. They were informed that if not for the magnanimity

of Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State who came to the rescue of Ohaneze with N2million naira, the elections would not have held, wandering why the deliberate starving of funds to the organs when the members know that Ohaneze had excess cash in secret accounts. The committee was told that the reason for the starvation of funds was to frustrate a free and fair election and impose some presidency anointed candidates on the Igbo Presidency Shamelessly Sold For a Few Billions of Naira?

Uwechue countered the starvation of funds argument by explaining that he personally released N1million naira to the body for conduct of the said election, describing the taunted intervention of Orji as a blackmail.

The committee members were told that there was never any agreement between President Jonathan and Ohaneze that the former will support an Igbo man for president either in 2015 or 2019 and that Ohaneze’s blind endorsement of Jonathan 2015 is motivated by personal and business interests and they revealed some multi billion naira business interests of some Ohaneze Chieftains championing Jonathan 2015 projects.

The committee members also discovered that the presidential aide on Subsidy Reinvestment Programme, Nze Akachukwu Nwankpa was not acting alone in the bribery scandal.

They were told that some people, who returned their bribe cheques issued through a proxy company, were given cash equivalent of between $120,000150,000 dollars to shut up their mouth while Igbo interests is being sold. Nze Akachukwu on his own part have threatened to expose anybody that tries to drag his name to the mud and reportedly told some Igbo elders that he did everything with the consent of Ohaneze leadership.

Obinna Akukwe Profetobinna2@yahoo.com

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Opinion

37

Beggars siege: Sokoto needs policy review

By Mahmoud Muhammad, Sokoto

W

ith the introduction of N6, 500 as monthly allowance for the physically challenged person in Sokoto state by Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, four years back, many thought it might have brought hope to beggars in the state.

It was among the pledges he made to the electorate during the re-run electioneering campaign so as to bring succour to the people of the state, an initiative aimed at breaking the yoke of poverty especially among

less-privileged people across the state.

The monthly stipend, according to Wamakko, was geared towards reduced poverty and begging, adding that the amount is akin to a minimum wage in some parts of the country.

Though the governor claimed to have touched many people’s lives through many of his initiatives, many see it as total failure because the rate at which the programme is implemented, cannot stop either poverty or begging in the state.

Peoples Daily Weekend

gathered that the initiative has no doubt spurred the mass exodus of physically challenged people especially indigenes of the state who quickly answered the call of Governor Wamakko.

At least, the governor sees it as a significant achievement of his administration, but with the data submitted to ‘’His Excellency’’ on the disabled person in the state, questions are being raised over the desirability of the initiative . And so, the task ahead of Wamakko is to shift his attention to the establishment of rehabilitation centres across the three geo- political zones or the 23 local government areas where disabled persons will undergo training in vocations like tailoring, pottery, among others which will make them

Clarifying Nigeria’s debt status

By Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

T

here has recently been a lot of misinformation and misconception in our public debate on debt.

Let me say at the outset that no one in government is supportive of a Nigeria that returns to a high state of indebtedness. On a personal note, having gone through tremendous stress during the quest for Paris Club debt relief, I am committed to a Nigerian economy that is fiscally prudent, balances its books and remains at a low state of indebtedness.

To begin, Nigeria’s overall debt is comprised of external and domestic debts.

The external debt is typically

owed to foreign creditors such as multilateral agencies (for example, the Africa Development Bank, the World Bank, or the Islamic Development Bank), to bilateral sources (such as the China Exim Bank, the French Development Bank or the Japanese Aid Agency), or to private creditors such as investors in our Eurobonds.

The domestic debt, however, is contracted within Nigerian borders, usually through bond issues which are then purchased by Nigerian banks, local pension funds, and other domestic and foreign investors.

The resources raised typically go to help fund the budget or other domestic expenditures, such as infrastructure projects. We also have some contractor arrears, and other

local liabilities which are normally handled through the budget.

Both federal and state governments borrow domestically and externally.

However, no state government can borrow externally unless guaranteed by the Federal Government.

Similarly, state governments’ domestic borrowing is subject to federal government analysis and confirmation – based on clear criteria and guidelines that a state can repay based on their monthly FAAC allocations and internally generated revenues (IGR).

As a nation, we have had a difficult history with debt. As such, no one can forget the challenging times we went through from 2003 to 2005 trying, in the end, successfully to get relief on our large external debt.

useful to the society.

Our correspondent observes that the first step of the social security scheme has failed as beggars have again taken over the state with nooks and crannies of Sokoto populated by the physically challenged begging for money and food. It is common among the younger generation of our youths, married women as well old adults.

The beggars go as far as confronting people at restaurants, stations, filling stations and naming ceremonies.

The only way to arrest this menace by the state government is to make the allowance a right, not a privilege, to all the disabled in the entire seat of the caliphate instead of the 6,507 disabled currently benefitting from the programmes.

Neither the government nor any Nigerian wants a repeat of the country’s past history of large debts.

That is why the current President Goodluck Jonathan administration, the Legislature, the Ministry of Finance, and the Debt Management Office, are very focused on a conservative and prudent approach to managing the national debt.

Our current approach balances Nigeria’s needs for investment in physical and human infrastructure with a strong policy to limit overall indebtedness in relation to our ability to pay.

Above all, any debts incurred must go for directly productive purposes which yield results that Nigerians can see.

– Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance.

Inuwa Abdul-Kadir and My Thoughts the NYCN crisis With Ayodele Samuel 08074420617 (SMS only)

T

he last time I raised the issue of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) on this platform, it was full of misgiving.

I was bombarded with text messages, calls and many agreed with me that the council will not witness peace until a proper election in line with laid down rules and regulations guiding the youth council is held.

As I began writing this piece yesterday (Friday by 4.00 am), the crisis rocking the NYCN following the wicked imposition of its president and other national officers, has not subdued, just as the state governors (with exemption of few) imposed their protégés on its state chapter leadership. President Jonathan using his cabinet member, Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, the Minister for

Youth Development and Jude Imagwe, a Special Assistant, has seized virtually all youth organizations including the once vibrant National Association of Nigerian students NANS, with the sole agenda of using them for the 2015 general elections.

If you trace many leadership discords rocking all these youth organs, you will see the imprimatur of those in Aso rock.

They have turned many vibrant youth groups to toothless bull dogs that wag tails to any bone coming from them.

What transpired in Markudi was rightly captured by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), In a press statement dated, June 5th 2013 which part I reproduced below ‘’…the Presidency’s anointed

candidate has been named the President of the NYCN even when the body’s election did not hold. Are these pointers to the mindset of the PDP/Presidency ahead of the 2015 polls?

“ACN said that the man who has been imposed as the president of NYCN, even though the Council’s election was cancelled because of a court order, the Presidency’s anointed candidate is a card carrying member of the PDP and an aide to the PDP Chairman Bamangar Tukur. ‘’The PDP and the Presidency, using the Minister of Youth Development as their arrowhead, orchestrated the movement of the NYCN congress from Ondo to Benue state (a PDP state); the incumbent President of NYCN was invited to the State House in Makurdi where a fat cheque was dangled before him as an inducement to step down for the Presidency’s anointed candidate (Tukur’s PA) for the NYCN leadership, in accordance with a supposed ‘order from above’, but he refused. ‘’However, when some aspirants obtained a court injunction stopping the election, the NYCN trustees advised that the congress should be called off

because of the court order. The delegates had hardly departed Benue state when the Minister allegedly started writing the names of selected government candidates as winners of an election that did not hold. The names of the ‘winners’ were subsequently sent - purely for information sake - to the delegates who had already left after the congress was cancelled. ‘’The result of the shenanigans orchestrated by the Presidency and the PDP is the crisis now rocking the NYCN, with two persons laying claim to the organization’s presidency. This is an uncanny resemblance to what happened to the NGF, again with the Presidency and the PDP being fingered as the culprit,’’ the party said.

Inuwa Abdul-Kadir should know that his agenda to capture the council for his pay master will not work. If his so called sanitation of the council has the interest of Nigerian youths, then a fresh election is a must. The Nigerian youths who constitute members of the council that I know, are dodged ,and will not allow its apex body be turned into another arm of the PDP.

Page 38

Online comments

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

The many challenges of JAMB computerbased test and Nigerian students

I

f you know that you wrote the CBT exam, call JAMB ofiicial Mr Olaniyi at 08115188970 for checking and upgrading. He helped me to upgrade my JAMB. Ialso want my fellow jambites to gain from it.

– Joy

Kaka, Ronaldinho out of Brazil squad

L

uiz Felipe Scolari can win Confederation Cup because everything is possible but there is no reason to leave a big player like Ronaldinho because all

teams are playing for outright win.

Ronaldinho is a different player all coaches and players believe in.

– Jamali

Why is the result sent to my phone different from what I saw on the JAMB site? This is annoying.

– Bashir

Boko Haram: Senior Customs personnel arrested over arms importation in Borno

J

TF, you have really done well. If those in leadership positions like this Customs black

sheep is not helping Boko Haram, it would have been a thing of the past. That man is an

enemy of Nigeria. Let him face the full wrath of the law, please.

– Ray

Doctors fleeing Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, NMA warns

N

obody will see death and stand.

