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VOL. 2 NO. 19 SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
. . . putting the people first
AL-MUHARRAM 24 - 25, 1434 AH
N150
JFT kills boko haram commanders in Borno
>>Pg. 2
Insecurity
Northern leaders speak at last • FG, Govs, religious leaders should dialogue with insurgents • North has to modernise agriculture, harness energy – Pg. 9,10,11 &12
Peoples Page
The Entrepreneur
Suswam cooks at ‘Benue Woman’ celebration
I used my shop as bedroom – Damain
>>40
>>34 WWW.PEOPLESDAILY-ONLINE.COM
Interview You cannot see any policeman on the street at night in Kano – Tsav >>13
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
News Primus Hospitals: Lawmaker, patients implore end to mischief By A’isha Biola Raji
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atients including member of National Assembly, have called for an end to the perceived mischief by undisclosed aggrieved persons to damage the reputation Primus Specialty International Hospital in Karu, Abuja. This call was made in Abuja on Thursday by Hon. Albert Tanimu, representing Takum, Donga and Wukari constituency of Taraba state and chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business in the House of Representatives. Alongside other patients who have undergone treatment or surgery in the facility, Tanimu called for an immediate stop to the rumour that the hospital is being managed by quack doctors. According to Hon. Tanimu, the hospital has gone a long way to reduce the spending of exorbitant amounts of money for medical treatment abroad. He said: “I underwent total hip replacement operation in Primus Hospital in December 2011. To point out my quick recovery, I was at the sitting of subsidy removal resolution by January 2012”. The lawmaker expressed surprise that some people could come up with a story tagging the hospital as ‘incompetent’. “The facilities here are what can be found in any standard hospital in the world”, he pointed out. According to Chief Mrs. Fatima Muhammadu Sanni, President, Market Women Traders Association, Abuja chapter, the intensive care at Primus cannot be compared to what she had experienced in USA where her son is practicing medicine. Showing newsmen her scar, she said she had an operation on her knee at the hospital and she can now move without the aid of crutches. “The operation took long but with comfort and care I received in the intensive care unit of the hospital, I did not feel the pain. Now I can jump with my grandchildren”, she said. She however called on Nigerian nurses to emulate the practice of showing love to patients. “Love from care givers go a long way in saving lives of patients”, she called. She also recalled how the hospital has been rendering free services to market women. “I brought 6000 women and they have been treating them free of charge.” It will be recalled that the hospital was rumoured to be using quack doctors to exploit Nigerians and the case is ongoing in the court.
Strike: UniAbuja senior staff issue ultimatum By Stanley Onyekwere
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n solidarity with the national body of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the University of Abuja chapter of the union is set to begin a one-week warning strike on Monday the 10th- 17th December, 2012, to demand for the full implementation of the Federal Government (FGN/SSANU 2009 agreement. In particular, SSANU among other things are protesting the alleged non inclusion of the earned allowances in the 2009 budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly. In a communiqué signed by the chapter’s chairman, Comrade Jude Nwabueze, on Friday, SSANU rejected in totality, the white paper on National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDs) assessment of universities in Nigeria submitted to the Federal Government. According to the communiqué, the chapter after an extraordinary congress at the main campus of the university, on Thursday, resolved to embark on the action to press home the issues in question. Also in the communiqué, it urged the government to reconstitute the committee to reflect all the stakeholders in the university, while condemning strongly the recent unrest by students of the university, which led to its closure, and called on the management to as a matter of urgency, compensate all those who sustained various degrees of injury and those who lost properties during the crisis.
L-R: Gov. Jonah Jang of Plateau (l), in a handshake with the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Dipo Ayeni, during a farewell visit to the governor in Jos on friday
JTF kills four Boko Haram commanders in Borno From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri
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h e Joint Task Force in Borno state (JTF), said yesterday, that its operatives conducted special raid operations in various parts of Maiduguri, the capital city, killing four suspected top commanders of the Boko Haram sect. Spokesman of the JTF, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, in a statement issued to newsmen last night, said the operations were a follow-up to the earlier one done last week, leading to the killing of three other high profile commanders of the insurgents, including one Abdulkarim Ibrahim, who has been on the wanted list of the task force.
According to the statement, the four insurgents were killed in a gun duel with security forces during the operations, which were carried out at Sabon Gere, Sabon Layin Gwange, Dala Sajeri, Biafra and Silimanti areas. The operations, the JTF, added, were conducted following a tip-off and two persons who specialised in assembling improvised explosive devices; (IEDs) were killed in a shootout with security agents, while two soldiers were wounded. The motive of the raid, JTF said, was to scuttle the plan by the insurgents to carry out deadly attacks named “Black Christmas” – aimed at disrupting the conduct of the forthcoming Christmas festivities in the state.
Items recovered in the operations comprised five AK 47 rifles, a pistol, 11 empty magazines of AK 47 rifles, a G3 rifle, 176 assorted ammunition and 24 quantities of assorted primed IED gas cylinders. Others were 12 pieces of IED remote control switches, six assorted IEDs and incendiary materials/chemicals and 15 small primed IED cans. “The JTF wishes to once again thank members of the public for their cooperation and understanding by giving information that has assisted in the successes so far recorded. Members of the public are reminded to continue to give timely and credible information through its hotlines", the statement further appealed.
S/Court acquits Akunyili's alleged shooter By Sunday Ejike Benjamin
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h e Supreme Court on Friday, upheld the appeal brought before it by the suspected assailant of the former Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili, Jude Ugwu. The seven-man panel of justices of the court presided over by Justice Datijo Mohammed, affirmed the lower court’s decision which held that there was no substantial evidence linking the accused person with the alleged attempted crime. Jude Ugwu also known as "Agada" and four others were charged before an Abuja High Court for attempted murder of
Prof. Akunyili when she was travelling through Anambra to Delta state in 2003, at the time she was the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC). According to the charge, a bullet tore through her headgear when the accused persons fired at her car, an allegation the accused persons subsequently challenged the competence of evidence against him. It would be recalled that Akunyili moved an Abuja High Court with tears when she testified before the court. She told the court that: “Upon taking over office in 2001, I intensified investigations into the
activities of Chief Marcel Nnakwe, owner of Marcel Pharmaceuticals, who in December 1996 imported Indomethacin capsules of 10mg (anti-inflammatory drug) and labeled it Librium (tranquiliser). “Chief Nnakwe was accordingly arrested by the Eastern zone of the Miscellaneous Offences Tribunal in June 1996. "In July, Nnakwe also imported fake 10 mg and 25mg Indomethacin capsules twice in two years. The fake drugs imported by Chief Nnakwe were seized by NAFDAC”. She told Justice Ishaq Bello then that: "Since then, I started receiving murder threats from Nnamdi Nnakwe and his father,
their agents have since then been trailing me”. “Long before Christmas 2003”, she continued, “Nnadi Nnakwe had boasted around that he would disgrace me by killing me in my home town, Agulu during Christmas festival. "His hatred for us arose from the fact that he is a leading dealer in fake drugs. At a time in the past we had to destroy a large quantity of fake in drugs which were found in his warehouse. “As a result of his threats, my family and I decided not to travel home for Christmas. Accordingly, I stayed in Enugu with my children and celebrated the Christmas there", she told the court in her testimony.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8— SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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News Nigeria Customs holds conference on Single Window By Jamila Musa
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o lay bare the perspectives on administration of Single Widow (SW), the Nigeria Customs Service has scheduled a conference on Single Widow with the theme: “Achieving the Nigeria SW Vision – Feasibility Study Findings”. The conference which comes up in Lagos Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, Apapa, is slated for 11th and 12th December 2012. Topical issues to be examined by participants at the conference
include: to present the NSW roadmap, implementation plan, and key recommendations for realising the NSW and to present organisational, financial and cost/benefit analysis for the proposed solution. Participants for the conference are policy makers, government officials, business managers, analysts, service providers, representatives of international cooperation agencies working in the field of trade facilitation, academia, and experts in trade and eBusiness.
Pray for Kogi, Wada charges pilgrims From Sam Egwu, Lokoja
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ogi state governor, Capt. Idris Wada, has called on the Christian pilgrims from the state to pray for the state, be good ambassadors and avoid any tendencies that could tarnish the image of the state and the country. Addressing 183 intending Christian pilgrims to the 2012 pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Governor Wada in a farewell message congratulated them for their success at the screening exercise. According to the governor, “you will have the opportunities to visit places you read about in the Bible and I hope that through such direct contact, you
will have real faith in God”. He warned that pilgrimage is not for pleasure seeking and implored them to avoid cases that will bring shame to the state and the country. “Nobody must abscond. None of you should deviate from the intention of the pilgrimage…” he advised. Captain Wada stressed that Kogi is peaceful because of the religious harmony that exist in the state, adding that anywhere there is no religious harmony there will be no peace. Also speaking the chairman and leader of the pilgrims, Bishop Emmanuel Egbunu, assured the governor that all the pilgrims will return as credible ambassadors of the state.
Kano govt to spend N3.7bn on projects From Edwin Olofu, Kano
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ano state government has awarded a contract worth over N1 billion for the dualisation of AirportAshton road-Hajj Camp in the metropolis. The state Commissioner for Information, Youths, Sports, Internal Affairs and Culture, Dr. Umar Faruk Jibril announced this while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the state weekly executive council meeting presided over by Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso at the Government House, Kano. Similarly, the commissioner mentioned that the council approved N855, 383, 384 for construction of the Senate building at Northwest University, Kano; Ribadu Road and Isa Kaita Road at the cost of about N358. 4 million while work
will resume at the abandoned Mandawari-Kwanar Goda road at the cost of N185, 479, 129. Other projects approved by the council according to Jibril, are streetlights along Gwagwarwa Brigade and Tudun Murtala, Marhaba-Ado Gwaram Street and Gwale Police Station-Veterinary Clinic-Kwanar Diso-ChiranchiTudun Wazirchi junction – including Gidan Wambai Loop at the total sum of N126, 484,387. The commissioner asserted that the council also consented to release N488, 487, 500 for the training exercise to be conducted for 10,000 butchers as part of the state government’s effort to strengthen the capacity of local entrepreneurs for enhanced economic activities in the state. He added that the council gave approval for the release
of N99.3 million for the execution of sundry projects at the headquarters of the state Board of Internal Revenue office complex while N147, 580, 000 was set aside as counterpart funding to the Joint Tax Board on Taxpayer Identification Number project. Dr. Faruk stated that the council ratified the execution of other projects including renovation of Bagauda Fisheries Institute at the cost of N44.2 million, renovation of a section of Bagauda Livestock Institute, N27.6 million while the fencing of Makoda Institute will gulp N47.8 million. He further revealed that the council agreed to release N149. 86 million for the purchase and installation of two highlight pumps at Challawa Second Water Treatment Plant, N87.2 million for the provision of interlocks at the City center.
Pastor, one other arrested with 181 bags of Indian hemp in Osun
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he National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Osun state has arrested a pastor and a 27year-old man with 181 bags of cannabis sativa popularly known as Indian hemp. The sector commander of the Agency, Anthonia Edeh, made this known on Friday while addressing newsmen in Osogbo. According to Edeh, the 45year-old pastor, and one other person were arrested at Ikire in Irewole local government area of the state on Dec. 5, with the illicit weed weighing 1,838.4 kilogrammes. “Men of the command swooped into action based on the information received from patriotic Nigerians and arrested the two suspects in a three-room apartment, where the bags of Indian hemp were stocked”, she said. She added that two of the bags were full with cannabis seeds, which the suspects wanted to keep for the next planting season. The commander also revealed that three others suspects, including a woman escaped arrest. She said: “Efforts are on to nab the fleeing culprits, though the pastor is claiming innocence of the crime saying that he was only a co-tenant of the other
suspect. “The agency has no constitutional power to exonerate him, only the court has the power and the two men will be arraigned soon”, she said. Edeh further said that men of the command recovered 68.8 kilogramme of Indian hemp, stocked inside a Volkswagen Vento car marked AW 652 AKR, on Dec. 2, along Ilobu Road in Osogbo. She said that the owner of the car, who was on the road side waiting for suspected buyer took to his heels when sighted men of the command. The commander admonished the general public to be conscious of their environment and report the activities of drug peddlers or traffickers to the security operatives. She reiterated the commitment of the agency to put an end to the cultivation, trafficking and peddling of Indian hemp across the state, and urged the people to cooperate with the agency in the drug war crusade. She also cautioned commercial drivers to beware of the loads they carry “now that we are at the peak of harvesting period”. (NAN)
L-R: Gov. Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe state; Gov. Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state; Minister of National Planning, Dr Shamsuddeen Usman, who represented President Goodluck Jonathan, and Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno, during a North-Eastern alliance for transformation summit at Yankari, Bauchi state on Thursday
EU to assist Nigeria combat terrorism By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
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he European Union, EU through its European External Action Service has indicated its readiness to assist Nigeria in the area of countering terrorism and other challenges the nation may be grappling with at present. The Union made this known on Thursday when Mr. Tim Jones led a team from the European Union on a visit to the Ministry of Interior to discuss areas of immediate intervention. Speaking during the visit, Jones said the EU is here to discuss ways it can help Nigeria move forward in terms of
security as there can be no development without it. The organisation is in Abuja with a multi disciplinary team to look at different areas of tackling the issue. In his words, “We want to find some projects in which we can work together on in the short period to help Nigeria even though it already has a lot developmental projects it is involved in at the moment but the response time to the issue of security is very important”. He also advised that the freedom of movement guaranteed by the ECOWAS charter be reinforced by a security dimension in order that the freedom is not abused.
Responding to the guests on behalf of the Minister of Interior, the Permanent Secretary Mrs. Anastasia Daniel-Nwaobia, said terrorism can only be addressed through concerted and collaborated effectiveness of countries and various multi lateral organisations. “The ministry is particularly delighted on the recognition being accorded it by the various European delegations. All efforts geared towards counter radicalisation and recruitment to terrorism will be fully supported by the ministry. The prisons for example should not be allowed to be a recruitment ground for extremists and terrorists”, she said.
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8— SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Photo News
A cross section of physically challenged people at the 2012 international day of persons living with disability in Port Harcourt on Friday.
L-R: Governor Theodore Orji of Abia State and Commissioner of Information of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Aniekan Umana, during Governor's Mandate Magazine Conference and Award, recently in Abuja.
L-R: Olojoda of Oda, His Royal Highness Oba Bamidele Akosile, Deji of Akure Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Oba Adebiyi Adesida, and Director General, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr. Mike Omeri, in a parley at the Palace of Deji of Akure Kingdom, during the Interfaith Peace and Unity meeting with stakeholders, recently in Akure Ondo State.
L - R Salihu Dantata Mahmud Director of publicity Arewa Youths for Peace and Security, Lt Yunusa Idris Kilishi and Dr. Mrs. Fati Yunusa Kilishi during their wedding reception in Kaiama Kwara State recently.
L-R: Lagos state Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye; his Information and Strategy counterpart, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, and commissioner for Tranportation, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, during a news conference on the update of the traffic law in Lagos state on Friday. Photos: Justin Imo-Owo
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
News New Jaji commandant charges navy on maritime security From Mohammed Adamu, Kaduna
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he new Commandant, Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC) Jaji, AVM Eko Efiom Osim, has charged the Nigerian Navy on the need to continuously cooperate between all stakeholders to combat contemporary maritime security challenges. Osim said this in his address at the Junior Course 74/2012 Department of Maritime Warfare seminar at the Department of Maritime Warfare at the AFCSC headquarters, Jaji, Kaduna. He said the seminar will provide the forum for the stakeholders and the students to reappraise the activities of all the sea users and generate discussion on issues relating to improved security in the maritime domain. AVM Osim further stated that the seminar is aimed at acquainting the students with the Nigerian Navy fleet operations with emphasis on the policing role, and to state the necessity for collaboration between the Nigerian Army and other maritime stakeholders towards meeting the challenges in Nigeria's maritime domain. 45 naval officers with the rank of Lieutenants and two personnel from the Department of State Security (DSS) and Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) participated in the seminar.
An accident scene involving a truck, along Mokwa-Bidda road Niger state, recently. Photo: Hassan Hammanyaji
North-east govs, stakeholders petition FG to dialogue with Boko Haram From Ahmed kaigama, Bauchi
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overnors of the North-east geopolitical zone and stakeholders have appealed to Federal Government to intensify efforts aimed at dialoguing with the insurgent group, Boko Haram, with a view to having lasting peace, which will in turn bring about rapid socioeconomic growth and development in the region. This was contained in a communiqué read by the chairman of the summit, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma (rtd), represented by Maj. Gen. Tanko Abdullahi (rtd), at the end of two-day North-eastern Alliance for Transformation (NEAT) summit held at Yankari Resort and Safari in Bauchi state. Dignitaries presents at the summit included Governors Isa
Yuguda (Bauchi); Kashim Shettima (Borno); Ibrahim Damkwambo (Gombe), the acting governor of Taraba state, Alhaji Garba Umar, deputy governor of Yobe state, Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, while the Adamawa state governor was represented by Alhaji AbdurRahman Abba. "The meeting noted with appreciation, the role being played by the Federal Government on the security challenges facing the subregion and urged that efforts should be intensified to dialogue with the Boko Haram insurgents so that a lasting solution is found for socioeconomic growth and development in the entire sub-region", the communiqué stated. The summit called on the governors of the zone to pool their resources to meet the challenges of
insecurity, health, agriculture, tourism and culture, while they were called upon to initiate investments in the areas of agriculture, education, solid minerals, power and energy. According to the communiqué: "Governors of the zone should set out targets on short medium and long term bases to achieve the economic development goals of the zone. "The governments of the zone should also employ the services of professionals to prepare strategic plan for the economic development of the sub-region. "Apart from the government of the zone, other stakeholders should be encouraged to take part in tackling the socio-economic problems of the zone. "The governors should also approach willing development
partners to assist with programmes to help in reducing the rate of insecurity and economic problems of the zone. Also in tackling the economic development challenges, governors in the zone should initiate investments in the areas of agriculture, education, solid minerals, power and energy". The summit resolved that all stakeholders, including elected and appointed officials, traditional rulers, youth and labour organisations, farmers, industrialists, government and nongovernmental organisations, should come together and adopt a holistic approach to address the socioeconomic challenges facing the subregion with a view to finding lasting solutions to them. The next edition of the NEAT will be held in Gombe state in June, 2013.
portal, Lagos state AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said the government has decided to reverse its decision to charge one of the pharmacists, Mr. Orji Osita, who had been set free by a DPP advice dated Nov. 1, to ensure justice and fairness is done in the case. Recall, recent reports in the media said sequel to an advice by the office of the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), forwarded to the new court handling the trial, the presiding
judge, Justice Adeniyi Onigbanjo, ordered the release of four of the accused from prison custody. Kebbi NLC advocates due process in minimum wage screening From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi Following the controversy that is affecting the full implementation of N18, 000 minimum wage in Kebbi state, the state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abubakar Sadiq Kao'oje, has called on local government staff who were unable to appear before the screening committee to go back
to their respective local governments so that due process will be followed. He made this appeal yesterday while addressing newsmen in his office, adding that without following due process the committee would not know the number of staff that have been screened for the exercise. He assured local government staff that labour was doing everything possible to ensure that report on the staff audit in the state is submitted to the government while urging them to remain calm as efforts are being made to ensure justice.
Cleric predicts crises in Presidency, PDP Facebook murder: Lagos govt makes u-turn on release of four accused By Miriam Humbe
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cleric and self styled prophet, Oliver Mbonu, has called on Nigerians, the leadership of the country and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to be prayerful to avert disasters as 2015 elections draw close. Mbonu who is the General Overseer of Christ Universal Family Chapel (CFC) Bible Ministry (aka Universal Chapel) while addressing journalists at his church based in Suleja, Niger state, noted that a new force will emerge in national politics which will cause a serious problem in PDP and will threaten the position of its national chairman, Bamanga Tukur, and President Goodluck Jonathan. Mbonu said he has a revelation of this issue leading to security challenges that will cause the citizen to be afraid as well as cause panic leading to tight security around the Presidency and the National Assembly. He also prophesied that a retired army general will kick against this emerging force in the party.
By Stanley Onyekwere, with agency report
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h e Lagos state government has made a u-turn in the prosecution of two pharmacists Orji Osita and Maduakor Chukwunonso and two co-defendants Gideon Okechukwu and Ezeaka Chinonso accused of complicity and conspiracy respectively, in the July killing of Cynthia Osokogu by her Facebook acquaintances in Lagos, xclusivenigeria.com reveals. According to the online news
Nigerien minister tasks labour on South-South cooperation From Lawal Sa'idu Funtua, in Niamey
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he Minister for Labour in Niger Republic, Madame Sabo Fatima Zara, has tasked labour unions in the developing countries to in the spirit of South-South Cooperation join hands in achieving development in their countries. Zara stated this, yesterday
while receiving members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE) Katsina state chapter who called on her in her office in Niamey, Niger Republic. The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Malam Mamman Magaji Hamidu who received the delegation on behalf of the minister, stressed the importance of unity among
countries in the West African sub-region. The minister noted that the era of confrontation between labour and the government was over as according to her "we are all working for the development of our nation and its people". Zara said the visit by labour unions to their counterparts in other countries would enable
them to share their experiences and learn better ways of confronting governments with their grievances. In a remark, the Chairman NULGE, Katsina state chapter, Comrade Ali Haruna Kankara, told the minister that members of the union were in Niger to study the structure and administration of their local governments.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8— SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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News Feature Coronation: Echoes from 20th Attah Igala myth as Kogi set to install 22nd Attah From Sam Egwu, Lokoja
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s the entire Igalas awaits the announcement and subsequent coronation of the 22nd Ata what has been on the lips of most Igalas is the re echoing of the mythology of the actions and practice of the 20th Ata, HRM Ameh Oboni. Ameh Oboni assumed office at a relatively young age of 38 precisely in 1945. His tenure though very short due to handiwork of northern hegemony, the British imperialist and Igala conspirators was laden with landmark success. His reign depicts the popular saying that "not how long one lives but how eventful that matters" . He launched stupendous program of expansion and branding of Igala race to the chargrin of northern Jihadist. His kingdom blossomed in revenue making it the second largest contributor to Northern Nigeria treasury after Kano emirate. Equally in military might his soldiers were dreaded as the kingdom stretched into the innermost part of what is known today as Anambra state while crossing the river Niger to occupy areas like Ebu Oshimili ,part of Asaba and Agenebode even as a loosed government was established in Lokoja. Meanwhile the neighbouring kingdom and indeed the Northern oligarchy became paranoid of his exploit. Even at home some persons became envious of his supreme power considering his age as most of his developmental policies were second to none of his predecessors. However, as his fame soured cynics were busy plotting his downfall with mythological fallacies . First to hit town was the observance of yearly ritual to appease the ancestors and deities to ward off evil spirits from the land which was misconstrued to be using human beings especially strangers for rituals. It was part of the erroneous petition by some dissidents to nail him. It was told then that whenever the Ata embarked on a journey though he had a car, six hefty men would transport him on a cart like device on their heads intermittently in a relay from one village to the next until he got to his destination. One landmark of his mystic powers was when he attended Northern chiefs meeting in Kaduna. The cynics had it that he got to the meeting behind schedule. Attempt by other chiefs to squeal out reasons for his lateness remained undaunted. The meeting which have the late Emirs of
HRM Ameh Oboni Kano Lamido Sanusi, the father of Central Bank Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and Sulu Gambari ,of Ilorin and others in attendance. The grapevine has it that one of the Emirs in order to force him to show remorse for his action forcibly removed his crown from his head the action he considered a taboo .He instantly conjured his ancestors who sent in a detachment of bees who feasted on them until some of them went into coma while he mystically flew to his kingdom in Idah. This singular show of inexplicable power earned him the appellation 'Gara Tara'. This became a proverb at that time. In another scene, an Ibo trader met his untimely death for defiance to paying obeissance to Ata who was on tour of his domain. It happened that when the people lined up to catch a glimpse of their imperial monarch the Ibo man was busy selling his wares. He saw the action of the Ibo man as an affront on his person. He instantly issued telepathic decree that before he comes back the Ibo man would have kicked the bucket. His decree was confirmed as the Igbo man died mysteriously. In a related chapter, one unidentified witch who stayed outside the gate of Ajaka was bewitching people with a disease known as didymus or elephantiasis as the pandemic was being felt throughout the kingdom. A story was told of how he
summoned some of his chiefs to a journey to finding out the root cause of the plaque, about two kilometer to the town he parked his Royce rose car and started trekking to the town. At the gate he met the witch woman and charged her while she chose to inflict the people with a deadly plaque. His majesty dissatisfied with the explanation pronounced a curse on her while his invocation permanently eliminated the disease from the kingdom even till today. Also during one of his tours of the kingdom, as practice people would dress in their best to welcome their king. When he arrived the village, he spotted a woman from the crowd who dressed like a deranged person. He beckoned on her and inquired why she decided to dressed in that manner when she knows his majesty was in town. Filled, with fear and trembling and tears of joy for his royal highness to talk to her, and narrated her ordeal to him. According to her, at that time she was pregnant for six years, gone to every where without solution stressing that by dressing shabbily may attract her to him for solution. After having heard her story, he instructed the woman to go to the bush plug any leaf and boil it before drinking with the command that after the delivery if the baby is a girl after weaning will be brought to the palace to become his wife and on the other hand a boy will become his son.
So after some weeks of the drinking of boiled leaf she put to bed a baby boy who was Christine late Steve Achema who was brought up by Ata Ameh Oboni. Another mystical incident took place at a function in Dekina; a coconut fell on his head. Enraged, he cursed coconut trees that they will never grow on Dekina soil again. As a result of this, no coconut trees in grows in Dekina till date. Interestingly, the monarch whose tradition was to travel on human cart decided to embark on the fateful journey on a horse. The myth has it that the Ugane river along Aloma Iga Ekeje road had over flown its bank and in a desperation not to disappoint his already assembled audience jumped into the river with his horse. However, the raging river overpowered his horse and was drowned but he crossed unhurt. Irked by the river he took sand from inside the river sprinkle it on it an it became a bridge till today while the drowned horse will every fifteen years come out for some minutes and then went back. One of the striking mythologies or fallacies leveled against Ata Oboni was his curse on Ankpa that erosion will become their neighbour for the sin of their son to commit lasciviousness with the majesty, ditto for Dekina where he had gone to kick the bucket saying the name will be heard across the globe but will lack developmental amenities for allowing him to die on their soil the plaque which has refused to shift after so many years of the incantations. Succinctly at the twilight of his reign, the dissidents who planned and wrote petition for his dethronement were cursed individually. To him that wrote the petition was instantly paralyzed unable to use the right hand which he used to write the petition till date while the architect of the conspiracy was pronounced to be buried nine times before his final death which was confirmed as parts of his system began to decompose leading to amputation for burial nine times before his actual death. Meanwhile before he finally took a bow, he had proclaimed that Igala kingdom will have set back on development until his son will mount the throne which resulted into under development of Igala land for over 56 years. Similarly before his installation, the Gabaidu Idakwo Ameh Oboni has been welcomed with the same mythology. As a chapter two of mythology, it was rumoured that during the radical
demolition of structures that distorted the demolition exercise by the then minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Malam Nasir El Rufai, which was forced to spare his property as bulldozers sent to pull down the structure were mystically demobilized. According to verse one of chapter two of the mythology effigy of the Ameh Obone lineage , it has become a common commodity that when the raging flood that ravaged Lokoja came close to his House he barked at the flood rendering it ineffective to enter the premises even when the flood has devoured all the houses in the neighborhood. In the same vein his penchant for due process and discipline was tested recently when the Ata in waiting went to a gasoline station to buy fuel. While on queue a man with 'Nigerian attitude' jumped the queue. According to the gist, all attempt to let him follow the line fell on deaf ears. He folded his legs in his car. When the lawless personality's car was served all efforts to kick start the car failed until his royal majesty warned him not to be undisciplined even as he freed him to go before he could move the car. In the same breath vultures in Igala belief system meant death and rotten things. So when he went to inspect some of his father's personal effects in one of the rooms in the palace, unimaginably vultures besieged him. Enraged, he cursed them never to find an abode throughout the length and breadth of Igala land and so it is till tomorrow. Consequently, the mythology associated with HRH Ameh Oboni of blessed memory has reverberated in the emergence of his son Idakwo Micheal Ameh whose selection has sparked jubilation among Igalas both at home and in the diaspora. According to some commentators on Igala customs and tradition noted that for the first time in the selection of an Ata that both the Igala mela king makers ,the Achadu Ata and Igala Area traditional council, after due screening had unanimously elect a candidate without genuine complaints. They posited that the Ata 's stool is the highest in the kingdom and which is cherished by all Igala sons and daughters which must not be toyed with by anyone no matter highly placed.