The situation over there is too bad but if all the doctors leave,

how will the sick and the injured be treated? The doctors should equally know that they have a price to pay for our dear

Why Lamido can rule Nigeria – Obasanjo

cannot alter what God has planned for 2015.GEJ should call his footsoldiers to order because the way they are going about things is making people to dislike GEJ. Why fighting Ameachi?

God has been doing it for you. Is it is now you think that somebody can take the place of God? – Emma

hat is the so called competence of Lamido? Get money from federation account ,award contracts etc, and that is governance.

This same OBJ said sometime ago that Lamido was a disgrace to Nigeria as Foreign Affairs Minister.

What is the Internally Generated Revenue of Jigawa State?

– Ogbobulu

GEJ and all his boys (the governors) fighting Amaechi have no conscience.

I’m just waiting to see with which face they will go round the nation to campaign for our votes.

– CKC

W

hat are we debt? If acquired more wealth celebrating? leaders are celebrating, without development to Is it poverty, they have every course the masses. hunger or increased to do so because they – Abri T

P

ray that Nigerians should deliver APC come 2015 so that our country can move forward.

– Babalaji

2

015 is in the country. They should hands of God. take their job as a do J o n a t h a n , or die affair while the A m e a c h i o r J a n g fight against Boko Haram lasts.

– Ray

Gloom peaks on Democracy Day

APC not for personal aggrandizement – Buhari

Governor Jang, I feel your pain

W

International

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

PAGE 39

Russia’s Vladimir Putin and wife divorce

R

ussian President Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila have said their marriage is over.

The couple, who had been married for 30 years, made their divorce public on Russian state television after attending a ballet performance.

“It was a joint decision: we hardly see each other, each of us has our own life”, Mr Putin said.

Mrs Putin had rarely been seen in public in recent months, prompting much speculation in Russian media.

She is known to dislike publicity, and told the TV reporter that flying was difficult for her.

“Vladimir Vladimirovich is completely drowned in work,” she

said.

The divorce was “civilised” and the couple would “always remain close”, she said.

“I am very grateful to Vladimir... that he still supports me. And the children, he really cares for them and the children feel this,” she added.

Mr Putin confirmed on TV that the two were no longer living together.

“We are always going to be very close to each other. I am sure, forever,” he said.

Vladimir Putin and Lyudmila Shkrebneva were married in 1983.

They have two daughters, Maria and Yekaterina, both in their 20s.

“Our children have grown up; they have their own lives,” Mrs

Putin added.

She and Mr Putin were last seen together at his inauguration for his third term as president on 7 May 2012.

Neither clarified whether or not their marriage had been legally dissolved, but Mrs Putin referred to the separation as a “civilised divorce”.

The couple had been seen less frequently in public in recent months The announcement came after the couple had gone to see the ballet Esmeralda at the Kremlin Palace - they left after the first act.

The BBC’s Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says that Thursday’s announcement confirms what had been rumoured for years, that the

Putins were having marital problems.

But the news has still come as a shock to many Russians, who are not used to their leaders getting divorced - even though Russia has one of the highest divorce rates in the world, our correspondent adds.

The question already domi-

nating the Russian blogosphere is, “will Russia’s president marry again?”, he says.

The Putins’ marriage had been the subject of speculation before.

In 2008, Mr Putin denied rumours that he had secretly divorced and was planning to marry former Olympic gymnast Alina Kabayeva.

President Obama

that the intelligence community was committed to respecting their civil liberties and privacy.

He issued a strong-worded statement late on Thursday, after the UK’s Guardian newspaper said a secret court order had required phone company Verizon to hand over its records to the National Security Agency (NSA) on an “ongoing daily basis”.

That report was followed by revelations in both the Washington Post and Guardianthat US agencies tapped directly into the servers of nine internet firms to track people in a programme known as Prism.

The reports about Prism will raise fresh questions about how far the US government should encroach on citizens’ privacy in the interests of national se-

curity.

The NSA confirmed that it had been secretly collecting millions of phone records. But Mr Clapper said the “unauthorized disclosure... threatens potentially long-lasting and irreversible harm to our ability to identify and respond to the many threats facing our nation”.

The article omitted “key information” about the use of the records “to prevent terrorist attacks and the numerous safeguards that protect privacy and civil liberties”.

He said reports about Prism contained “numerous inaccuracies”. While admitting the government collected communications from internet firms, he said the policy only targets “non-US persons”.

Mr Putin with wife Lyudmila revealed their decision of divorce on state TV

US spy chief defends prism, phone surveillance

U

S spy chief James Clapper has strongly defended government surveillance programmes after revelations of phone records being collected and internet servers being tapped.

He said disclosure of a secret court document on phone record collection threatened “ir-

reversible harm”.

Revelations of an alleged programme to tap into servers of nine internet firms were “reprehensible”, he said.

Internet firms deny giving government agents access to their servers.The director of US national intelligence said he wanted to reassure Americans

North Korea opens hotline with South

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orth Korea has restored a key hotline with South Korea, as the two sides discuss where to hold talks on a jointly-run industrial zone.

Pyongyang said early on Friday it would reopen a Red Cross line cut in March.

It also invited officials to Kaesong for talks on Sunday on restarting operations at the factory zone, after the two sides agreed in principle to talks on Thursday.

Seoul has agreed to Sunday talks but wants them to take place at Panmunjom.

Work at the Kaesong industrial zone has been halted since April, amid high regional tensions.

Ties between the two Koreas deteriorated earlier this year in the wake of the North’s 12 February nuclear test.

North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are expected to be on the table when the US and Chinese presidents meet in California later on Friday for an informal summit.

‘Mistrust’ The Kaesong factory complex is seen as a symbol of NorthSouth co-operation.

Around 53,000 North Korean workers are employed there by more than 120 South Korean factories.

The zone is a key source of revenue for the North and the biggest contributor to inter-Korean trade.

However, Pyongyang withdrew its workers in April, apparently angered by tightened UN sanctions in the wake of its nuclear test and

annual South Korea-US military drills.

It had already cut a military hotline with South Korea, and another line used to communicate with the UN Command at Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone that divides the two Koreas, in addition to the Red Cross hotline.On Thursday, however, it offered talks with the South on the resumption of operations and said it would reconnect the Red Cross hotline if Seoul - which had been seeking such talks - agreed.

Pyongyang’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK) said the Red Cross link would be restored from 14:00 local time (0500 GMT). The Unification Ministry subsequently confirmed this had taken place.

The two sides are still working out details of the talks on the industrial zone. The South suggested ministerial-level talks in Seoul on Wednesday, but North Korea then asked for lower-level talks on Sunday in Kaesong, which is located just inside North Korea.

In a statement, Pyongyang said that working-level talks were needed first, “in the light of the prevailing situation in which the bilateral relations have been stalemated for years and mistrust has reached the extremity”.

South Korea has agreed to the weekend talks but requested a change of venue to Panmunjom, the truce village which lies on the border between the two nations, the Unification Ministry said.

Somalis march against South Africa attacks

Somalis march to parliament in Cape town.

T

wo Somalis have been killed this month and the Somali government has requested the South African authorities to do more to protect their nationals.

About 200 people took part in the protest, holding a banner reading: “everyone is a foreigner somewhere”.

Correspondents say xenophobic

attacks have resumed recently.

Some of the protesters accused the authorities of not doing enough to prevent attacks on foreigners, especially Somalis.

According to the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, south Africans are becoming “increasingly desensitised” to attacks on foreigners, the Sowetan

newspaper reports.

Reporters say the violence is linked to the massive unemployment among young South Africans.

In the past two decades, many thousands of Somalis have fled conflict at home and moved to South Africa, where many have opened small shops and kiosks in townships.

Feature PAGE 40

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Governor Kwankwaso and the contemporary history of Kano

By Engr. Nura Alkali

W

ith the fast evolving times when a year rolls like a month and a day like a twinkle of an eye, it will soon be two years remaining for Engr. Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso to complete his statutory eight – year tenure as Executive Governor of Kano State.

Kano being the nerve centre of commercial and the pivot of directing current events in the North, it is therefore not out of the place to draw a reasonably unbiased comparison between the achievements of previous administrations and the legacies Kwankwaso may likely leave behind and allow history to give its judgments.

As with events, people always judge individuals according to their perceptions, but no matter the amount of colour added to make them appear different, truth cannot be washed away.

Though Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau’s eight years as governor of Kano has already been comprehensively documented, suffice to say that Societal Re – Orientation (A DaiDaita Sahu) formed the cardinal principle of his administration.

While elected members who swore on oath to serve the common good immorally turned public offices as an avenue for dishonest self enrichment, judicial, electoral officers and security agents grossly compromised, religious and traditional leaders equally vice-ridden, leadership of the country at all levels of the governance has been left in the leprous hands of corrupt, dishonest, clueless, inept and primitive elements.

However, since there is an exception to every mundane affair, persons who operate on higher ethical and moral value imbued with piety, vision and foresight, always emerge to save a country from drift and degeneration. Among the few leaders who demonstrated such noble attributes and credible leadership are Governors Babatunde Raji Fashola of Lagos State and of course, the fearless Engr. Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State who was first elected in 1999 and reelected in 2011.