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Feature Those who rape and violate women should be castrated —Dr. Nwosu H
o w will you rate the just concluded Abuja carnival? Well, this year's carnival has come to an end and it is a very successful outing from the beginning to the end. It showed a lot of improvement from the previous years. The representation of different states and countries, groups and the quality of presentations, the costumes, the beautiful colours, the preparations, the timing, coordination, performances, the energetic young stars, the elderly are not left out. I saw a lady who was 97years old and was actually dancing and I couldn't believe it. So, this year's carnival came with a lot of excitement, hopes and especially the theme of the carnival which is 'Harmony, Peace and togetherness which we need so much in the country presently. Government have not done badly but Nigerians should begin to see the carnival as their own not government's thing. This year's carnival is good and we must all support it the more. The President's economic agenda through tourism is working, I saw empowerment and encouragement of local businesses and I also saw the incorporation with international bodies. I think we have the biggest international community involvement in this year's carnival. We have over 12 countries who participated this year and that is our aim, the carnival should not be just for us, the more foreigners we have the more solid the carnival becomes and that will be for our advantage. Our culture and tourism sector needs the presence of these foreigners to thrive, we should be able to market out tourism and culture to other countries just like other countries are bringing theirs here, and we must package it properly for it to sell. How beneficial is this carnival to women? Well, as you know, women are created by God to help the men manage, coordinate, improve; empower and develop the world. So we have taken these responsibilities beyond our homes, communities and states. In everything that we are doing today, if we don't involve women, that initiative may not be successful. As you can see, there are more women in this carnival than men, even the state coordinators; you have more women than men. This carnival is of value for us because women are naturally culture oriented, we can dance, dress, put colours together, this is not men stuff, we can create, these are all attributes of women. So for any cultural festival to be successful, we must involve women, there is no two ways about it, that is why we are
Chief Dr Caro Nwosu is the Chairman of Dagger Nig. Ltd. A former PDP Presidential Candidate in the 2007 elections, she is also the National President- National Association of Women Politicians (NAWOP), and the International President- Society for Arts and Culture (SAC). She spoke with Miriam Humbe on the just concluded Abuja carnival, violence against women, and women participation in politics among other issues.
Dr. Caro Nwose part and parcel of the carnival. Can you say women have been given their place in this country's economy? Actually, there is no way you can talk of economic growth without involving women. Over 80% of the economy is being contributed by the women. I think we have really taken our place in the economic development of this nation without waiting to be given. Even in this just concluded carnival, women benefited more. The 25th of November was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Is the Nigerian government doing enough in this aspect? Honestly, over time government has been involved in the fight to stop violence against women, there have been policies and laws on violence against women. There should be conscious plans about castrating those who rape and violate women. There should be campaigns in the rural areas, states; there should be enlightenment about the evil of violence against women. Women should not be maltreated for any reason, there is need to also teach our men how and why they should treat their wives properly,
dialogue between couples is the best way to resolve any issue with your wife than violating her. God gave you the woman as your helper and you don't have to beat her. Any man beating his wife or men who rape women are like beasts and should be treated as such. The woman you married, she had children for you, cooks for you and takes care of the children, what can make you beat or violate her? Every problem should not be left to government alone; we should also take responsibility for our actions. Do you think our laws are strong enough to prosecute the culprits? Well, as you know we are going through constitutional amendment presently, in many quarters like the NGOs, private individuals are pushing for changes in the constitution to accommodate other laws that were not there before now. The laws are not enough to punish those who violate women and that is the more reason we say that this constitutional amend came at the right time. Like this morning, one of the police officers was saying that when they arrest a man for beating or violating his wife, when the culprit is taken to the court,
the judge comes and gives him two thousand naira fine, or five days or at worst one month jail term. Many a times, the culprit pays off the fine and regains his freedom without going through any pain or repenting from his crime. Even the police is seeking for amendment in the law to enable them persecute the offenders and give them stiffer punishments so that people can take it serious. Government and civil society are doing their best in this regard and more need to be done by all Nigerians because this case affects everybody. This constitution amendment is a great opportunity to look into the matter and solve it once and for all. You have contested for electable positions for sometimes now without success, do you think women are being given a fair playing ground in the political arena? Well, our democracy is still very young. We will continuously keep making efforts. We won't say because we didn't win we cannot participate in election again. The Nigerian democracy is not where we want it to be yet, we don't have one man one vote yet, we still do selections, appointments, who
knows who and things like that. There is no way if we do have one man one vote, that a woman that come out to contest will not win but while we are working towards democracy, we will continue to contest and participate. If we don't participate, that will even be worst and I believe with continuous persistence, one day we will get there. Do you think government is doing enough to put the current security situation under control? Actually, I think the transformation agenda of Mr President is working. It just happened that we are so unfortunate this year in particular, not only security challenges, there are climate challenges, flooding ravaging our states and communities, these are certain things you cannot control 100 per cent. Every society has the same thing; in fact, our society is more secured now than in the past. Look at all the military might, the security gadgets, and watchdogs, all the information technology that we have today which we didn't have before because we were never threatened by any anything. We didn't bother to put anything in place; we didn't bother to secure our houses, our churches and all that. Other people in other countries have been living with these all these years but it’s we were caught up unaware. The government is doing its best but this is not an issue that will be left to the federal government alone, all hands must be on deck, we should all be security to ourselves, we should report every suspicious movement around us to the police. Countries that have been there like Israel and their neighbours have been fighting since time immemorial. I can say we are doing the best we can to overcome the challenge. 2015 is around the corner, are you warming up for another election? I think I will encourage women who have political ambition to begin to prepare now, we need the numbers to be able to achieve our target in the field of politics. We must not shy away because we failed in the past or because money is involved, we must not shy away because there is violence in the political arena. We must participate, encourage more women in politics, women should register and cast their votes otherwise we can't be counted. Let it be that we contested and our counterparts did their selection and appointment things, it will not stop us from being part of what happens in our nation. We cannot shy away from anything, it doesn't matter if anybody says we have contested 100 times without success, this is our country and all of us own it.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Cover
PAGE 9
Insecurity:
Northern leaders speak at last By Jamila Nuhu Musa, Agaju Madugba & Abdulkadir Isa
Ostensibly overwhelmed and exasperated about the spate of insecurity in the country, some northern leaders last week broke their silence and made bold to speak on government's seeming duck-footed approach and evasiveness on the issue. The eminent citizens from the North, including the preeminent northern political group, Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, took up the gauntlet and challenged government to deal decisively with the matter because it was glaring that the nation is heading for anarchy. At its meeting few days ago, in Kaduna, the ACF challenged President Jonathan to carry out total overhauling
of his security team with a view to tackling the security situation in the country. The leaders rose from a two-day conference in Kaduna on Thursday, and passed a vote of no confidence on the Jonathan-led Federal Government over its inability to protect the lives and property of Nigerians. At the Kaduna meeting, the leaders, obviously tired of being blamed for the plethora of problems, observed that: "The weakening nature and perhaps the failure of the Nigerian state to protect lives and property as well as its inability to provide basic social services and guarantee freedom and rights of citizens cumulatively accounts for the current state of siege in which the North now finds itself", the communiqué at the end
of the conference on Sustainable Development of the North said. The Arewa Research and Development Programme (ARDP) under the auspices of Arewa House Centre for Historical Research and Documentation, Ahmadu Bello University, organised the conference. The communiqué explained further that participants at the conference were drawn from what the organisers described as concerned northerners comprising of former Heads of State, the Vice President, governors, former Chief Justice of the Federation, Speaker, House of Representatives, retired senior members of the armed forces, the academia as well as women and youth groups, among others. Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu
Gowon, chaired the ceremony but was represented by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) chairman, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed while Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna state declared the workshop open. In the communiqué read on Thursday night by Dr. Usman Bugaje, participants quoted social indicators and statistics for human development which show dismal performance in education, health, water and sanitation services, thereby placing the North far below other sections of the country. The communiqué expressed a resolve by participants for the region to create a strong and united platform to address the current security situation and the
Contd on pages 10
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Cover Northern leaders speak at last
Speaker Aminu Tambuwal
Gov. Patrick Yakowa
Gov. Kashim Shettima
Contd from page 9 politics of the north with particular reference to 2015 elections. The communiquĂŠ read in part: "The objectives of the conference are, to bring all the disparate groups working in different directions but all with the aim of promoting northern interests within a greater Nigeria under one platform. "To complement and harmonise all efforts being made by long existing groups, northern elders and the Northern Governors Forum with a view to creating a formidable, all inclusive pan-northern platform to tackle the problems of the North in particular and Nigeria in general. "To build the requisite confidence and assurance amongst the diverse peoples of the North, that the present challenges can be surmounted but only if all the people do come together. "To assure the North and its friends that this initiative will draw lessons and experiences from past and ongoing efforts by other groups and individuals to solve the problems of the region through sustained, strategic engagement and development of implementable policy options in
“
That the Federal Government in liaison with state governors, the affected communities, religious leaders should get together to genuinely dialogue with the insurgents with the view to ending the insecurity in the North.
Gov. Babangida Aliyu
Gen. Yakubu Gowon
Gen. Ibrahim Babangida
partnership with the National Assembly, ACF Northern Governors Forum and indeed all other groups with similar mission. "The conference notes and expresses concern that: "the systematic erosion of cherished values of honesty, tolerance and integrity that were once the hallmark of public service in the North have resulted in bad governance, disregard for the rule of law and general decadence. "The effect of the current insurgency of Ahlis Sunna li dawa'ati wal Jihad and other forms of insecurity have impacted negatively on the socio-economic, political and the religious life of the people. "Economic growth and development, commerce and trade in both formal and informal sectors of the northern states are being stifled with multiplier effects on the larger national and African subregional economies. "The general conduct of the JTF and how the fundamental rights of the citizens of the North are being violated
in clear breach of the rules of engagement. It is expected that the JTF will strictly abide by the professional terms of engagement in the interest of peace. "The conference therefore resolves as follows, that with over 72 percent of the national landmass and favorable climatic condition for both rain-fed and irrigation farming, millions of livestock and other sundry agricultural endowments, the North has to modernise its agriculture with all the priority attention required to return the region to its erstwhile leading position as the food basket of the nation. "That human capital development being the key to enhanced living standard must be given special attention to address the northern peculiarities in the primary, secondary and vocational education as well as the provision of required trained manpower for primary health care to give special priority to the eradication of all preventable diseases in the region and that leadership at all levels must be open, transparent and
accountable. "That the Federal Government in liaison with state governors, the affected communities, religious leaders should get together to genuinely dialogue with the insurgents with the view to ending the insecurity in the North. "That there is the urgent need to explore and exploit the abundant mineral resources existing all over the North in order to generate more revenue in support of the developmental needs of the region. "That there is need to harness all sources of energy in the North to meet the domestic and industrial requirements of the region. "That this current initiative be sustained through the development of a common vision which would be consciously agreed upon by all groups with clear implementation strategies and timelines for the actualisation of this common vision". With the increasing sense of
Contd from page 11
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 11
Cover Northern leaders speak at last
Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar
Alh. Tanko Yakasai Contd from page 10 insecurity in the country, many people have expressed the opinion that northern political leaders have not demonstrated enough commitment to end the crisis, wondering why they have been silent on the matter. The northern leaders came under intense criticism over their palpable reticence as most of them have notbeen outspoken about the Boko Haram insurgency and other security threats that have bedeviled the nation. On different occasion however some of them have tried to defend their positions. …We've shouted enoughYakassai Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, one of the respected leaders of thought in the region dismissed the insinuation as unfounded, saying "we have spoken enough". Reportedly, prominent Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, had fun stoking up his campaign against northern leaders over the activities of
Alh. Aliko Muhammad
Sen. George Akume
Alh. Yusuf Maitama Sule
Prof. Ibrahim Sulu Gambari
NSA Sambo Dasuki
Boko Haram by asking security agencies to go after former Minister of Finance, Malam Adamu Ciroma and former Governor of Kaduna state, Alhaji Lawal Kaita. …We must engage Boko Haram Gambari Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, former Nigerian Permanent Representative to the UN last Monday, however urged leaders in the northern part of the country to imbibe values of selfless service while speaking at the 1st Annual Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Lecture on "Leadership and Good Governance in Nigeria" organised by The Ahmadu Bello Foundation in Abuja, where he delivered a paper entitled: "Leadership and Good Governance in Nigeria: Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Ghost of 1914 and the Audacity of Hope for Nation Building''. The former envoy enjoined the region's leaders to imbibe the legacy of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the first Premier of the Northern Region, which he described as unparalleled.
According to him Bello's commitment to development and modernisation resulted in colossal investment in the region making it possible for youths, both men and women to be able to compete with their peers across the federation and beyond. Gambari noted that the high level of poverty and illiteracy in the North was unacceptable and urged the 19 governors to work out specific policy in collaboration with the Federal Government to tackle the problems. Speaking on the Boko Haram menace, he said there was urgent need to adopt a comprehensive effort to tackle the dreadful threat and suggested that this should be done to ensure there was an end to the killings and for peaceful coexistence, religious harmony and corporate existence of the country. He noted that there were credible and respected Nigerians who could be persuaded by government to lead a dialogue with the group and did not seem to have bought the idea that the sect is
faceless as he went ahead to recommend the establishment of a core group of Nigerians who have led peace-making, peace-keeping and peace-building efforts in Africa and other parts of the world. "Those individuals who have successfully helped to bring peace to countries abroad should be tasked to do the same at home; after all, charity begins at home",Gambari said. …Blame northern governors too - Balarabe Musa The chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) and former Governor of the old Kaduna state, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, said on the issue of insecurity in the North, that Jonathan alone is not to be blamed as northern leaders are also culpable. He charged Nigerians to hold northern governors responsible for the insecurity in the country and advised the Federal Government to watch out for those who
Contd on page 12
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Cover Northern leaders speak at last Contd from page 11 may want to use the Boko Haram insurgency to perpetrate crimes. For Balarabe Musa, Boko Haram is not the only problem of Nigeria though they were just the latest. "We have been having dealing with this insecurity situation. Unemployment, the disabling level of corruption, stealing and waste of resources are great sources of insecurity. The failure to have credible elections leading to legitimate government is a serious source of insecurity. Even the do or die approach to election by politicians is a great source of insecurity. There are many sources of insecurity prevalent in Nigeria",the statesman and politician had said. ...IBB, Obj ruined Nigeria - Buhari But former Military Head of State and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the 2011 general elections, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari while taking a critical look at the state of the nation, declared that corruption and insecurity were fast undermining the future of Nigeria and argued that the situation came about as a result of the administrations of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to the current President Goodluck Jonathan. He alleged that lack of sincerity on the part of the leaders under the administrations of the trio caused the unimaginable level of corruption and insecurity in the country. Buhari spoke as the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, Dr. Matthew Hassan Kukah, also declared that no Nigerian president was ever prepared for the leadership of the country. …Corruption has gone digital Tsav Also speaking on the state of the nation, retired commissioner of police, Abubakar Tsav in an interview with Peoples Daily Weekend, said President Jonathan lacks the acumen to lead Nigeria. Speaking recently in Kano, the security don said the president has not displayed the willingness to weed terrorists out of Nigeria. He attributed the flops of Mr. President to corruption saying: "Jonathan is part of the corruption, because corruption has gone digital during his administration. Corruption is worst in Aso Rock and nobody is doing anything about it". "Corruption has become worst during the tenure of Jonathan. Who even looks confused, he hasn't got the acumen and the capacity to rule this country" he
CDS Vice Rear Admiral Ola Ibrahim
CAS Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika
CAS Air Vice Marshal Badeh
added. The former CP of Lagos state attributed the failure on the side of politicians to deliver the dividends of democracy as the main cause of the spate of bombings. "They didn't come because they want to serve people, but because they want to make money for themselves and their families. And that is why the security situation has gone bad". Relating to the on-going constitutional review, Tsav stated: "I think we do not need it, because no constitution in the world is perfect; every constitution has loopholes. What we should try and do now is to face this insecurity challenges in the country". Tsav enjoined government to embrace dialogue with the Boko Haram sect, since the use of force has not yielded the desired result and instead, compounded issues. He lamented the porous and unprofessional attitude of the security agents in arms handling and called on scrutiny of allocated ammunition as was the practice during his tenure as commissioner of police. And now that the northern leaders have spoken, is the storm going to be over
IGP Muhammad Abubakar
CNS Rear Admiral Dele Ezeoba
News
Party de-registration: PRP will challenge INEC in court —Balarabe Musa
T
h e Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, has said it will challenge its deregistration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The leader of the party and former Governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, made the declaration in a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES in Kaduna. The former governor said PRP
was de-registered simply because it was considered a threat to the present leadership in the country. He said INEC is just trying to remove the real threat to the “neo-colonialist and capitalist,” federal government. “PRP is committed to socialist reconstruction of Nigeria starting with the leading role of the economy; and to ensure peace, equality of human
dignity, and progressive and even development of the whole country. The government in power today is opposed to this. “The situation is against chapter 2 in particular section 40 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria. We are going to resist it as we did in the past,” he said Mr. Musa said the party will also consult other political parties, allies and Nigerians
generally who want to move towards true democracy and justice. He said there was no justification for the action taken by electoral commission. “There is no justification for the action they took to against PRP. This is because PRP is one of the ten most relevant democratic parties in Nigeria even under the present circumstances. You cannot
compare PRP with other political parties that have no principles which are deregistered. When asked if he intends to join another political party, Mr. Musa said “No.” “They chose to undermine PRP because it is considered a threat to the present system and leadership in Nigeria. To me PRP should survive this and we are going to survive it,” he said.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 13
Cover You cannot see any policeman on the street at night in Kano —Abubakar Tsav
W
h a t is your take on the general insecurity in the
country? Honestly, it is very shameful and disgraceful, because as far as I'm concerned there is no security, everything has broken down completely. There is no security at all especially where people can go into the house of a retired General, who is supposed to be guarded by armed soldiers and shoot him in broad daylight and escape. It is a big shame, and if bombers can penetrate the military cantonment in Jaji, and if gunmen can invade SARS in Abuja it means that every place in this country is porous, there is no adequate security and the worse is that our leaders and government are not doing anything to address the situation. All that concerns them is for them to enrich themselves and to get high positions, that is all they are after. Nobody cares about what is happening, unlike in other countries. It appears that Maiduguri has been abandoned the people in government have abandoned Maiduguri, and Maiduguri is part of the present country, government would have concentrated there to restore peace. It is very sad indeed; when somebody fortifies his house with barbwire, put armed policemen or soldiers at the gate and he feels he is secured. But we had all these in General Shuwa's house in Maiduguri and they still went and killed him. And the people who killed him are still unknown, they have not been arrested and this thing happened in broad daylight. How can you say security in this country is perfect? What do you think the government can do to curtail the insecurity? Government must pay adequate attention on security, the other time they said they voted a lot of money for security. But they only voted this money for them to steal not that they care about security or else they would have listened to people who give them advice, they would have taken steps to reduce or eliminate these bombings but nobody cares all that concerns them is just money and position. There is proliferation of arms and ammunition which cannot be accounted for by either the police or the military. We have a lot of unemployed people that have left schools with no jobs to do; meanwhile people are being dismissed from the police and the military. And there is no proper supervision of soldiers and policemen, they do whatever they like. What was the case when you served?
Abubakar Tsav is a retired Commissioner of Police, in this interview with Edwin Olofu in Kano, the former Commissioner of Police Lagos state said Maiduguri, which is still part of Nigeria, has been abandoned. He chides politicians and the anti graft agencies on corruption, and regrets that the streets are left unmanned by security operatives especially at night, among sundry issues.
CP Abubakar Tsav (Rtd) During our time, before you are given ammunitions they were counted before they were issued to you and when you get back from your post they take stock of what you brought back, but these days nobody cares what you do with them. Now, people go home with their guns, sleep and do whatever they like, I don't know how long you have lived in Kano, but go out in the night and see if you will see a single policeman on the road, you cannot see any policeman and if these people want to do their bombings that is the time they will do it because there is no security, people are afraid. Policemen and soldiers who are supposed to provide security are themselves afraid, people who want to report to duty will put their uniforms in their bags it is when they reach their duty posts that they would wear their uniforms and when they are leaving they remove it, what type of country is this? And even when government provides money to buy this equipment, this
equipment is nowhere to be found. And guns are in the hands of all manner of people, there are a lot of political thugs and that is why we are having these problems. Unless the police do their job very well, people who are in possession of arms that are not supposed to, should be arrested and prosecuted. Politicians should be discouraged from having political thugs because it is what is compounding the whole situation. I don't know for how long we will keep talking on this. Because in this country no matter what you will say about insecurity as long as you are not a rich man, as long as you are not in government and as long as you are not influential, nobody listens to you. In developed countries you have retired officers and old people who are themselves vigilantes whatever happens in their area they know if there is a stranger who is visiting their area they know, and they will inform the police. But now if you report to the police they will not take action rather the police will even
tell the person that you reported him to the authority. This is what we are facing which is very sad indeed. Do you agree with the notion that Nigeria is in a near state of anarchy? Of course we are already in a state of anarchy, in a situation where a retired General, who is about 80 years of age, and a war hero is killed, then who should be protected. Who was the hero that
destroyed him; somebody who is a custodian of our military history has been destroyed. And nobody has been arrested. The Boko Haram sect said it didn't kill him government said the same thing. Who was the person that killed this man in broad daylight? He had military guards and they couldn't react when they killed him. There were road blocks near his house, the people at the road blocks didn't react. There is connivance somewhere, which is unfortunate I must say. Would you link this insurgency to politics? Well, the whole thing started from politics, before the advent of politics our security was perfect, we didn't have problems like killings, kidnappings and so on but as soon as this political dispensation came in, and people were reaping a lot of dividends from politics then politics became a do or die affair and people started doing all they could to come into politics to make money. They didn't come because they want to serve people but because they want to make money for themselves and their families. And that is why the security situation has gone bad; I don't know whether we shall go back to the good old days because things are getting worse every day. Do you support dialogue with Boko Haram? If dialogue is the only thing that will bring peace let the government embrace it, because we have been using force but have we succeeded? And when you use force you kill innocent civilians because these Boko Haram are not wearing uniform they have no mark of identity. For instance, if
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“
Policemen and soldiers who are supposed to provide security are themselves afraid, people who want to report to duty will put their uniforms in their bags it is when they reach their duty posts that they would wear their uniforms and when they are leaving they remove it, what type of country is this?
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Interview PEF is bias in payment of claims —Isa Tijjani
Y
ou are one of the leaders of transporters of petroleum product union, what are the problems associated with this business? You know the transportation industry is a very dynamic industry; it plays key role in ensuring deliverance of products to the nooks and crannies of this country ranging from petroleum products to other essential needs of almost every household in the country. You do not need to be reminded of how deplorable the state of our roads are in this country, so one of the greatest challenges we are facing is the state of our roads, for instance hardly can a truck leave Yola to Lagos or Calabar to Kano without reporting problems of either busted tire or damaged spare parts. On a general note the problem of bad roads is causing transporters loss of billions in naira which by implication is draining our foreign reserve because spare parts and tires are purchased with hard currency. But if our rail system is working it would have been better and our roads in good shape, it is now left for a transporter to either bring product by train or by road, whichever the person feels is cheaper and safer for him. This is one among the numerous problems we are having as transporters. Do these problems
Alhaji Isa Tijjani is the National Coordinator of the newly established Association of Distributors and Transporters of Petroleum Products (ADITOP), in this interview with Edwin Olofu in Kano; he enumerates the problems bedeviling the association, which equally contribute to fuel scarcity in the country.
Alhaji Isa Tijjan contribute to fuel scarcity? Certainly, because like I said petroleum products are transported by road in our country, a delay in timely delivery of product as a result of truck breakdown on the road can affect the speedy dispensation of the products to consumers which could lead to scarcity of the
product. 95% of petroleum product transactions are done by road so you can see the importance of trucks in product distribution. There is this new project called AQUILA, what is it all about? Like you rightly pointed out project AQUILA is a newly introduced electronic system of
loading by the Petroleum Equalization Fund which is the body responsible for reimbursing transportation claims of marketers. The project involves the placement of chips on the tanker truck which serves as a tracker of the truck; this helps to monitor the truck at loading point and also confirms the arrival of the truck at the receiving depot. Thereafter the information is transmitted to the fund's headquarters in Abuja for payment which is often completed in two weeks. What are the challenges of this newly introduced project? At the initial take off we were very happy with the system as the project received applause and confidence of most transporters and marketers. All of a sudden typical of our over zealousness officials we started encountering problems from change of destination other than the original one provided by the NNPC/PPMC, you know there are several agencies involved in this petroleum thing. You have the PPPRA, DPR, PPMC, PEF, POLICE, SSS and even state agencies. All these have jurisdictions as per the decree setting them or acts of parliament, you cannot afford to obey one and run foul to the other. We also have a problem with preferential treatment in payment of claims, as it is now, the PEF only pays attention to
product lifted through the AQUILA which is very unfair, the accumulated claims through the past manual system is been ignored and this is exerting a lot of pressure on our members. There is also the problem of sanctions, that every truck that loses the chip placed on it will be surcharged two million naira N2,000,000:00. We find this not only reprehensible but abuse of privilege. You do not commence a project which is yet to be understood with sanctions, you will end up defeating the purpose. What is the way forward? As a first measure, we have written to all concerned and highlighting the problems inherent coupled with the likely consequences if there are no corrections. And the forward is to ensure that payments from both sides are done promptly -manual and Aquila. Also attention must be given to early discharge of drivers after delivering products. Flashing of the chip in places other than PPMC designated destinations must be avoided. Sanctions and surcharge to the tune of N2million in a pilot project that is yet to gain acceptance must be stopped. We will in the near feature communicate our next line of actions in clear terms should the ugly situation continue. We hope those concerned will take the necessary measures required to address the issues raised.
‘You cannot see any policeman on the street at night in Kano’ Contd from Page 2 you go to a place and see somebody with beard or shoe shiner or somebody reading the Holy Qur'an, you just take him for a Boko Haram and then you kill him, you will be killing an innocent person. But God's judgment is coming one day it will be the turn of the murderers because they too will be murdered one day. We don't know what to do in this country because government is not interested in our security, like I said they just want money and positions, and where does this money come from, it is from oil and one day God who has given us this oil will take away his oil and we will go back to square one. We may not be alive then, but the day will come, if it is possible for our leaders who died many years back to come back to life they will beg God to take them back there because this is not what they bargained for. Do we really need to amend the constitution? I think we do not need it, because no constitution in the world is perfect every constitution has loopholes. What we should try and do now is to face the insecurity challenges in the country. Because what happened to late Shuwa can happen to anybody, because those who are in power today will not be in power forever. I don't think this
amendment of constitution is necessary. Creation of states should not arise as well, because we are unable to manage the existing states and yet we want new states? What are we going to do with them? People are just trying to create avenues where they will be relevant, rule and have opportunity to steal money that is why they are talking about creation of states otherwise there is no need for that. The ones we have now, if you go there you will find that there are no roads, medical services are poor, schools are not functioning, everything is dilapidated yet Nigerians want new states because people want to steal, I think another thing we need to do is to reduce the salaries of political office holders so that we can use the monies to develop the existing states. Recently, the CBN governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi made a suggestion that federal government should cut down the workforce by fifty percent, would you subscribe to this? You see the issue is not about cutting down the workforce; rather what is happening is that there are many ghost workers everywhere in this country. People put the names of people on payrolls where actually they do not exist but are paid and it is dishonesty that is killing us because there are a lot of names of ghost workers on payment vouchers all over the country. That is why there has been a lot of money
on payment of salaries, for instance in an office where there are only ten workers if you check the payment list you will find out that there are fifteen names all others are ghost workers and people in charge of payment always take this money. So if you reduce the workforce it will create a lot of unemployment adding to the one we have on ground. It will send many people into the labour market and criminality will rise, I don't think that is wise. The proposed building of a new presidential banquet hall has been generating controversy, what is your own opinion? It is very unnecessary; the government is just creating an avenue for someone to steal. Otherwise of what importance is it? What of the existing one what has happened to it? You see people are just creating avenues to steal and nobody is saying anything. What is your assessment of government's fight against corruption? (Laughs) Jonathan is part of the corruption, because corruption has gone digital during his administration. Corruption is worse in Aso Rock and nobody is doing anything about it. When somebody is involved in corruption they take him to court for the first time and nobody hears anything about again. And people appointed to head anti-corruption crusade are
more involved in corruption than the rest of the people. Anybody who works as the head of anti-corruption by the time he leaves he is a multibillionaire, where does he get this money from? Corruption became worse during the tenure of Jonathan, who even looks confused; he hasn't got the acumen and the capacity to rule this country. Do you think former President Obasanjo can stop Jonathan in 2015? Obasanjo is the one who brought him, you see it is easy to bring somebody but it is difficult to put him out. Already I cannot see how Jonathan will go to campaign in some places because people are saying that he has abandoned them. For example, he has abandoned Maiduguri, Bauchi and many places and he wants to come and contest. Anyway our people once you bring money you can win their votes. If you give them money to even kill their father they will do it that is Nigeria for you. But for me I don't think I can waste my vote. Who is the President that Nigeria needs? We want a President who is honest, straight forward; who will make the whole of this country his constituency, who will be interested in the welfare of the ordinary person not a sectional president like Jonathan. Not a president who will come and promote only his people, we want somebody who is straight forward. And we have them in this
country. Apart from Buhari there are many people in this country who are not yet known and are straight forward. But Buhari has been tested though some people are afraid that if you make him president may be he will jail them. But ideally we have a president in the person of Buhari, because he was a minister and he didn't steal, as governor, Head of State, and head of PTF he didn't steal and up till now he is still a poor man. He has clean record but people say he is harsh and unbendable. This is the type of person we want in this country. You see people are not honest, you will see people going to Church and Mosque but they go to these places of divine worship to show off, not because they want to worship God Almighty but to look for worldly things, I understood the National President of CAN was given an aircraft. The man has become a politician and I also understand that the Catholics have pulled out of CAN because they said now CAN has become a political organization. Everything about CAN was going well until Oritsejafor came in. the man is flamboyant all the time he is in Aso Rock with the president and the president has been quoting him. For instance, the first time somebody said government will not negotiate with faceless people, then later President Jonathan said the same thing. So Oritsejafor is now the vice president to Jonathan.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 15
Interview If LG gets autonomy will state continue to give part of internally generated revenue?