Kwankwaso like every leader in position of high authority, means so many things to so many people.

While many are in total disagreement with his policies and leadership style, others accuse him of being overbearing and dictatorial.

Others see him as the savior of the masses.

During his first tenure between 1999 to 2003, his principled stand for the truth, accountability, judicious application of resources and sincere commitment to develop Kano which has not witnessed any significant development since the era of late Alhaji Audu Bako’s administration, was mischievously misinterpreted, branding him as anti establishment like his mentor, the late Mallam Aminu Kano.

However, his second tenure despite the dastardly insecurity, is a clear vindication of his sincerity of purpose given regards to the phenomenal and unprecedented

human and infrastructural developments he accomplished in just two years.

As would be rationally expected, Kwankwaso’s second coming after serving as Minister for Defence, offers a unique opportunity for sober reflection so as to make amends on the mistakes of the past and embark on new measures which he could successfully complete within the statutory period allowed by the constitution.

As observed by Rosalynn Carter “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go but they ought to be.

These, well performed, make people from all walks of life to cheer and admire such a leader”. That leader who has enjoyed the cheers and admiration of his people to an immeasurable height because of his generosity of spirit in leadership, is Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

His administration has embarked on honourable projects in the areas of health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, youth and women empowerment, distinguishing him in various fields of endeavour.

So far so good, the following projects have been completed, successfully prosecuted or in advanced stages viz:1. Education: Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has completely overhauled the present educational system of the state which has seriously suffered neglect for a long period.

In a paper this writer presented towards the revival of fallen standard of education, it called for complete overhaul of the present educational system which places undue emphasis on arts and humanities at the expense of technical, scientific and professional trainings and recommended their immediate introduction at all levels of our schools beginning from Primary Class 1.This will enhance and produce technically oriented graduates who could form the nucleus of the nation’s technological advancement and at the same time be self-employed.

It also called for drastic pruning of private schools. Is it not foolhardy to allow the upbringing of our offsprings in the hands of those whose culture and world view are at variance with our cherished values?

Majority of these schools operate without adequate facilities, qualified personnel and responsible for low standard in public schools. They charge exorbitant fees and encour-

age examination malpractice to justify the high fees charged.

Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, set up committees and rolled out so many positive activities in the sector as follows: (a) Provided full scholarship award to 501 graduates of Kano State origin with first and second class upper honours degree to undergo postgraduate studies in their various areas of endeavour abroad. (b) Provided full scholarship award to 100 indigenes of Kano State to study airplane piloting in Jordan. (c) In the process of awarding full scholarship to 100 female indigenes of Kano State to study Medicine abroad. (d) In the process of awarding full scholarship to 100 indigenes of Kano State to study pharmacy abroad. (e) Provided full scholarship award to 25 indigenes of Kano State to study Marine Engineering in India/United Kingdom. (f) Provided full scholarship award to 100 students of Kano State to study various undergraduate degree programmes at Crescent University, Abeokuta, Nigeria. (g) Provided full scholarship award to 100 students of Kano State to study various undergraduate degree programms at Bells University of Technology, Ota, Nigeria. (h) Establishment of Northwest University (i) Establishment of Technical Colleges in all the 44 local government of Kano State. (j) Establishment of School of Arabic Studies in all the 44 local government of Kano State. (k) Similarly, Kwankwaso constructed 1,500 blocks of classrooms at the 44 local government authorities across the state, additional blocks at secondary schools. (l) Establishment of 21 new Institutes in the state to train various trades and skills for the indigenes of Kano State. (m) Establishment of a joint venture school in Niger Republic to train Kano State students in French language. (n) Establishment of a joint venture school in Niger Republic to train Kano State students in Chinese language. (o) Additional Schools of Nursing and Midwifery is being constructed each at Madobi and Bebeji local government areas.

2.

Economy/ Infrastructure:-As soon as the civil war was over and Nigeria began to earn massive revenue from

Now that Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will complete mandatory two terms and having served as Minister in the all important Ministry of Defense, it is the hope and fervent prayers of his teeming supporters that he should contest the next presidential election instead of following the footsteps of most two term governors as senators.

Engr. Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso oil, agriculture which has been the mainstay of the nation’s economy was pushed to the background in preference to industry which apart from being capital intensive, dependent on imported raw materials (a drain on foreign reserves) creates a lopsided economy.

This forced massive migration of rural dwellers to urban centers in search of jobs which do not simply exist. The resultant effects was overcrowding, slum conditions, high cost of policing, social services and widespread violent uprisings which have proved difficult to control.

As part of the governor’s mappings, Kwankwaso recognised the need for building roads and bridges including flyover bridges as the strongest weapons against poverty in the state, for the improvement of the individual and collective economy.

As part of bringing discipline among road users on our roads, the government of Engr. Kwankwaso has established Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA). This has brought sanity to Kano’s notorious bad driving culture and excessive hold up. Kano Road Maintenance Agency (KARMA) has also been established to maintain and repair our roads.

Kano Geographic Information System (KANGIS) has also been established to provide a computerized Geo special data infrastructure and a one-stop for all land matters in Kano State, facilitate land acquisition and collect all land related revenue for the State.

To reverse the overdependence on oil which has been a curse than blessing, there is an urgent need to embark on comprehensive rural development and simultaneously introduce what Professor Arthur Lewis of Massachusetts Institute of Technology called “Complementarities between Agriculture and Industry” by establishing ago-based industries in rural areas where the raw materials

are produced. This will eliminate the huge wastage of products such as tomatoes, onions, water- melons etc experienced every season.

At this juncture, it is pertinent to recall that Ahmadu Bello and Bayero Universities, Kaduna Polytechnic, Broadcasting Company of Northern Nigeria now Radio Kaduna, New Nigerian Newspapers, Ahmadu Bello Stadium etc were established mainly from proceeds of agriculture which we naively allowed to be taken over by Federal Government in the vain illusion of national unity which has never been genuinely observed by other sections of the country.

Kwankwaso-led government has not only created wealth for the State, it has also empowered 1,300 youths who have graduated from Farm Mechanisation Institute and each of the graduants benefitted from and provided with two work bulls and plough to boost agriculture in the state.

One thousand (1000) women drawn from the 44 local governments of Kano State were trained on technicalities and methodologies of poultry farming at Tikwui Poultry Institute, Makoda local government. At the end of the training, each participant was provided with day old chickens, food and drugs as well as money for the upkeep of chickens and as a free working capital.

Now that Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso will complete mandatory two terms and having served as Minister in the all important Ministry of Defense, it is the hope and fervent prayers of his teeming supporters that he should contest the next presidential election instead of following the footsteps of most two term governors as senators.

Engr. Nura Alkali writes from Kano, Email: nuraabbaalkali@yahoo.com

Page 41

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

WeekendSports

Yobo, Ike out of Confed Cup finals as Keshi picks 22

S

kipper Joseph Yobo and Ikechukwu Uche are out of the FIFA Confederation Cup finals after being excluded from the 22-man Super Eagles squad for the tournament.

Yobo, who had minimal involvemenmt at the AFCON but had the honour of lifting the trophy, has had no part of the team’s matches after the AFCON trophy triumph. Though Ike was an unused substitute in the game against kenya in Calabar, he was subsequently left out of the list of invitees for Wednesday’s return leg in Nairobi, kenya.

Also missing in the squad are injured-plagued duo of Emmanuel Emenike and Gabriel Reuben, who were part of the wiining team in South Africa.

Instead, Keshi has stuck to 22 out of 23 players that travelled for Wednesday’s 2014 FIFA World Cup against Kenya, where the Eagles won 1-0. Heartland striker, Obinna Nwachukwu, who featured as substitute against Mexico and also made the trip to Nairobi, was the only one left out of the squad for the Festival of Champions scheduled to kick off on June 15.

will start their campaign against Tahiti in Belo Horizonte on June 17.

Before then, Keshi’s men will face Namibia in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Windhoek on Wednesday and later fly into South Africa on June 13 to connect a flight to Sao Paulo, Brazil for the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup. Nigeria are expected to arrive in Belo Horizonte three days before their opening game against Tahiti.

Skipper Joseph Yobo, Mikel Obi and other Eagles displaying the AFCON trophy after beating the Stallions of Burkina Faso in the final, last February. But Yobo will play no part in Eagles FIFA Confederation Cup finals in Brazil, next week New boys on the block John Ogu and Babatunde Micheal as well as seven players from the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) made the cut. They

Calabar remains Eagles’ home for World Cup qualifiers

T

he Super Eagles will complete their 2014 World Cup qualifying series at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar, despite the progress being made on the rehabilitated pitch of the National Stadium Abuja.

Following progress report on the state of the rehabilitation work on the Abuja stadium, it was assumed that the Eagles would relocate to Abuja for the final Group F qualifier against Malawi in September as well as the knockout final round thereafter.

But that was debunked by the director general of the National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye, who acknowledged the vast improvement on the turf but insisted that it would not be ready for use soonest.

“Work is still on the pitch of the stadium. So for now the Eagles will continue to play in Calabar,” Elegbeleye said stressing that with the natural turf and an atmosphere conducive for international matches there was no reason to look elsewhere for now.

The Super Eagles since relocating from Abuja to the southern coastal town of Calabar have not lost any game there.