W
hat is your opinion on the issue of granting full autonomy to the local government areas? As you are aware, the local governments do not operate full autonomy but it is better for them to have the powers to operate their various councils just as the federal and state governments operate at their levels. As the name implies, the local government is the third tier of government, it ought to have the full responsibility to function without intervention from the state government. The local government does not operate that way now because it is in the Constitution. The 1999 Constitution gives that power to the state government to check the local government administration. But if the local government Chairman wants to operate as the chief executive officer, he has to be given that authority. It is not proper to call somebody a chief executive whereas he takes directives from some other person. As the third tier of government, the local government council should be given full powers to operate on its own without interference from the state government. Does it mean that the intervention of the state government is of no benefit to the local government administration? No. What it means is that the state government checks the activities of the local government, the state government supervises the expenditure of the local government, the state government actually directs the local government on what to do. Even if you grant the full autonomy to the local government, there will still be some level of check from the state government because no matter the level of autonomy, the local government is still under the state government. The local government has to report back to the state government but the full powers to operate as a body is what we are talking about. Local governments should be given that executive power to operate at their level. The argument in some quarters is that if the local government is given such powers, it may not be able to implement programmes that will benefit the people. How do you react to that? From my experience, one can say it is true and it may also not be true. The Federal Government gives allocation to the state government. How does the state handle such money? It is the same thing if you apply it
Dr. Paul Wani, who was Chairman of Kaura local government area of Kaduna state for six years, provides answers to this question and many more, in this interview with Agaju Madugba.
Dr Paul Wani, former chairman, Kaura Local Government, Kaduna state to the local government. But on the other hand, I believe that there may be instances where the state government reports back to the Federal Government. If the allocation is given directly to the local government, it does not mean that the state government will distance itself completely from the affairs of the local government. At some levels, the local government has to report back to the state government. What we are talking about is the full autonomy to spend money meant for the local government. For now, if you want to construct a road in your local government, you have to go and beg the governor to give you approval. If you want to build a hospital, you have to beg the governor to give you approval. This is where there will be a problem if for instance the governor is from a
different political party. If the local government is given full autonomy, there are various ways to check its activities. The Ministry of Local Governments is there, there is the House of Assembly. The Ministry of Local Governments is the supervisory body to checkmate activities of the local government. What is truth in the allegation that when the local government gets its allocation, it meets with some of the people and they share the money among themselves and wait for the next allocation? What I know is that during the six years I spent as a local government chairman in Kaduna state, we did not practice that kind of thing. I would not know what happens in other states but certainly not in Kaduna state. The local
government system in Kaduna state is well organised and the operation is clear that if your money comes in, it goes through the Ministry of Local Governments and before you spend, you must show what you intend to do with the money. And, the governor has to see it. That is why I said that even if the local government is given full autonomy, the state government still has to have some level of supervision. For Kaduna state, the governors under whom we worked did a very good job in their supervisory role. You cannot just take the local government's allocation and begin to spend it. You have to account for it. There is accountability. Every month, you have to give account of how you spent the money given to you. And, the state government, through the Ministry of Local Governments, on quarterly basis, normally sends people to check whatever projects you must have executed in the local government within the period. The House of Assembly also does that. You have to show them the projects you executed. If the local government is granted the full autonomy, can it sustain itself financially? Apart from the federal allocation to the local government, the state government also contributes part of its internally generated revenue to the local government. The local government also has its internally generated revenue. But the question is, if the local government is granted full autonomy to operate, will the state government continue to give part of the internally generated revenue? But if you know that you get certain amount of money every month, and you do not have any means
of getting any other money until after 30 days, you have to be prudent in your expenditure. The local government system is well organized. It has all the departments when it comes to management of resources and there is budgetary provision for whatever you do. With proper planning, the local government can sustain itself. There is also the allegation that governors are opposed to the issue of granting autonomy to the local governments because they get a lot of money from the revenue accruing to the local government? How does the governor get the money? There is a ministry in charge of the local governments. In some cases, the governor does not even know when the money comes in, so, how will he have access to it? The money does not go into the account of the state; it goes into the joint account of the 23 local governments in Kaduna state. The money comes in bulk before sharing for the various local governments and the governor may not even know when the money is shared. Then what is the basis for the reported opposition by governors for local governments to have autonomy? Well, if the local government is given full autonomy, the chairman may no longer be reporting back to the governor as it is the case currently. You should also know that the governor is for the entire state. The people of the state come from local governments. Now, if the governor says that he wants to see all the local government chairmen in 10 minutes, all of them will rush there. But if given full autonomy, a local government chairman may decide not to honour such invitation and give one excuse or the other. So, the governor may not get the required attention of the local government chairman if granted full autonomy.
“
Now, if the governor says that he wants to see all the local government chairmen in 10 minutes, all of them will rush there. But if given full autonomy, a local government chairman may decide not to honour such invitation and give one excuse or the other.
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 8, DECEMBER, 2012
Tourism Lord Lugard: The man and the myth L
u g a r d , ably assisted by his girlfriend turned wife, Flora Shaw, concocted a legend which warped understanding of him, Nigeria, and colonialism for decades. The revenue that allowed state development (harbours, railways, hospitals) in Southern Nigeria came largely from taxes on imported alcohol. In Northern Nigeria, that tax was absent and development projects far fewer. In Northern Nigeria Lugard permitted slavery within traditional elite families. He loathed the educated and sophisticated Africans of the coastal regions, ran the country with 50% of each year spent in England (where he could promote himself and was distant from realities in Africa where subordinates had to delay decisions on many matters until he returned), and based his rule on a military system unlike William MacGregor, a doctor turned governor, who mixed with all ranks of people and listened to what was wanted. Lugard, who opposed "native education" later, became involved in Hong Kong University, and the Lugard who disliked traders and businessmen, became a director of a bank active in Nigeria, these were strange aspects of the man and the myth. Frederick John Dealtry Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard GCMG, CB, DSO, PC (22 January 1858 - 11 April 1945), known as Sir Frederick Lugard between 1901 and 1928, was a British soldier, mercenary, explorer of Africa and colonial administrator, who was Governor of Hong Kong (1907-1912) and Governor-General of Nigeria (19141919).
Early life and education Lugard was born in Madras (now Chennai) in India, but was raised in Worcester, England. He was the son of the Reverend F. G. Lugard, a British Army Chaplain at Madras, and Mary Howard (1819-1865), the youngest daughter of Reverend John Garton Howard (1786-1862), a younger son of Yorkshire landed gentry. Lugard was educated at Rossall School and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. Military career Lugard was commissioned into the 9th Foot (East Norfolk Regiment) in 1878, joining the second battalion in India, and serving in the following campaigns: -Afghan War (1879-1880) -Sudan campaign (1884-1885) -Third Burmese War (18861887) In May 1888, Lugard took command of an expedition organized by the British settlers in Nyasaland against Arab slave traders on Lake Nyasa and was severely wounded. Post-military career After he left Nyasaland in April 1889, Lugard joined the Imperial British East Africa Company. In their service, he explored the Sabaki river and the neighbouring region, in addition to elaborating a scheme for the emancipation of the slaves held by Arabs in the Zanzibar mainland. In 1890, Lugard was sent by the company to Uganda, where he secured British predominance of the area and put an end to the civil disturbances. The efforts came with severe fighting, chiefly notable for an unprovoked attack by the French on
Lugard's lodge strategically overlooking the confluence of Niger and Benue Rivers
Lugard's residence in Lokoja, Kogi state
Lord Lugard the British faction. After the successful efforts to end disturbances, Lugard became Military Administrator of Uganda from 26 December 1890 to May 1892. While administering Uganda, he journeyed round Ruwenzori to Albert Edward Nyanza, mapping a large area of the country. He also visited Albert Nyanza, and brought away some thousands of Sudanese who had been left there by Emin Pasha and H. M. Stanley during the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition. When Lugard returned to England in 1892, he successfully dissuaded Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone and his cabinet from abandoning Uganda. In 1894, Lugard was despatched by the Royal Niger Company to Borgu, where he secured treaties with the kings and chiefs acknowledging the sovereignty of the British company, while distancing the other colonial powers that were there. From 1896 to 1897, Lugard took charge of an expedition to Lake Ngami on behalf of the British West Charterland Company. From Ngami he was recalled by the British government and sent to West Africa, where he was commissioned to raise a native force to protect British interests in the hinterland of the Lagos Colony and Nigeria against French aggression. In August 1897, Lugard organized the West African Frontier Force, and commanded it until the end of December 1899, when the disputes with France were composed. Early colonial services
Lugard's office
Lord Lugard's girlfriend, Flora Shaw who named Nigeria After he relinquished command of the West African Frontier Force, Lugard was made High Commissioner of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria in 1900, a position he held until 1906 and for which he was knighted in 1901. At that time, the portion of Northern Nigeria under effective control was small, and Lugard's task in organizing this vast territory was made more difficult by the refusal of the sultan of Sokoto and many other Fula princes to fulfil their treaty obligations. In 1903, British control over the whole protectorate was made possible by a successful campaign against the emir of Kano and the sultan of Sokoto. By the time Lugard resigned as commissioner, the entire Nigeria was being peacefully administered under the supervision of British residents. There were however uprisings that were brutally put down by Lugard's troops. A Mahdi rebellion in 1906 at the Satiru, a village near Sokoto resulted in the total destruction of the town with huge numbers of casualties. Governor of Hong Kong About a year after he resigned as High Commissioner of the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria, Lugard was appointed as Governor of Hong Kong, a position he held until March 1912. During his tenure, Lugard proposed to return Weihaiwei to the Chinese government, in return for the ceding of the rented New Territories in perpetuity. However, the proposal received less than warm receptions, and it was not
acted upon. Some believed that if the proposal was acted on, Hong Kong might forever remain in British hands. Lugard's chief interest was education, and he was largely remembered for his efforts to the founding of the University of Hong Kong in 1911, of which he became the First Chancellor, despite the cold receptions from the imperial Colonial Office and most local British companies, such as the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The Colonial Office called the idea of a university "Sir Frederick's pet lamb". In fact, Lugard's idea was to create a citadel of higher education which could serve as the foremost bearer of Western culture in the Orient. Whether or not this lofty idea had entirely succeeded, the university has grown from strength to strength to attain the highest reputation in the region. Governor of Nigeria In 1912, Lugard returned to Nigeria as Governor of the two protectorates. His main mission was to complete the amalgamation into one colony. Although controversial in Lagos, where it was opposed by a large section of the political class and the media, the amalgamation did not arouse passion in the rest of the country. From 1914 to 1919, Lugard was made Governor General of the now combined Colony of Nigeria. Throughout his tenure, Lugard sought strenuously to secure the amelioration of the condition of the native people, among other means by the exclusion, wherever possible, of alcoholic liquors, and by the suppression of slave raiding and slavery. Many people, especially the younger generation of Nigerians may not know that the things they read about in the history books are actually on ground somewhere around us. For instance, the first house and office of the much talked about First Governor General of Nigeria, Lord Luggard were, and still remain situated at Lokoja in Kogi state. Today, almost a hundred years after his death and fifty two years after independence, they have become major tourist attractions. Source: Mailonline
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 18
Relationship If you have any relationship story you want to share with our esteem readers, please send to the above address. Let's share your love story.
Heart Matterz
What to do if you If he will only show suspect she's commitment, I want to remarry cheating on you I With A'isha Biola Raji
E-mail: rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com Phone: 08082071393
am a young widow and mother of two children, a boy and a girl. My children are growing so quickly and I am afraid of being alone. Their father died when my second baby was just few months old. He willed all his property for them but that, I should take care of it until they are of age. My son is now 10 and I know it is only a matter of time before he is gone off to secondary school. My daughter is 15 and she will soon gain admission into university. She is like my best friend. I am dating this man, but he has no real desire to commit. We live together but I am tired of the relationship because there is no real commitment on his part. A part of me says to let him go and move on with my life, but another part says to hold on maybe one day he will get serious and we will get married. Please advise me on what to do. —Helen Re - Hi Helen Men are creatures of habit. I am sorry to hear you are in such a position. There is one thing that I
have learned in my relationships with men and that is they are creatures of habit. If you allow such a thing to occur he will exploit it to the fullest. You need to put out what you expect out of a relationship in the beginning and accept no less. This is one thing I believe is wrong with a lot of today’s relationships. It takes a strong woman to make a strong man; otherwise they will be boys for the rest of their lives. Take the step and demand what you want. It is worth it. If he loves you truly, he will change in order to be with you. It may even take separation for him to realize this. If he does not come around, he is not worth the effort and you will always be giving more than you are receiving. If this is the life you are willing to live with then that is okay. But realize if you choose this path you cannot complain because you will be accepting less than what you want. Go in with eyes wide open! Do not fool yourself into thinking that you can change him or that something magical will happen and he will change himself. I wish you the best of luck and all the strength you need to deal with the situation.
Am I crazy? Or just expecting too much
I
t is 10 p.m. do you know where your girlfriend is? She may be out with another man. According to research, women are almost just as guilty as men when it comes to committing infidelity. In fact they might be cheating more than ever. Although the rising statistics for women are worrisome, they're not really all that surprising. Experts list loneliness, disconnection, boredom, and a lack of communication among the top reasons people choose to cheat, so if your own relationship is on shaky ground, your partner may be trying to fill those emotional voids with someone else. Suspect she's sleeping around? Follow this four-step plan to find out for sure, without wrecking your relationship if you are wrong. 1. Keep your eyes open First, analyze her behaviour and be on the lookout for some of the common signs that point to infidelity. Does she seem less eager to be around you? Is she more secretive than she used to be (i.e. a locked cell phone and a
new password to her laptop)? Has she put more effort into her looks lately? The biggest red flag is her lack of interest in spending time with you. 2. Collect the evidence, if you can Prior to confronting her, you need to have proof and/or a legitimate reason for asking her if she is cheating. The easiest "in" is obviously some form of suspect communication, like mysterious texts or emails. But if she keeps most of her communication outlets locked, getting that content may be difficult. Plan B: Scope her Facebook feed: Twentyfour percent of Facebook-flirters used the social network to flirt with someone other than his or her partner. 3. Prepare your plan When you are getting ready to drop the bomb, make sure you do it in a private place, and on a day that's wide open. (It could take a while-and get a little messy.) Often when people are confronted with this topic, they automatically get scared, deny the accusations, and somehow turn the scenario around on you. That's why it's crucial to enter the conversation knowing
what you are going to say, and how to handle every rebuttal she will throw at you. 4. Choose your words wisely It's time to approach her. Stick to the following mantra: conversation, not confrontation. If you don't have any physical proof that she has cheated on you, there is a fair chance that your relationship just needs work. So if you flat out accuse her of being a bad person, you might never recover from that blow. Instead, start off by telling her you don't want to lose her, but explain that something seems up and it needs to be addressed. Rather than saying, "I think you have been hooking up with someone else," tell her it appears as if she's lost interest in the relationship, and ask her if there's someone else she would prefer spending her time with. Give her some space to talk, and allow her to respond. But once she is done, follow up with the examples that have lead you to suspect her straying in the first place. If she confirms your suspicions, it's time to let her go-with tact. www.naij.com
M
y boyfriend and I have been together roughly 19 months and we have a 9 month old little boy. Obviously the baby was not planned and we were not prepared. But we decided to try our best and have made it through a lot of hardships to try and build a good strong family for our son. My boyfriend is not from a traditional background and comes from divorced parents with lots of hardship. I come from a very traditional family, far from perfect, but very loving. When I got pregnant, my family assumed that I would be getting married. While I agreed with my family I also understood my boyfriend's desire to wait and get married out of love and not simply because of a baby. So I've been waiting out of respect for him. When both my brothers got engaged in the past couple months, it was hard on me to watch, but I really tried not to be a crazy lady and take it out on my boyfriend. The way we love each
other very much, and wish to continue our family together, I think it's not too much to start discussing marriage. He thinks that I'm being pushy and only doing it because of others expectations. He has no valid point. He just simply rejects the idea that we get married yet, he just says"not yet basically." I only brought the conversation up once and his reaction surprised me. I'm not looking for a ring, just an honest discussion and maybe an idea when he will be ready considering that I am. Please advise me on the next step to take because despite everything, I still love him. —Joy
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Learning With Augustine Aminu 07038749120 julius2001_a@yahoo.com
Book Review
Night Dancer Title: Author: Genre: Number of Pages: Publication Year: Publisher: ISBN:
Night Dancer Chika Unigwe Fiction 272 June 7, 2012 Jonathan Cape 978-0224093835
N
ight Dancer is a powerful and moving novel about the relationship between mothers and daughters, about the bonds of family, about knowing when to fulfil
your duty, and when you must be brave enough not to. Presenting a vista of Nigeria over the past halfcentury, it is a vibrant and heartfelt exploration of one woman's search for belonging.
Indefinite Cravings Title: Author: Genre: Publication Year: Publisher: ISBN:
Indefinite Cravings Paul T. Liam Poetry June, 2012 Leo Books Publishers, Minna 97-89785102826
P
o i g n a n t barrage of emotions and laments over a nation, society and individual ventures disordered by penury, injustice, greed, corruption and the consequent mess is the brunt in Indefinite Cravings. Here Paul T. Liam exposess o m e t i m e s p o n t i f i c a t e s , sometimes bewails-the
extent of our fallen values, thus craves, like every esurient fellow, endless lots, too many, indefinite. A freespoken and terrifying mesh of metaphors, absent in many doggerels paraded as poetry collections, especially by new and young poets, Indefinite Cravings is another remarkable debut from a dissenting voice of new Nigerian poetry.
The Playthings of War Author: Genre: Number of Pages: Publication Year: Publisher: ISBN:
T
Opeyemi Dedayo Drama 78 February 28, 2012 Inkdepth Publishers 978-978-5050-3-0
he Playthings of War is a verse drama that employs indiginous motifs to address contemporary issues. Personified, War declares, 'I am War!/ The omnipresent vagabond/I reap in the finale of a weak bond… He vowed to gain
dominance in the affairs of earthlings in one day. The playwright used this premonitory deadline to foster swift interplay of characters with rich poetic lines. The play's climax underscores war as fratricidal tragedy usually caused by trivial things.
Quick Fix for Common Blackberry Issues
T
he best word to describe your Blackberry is "efficient." From the feel of your Blackberry on your hand, you'd know that it is made from topof-the-line materials put together in a crisp professional design. It displays the finest graphics in a businesslike but user-friendly interface. Your Blackberry works as your handy virtual organizer. But no matter how pristine and efficient your Blackberry is, it is still a developing technology. Don't be disappointed. Here are some quick Blackberry repair tips to restore the efficiency of your Blackberry. When your Blackberry screen froze As you well know, this is one common symptom of an aging mobile phone. It could also be a potential inconspicuous damage. Instead of rushing for a professional Blackberry repair, try to remedy the situation through these two methods: 1 . Soft reset method involves pressing ALT + CAP + DELETE on your Blackberry. It aims to reboot your Blackberry so that the system can be refreshed. 2. Hard reset method involves triggering the RESET button of your Blackberry through a pin or paper clip end. The RESET button can be at the back, near the bottom or under the battery panel. The best part of these two methods is that you will not lose any data in the process. When your Blackberry is having backlight problems You'd know that there is a problem when the screen backlight flashes off sooner than expected. For a quick Blackberry repair, here's what you can do: 1 . Go to Options or
Preferences and select Screen/Keyboard. You can increase the time interval indicated on your Backlight Timeout setting to extend the backlight on your screen. 2. You can also download BBLight for free. This program provides you quick access to your backlight settings. When your Blackberry stops sending or receiving messages This failure can be attributed to the lack of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), due to damage in your Blackberry or your network's failure. To check, here's what you have to do: Perform a soft reset on your Blackberry phone. The issue may be caused by some latency on your phone's software. 1 . If it is still not working, try a hard reset. 2. Check your
wireless antenna signal strength afterwards. Your antenna should indicate it is in GPRS mode. 3. Now, try to make calls or send yourself an email message. If successful, then you can proceed with your tasks. 4. If otherwise, the problem may be related to your network provider. Call them up and check.
“
No matter how pristine and efficient your Blackberry is, it is still a developing technology.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8— SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 21
Healthy Living
Boy, 7, rushed to A&E with meningitis accused of wasting NHS time T
he little boy of Georgina Houghton, Colby, who is 7, developed a temperature, vomiting and was sensitive to light and so poorly he couldn't even get out of bed. With the GP surgery shut for the weekend, Georgina Houghton-Small rang NHS Direct, who said it could be meningitis and told her to take the child to hospital as fast as she could. Mercifully, Colby was diagnosed with a viral infection and sent home with antibiotics. But Mrs. Houghton-Small's relief turned to outrage a few days later when a letter arrived from the GP addressed to Colby admonishing him for going to A&E instead of the surgery. The practice said it had received a letter from the hospital about his visit, and continued: 'A&E is for life-threatening situations such as a heart attack or stroke and for the care of people who show the symptoms of serious illness or who are badly injured.' A furious Mrs. HoughtonSmall condemned the surgery yesterday, saying its attitude could put lives at risk. 'I was so angry that they would make us feel that we were wrong to seek medical advice over something like that,' said the 33-year-old mother of four. 'The letter said A&E is only for people with serious symptoms. How much more serious does it
need to be for a child of seven? 'This sort of thing needs to be stopped. It could put people off taking their children to hospital when they are seriously ill.' Colby developed a temperature at his home in Arlesey, Bedfordshire, on November 9. The next day he started vomiting. By the third day he was too lethargic to walk or stand and was highly sensitive to light. His parents tried giving him fluids and Calpol but eventually rang NHS Direct. Their local GP surgery was closed as it was the weekend. 'He always has the energy to get up and play, but he didn't get out of bed and all he wanted to do was sleep,' Mrs. HoughtonSmall said. 'We were really worried. If a kid is so ill they don't want to watch TV or play with their toys, you know something is wrong. 'NHS Direct said get him to A&E immediately and take another adult in case he takes a turn for the worse on the way so someone is free to call 999 as the other drives. That scared us even more.' She and her husband Gavin, 34, dashed over to Lister Hospital in Stevenage. Staff there said he had a viral infection and prescribed antibiotics. A GP visited Colby the next day, and
he soon recovered. But on November 17 the child received the admonishing letter from his surgery, the Arlesey Medical Centre. Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which is responsible for 55 GP practices, saying the surgery had not realised NHS Direct had
given any advice. A spokesman added: 'It's current practice for some GP surgeries to write to their patients advising them of the importance of using their A&E departments for emergencies only and to promote the use of their GP service or the local out-
of-hours GP service for nonemergencies. 'We very much regret if the letter caused distress but it was intended to help the family make the right choice about the service they need to ensure they receive the best possible health care in the future.'
How mother of 3 died after weight loss surgery By Jamila Nuhu Musa with agency report
A
mother-of-three has died after her stomach lining was punctured during weight loss surgery at a London Hospital. Tracey Korkmaz, 41, had hoped the operation at University College Hospital London would help her reduce her weight from 23 stone to 18 stone. But during the surgery, known as a keyhole sleeve gastrectomy, doctors failed to notice that her stomach was punctured, and she died 10 days later. Reports indicate that during the original keyhole procedure, the surgeons discovered that Mrs. Korkmaz's liver was enlarged. Her Lawyers later established that the surgery should have been abandoned or switched to a different type of operation, but instead the surgeons continued with the surgery leading to severe internal bleeding. "Mrs. Korkmaz then suffered internal bleeding and the operation had to be converted to open surgery". The report online said. After her condition deteriorated following the
surgery, doctors operated on her again to try and discover the cause of her feverish symptoms but could not find the leak. Unknown to them poisonous fluids had continued to seep into her body causing irreparable damage.
Tracey Korkmaz (pictured here eight years before her death)
Even after a third operation and repair of the leak her health continued to deteriorate and she died 10 days after the original surgery. The NHS reception worker left behind three children, her husband Yusuf, and a large family in Turkey. Her heartbroken mother, June Sillitoe, 69, said her daughter had thought long and hard about whether to go ahead with the surgery. 'But she wanted to be healthier for the kids and wanted to know that she would be around to see them reach adulthood and one day become a grandmother herself,' she explained. 'The gastric bypass was a last resort but sadly, because of the mistakes made, she was robbed of this.' Sillitoe, who now cares for Korkmaz's three children, Riah 16, Enes, 13, and Zeren, 7, added: 'Tracey's death has left a huge gap in our lives and we've struggled to come to terms with the fact she has gone.' Last month the family won a High Court battle when University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which agreed to pay a substantial undisclosed
settlement to Korkmaz's children. Sillitoe said: 'Tracey and the children lived with me in south west London before her death and we were a great team, with the children being our focus and priority. 'I have tried to keep that going now she has gone. Things will never be the same again and nothing will turn back the clock but Tracey's death cannot be in vain. 'The settlement for the children means they can now pursue their dreams, such as going to university and enjoying the hobbies they love. 'These are things that Tracey worked so hard to try and provide for them. It won't bring her back, but knowing they have financial security
to begin to move on with their lives provides some comfort.' The High Court judge praised Sillitoe for her devotion to caring for her grandchildren at the settlement approval hearing in London. Now, after winning her battle for justice, Tracy's mum called on the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to prove lessons have been learnt to prevent anymore 'needless' deaths. She said: 'We had so many questions about why Tracey died and while the inquest and admission of liability answered some of these, I want proof that the hospital trust has done something to make sure the mistakes made can never happen again.'
What you need to know about sleeve gastrectomy
A
sleeve gastrectomy reduces the size of the stomach by about 75 per cent. The stomach is divided vertically from top to bottom, making it banana-shaped.
Medical literature suggests the death rate from this procedure stands at 0.05 per cent. The risk of damage to internal organs is said to be 1 in 1000.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
With Aunty A'isha
Sights and sounds How much do know about the former world boxing champion Muhammad Ali?
A
merican boxer Cassius Marcellus Clay Junior was born on January 17, 1942 in Louisville, Kentucky. Better known as Muhammad Ali, he was perhaps the most celebrated sports figure in the world during most of the 1960s and '70s. His rise to fame may be due to a combination of situations; his role as a spokesman for and idol of blacks; his cheerful personality; his dramatic conversion to the Black Muslim religionand most importantly, his staying power as an athlete. Ali first came to world attention in 1960, when he won the Olympic light-heavyweight championship;he then won the controversial championship bout from Sonny Liston in 1964 to gain the heavyweight title. He produced a steady stream of headlines. The fight was questioned because Ali seemed to be quitting before the bout was over. After that he produced a steady stream of headlines. He then changed his name to Muhammad Ali. He was the first boxer to benefit from satellite television, making him all the more visible. Ali, however, proved to be a "fighting champion," accepting the challenges of every heavyweight with ranking credentials. He was stripped of his title in 1967 for refusing to join the Army during the Vietnam War. The government prosecuted him for draft dodging and the boxing commissions took away his license. He was idle for three and a half years at the peak of his career. In 1971 the Supreme Court ruled that the government had acted improperly and he was allowed to resume fighting. He won back the championship in 1974 in a fight with George Foreman. He lost the crown again in 1978 to Leon Spinks but regained it the same year, thus becoming the first man to win the title three times. Other than Joe Frazier (in 1971) and Spinks, the only boxers to defeat Ali, who had a 55-5 record, were Ken Norton (1973), who later lost to Ali; Larry Holmes (1980), who foiled Ali's try for a fourth heavyweight championship; and Trevor Berbick (1981), after which fight Ali retired. The Ali-Frazier fights rank among the greatest in fistic history. In later years, Ali developed Parkinson's disease, caused by blows to the head from boxing and he is still battling with the disease.
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rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.
SHOR T ST OR Y SHORT STOR ORY
Why cats kill rats By ElphinstoneDayrell
A
nsa was King of Calabar for fifty years. He had a very faithful cat as a housekeeper, and a rat was his houseboy. The king was an obstinate, headstrong man, but was very fond of the cat, who had been in his store for many years. The rat, whowas very poor, fell in love with one of the king's servant girls, but was unable to give her any presents, as he had no money. At last he thought of the king's store, so in the nighttime, being quite small, he had little difficulty, having made a hole in the roof, in getting into the store. He then stole corn and native pears, and presented them to his sweetheart. At the end of the month, when the cat had to render her account of the things in the store to the king, it was found that a lot of corn and native pears were missing. The king was very angry at this, and asked the cat for an explanation. The cat could
not account for the loss, until one of her friends told her that the rat had been stealing the corn and giving it to the girl. When the cat told the king, he called the girl before him and had her flogged. The rat he
handed over to the cat to deal with, and dismissed them both from his service. The cat was so angry at this that she killed and ate the rat, and ever since that time whenever a cat sees a rat she kills and eats it.
HIS AND HERS CORNER
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 22
With Aunty A'isha
rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.
AFRICAN TALES
MODEL OF THE WEEK
A new beginning
Fatima Aminu Jibril
ACTIVITIES
O
n opening the room he was taken aback! There was a noose hanging from the roof. A paper was also attached to it. Karim was desperate having lost all hope of money. He took the paper and began read, "this noose is meant for you but before hanging yourself, test the capability of the noose if it is strong enough for your weight or not." Karim decided, "I will start a new life instead of hanging myself to death." He came out of the room thinking of what he should do. He kept on thinking for some time. Suddenly he felt very hungry but there was nothing to eat in the house. He went to the market and sold his cap to buy some milk and bread to eat. He also felt thirsty. So he kept the milk and bread on a stone and went to a nearby well to drink water. When he returned, he saw a dog running away with his bread having spilt the milk. He
felt shocked to see this. Feeling too helpless to do anything he burst into tears. He was very hungry and had no money to buy food. So he thought, "Now there is no other way except asking friends for help." Despite, being very hungry, he walked towards his friends in the hope of getting food. He reached one of his friends and said, "Hello friend! I am starving. Give me some food. His friend said, "Karim, I am no longer your friend." Thereafter he went to another friend and asked for food,he also threw him out of his house. One by one he went to all his friends but none gave him food. Desperately, Karim returned home, he was in great despair and thought, "Now I should commit suicide by hanging. This is how I can get rid of my troubles." Thinking this,Karim pulled the rope of the noose to see whether it was strong enough to hold his weight. As he applied
force the rope broke up. With the breaking of the rope a bag fell on the ground. Karim picked up the bag and quickly opened it. He was surprised to see that the bag was full of gold coins. There was also a slip in the bag which read, "Do not finish your life,start a fresh life with this money but first, you have to change your habits." Karim said to himself, "This time I promise that I will leave all bad company since all my friends have cheated me. Had I followed your advice earlier I would have been very rich today." Karim started his business afresh with the help of the wealth found in the blog. Soon his business flourished. He started earning a lot of money. His selfish friends came to meet him on knowing about his prosperity but Karim refused to entertain them. Now he had come to know the difference between right and wrong.