French Open: Nadal edges Djokovic to reach eighth final

D

efending champion Rafael Nadal moved closer to an historic eighth French Open title on Friday when he defeated world No 1 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3/7), 9-7 in a titanic semifinal.

Nadal, the third seed, took his Paris record to a staggering 58 wins from 59 matches after recovering from 4-2 down in the deciding set to clinch victory after 4 hours and 37 minutes.

The 27-year-old Spaniard,

bidding to become the first man to win the same major eight times, moved into his 17th Grand Slam final where he’ll face either home hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Spanish compatriot David Ferrer.

Friday’s win was Nadal’s 20th in 35 career clashes – and 13th from 16 on clay – against Djokovic.

Nadal pounced, moving to three match points and clinched victory when Djokovic, who ended with an ugly 75 unforced errors, hit wild and long.

include Chigozie Agbim, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Godfrey Oboabona, Emeka Eze, Sunday Mba, Francis Benjamin and Gambo Mohammed made the cut.

The world soccer governing body, FIFA, announced the squads for the eight nations that will take part at the Confederations Cup yesterday. The African champions

AFN selects 28 for Africa Junior championships in South Africa

T

he Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) has announced the selection of 28 athletes and nine officials for the 11th Africa Junior Athletics Championships to be held in Pretoria, South Africa from June 26 to June 30.

AFN’s Technical Director, Navy Commodore Omatseye Nesiama, confirmed yesterday noting that the athletes and officials were selected at its trial held last month in Port Harcourt and added the selection was finalised on June 5, from the long-month long trials in Port Harcourt.

Among the selected athletes, according to Nesiama, are Harry Chibuke, Anthony Egode, Mamusi Emuobonuvie and Victor Ikhazoboh, for Deborah Odeyemi, one of Nigeria’s the 100m boys. Briggs Tamunotoye and medal hope at the African Junior Championships (AFN) Akere Omezia will feature in the 200m boys.

For the 400m boys are Oshasha Samson, Ottah Ugochukwu, Ebelebe Charles and Adeniji Ademola, while only Thadeus Okpara will feature in the high jump event for boys at the meet.

In the 100m women category are Peace Uko, Deborah Odeyemi, Mariam Bassey, Nkem Eziala and Morolake Akinnusi, while Rita Ossai, Comfort Ekanem, Ada Benjamin, Nkiruka Uwakwe and Abike Egbeniyi would feature in the 400m.

Abike Egbeniyi is to feature in the 800m event, Aminat Olowora for 1,500m, while Efe Favour will compete in the 100m and 400m hurdles.

The long jump event will feature Ese Brume, Nwaneka Okwelogu in the shot put and discus events, while Faustina Oguh will compete in the race-walk event.

Nesiama said that coaches selected for the events are: Tobias Igwe, Daniel Otsemobor, Uche Emedolu, Maria Usifo, Adebayo Bada, Saheed Alabi, Seigha Porbeni and Dr Peter Oboh, while Olufemi Ajao is the team’s secretary.

The AFN director appealed to the team to be good ambassadors, adding that he was optimistic that the selected athletes would do the country proud at the championships.

The Squad Goalkeepers Vincent Enyeama, Austine Ejide, Chigozie Agbim Defenders Godfrey Oboabona, Uwa Echiejile, Efe Ambrose, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Solomon Kwambe, Francis Benjamin, Kenneth Omeruo Midfielders John Ogu, John Obi Mikel, Fengor Ogude, Ogenyi Onazi, Emeka Eze, Sunday Mba, Michael Babatunde Strikers Ahmed Musa, Brown Ideye, Joseph Akpala, Gambo Mohammed, Anthony Ujah, Nnamdi Oduamadi.

6 candidates to run for IOC Presidency

T

he International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday confirmed that the six candidates are jostling for Jacque Rogge’s soonto-be-vacant post.

In a statement on its website, the world’s sports regulatory body said the candidates had officially announced their candidacies by the midnight of June 6, the deadline.

The statement listed the candidates as: Thomas Bach, Sergey Bubka, Richard Carrión, Ser Miang Ng, Denis Oswald, and Ching-Kuo Wu. “’Six candidates will compete in the election for the presidency of the IOC at the 125th IOC Session on Sept. 10, 2013 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“The candidates will present their programmes in camera to the full IOC membership on the occasion of the Extraordinary IOC Session in Lausanne, Switzerland between July 3 and 4, 2013,’’ the statement added.

Page 42

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Sports

Serena, Sharapova chase seperate history at French Open final today

S

erena Williams will be out to end 11 years waiting to add a second Roland Garros title today when she takes on defending champion Maria Sharapova in a French Open final featuring the two top seeds for the first time in 18 years.

Serena won the first title in 2002 when she defeated sister, Venus. However, though she has gone on win 15 Grand Slam titles, just three shy of Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova and is tied for fourth on the all-time list, second French Open has eluded her for 11 years.

Five Australian Open titles, five at Wimbledon and four at the US Open, yet the French Open title count has remained stubbornly stuck at one.

It seems Roland Garros claycourts and the French public have seldom been kind to the American, preferring the easy charm of Kim Clijsters, the pure talent of Justine Henin and the glamour of Sharapova to her perceived brash American character and style of play.

Much of that appears to have changed this year with Williams gaining warm applause for speaking French in her post-match, on-court interviews and going on about how much she loves Europe and France in particular.

On the face of it, Sharapova, at 26, five years younger than Williams, has every reason to be worried over the outcome of Saturday’s showdown.

Serena Williams Maria Sharapova Since beating the American in the WTA Championships as a 17-year-old teenager at the end of 2004, she has lost to her 12 straight times, taking just She would have the odds stacked against her despite being the three sets in the process. She has never beaten Williams on clay. defending champion, the second seed and boasting a 12-match unbeaten Nonetheless, the past is irrelevant for Sharapova who hopes give run at Roland Garros. as much as she receives from the steamroller-Serena in today’s French On the other side of the net will be a player who is on a career best Open final.

30-match winning streak and currently playing some of the finest tennis

2014 W/C finals

Egypt, Tunisia eye final round spots

W

ith just three games remaining in the third round of African qualifiers for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, several favourites are in danger of missing out on a ticket - even before the final round of qualifying commences.

Tunisia and Egypt and surprise package Congo could become the first countries to book their place in the final round of qualifying should results go their way this weekend. The ten group winners will advance to the third round, where they will be drawn into five ties, with the winners of the two-legged matches qualifying for Brazil.

This weekend the Red Devils of Congo could become the first African country to book their place in the final round of qualifying, leaving them just two games away from a first-ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup as they face a tricky away match in Gabon.

They lead Group E by six points and would qualify with a win if the match between Niger Republic and Burkina Faso ended in a draw.

Seven times AFCON winners

are away to Zimbabwe and a win and a result for Mozambique in Guinea would guarantee the north Africans a place in the next round.

Same for Pharaohs’ neighbours Tunisia, who would go through if they win their Group B clash in Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea fail to beat Cape Verde Islands.

In Group C, Ivory Coast are neck-and-neck with Tanzania, and the Elephants, who have a point more than the Taifa Stars, are away to Gambia, while Tanzania travel to Morocco.

A similarly close battle is developing in Group D, where Zambia lead Ghana by a point. The Chipolopolo are at home to Lesotho on the weekend, while the Black Stars played Sudan yesterday.

Cameroon’s new coach Volker Finke is away in Togo for his first competitive match in charge of the Indomitable Lions, who lead Group I by a point from Libya, whose game at home to Congo DR yesterday was their first competitive match at home in two years after CAF gave the go-ahead in March to resume international football in the country.

the women’s game has seen in years.

The 31-year-old American’s 6-0, 6-1, 46-minute demolition of Sara Errani in the semifinals was frightening in its intensity and French Open organisers will be hoping that this result is not re-produced in a championship match broadcast around the world.

True, the record books do not provide comfort reading for Sharapova.

In 15 previous encounters with Williams, she has won just twice, Maria will earn at a repeat performance to exorcise the ghosts of Serena off her psyche.

Perhaps, she may draw inner strength from the fact that she has managed to win just three sets, the last of those coming in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 defeat in the Miami final in March.

The last match between the two saw Williams win easily 6-1, 6-4 in the final at Madrid last month.

Bolt’s conqueror Gatlin, Aman, Merritt, dig for gold for in Rabat - IAAF World Challenge

E

thiopian 800m runner Mohammed Aman will be looking to improve on his world-leading time of 1:43.61, set on Thursday night at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Rome in Arabat on Sunday.

It is the 6th edition of the Meeting Mohammed VI in the Moroccan capital Rabat, an IAAF World Challenge meeting, which should be able to boast of a number of impressive track events.

US sprinter Justin Gatlin, who shocked the World and Olympics 100m and 200m champion, Usain Bolt, will equally be on the block.

The 2004 Olympic 100m champion and London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist will face St Kitts’ 2003 World champion Kim Collins over 100m, who actually lead Thursday’s thrilling race at the halfway point, as well as France’s Christophe Lemaitre, Jamaica’s Michael Frater and Morocco’s 100m and 200m record holder Aziz Ouhadi.

Another US winner in Athens nine years ago, Jeremy Wariner, will be up against his successor as Olympic champion LaShawn Merrrit. The latter has been in good form but Wariner, the two-

time World 400m champion, will be seek to improve on modest start to the season and go faster than his 2013 best of 45.35.

Morocco’s solitary medallist from last year’s Olympic Games, 1500m bronze medallist Abdelaati Iguider, will get plenty of cheers when he runs in his specialist event.

In women’s 100m, Jamaica’s Kerron Stewart will face the USA’s 205 World champion Lauryn Williams as well as Germany’s 2010 European champion Verena Sailer and the in-form US sprinter Lekeisha Lawson.

Chandra Sturrup’s meeting record of 11.14, from 2010, could be under threat.

Ukraine high jumper Bohdan Bondarenko has already cleared 2.33m twice this season. He faces Russia’s 2011 World Championships silver medallist Aleksey Dmitrik along with France’s Mickael Hanany and Czech Republic’s Jaroslav Baba.

In the Long Jump, Greek record holder Louis Tsatoumas will face South Africa’s former World Indoor Championships winner Godfrey Khotso Mokoena.

Spain’s Mario Pestano takes on and Turkish record holder Ercument Olgundeniz is the Discus

favorites.

In the women’s Triple Jump, Ukraine’s Hanna Knyazeva is the top name and faces Italy’s former European indoor champion Simona La Mantia while a good quality Javelin sees 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist Linda Stahl against the improving Latvian Sinta Ozolina-Kovala and South Africa’s 2011 World Championships bronze medallist Sunette Viljoen.

Mohammed Aman on his way to winning the 800m in Lausanne (IAAF)

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Page 43

Sports

Chelsea make Odemwingie to leave £35million on Hulk WBA for £3m

Z

enit St Petersburg are ready to sell Brazil striker after just one season but Mourinho’s a fan PLUS John Terry’s future in question Jose Mourinho has made a stunning £35million move for Brazil forward Hulk.

But the newly reappointed Chelsea manager is also facing his first major dilemma as Monaco and Galatasaray target his on-field general John Terry.

Chelsea have turned to Zenit St Petersburg striker Hulk as a potential summer signing, having lost out to Monaco on No1 target Radamel Falcao, because they are now facing major competition for Napoli hitman Edinson Cavani.

Ironically, the Blues were very close to buying Hulk last summer but could not agree a deal with his then-club Porto, who was demanding £40m.

Hulk joined Zenit instead but the mega-rich Russians, believed to have paid in excess of £50m for his services, are already looking to sell and cut their losses after the 26-year-old’s difficult first season.

Glen and Hulk

W

est Bromwich Albion striker, Peter Odemwingie will leave the Barclays English Premier League club this summer provided his valuation is met.

The attacker courted controversy for most of the 2012/13 season; the most high profile being his failed attempt to force a move to now-relegated Queens Park Rangers.

The Baggies have now restated their desire to offload the striker with his prospective employers expected to fork out £3 million for his services.

Confirming this, WBA manager, Steve Clarke also revealed that as many as five other players will be following the 31-year-old Nigerian out of the exit door.

Odemwingie has scored 30 goals in 87 appearances for WBA since joining from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2010.

Ribery, Van Buyten Spartak seal extend Bayern stay Moscow Costa signing

F

rance winger Franck Ribery signed a two-year contract extension with Bayern Munich, keeping him tied to the club until 2017.

Belgium centre-back Daniel van Buyten also added a year to his current deal, meaning he will remain until the end of next season.

The former Marseille and Galatasaray midfielder joined the Bavarian giants in 2007 and this season was part of the historic first ever German treble-winning side as Bayern claimed the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup crowns.

The Frenchman scored 10 goals and provided 15 assists in 27 games during the past Bundesliga

Ribery

season, while also scoring once and setting up five goals, including one in the final, in the Champions League.

Van Buyten, 35, joined Bayern from Hamburg the year before Ribery. He had also played for Marseille and spent an unsuccessful loan spell at Manchester City in 2004.

“We’re delighted to be going forward with two important elements of the team,” said Bayern’s Chief Executive Officer Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

“Franck and Daniel have have done amazing things over the years. We’ve always been able to count on them and they’ve often made the difference in crucial moments.”

V

alencia has confirmed the sale of Argentine midfielder Tino Costa to Russian side Spartak Moscow for an undisclosed fee.

The surprise deal was finalised, as Miroslav Djukic was being unveiled as new Los Che coach.

There was no official comment on the fee involved, but reports in Spain suggest Spartak paid about €7 million for the former Montpellier playmaker.

Costa was linked with a move to Spartak 12 months ago, but instead he signed a new contract which was to run until June 2015.

However his contribution during the 2012-13 season was interrupted by injury, and he slipped behind youngsters Dani Parejo and Sergio Canales in former boss Ernesto Valverde’s pecking order.

Tino Costa

Odemwingie

United still ponder Ronaldo deal

M

anchester United is refusing to give up on the return of Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, and have assigned significant extra resources to try to make the move happen.

The club has already been working intensively on the deal since January, having received indication at that point that the Real Madrid forward was open to heading back to Old Trafford.

The events of the past month have co0mplicated the issue, however, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement causing Ronaldo to reconsider his options and Madrid now determined to tie the player to a new contract at all cost.

President Florentino Perez would

see it as a particularly unwanted blow to the club’s prestige to lose both Jose Mourinho and Ronaldo in the same summer, regardless of the purchase of anyone like Gareth Bale or Luis Suarez, and indeed has claimed the Portuguese will retire at the Bernabeu.

Ronaldo

Agent: Fiorentina keen on Benteke

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hristian Benteke’s agent has confirmed that Fiorentina have joined the queue for the Aston Villa striker.

Fiorentina are preparing themselves for the loss of highly-rated forward Stevan Jovetic this summer, with Juventus and Arsenal among the sides linked with the Montenegro international, and it has emerged that the Italian club have been monitoring Benteke’s situation at Villa Park.

Benteke’s agent, Eris Kismet, has confirmed that Fiorentina sent their top scouts to check on the Belgium international during the last couple of weeks of the Premier League season.

Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, Tottenham all want to prise Benteke away from Villa Park, less than 12 months after his £7 million transfer from Genk.

Benteke has three years remaining on his existing deal with the club and Lambert has made no secret of his desire to retain the services.

Benteke

Page 44

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

Sports

1

PIC TO RIA L

1) FIFA can exclusively reveal the official 23man squads for the eight participants of the FIFA Confederations Cup Brazil 2013 which takes place between 15 and 30 June in six iconic venues across the country.

2) Arjen Robben has said he has no plans to leave Bayern Munich but added that he would never forget being barracked after missing crucial penalties in 2011-12.

3) West Indies attempt to chase 171 to beat Pakistan in the Champions Trophy at The Oval.

4) British and Irish Lions prop Cian Healy has been forced to leave the tour of Australia with an ankle injury, just hours after being cleared of biting.

5) A third fight between IBF supermiddleweight champion Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler is a possibility, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.

Weekend fixtures

2

Fifa Internationals Spain v Haiti Sunday Brazil v France World Cup qualifiers - Africa Uganda v Liberia Zambia v Lesotho Ndola Botswana v Ethiopia Central African Republic v South Africa Gabon v Congo Angola v Senegal Sierra Leone v Tunisia Gambia v Ivory Coast Cape Verde v Equatorial Guinea Morocco v Tanzania Sunday Zimbabwe v Egypt Niger v Burkina Faso Benin v Algeria Togo v Cameroon Guinea v Mozambique Mali v Rwanda World Cup qualifiers - Concacaf Jamaica v USA Panama v Mexico Costa Rica v Honduras World Cup qualifiers - Europe Switzerland v Cyprus World Cup qualifiers - South America Argentina v Colombia Paraguay v Chile Peru v Ecuador

3

Sunday Nigeria Professional Football League Rangers v Heartland Nnamdi Azikiwe Nasarawa United v Sharks Enyimba v Sunshine Stars Nembe City v ABS F.C. Warri Wolves v 3SC Kaduna United v Akwa United Kwara United v Bayelsa United Gombe United v Wikki Tourists Dolphins v Kano Pillars Lobi Stars v El-Kanemi

4

5

Interview

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

PAGE 45

Why are Nigerian youths lured into football than sound education? asks Prof. Akande

H

ow do we make Nigeria work again?

This question gives me an opportunity to explain the three devastating problems of Nigeria and how solving these problems could lead to the greatness which Nigeria has the right to claim. Tribal bigotry- the tribal bigotry openly displayed by the formation and activities of the Action Group against the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroon, NCNC, early in Nigeria’s evolutionary history led to many other shameful bigotted behaviours of Nigerians in highly placed positions. Two examples will suffice; Prof Charles Soludo and Prof. Dora Akunyili competent individuals in their own rights but look at the tribal tilt they left in the Central Bank of Nigeria and NAFDAC when they were the Chief Executives respectively. Tribal bigotry amongst Yorubas, Igbos, Hausa/Fulanis, Ijaws among others must be arrested first by people who believe in the dream of a truly great Nigerian nation.