Using any colour of your choice, paint the image of the girl below. Can you describe what she is doing? Write it down and show to your teacher for correction. Cheers!
CREA TIVITY CREATIVITY
Making a sand flower vase
H
a v e you ever seen an empty glass bottle lying in one corner of the kitchen or store room? It makes you feel like giving it a new life. Make it a flower vase and then see it take its place proudly in the house as a precious object. What you need: An empty glass bottle Sand or pebbles Glue
Poster colours Brushes What to do: Your pebbly or sandy flower vase is ready for use. What's more, it looks like a great piece of sculpture, reminding you of pebbled paths in the garden outside or near a beach. What was trash just a while ago has been converted into a beautiful, artistic object with a great use as well.
Stick the pebbles on the bottle with glue or cover the entire surface with sand, depending on the kind of look and feel you want. Let it dry.
Now paint the entire surface with attractive colours and allow them to dry.
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Kannywood
PAGE 25
Nollywood
Entertainment
Elebuwa’s death: Nigerian Lack of proper equipments our Enebeli Film Corporation expresses shock major problem —Lawal Idris T Lawal Idris is an actor, editor and also one of the leaders of the Kannywood industry in Abuja. In this interview with Nasiru Mu'azu Isa, he shares his vision on the future of the industry in Abuja.
Lawal Idris
H
o w long have you been in the Kannywood industry? I have been in the industry for almost 6yrs. What attracted you to the industry? From childhood I have had interest in the industry. You know acting is an imitation of life and I have always been interested in imitating people, so naturally I ended up with my love for the industry. Another reason for going into the Kannywood industry is to become known, I like being popular and Kannywood can give me that. Did you study acting in school? Not really but in my secondary school days I studied drama because we had a teacher who taught it. When you decided to join the industry did you face any problems from your family members? When I joined, I started with Waziri movies I did not tell my father but after that I informed him of what I was doing and he gave his blessing. It is something
I'm very proud of because I sat down and explained what I will be doing in detail and he approved. How many films have you featured in so far? Not many because I am usually behind the camera being an assistant director or editing. So far all the movies I have featured are not out yet out but I was in "Caran Zakara". I am also deeply engaged in policy decisions on how to move the industry forward. I have heard peopling referring to you as Chairman, are you the chairman of a local government or what? I am the chairman of a film company called Waziri movies and also the chairman of a new association we are about to start. How many movies have you produced under Waziri movies? Under Waziri movies we have three films out but only one has been out recently which is "Yan Uwan Juna". What about the association? We realized that the industry here in Abuja is a little on its own,
you hardly find Abuja artist participating in movies produced here in Abuja. Most of the produced movies that you see Abuja artists are usually films done by Abuja producers but they are usually never part of outside productions even though the movies are shot in Abuja. That is one of the reasons for creating Movie Stars Association Abuja so that it will ensure the participation of all actors in productions. So are you saying that producers who shoot movies in Abuja bring their actors with them? Yes, almost all the movies shot in Abuja come with their actors rather than using the actors based here. Producers from Kano, Kaduna and other places usually come with their cast already chosen. As the chairman of this association, how are you going to ensure the full integration and participation of all actors and actresses either based in Abuja or not in productions taking place in Abuja? It is one of the major reasons for creating this association to give actors and actresses an opportunity of participating in productions taking place in Abuja. We want to see a situation where all productions taking place in Abuja we are informed and also we should be the providers of all technical and production services for any producer who wants to shoot in Abuja. We are planning on ensuring that all the technical and production needs for the shooting of a film are provided by us. This includes actors, crew members and of course technical equipments. But this requirement is not a must I suppose? Actually we are saying it is a must for anyone outside Abuja to engage us because the association is going to be all encompassing. It will not be just industry members who reside in Abuja but everyone who practices the profession in the north. Though we are based in Abuja, it is going to be open to everyone. Since you are saying being part of the Movie Stars Association Abuja is going to be mandatory, what are you offering to film producers to make this mandatory membership acceptable to them? What we will be offering is the necessary things you need to produce a movie from equipments, cast and crew. It will save the producers the hassle of transporting all that they need for their production and also will reduce the cost of production because they will be able to find
all they need here. So is the registration of this association complete and when should we expect to see it going to work? Well we are almost done with the registration; we just have a few things left to do. As for when we are going to start work, we will start as soon as registration finishes. As an association how would you be able to proffer solutions to the myriad of problems bedeviling the Kannywood industry such as lack of good locations, props and equipments? What we plan is to provide a one stop shop for all film makers. We want a situation where all a film maker needs to bring with him is his or her clothes, but everything else we will take care of for them. And this will also include script writers and location scouting. How do you intend to improve the prestige and quality of Kannywood movies and also film practitioners in the industry to be able to reach or surpass the Nollywood industry? You will realize that in everything one does there is need to use the proper tools in achieving a particular goal and it's the same in our industry. First and foremost is the need to get the right equipments for our people. In some instances you see producers shooting films on camcorders, which invariably will not give you the quality you want, as such, we want to ensure that every producer should have access to good quality equipments to work with. Is the registration into this association open to all or is it just industry practioners? No, it will be open to all; you don't have to be a film maker. As long as you have the passion, interest and willingness to be part and also contribute to the development of the Kannywood industry. You don't need to be in front or behind the camera, we believe that anyone who joins us will have some interest and will be able to contribute in one way or the other, so everyone is invited. What is your advice to your fans and colleagues in the industry? I want to beg them to be patient with us. We know that there is need to improve our work to be able to give them the quality of films they deserve. As for industry practioners, I'd like to call on them to come together and for a strong body that will be able to project their vision and also ensure that the standards in the industry a set in place and maintained.
h e Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) has reacted to the death of another Nollywood veteran Enebeli Elebuwa who passed on Tuesday, this week in India. Describing the death as shocking, unfortunate and a great loss to the Nigerian Motion Picture Industry and the Nation, Mr. Afolabi Adesanya, NFC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive said the passing away of Elebuwa, an actor he was privileged to have worked with was equally a personal loss. The Film Industry, Adesanya further said was indeed stricken by
the death of Elebuwa who he averred, like others, was a toast to many film enthusiasts. Adesanya, in the statement, commiserated with the Elebuwa’s family over the loss and prayed that Almighty God will give the family the fortitude to bear his irreparable loss. He equally paid tribute to the veteran actor Pete Eneh who also passed away recently, saying that their contributions to the development of the Nigerian motion industry are immeasurable. “They have written their names in gold.” The NFC, the statement added,
What's wrong with Nigerian comedian AY?
I
s AY on a sole mission to bring the soaring Nigerian comedy industry to disrepute? What's with his new sissy idea of going around begging and apologizing to everyone who felt offended by his jokes. AY, there's no way you can be a force to reckon with in the comic industry and not offend people with your work. Almost every jokes told on stage are about somebody. It started when the comedian wrote what seemed like a whole book on Facebook apologizing to the top notches at Kennis music for making fun of them. While some of the fans who read the very long, boring and tiring speech thought the comedian was being nice and humble, professional comedians found the speech belittling and dangerous to their trade. Now, AY towed the disgraceful path again by apologizing to
controversial actress cum musician Tonto Dikeh, for making fun of her song. First, why is Tonto so sensitive about her songs? If she doesn't have confidence in them she should quickly withdraw them from the public domain. She put them out there and so should take whatever criticisms they generate. And back to AY, if he wants to abandon comedy and take up apologizing as a profession, he's very welcome. So here is the list of people to apologize to. Let him start with all the politicians he has poked fun at while on stage, then D' Banj and the entire Mo Hit crew, J Martins, all the prophets in Nigeria. When he's done with them, he can now apologize to every Nigerian, and in fact, to everyone in the world, because it seems he has made jokes about everyone and everything in the universe.
had assisted, and followed the great struggle by Enebeli Elebuwa to regain his health, until his untimely death. He will be remembered for the enviable and impactful roles he played in the several movie titles (celluloid and video) dating back to the seventies. They include; Oba Sanya Dosunmu’s ‘Dinner with the Devil’, ‘Queen of Hasso Rock’, ‘The Corridors of Power’, ‘Extra Time’, ‘True Love’, ‘Dons in Abuja’, ‘Bumper to Bumper’ and Domitilla. Others are ‘Together as One’, ‘Separate Live’, ‘Expensive Game’, ‘Family Circle’ and more
How I tricked Omotola, Genevieve into acting together In "IJE" —Chineze Anyaene
U
Late Enebeli Elebuwa
Controversies Trail Sikirat Sidondo's Islamic Title
E
v e r since star actress, Tayo 'Sikirat Sindodo' Odueke has been announced to be recipient of an Islamic title, controversies have trailed the incident. The reason is that Tayo who is generally believed to be 'bad girl' of Nollywood cannot be honored with such a highly Islamic title. Though, the title has not been disclosed to us in as much as the position has not been made public by the organizing committee of the coronation at the mosque where she worships at Surulere, Lagos. Therefore, other side of the story has it that the actress has been bombarded with lots of attacks, that the actress that always dresses abnormally is being penciled down for an Islamic title. To some Islamic scholars, they reacted that the act is very ridiculous while some people don't really bother about the act. But the actress has told who cares to listen that nobody should mix her personality with Islam. Aside the fact that she acts, she is also very religious with Islam. Hear her, "It is unfortunate that people are mixing my personality with Islam. I serve my God when it is necessary. It is unfair for people to start judging me. I won't discredit Islam with my job."
n l i k e the popular saying that 'when two elephants fight, the grass suffers', the case is not the same with the two elephants in the contemporary Nigerian film industry called Nollywood; Omotola Jalade Ekeinde and Genevieve Nnaji as there seems to be no grass that suffers as a result of the rivalry. Though, there have really not been an open confrontation between these two talented and Africa's queens of the movie world, but it is clear that there is an unwritten rivalry between them mainly brought about by their respective fans. What makes their rivalry healthy unlike the rivalry witnessed among Fuji musicians in Nigeria is that their fans may have had a better understanding that it is better to keep the rivalry healthy rather than brutal like the Fuji fans. Interestingly, both have acted in more movies as sisters than any other rivals in Nollywood. So, when both acted again as sisters in "Ije", a movie by Chineze Anyaene, which was her project work at the film school, many wondered how Chineze convinced the two screen divas in acting together again as sisters in the film. Revealing how she achieved the feat,
"When I was even thinking of approaching them, a lot of people discouraged me saying the pair don't talk but I went ahead to 'chase' them for months. "When I called Omotola, she asked who the other actress was, I said Genevieve and when I called Genevieve she asked who the other actress was, I said Omotola (laughs) and she was like, 'has she agreed?' I said yes and Omotola asked me too if Genevieve had agreed, I said yes meanwhile they hadn't even agreed (laughs) but I had to use that trick to be able to get them together in the film," the Masters degree holder in Filmmaking from the New York Film Academy (NYFA) disclosed. On how both got together on set and her experience with them, Chineze revealed, "It was a wonderful experience working with these two stars, they knew I was a student at the New York Film Academy at that time." "So, when the production started on the first day, they didn't take part but they observed the session. When their turn came, they were very professional all the way, it was pleasant scenery all through." Ije was finally released on DVD on Monday, December 3, 2012. The film hass sold over N60 million at the cinemas.
5 hottest young Nigerian musicians Wizkid Call him the "small boy wonder", Wizkid is undoubtedly one of Africa's most promising acts for the future. He's got everything that should aid a smooth transition to the top. A fine singer who's got Africa dancing to his music, Wizkid has, since his arrival on the Nigerian music scene, given African music a whole new meaning and twist. With several awards and nominations from both local and international schemes to his credit, the "Don't dull", "Tease me", "Pakurumo"and "Holla at your boy"
singer is the "kid" to watch. Asa One of Africa's most well-known artists, Asa makes singing look effortless. Her global hit song "Jailer" is a testament to the depth of talent she wields. Constantly making a case for Nigerian musicians, Asa combines absolute skill, and a flawless command of her act, to produce hits one after another. The 30-year-old World Music singer, born in Paris and raised in Lagos, is inspired by the sounds of Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob
Marley, Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey. The 2011 Best Female Act at the French Music Awards is without doubt, one of the finest singers the world of music has ever produced. Her 2010 effort "Beautiful Imperfection" was a big success that followed the now-famed 2007 debut, which also saw her at her utmost best fusing pop, R&B, funk, soul and reggae, an end product that wowed the world. M.I He is without doubt, the greatest Nigerian rapper alive. He
commands an enormous respect not just among his many Nigerian fans but even within industry circles. M.I's delivery skill and unique punch lines over the years have endeared him to an almost cult-like following. Recognitions from MTV, BET, and other international mediums have also helped boost his career, which has been on an upward trajectory since he entered the scene. He holds the unofficial title of "African Rapper No.1", the same title as one of his all-time hit songs.
D'Banj D'Banj is one of Nigeria's best music heads. He has a global following that can't stop dancing to his hits including the very latest "Oliver Twist". He's been reviewed and featured on almost every important medium, and he is without doubt, the hottest Nigerian act at the moment. A signee to Kanye West's GOOD Music label, D'Banj is in many aspects, an idol and a gift to the Nigerian music industry. He is winner of several music
Wizkid
Asa
M.I
D'Banj
Tiwa Savage
awards including Best African Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007, Artist of the Year at the 2009 MTV Africa Music Awards, and 2011 BET Awards for Best International Act; Africa. Tiwa Savage A Grammy Award nominee, and once background singer for George Michael, she's your typical singer of substance. After years of vocal-backing for other top musicians such as Mary J. Blige, Chaka Khan, Blu Cantrell, Emma Bunton from The Spice Girls, Kelly Clarkson, Andreas Bocelli, and Ms Dynamite among others, Tiwa Savage finally made an entry onto the Nigerian music scene in 2010. Almost immediately, her "Kele Kele Love" single became a hit, recording enormous success across Nigeria and parts of Africa. An amazing songwriter, Savage has also written songs for the likes of Babyface, Kat Deluna, Fantasia Barrino, Monica and Mya. In 2009, she signed as a singer/songwriter with SONY/ATV a deal that did a lot of good to her credibility as a fine material. She is currently signed to Mavin Records, owned by Nigerian producer Don Jazzy.