Let Nigerians placed in high places especially our Chief Executives in Government, politics and National Assembly, judiciary, industries, securities among others know that our only true God (Allah), is watching them. It is for this reason that I want to highlight activities of two Governors; Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and Muhammed Raji Fashola (SAN). For almost six years, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau has shown himself as a selfless, dedicated and highly de-tribalised Nigerian leader who introduced Igbo and Yorubas to his extended Executive Council of Kano State. Muhammed Raji Fashola has done the same by inviting an Igbo man into the Executive Council of Lagos State. Federal Government of Nigeria can help reduce tribal bigotry in Nigeria by encouraging those Governors who sincerely work to promote tribal integration. Secondly, federal government can promote tribal integration among students of tertiary institutions by making all graduates work compulsorily on large-scale farming of other states rather than their own states immediately after their NYSC and for as long as they have no other employment.

What can Nigerians do on religious hatred?

Hatred between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria is perhaps the worst human hatred to be observed anywhere in the world. Religious hatred and crisis in Nigeria now worry many international bodies as well as USA and Britain, going by recent pronouncements. The worst type of religious hatred is observed in our secondary and tertiary institutions where lecturers and Professors have been observed to deny admissions or even marks and good grades to students with an opposed religious belief. Employment opportunities have also been denied by believers different from those of the applicants. Anyone who sincerely believes in God should show love and affection to people of an opposing faith. A lecturer or Professor who

Prof. Hussein Akande Abdulkareem is a renowned scholar in the field of medical Biochemistry as well as Islamic spheres. Born in 1939 at Badagry, Lagos State, he has taught at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri and the Lagos State University College of Medicine. He also lectured at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan and retired from active services as the Head of Medical Biochemistry Department, College of Health Sciences, University of Abuja. In this Interview, Prof. Abdulkareem, who is the current continental President of Malaria Care Organization in Africa (MACOA) revealed to our correspondent in Ilorin, Olanrewaju Lawal, how Nigeria could resolve her many challenges among other national issues. denied admission or good grades to students because of a religious difference is trying to play God and therefore deserves life-imprisonment or even death. The same goes for an employer or a Chief Executive who denied employment to deserving applicants just because of religious differences. Government and political leaders should see religious hatred as a serious national problem and the National Assembly should be advised to establish laws to safeguard the rights of Nigerians especially students and applicants. Secondly, National security should be put in place to check contributions of International bodies and foreign nationals to religious hatred in Nigeria. Thirdly, Nigerian religious leaders must speak out on this religious hatred and how it can be eliminated in the country since we have no other country to be called Nigeria.

What is your view on money-oriented political system?

Nigeria was moving well before the first two problems of tribal bigotry and religious hatred were created one after the other. Nigeria is now retrogressing because of the third problem of money-oriented political system. It is this system that has destroyed whatever good is left of Nigeria as a nation. We can ask some leading questions that would give an insight into some of these difficult issues on Nigeria; why, for almost 20 years, Nigeria has not been able to supply constant electricity to her people? Why is there no clean water or water at all, supplied to Nigerians in both the big cities and the villages? Why is there so much political unrest in Nigeria since independence? Soon, after independence in 1960, Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria Prime Minister and Sardauna of Sokoto were killed, so also were Okoti-Eboh and Aguiyi-Ironsi. Also, Olusegun Obasanjo was the President and Head of Nigeria when Bola Ige, his Minister of Justice was killed. Iyiola Omisore, suspected to be involved in the death of Bola Ige was arrest-

Prof. Hussein Akande Abdulkareem ed and while in the prison, he was reported to have won the election to the Senate by more than 90 percent of the votes! Indeed, this is an example of misuse of political governmental power in Nigeria. Bola Tinubu was on his first term as the Governor of Lagos State when an aspirant for Lagos State governorship race, Funsho Williams was killed in his home. Moses Dosu was Chairman of Badary Local Government when Engr. Hameed Tunde Onipede, an aspirant AC leader for Badary was killed in his house.Why do Nigerian political and governmental leaders treat other Nigerians as fools? Twenty other leaders of Nigeria looted and kept their loot of more than 30 billion Sterling Pounds, more than seven trillion Naira, in U.K Banks. Similar huge amounts looted by these wicked leaders are also kept in Swiss, German and American Banks. If this allegation is proved true, these ‘national leaders’ should be publicly executed because they are worse than armed robbers.

They betrayed the nation; they stole poor people’s resources and left more than 150 million Nigerians in abject poverty. In addition, these leaders’ and their families should never be allowed any future partici-

Why do Nigerian political and governmental leaders treat other Nigerians as fools? Twenty other leaders of Nigeria looted and kept their loot of more than 30 billion Sterling Pounds, more than seven trillion Naira, in U.K Banks. Similar huge amounts looted by these wicked leaders are also kept in Swiss, German and American Banks.

pation in government and political programmes of Nigeria! Why do parents give money to their children to buy question papers so as to pass examinations? Why was it that Erastus Akingbola, Cecilia Ibru and others steal the money put in the custody of their various banks? Why are industries such as textiles, car-tyres removed from Nigeria to neigbouring African countries with political and governmental leaders seen to be unconcerned? Why are Nigerians youth lured into football, play acting, singing more than sound education at secondary and tertiary levels?

Answers to all these questions will give us an insight to why Nigeria has been in civil unrest for the past 50 years.

Why are educational standards falling?

Inspection of schools has become a hollow ritual. Inspectors sent out itinerary detailing when they will visit schools within their domains. So, instead of going round schools to observe and correct pedagogical deficiencies, they go only to feast and inspect window-dressing.

And the system continues to rot.

What kind of future is being built in such a system? Nowadays, seminars and workshops are hardly ever organized to keep teachers abreast with recent strategies and method.

Erring teachers are hardly ever disciplined to serve as deterrent to others. We stand and stare at the age-old standards of the teaching profession dwindling and vanishing.

And the future generation is being made to stand on academic clay feet.

No academically hollow person can give anything better to pupils.

What is your view on Almajiris in Northern part of Nigeria?

The worst sufferers of civil unrest in Nigeria are the Muslim youths. Thus more than 90 percent of them are found among the Almajris, the areas -boys, street-hawkers, area-girls, street-cleaners, houseboys, street-beggars, house-girls, official drivers, house-guards. This shows that Muslim- leaders in Nigeria have failed woefully in establishing a Zakat-System which Allah sent down for poverty-elimination.

Unless and until Muslim leaders in Nigeria can establish Zakat Council of Nigeria or any other body to organize Zakat collection and distribution properly, Muslim youths and their parents will continue to suffer from this wretched-poverty that is affecting Nigeria. Nigerian Muslim community is about 60 percent of the population of Federal Republic of Nigeria. The community is a type that has the highest number of rich and affluent people in the country.

Records show it has also the largest number of poor people with abject poverty who are also Muslims. The Ummah is a polarized one with Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs firmly rooted in the North and now Muslims in South Western Nigeria have formed MUSWEN. Muslims in the East and Niger Delta have no such bodies. The development of laws guiding collection and distribution of Zakat in Nigeria is at best a matter of convenience and choice.

What are your opinions on terrorism and world terrorists?

Islam is peace, Muslims are peaceful unless provoked. World terrorists are those who killed millions of human beings during the 1st and 2nd so-called World Wars.

World terrorists of British origin failed in the 19th century, Russian origin failed in 1980s and of American origin have just accepted failure in 2012 to take over Islamic Afghanistan. World terrorists took 180 million Africans in chains to their agricultural plantations as slaves and used them for forced labour. World terrorists killed one set of 100 million peoples (so called Red Indians) and another set of 20 million peoples (so called Aborigines) and took their lands by force. The permanent use of veto powers by only 5 nonAfrican, non-Arab; non- Islamic nations in the 120-members UN Assembly is an approach to modern terrorism. World terrorists poisoned MKO Abiola who demanded reparation for the 80 million Africans thrown into the Atlantic Ocean during the years of the slave trade.

World terrorist applied the first nuclear weapons on human beings and killed millions of peoples in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Education

PAGE 46

MINISTRY OF WATER RESOURCES AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT KEBBI STATE ADVERTISEMENT FOR REQUEST FOR QUOTATION (RFQ) REHABILITATION AND COMPLETION OF ELECTRIFICATION PROJECTS

S/NProjectContract Number 1.Electrification of Bagga Town, Electrification of Heske and Upgrading and Rehabilitation of Natsini to Kangiwa Inter Town Connection in Arewa Local Government.

KBSTB/MOWR/040/2013 2.

Scope of Works The scope of works for the projects shall include the following: I) Site clearance, survey and pegging.

II) Digging of holes for HT & LT poles, dressing and

stringing of alluminium conductor.

III) Connection to the national grid.

IV) Construction of substation fencing and plinth,

installation of transformers and other electrical

materials.

V) 500KVA/11KV, 300KVA/11KV transformers.

VI) 100mm (alluminium conductor steel re-enforced

(ACSR)).

VII) 70mm alluminium conductor.

Only registered companies currently resident in

the state and currently executing similar project

are invited to submit their quotations.

3.

Qualification for Firms Responding to the RFQ Electrical Engineering Firms, representatives of

Manufacturers of electrical materials etc in

presenting Quotation must show clear evidence

of: a) Payment of corporate taxes, PAYE, VAT etc. b) Tenders Board Registration Certificate. c) Letters of confirmation by applicant’s Bankers

on having financial capacity to execute the

contract. d) Certification of incorporation for companies/

consulting firms. e) Memorandum and Articles of Association. f) Registration with Professional/Regulatory

Bodies as would be applicable. g) List of company/consulting firm’s personnel

including qualification and year of experience in

the field. h) List of the company/consulting firm’s machineries, equipment and instruments. i) List of previous works/services executed and

evidence of performance.

4.

Deadline for Submission of quotation.

Electrical Engineering firms, representatives of

manufacturers of electrical materials etc are to

submit their quotation for the project at 2pm

one week after publication.

The Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development Board Kebbi State, Birnin Kebbi reserves the right to reject any quotation that does not meet it requirements.

Signed: Labaran Mohammed Kalgo Permanent Secretary For: Honourable Commissioner

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 - SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

When Fou’ad Islamic Academy appointed students to leadership positions

R-L Second right, Principal of Fou’ad Lababidi Islamic Academy, Mal. Ibrahim Pherogi, PTA Chair, Alh. Aliyu Sambo, President, Abuja GnC, Mrs Ojogbo, Vice Principal, Fou’ad Islamic Academy, Rakiya Bamalli at the Prefects leadership Training in Abuja recently.

By Mohammed Kandi

A

n age-long argument that leaders are made not born was during the week brought to fore when Fou’ad Lababidi Islamic Academy convened its newly appointed head students at the isolated Royal Falls Park in Abuja to brainstorm over their yet unsullied duties.

The Academy, which is prominent for its quest in producing outstanding students, thought it was the ideal time to “catch them young” by inculcating in them lessons on various leadership skills that are required for a brighter future.

Although the collage organised an array of activities as part of its plans for the student’s basic training in the course of their academic pursuit, the 2013/2014 Prefect’s Leadership Training Programme which availed the students a unique opportunity of discharging their responsibilities better than their predecessors, was the first time in the history of the academy.

Described as “greatest” achievement on the part of the students having been introduced early enough to supposedly “elderly role”, the guest speaker at the occasion, President, Abuja Guidance and Counseling,

Dr. Mrs Ojogbo in her presentation advised that, the appointed students discharge their functions in humility and selflessness, especially when dealing with the younger students.

Commending the institution for introducing the programme, Dr. Ojogbo however, urged the students not to go astray while enjoying the new position but work harder to graduate in flying colours saying “you must look beyond Fou’ad Academy” as according to her, there were better benefits for them in the near future.

She said: “Be of good conduct and do not disappoint your parents or school. Your appointment is a means to greater future so act like true leaders, serve diligently and make sacrifice to the cause of other students who are looking up to you as their role models,” Dr. Ojogbo advised.

Expressing his gratitude to participants, the Principal of the Academy, Mallam Ibrahim Pkerogi, urged the students to always display good morals and set pace for others. According to him, “You have been appointed not because you are better than others but as privileged among others.”

The Chairman of the Parent/Teacher’s Associa-

tion (PTA) and Chairman at the event, Alhaji Aliyu Sambo, who commended that Academy for founding such a “laudable” initiative, said it was a best forum where the youngsters could develop solid foundation for their future.

Second speaker and Vice Principal, Admin of the Academy, Mrs Rakiya Bamalli, in her analysis viewed leadership from the Islamic perspectives, describing it as “a responsibility to be accountable to Allah”, and said, leaders must be seen to be just even against their own wishes.

She advised that leaders must shun all sorts of tribalism, sectionalism, favoritism while discharging their designated roles.

In his accounts, one of the head students, Muhammad Sani Yahaya, expressed optimism that the orientation programme would go a long way to shape their conduct as would no doubt mold “our attitudes for better. He promised to ensure that all other prefects exhibit good behaviour under his reign.

Similarly, the Academy’s head girl, Maryam Hussaini Umar, summarized all that she had leant and said “a leader must be patient, humble, selfless and someone who fears Allah.”

Page 47

Peoples Daily WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

From the Pulpit

The blessedness of purity of heart Matthew 5:8; Psalm 24:3,4; Revelation 22:3-5 The heart is the centre of life; out of it are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). The surrounding may be clean but as a man thinks in his heart so is he (Proverbs 23:7). We need to have a clean, pure and perfect heart towards God (Matthew 12:34). The condition of the heart determines what we say with our tongues, what we do with our hands, where we go with our feet.

It is the heart that moves or directs other parts of the body, including the brain. It is the heart, not other parts of the body that harbours guilt resulting from deeds done by other parts of the body like hands, feet, tongue, etc. Also, what we treasure within tells who we are (Luke 6:45;

1 Samuel 16:7). The Lord searches the heart. Heart righteousness and not head religion, is what will take us to heaven. Knowledge of divine revelation, Christian doctrines, good activities and Christian services are not enough to take us to heaven unless there is heart righteousness (Psalm 15:1,2).

1. THE POSSIBILITY OF BEING PURE IN HEART Matthew 5:8; 2 Kings 20:3-6; Acts 15:8,9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 Thessalonians 2:4-10; Genesis 5:2224; Daniel 6:3,22; Psalm 24:3,4; Revelation 7:9-17.

Purity of heart is possible. There are people who had lived before us who were pure in heart though they had temptations like we are having. If it was possible for them to be pure, it is possible for us today. If God did it for them, He will

do it for us too. One of them, Hezekiah, at the point of death, prayed without fear of condemnation, “I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight” and God answered because he truly had a perfect heart. From the prayer of Hezekiah, it is clear that the married and the unmarried, the leaders and the led can be pure in heart. Management position or administration should not be an excuse for nursing an impure heart. If it was possible for early apostles like John and Peter who were once boisterous, violent, boastful and self-confident to have their nature so changed so much that they turned out to be the ones advocating love,

GREEN PASTURES

By pastor t.o. banso cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 gentleness, humility and meekness, then it is possible for anyone. Early believers including Cornelius, a military officer, also had their hearts purified by faith. “And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” Therefore, whatever province, state or country you live in, it is possible to be pure in heart. Before Paul the apostle was born again, he had murderous, violent character. But after salvation occasioned by the Lord, and purity of heart, he became so gentle and loving like a nurse.

What a change the grace of God can make in a man’s life! Pure heart implies a pure mind, conscience, a purified affection, pure submissive will to the truth of the Word of God and to the righteousness of God in the inner man, in the inward part.

2.

THE PROVISION OF PURITY OF HEART Matthew 5:8; Deuteronomy 30:6; Ezekiel 36:25-28; Psalm 51:6-10; Romans 2:29; Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 5:25-27; John 17:6-23; Hebrews 8:6,10; 9:13,14; 10:16-23;13:12-14,20,21.

Manifestations of God’s Mercy Matthew 5:7 Christ is building an edifice of truth. He presents the eternal message of heaven with an orderliness and progression that cannot be re-adjusted. Acceptable acts of mercy follow the spiritual experiences Christ taught in the first four beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-6).

Grace and mercy are not fruits that grow out of the heart of the natural, fallen man. Love is not a natural fruit. A fallen natural man begins to receive the grace and mercy of God when he turns away from his sins. It is repentance that brings the mercy of God to the heart of man. Christ’s message reveals that mercy shown before poverty of spirit, mourning and repentance, meekness and lowliness of character, thirst and hunger for righteousness cannot get anyone to heaven. Mercy shown before entrance into the kingdom has no recognition by God. You can only show acceptable acts of mercy after you have been filled with God’s righteousness through repentance and faith in the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Mercy that manifests from a righteous character is different from a natural man’s. Mercy shown to maintain good relationship with others or in the process of child training, and in almsgiving though necessary, cannot take anybody to heaven except rooted in God’s grace.

This beatitude, mercy, follows the blessedness of: (i) kingdom benefits for the poor in spirit (ii) divine comfort for the mourners (iii) the inheritance of the meek (iv) imputed and imparted righteousness for the hungry and thirsty. This is mercy manifested as a fruit of the Spirit from a heart made righteous by the divine hand of God.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy” (Matthew 5:7).

We must possess the mercy and truth of God. Then, we must demonstrate it, live by it, act it out and walk in the mercy and love of God. When we, as believers, stretch out the hand of grace, love and mercy to other people, we will find mercy and favour in the sight of God and of men (2 Samuel 22:26,27; Proverbs 3:3,4).

1.

The pattern of God’s manifestation of mercy Matthew 5:7; Isaiah 55:6,7; Proverbs 28:13; Ephesians 2:14,10; 1 Peter 1:3; Luke 1:72,77,78; Deuteronomy 13:17,18; Jude 20,21; 2 Timothy 1:16-18; Hebrews 4:14-16.

The life of Christ is the interpretation of His message. He demonstrated all the messages He preached. And as believers, we need to read and watch Christ to see and follow a pattern of how He showed mercy to people. This will help us to refrain from sentiments in most of our dealings with people. Christ related with people differently including His disciples.

God shows mercy to those who repent of their sins. Following God’s pattern, the believer does not give to sinners (smokers, drunkards, drug addicts, etc.) the money they need for them to continue in their evil. “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:7). The reason He shows us mercy at salvation is because we could not pay the price.

When we come to God, pleading with a repentant heart for forgiveness and mercy, He forgives. The forgiven sinner is created unto good works.

By pastor W.F Kumuyi As such, God does not expect him to return to the old lifestyle of sin.

The mercy of God is available to those who repent of their sins. God’s mercy does not just come to us. We must seek and look for it because His mercy is not cheap or meant to be wasted.

God’s manifestation of mercy begins with forgiveness and salvation.

And it continues and increases as we faithfully serve Him in obedience to His Word. He always grants us mercy according to His truth. God never contradicts His truth so as to show us mercy. Christians must hold to this truth and pattern revealed in His Word in showing mercy to others.

This will guide us into wholesome manifestation of mercy as well as prevent us from falling prey to the enemy who might take advantage of our ignorance. Many references of the Scripture connect and associate mercy with truth to reveal God’s pattern to us. They include: (i) Psalm 25:10 – the mercy of God is for those that keep the truth: you cannot abandon the truth while seeking the mercy of God if you are following His pattern; (ii) Psalm 57:3 – we cannot deviate from the truth in order to show or emphasise the importance

of mercy because there exists an inseparable connection between mercy and truth; (iii) Psalm 61:7 – it is mercy and truth that preserve the church: mercy alone cannot do it; (iv) Psalm 85:10 – we show mercy on the basis of truth; (v) Psalm 89:14 – we must be guided by mercy and truth – special blessings are for those who obey the truth. And we cannot show mercy in isolation of the truth of the Word of God; (vi) Proverbs 16:6 – we don’t abandon the truth and allow the spread of evil in the church while trying to show mercy; (vii) Proverbs 20:28 – mercy and truth uphold the leadership of the church. Thus, we cannot dissociate mercy from truth. Mercy always goes with sound doctrine, pure worship, righteousness and holiness.

2. Personal gratitude and the ministry of mercy Matthew 5:7; 1 John 4:10,11,1921; Ephesians 4:32; 5:1,2; Romans 12:1,8-21; Colossians 3:12,13; Luke 6:36; 2 Chronicles 19:1,2.

Mercy is favour undeserved that we receive from God after repentance.

And because we have received mercy from God, we are so grateful to Him.

It is this personal gratitude that leads us into the ministry of mercy.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another” (1 John 4:11). We ought to show mercy to others as a proof of our gratitude to God, who first had mercy upon us and forgave our sins. God generally shows mercy to all. He allows the sun to shine and the rain to fall for the good of the just and the unjust.

He also allows all to enjoy some material blessings. But this divine benevolence, without repentance on the part of sinners, will not be of any eternal good to them. We must continue to show mercy and to do it the way Christ did it. “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

Believers have received manysided and manifold mercies of God. They are duty-bound to show mercy to others with cheerfulness because it proceeds from a grateful heart. Pride and self are not part of the manifestation of God-kind of mercy. Humility and diligence are components of mercy. We show mercy to enemies by giving them material things to enjoy but we do not accommodate them in our houses. If we do, they will pose a great danger to, and are capable of destroying our families and ministries. Jesus is the greatest model of His own message.

He did not reveal to Judas Iscariot deep secrets of the kingdom as He did to Peter, James and John, though all of them enjoyed material things commonly in His presence. Believers should follow this pattern of Christ in Scripture. We must be wise to balance mercy with truth; we must show mercy on the basis of truth.

BIG PUNCH The Bauchi governor said: “Let me assure you that if there is no such code of conduct and ethics in office of a governor, very soon, nobody will want to be a governor. Go and think and sleep over this and you will confirm that I am right.

– Yuguda to Aliyu

SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, JUNE, 2013

In Nigeria, ‘Killing People Without Asking Who They Are’

By ADAM NOSSITER Published: June 5, 2013, The New York Times Laminou Lawan, a student, said Nigerian soldiers had been attacking young men just because they wore traditional robes. “As soon as they see you with clothing like this, they shoot,” said Abukar Ari, a Koranic teacher in a long robe who said he had fled across the border from Nigeria two weeks before. “They don’t ask any questions. I’ve seen them shoot people. Yes, I’ve seen them shoot.”

Other refugees in the registration lines of thousands who had fled Nigeria’s combat zone echoed these assertions, saying civilians were being killed there by soldiers unconcerned with the distinction between militants and innocents. Friends and neighbors were being shot, they said; young men were being rounded up at night; and citizens with the vertical ethnic scarring of the Kanuri, a group dominant in the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, were being taken away.

“They are killing people without asking who they are,” said Laminou Lawan, a student who said he had fled here 10 days before. “When they see young men in traditional robes, they shoot them on the spot.

They catch many of the others and take them away, and we don’t hear from them again.”

Nearly three weeks ago, Nigeria launched what it depicted as an all-out land and air campaign to crush the Boko Haram insurgency, using thousands of troops, vehicles and even fighter jets and helicopter gunships just over the border from here, where Nigerian officials say the insurgents have their stronghold.

The Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, suggesting that he was fed up with the fouryear uprising by Boko Haram, announced “extraordinary measures” in his country’s north and placed a large part of it under a state of emergency, ordering troops to “take all necessary action” to end an insurgency that he said was now threatening the country’s foundations.

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which considers the country an important ally in the fight against Islamist militancy, have watched warily, with Secretary of State John Kerry pointedly warning the Nigerian military about what he called “credible allegations” that Nigerian forces had committed “gross human rights violations” in the period before the offensive began.

Last month, more than 200 people were killed in what local officials, residents and human rights groups say was a sweeping massacre by Nigerian forces in the nearby village of Baga, in northern Nigeria.

Analysts have long questioned whether Nigeria’s heavyhanded counterinsurgency strategy, which has resulted in numerous civilian deaths since 2009, may be having the opposite effect of the one intended, increasing anger at the Nigerian state and driving new recruits to the militants.

But Mr. Kerry has not specifically raised the question of human rights abuses during the latest offensive, and for a good reason: it is difficult to get a clear idea of what is happening. Since its start, much of northern Nigeria has been under a communications blackout, as cellphone service has been cut, physical access has been limited and information restricted to a series of military communiqués.

They have announced the “capture and destruction” of Boko Haram camps, the deaths of “highprofile” Boko Haram members and other “terrorists,” the “disarray” of militants, the discovery and destruction of weapons caches, and the “securing” of various towns and settlements in the north from Boko Haram.

Nigerian military spokesmen have been at pains to deny any misconduct against civilians during the campaign, trying to reassure the country’s allies by announcing that they were pleased soldiers were sticking to what they called “the rules of engagement.” A spokesman did not respond Friday to a request for comment on the refugees’ accounts.

But some of the refugees who have massed here in this remote border village at the far eastern edge of Niger — there are at least 5,000 of them, and

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WEEKEND With

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Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Azubuika Ihejirika possibly as many as 10,000 in the area, officials say — described the fighting in terms that varied widely from the military communiqués.

Their testimony is among the first independent accounts of the Nigerian military’s offensive, and they spoke of indiscriminate bombing and shooting, unexplained civilian deaths, nighttime roundups of young men by security forces.

All spoke of a climate of terror that had pushed them, in the thousands, to flee for miles

through the harsh and baking semidesert, sometimes on foot, to Niger. A few blamed Boko Haram — a shadowy, rarely glimpsed presence for most residents — for the violence.

But the overwhelming majority blamed the military, saying they had fled their country because of it.

They had come from multiple villages in Nigeria to one of the poorest nations on earth, overwhelming local officials. But at least here, they said, the soldiers of the

Republic of Niger are drowsing under a giant tree at the border, not pointing their guns at the civilians who continue to cross it. “The military just opens fire and kills people, and throws bombs and kills people, for no reason,” said Abubakar Ali, a shoe salesman waiting in one of the registration lines. “That is why you see these people here,” he said, pointing out at the crowd. “That is what is happening now in Nigeria.”

Others in the crowd said that friends and neighbors had been shot during the offensive.

They could not always identify the source of the shooting, but they could easily identify the victims. “I’ve seen the wounded; these are people I know,” said Muhammad Yacoubu, a farmer. “The military are looking for Boko Haram, but if they don’t find them, they take revenge,” said Moustapha Ali, a shopkeeper. Ousmane Boukari, a herdsman, said, “They bombed on Saturday, and they missed their targets; they’re just firing at random, they don’t even know where the Boko Haram are.” Modu Goni, another refugee, said: “At night you hear the shooting, and in the morning you find the bodies, people from the village.

When you see your friends dead, it’s scary.”

Others spoke of seizures of young men by security forces, a pattern already established in the insurgents’ stronghold city of Maiduguri, according to residents there. “The soldiers took the young men away, at least 10 of them, at night; it’s at night that they make their raids,” said Sherrif Alhadji Abdu, another refugee. “They band their eyes, and take them away. They took away my friends.”

At the edge of this village, some of the refugees have erected crude reed shelters in the sand, or simply posted sticks in the ground and placed rags over them. Abou Boukar, a farmer, had just finished building a reed hut. Anything was better than staying in Nigeria, he said. Boko Haram had built a camp near his village. The next day, he saw a Nigerian air force plane flying overhead.

“This doesn’t look good,” he recalled saying to himself. And then he fled to Niger.

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