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9 DECEMBER, 2012
Hollywood/Bollywood Angelina Jolie: I'm going to "Give up Acting" for My Family I
s Angelina Jolie headed for an early retirement? Maybe, according to a new interview the 37-yearold star did with Britain's Channel 4 News. Asked about her plans for the future, the Oscar-winning actress revealed that she would likely put the brakes on her movie career in the not-too-distant future to focus on taking care of her family. (Jolie and fiance Brad Pitt have six children: Maddox, 11, Pax, 9, Zahara, 7, Shiloh, 6, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 4.) "I think I'm going to have to give up acting as the kids hit the teenage years," the Maleficent star said, explaining that there would be "too much to manage at home." "I've enjoyed being an actress," she continued. "And I am so grateful to the job. I've
had great experiences, and I have even been able to tell stories and be a part of stories that mattered...It's a really lucky profession to be a part of. But if it went away tomorrow, I would be very happy to be home with my children." The former UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador -recently appointed UNHCR Special Envoy -- added that she hoped to devote more time to her humanitarian work. "I wake up in the morning as a mum, and I turn on the news like everybody else, and I see what's happening, and I want to be part of the world in a positive way," she said, noting that her philanthropic efforts had become a much bigger part of her life ever since she adopted son Maddox in 2002. Jolie is not alone in her
desire to explore other avenues. Last year, her longtime love also hinted at retirement, telling Australia's 60 Minutes that he might want to stop acting within three years. "I wasn't actually putting an exact deadline on my expiration date, but I see it coming," Pitt clarified later at a Moneyball press conference in November 2011. "I just have other interests."
Angelina Jolie
Damon Wayans Jr. on Following in His Dad's Footsteps: 'That Screen Was Just Calling Me'
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onsidering he comes from a line of entertainers, it might seem like Damon Wayans Jr.'s decision to get into show business was an obvious one. But the actor tells omg! that he initially had other plans. "I wanted to be an animator originally. I went to art school, I went to art college and everything," Wayans shares in the interview. "But that screen was just calling me." The 30-year-old, who's the son of Damon Wayans and nephew of Keenan Ivory, Marlon, and Shawn Wayans (all comedic actors), got a taste of the world of acting early on, starring in his dad's film "Blankman" back in 1994, and appearing on his sitcom "My Wife and Kids." Since then, he's truly followed in his famous family's footsteps, and now stars in the ensemble sitcom "Happy Endings," in which he plays a
metrosexual unemployed businessman named Brad, sidekick to his competitive perfectionist wife Jane (played by Eliza Coupe). If playing a comical role looks like it comes easy for Wayans, well, it all goes back to some important advice his dad gave him about the business of entertaining others. "He just said work really hard. Funny is simple, funny isn't rocket science, so just don't worry yourself," explains
Wayans Jr
Wayans. "Just have fun and enjoy the ride. That's what I'm doing." When he's not busy being funny on his ABC show, Wayans has been trying to spread the word about recycling and celebrated America Recycles Day last month with Bud Light, which has been touring the country with a 21-foot football goal post made entirely out of recycled cans. "They set it up at different tailgating parties outside of games and they have fans kick the ball in the spirit of recycling," he explains. "It's a really fun way to have recycling in the front of your mind and think about how we can step it up even more." As for why recycling is so important to Wayans, well, that's kind of in his blood, too. "My name is recycled if you really think about it," he jokes. "I was born to recycle."
Eddie Murphy Is the Most Overpaid Actor In Hollywood
P
oor Eddie Murphy desperately needs a comeback. Remember back in the day when he was so funny on "Saturday Night
Murphy
Live" and in movies like "Trading Places" and "Beverly Hills Cop"? His voice work has helped make movies like "Shrek" and "Mulan" tolerable for adults, and even his family-friendly movies, like "Norbit" and "Dr. Dolittle," were good for some chuckles. But lately, Murphy's career has just collapsed. "Imagine That," "A Thousand Words" and "Meet Dave" were colossal flops. Last year's "Tower Heist," which was supposed to be something of a return to form for the comedian, failed to wow at the box office, earning $153
million on an estimated budget of $75 million. (In order to even come close to turning a profit, a movie has to earn twice its production budget in ticket sales, plus the millions spent on marketing.) Murphy then backed out of hosting the Oscars, which didn't help his reputation. His string of flops lands Murphy at the top of our Most Overpaid Actors list for 2012. We estimate that for every $1 Murphy was paid for his last three films, they returned an average of $2.30 at the box office.
Film stars shined in the Moroccan Film Festival
Malaika Arora Khan
Hrithik Roshan
Sharmila Tagore
The Marrakech International Film Festival has been celebrating its 12th year. This is a film festival that is held every year in the city of Morocco. This year the film festival decided to pay homage to a prominent branch of cinema- the Indian cinema. The focus has been on celebrating the 100 years achieved by our Indian pictures. The festival had been inundated with actors from the Hindi film fraternity. Film stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Sharmila Tagore, Amitabh Bahchan, Hrithik Roshan with wife Sussanne Roshan, Tabu and Sridevi graced the event. Among others who represented Bollywood were Malaika Arora Khan, Arjun Rampal with wife Mehr, and Anurag Kashyap with his wife, actress Kalki Koechlin. Sharmila Tagore who has been appointed as one of the jury members this
year declared this festival open. Malaika Arora Khan revved up the opening ceremony by performing to her successful numbers such as "Chaiyya Chaiyya", but not to forget the cult-hit "Munni Badnaam". Amitabh Bachchan was handed over the lifetime achievement award by the famous French actress Catherine Deneuve. On the occasion of the opening ceremony Hrithik Roshan fitted in some thoughtful words about the legendary actor. He said, "When I was 13 or 14 years old, my friends and I had this little camera on which we would film various things. I would enact Mr. Bachchan's lines and try and find that place in myself that could reflect this man's greatness. I never did. I hope one day I achieve half of the greatness of this man, who continues to inspire and encourage." Amitabh Bachchan too re-joined saying that
Hrithik Roshan was always a part of Abhishek Bachchan's birthday parties. He added that he had not anticipated then that he would become such a huge superstar that he is today but definitely showed glimpses of talent. He stated "This guy used to win all competitions. We didn't know what was going to happen in the future. I have lovely memories of Hrithik in the house." Amitabh Bachchan's film "The Indian family" was also screened at this festival. Shah Rukh Khan too was honored with a memento for his contribution to films by the Prince of Morocco, Moulay Rachid. He was later seen conversing animatedly with the popular Italian actor Monica Belluci during a stately dinner. This film festival will go on for nine long days and will close on the 8th of December.
Something special cooking between Salman, Priyanka! Something definitely has been brewing between two most popular stars of B-town who are namely, Priyanka Chopra and Salman Khan. A leading newspaper had recently published some exclusive photographs of Salman and Priyanka that were clicked below Salman's house. This was done to prove the new blooming friendship between the two. Both the stars slammed it as intrusion of privacy and also stated it as a cheap way of furthering the popularity of the newspaper. However, now things seem to be different as both Salman and Priyanka seem to be quiet open about their equation. The two stars flew off to Dubai to perform there recently
Salman and Priyanka!
and the two were lodged at the same hotel. It all started with a press conference that was attended by both. Towards the conclusion of the conference the two were seen toying. Salman was noticed sketching his patent human face on a piece of paper whereas PC was seen doodling on the same. Backstage as well their friendly and warm vibes were palpable. Salman announced to the media backstage in a humorous manner, "I didn't choose Priyanka or the others to perform with me. They (pointing to PeeCee and Zarine Khan, Sophie Choudry) chose me,". He added, "I am Priyanka's favourite co-star of late." Priyanka too did not want to miss this opportunity to reaffirm the thought saying
"Yup!". To this we wonder what Priyanka's current stand is on her 'good friend' Shah Rukh Khan who sometime back had been her favourite co-actor. Things seem to have taken a turn and the actress is mum on the issue that happened in the past. Guess she has moved on from all the rumours surrounding them and wants to grow her friendship with the most popular star of late. It is now also being speculated that Salman has referred Priyanka's name for a film. A source who was travelling with these stars, said that all the actors were hidden in Salman's suite all afternoon. Sohail Khan and Priyanka's manager too had been there. The source revealed, "There was a series of meeting. And they did not emerge till late for their rehearsals." It is being rumoured that Salman has been planning a multi-starrer for quiet sometime and thus they were discussing matter on the film. It has also been mentioned that, Salman even made a conference call to a friend stationed in Mumbai to discuss about this project. His conversation with the friend ended on this note: "Chal abhi woh picture banate hain."
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8— SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Homes
Get the best mood lighting with bedside lamps T able lamps provide a cosy atmosphere and mood lighting in a room. As functional pieces they can easily be moved around as needed and shifted to instantly create a new 'room style' without having to completely redecorate your space. The location of a table lamp in a room can immediately change its effect.
Positioning a table lamp against a mirror gives a room depth through light and shadow, while a taller lamp on a low side table has a quirky effect, making a decorative piece. Floor lamps are fantastic for both lighting and decoration in a room. A floor lamp is capable of making a dead space come alive as a functional reading
lamp and an intriguing sculpture piece. More than this, a floor lamp also provides warmth. To choose the perfect lamp, focus on the materials you have in your home and choose something unique like glass, chrome or timber for the base that perfectly matches your decor. From there, choose a shade that balances out the base and brings life to the room through a warm glow. You will definitely end up with a functional reading light and an art piece to complete your room. When choosing a stand, try to find something unique that complements your style. Antique stores are a great place to start for a base with real character. For a truly individualised stand, converting household objects is a fantastic alternative. Almost anything can be made into a base - like a vase even a watering can - So get creative! If you already have a base, it can be dressed up with a vibrant shade. Meanwhile, bedside lamps should be practical as well as decorative, think about how you use your bedside table; tall lamp for high ceiling rooms or to maximise table space perhaps a small light. You can expand your creative skills by using a slender floor lamp placed between the bed and table to free up table space and provide excellent reading light because the lamp base design is very simple and it allows the lampshade to stand on its own.
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Cuisine
Chicken potato soup to whet your appetite T hese light and appetizing meals may just be what you need to have a lovely day this weekend. With a little break from the usual stuff like pounded yam and rice, which are rich in carbohydrate, these meals rich in protein will keep you feeling on the lighter side and above all, so very healthy. Savour….. Ingredients: One whole chicken, potatoes, one large cucumber, carrots, Green pepper, onions, fresh pepper (attarugu), curry & thyme, salt and seasoning and a piece of fresh ginger. Method: Cut & wash chicken, put on fire, add some seasoning, salt and fresh ginger. Peel and cut potatoes, wash and add to the cooking. Chop onions, carrots, cucumber and keep aside. When the chicken and potatoes are almost done, add the chopped vegetables, and the remaining seasonings like curry and thyme. Cover to simmer for few minutes and then serve.
Pots & Pans
With Hajiya Ramatu Usman Dorayi
Groundnut pap (Kunun gyada) Kunun gyada is best taken with beans cake [akara or kosai] Ingredients: Three tins of groundnut paste, raw pap, 2 table spoons of white rice, 1tin of sugar, one large lemon and enough water, preferably 3-4litres. Method: 1 . Soak groundnuts in water for 1 hour, wash and remove the skin. 2. Blend by adding water until smooth. Sieve and put in a pot Wash the 2 table spoon of rice and add, cook for 1hr: 30min. Remove from fire, mix pap with little water and pour in the boiled groundnut paste, squeeze in your lemon, add sugar and stir, serve hot with beans cake.
Easy potato soup Ingredients: Potatoes Onion Salt Pepper Milk Butter Method: Peel and dice potatoes, dice onion then boil potatoes and onion until potatoes are fork tender. Drain half of water and replace with milk. Add some butter, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until hot then it’s done. Serve as soup.
Kunun gyada is best taken with beans cake [akara or kosai]
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9 DECEMBER, 2012
Womanhood
How to build confidence in a child S
e l f -Confidence is important to enable the young ones achieve success later in life. Children are sensitive and need encouragement to learn. They need the support from parents and adults to grow up well balanced. Confidence in children comes from positive support in adults. It is important that children develop a positive image of their own. A positive image means that they are self confident; they know their own limits and trust their own abilities. People who have a positive image enjoy their lives and can handle themselves in tough situations. So, it is the same situation for children; in order to build self-confidence, parents need to bring out confidence in their children. This feeling is not congenital. It's created in the child's environment. Verbal and non verbal cues are important to impart a message of confidence. Confidence from adults gives the child the ability to handle new challenges and activities. Accept children for who they are. Whatever the child does right, we should encourage them, compliment them and be specific. For example, don't say "You are a good kid", just say "I like the way you cleaned your room, you have good organizational skills". If a child does something inappropriate, then we have to correct them (without yelling at them). They need to know that without making mistakes, there can be no wisdom.3 Children learn a lot more by trying for themselves though it will take longer and probably get messier. Patience and confidence can do a lot. Give children the time and space to try something new and learn from their mistakes. Provide them with help, if they need it. Be proud of them, whether or not they succeed. Children with selfconfidence are not frightened by new experiences or learning situations. Allowing children to complete puzzles or projects on their own (you will help if they ask) will build their confidence. Act as a role model. Children learn the most from your behavior. They are good at invariably imitating adult behavior, good or bad. They want to be adults themselves. If they see you cussing, they will cuss. If they see you praying, they will pray. If they see you helping others, they will try to help. Abused children will become child abusers. Building confidence in children will help them achieve success as adults. www.wikihow.com
Let child feel close
Child can be in control too
Give child a sense of belonging
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9 DECEMBER, 2012
Archives
Do you have old pictures for memories? Send them to julius2001_a@yahoo.com
William H. Herbert, teaches a class in motor mechanics at the Kano Government Trade Center in 1959. The center, opened in January 1954, was intended to help meet the severe shortage of trained artisans in the North. In the picture, Herbert holds a generator. The demonstration chassis around which the class is grouped is an Austin K2.
Pre-independence Kaduna... "Building at left with white facade is an assembly hall, for state dinners and official gatherings. The building at right with red facade is the house in which the premier will live. A third building was to be built on the far side of the assembly hall."
Barack and Michelle, Ca.1992
A snake charmer in front of US consulate, Lagos in the 50s. In present day Nigeria, a snake-charmer cannot get close to the US Embassy
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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Leisure WORD SEARCH
PICTURE OF THE DAY
With Augustine Aminu
A Real Lagos Child
Find the words about airplane parts, listed below, in the word search grid. Circle each letter one by one. Each letter of the airplane word search grid may be used in more than one word.
Airplane Parts Word Search Puzzle T
H E
F
U S
E
C O N T R O L O H E
B I
C S
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K S
E
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I
C K U E
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C N T I
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O E
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D A N N F
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A G E F
G A B O O N W S
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N S
G C L P
A G C A O C T E S
G N F
R O T A V E
L E
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W O A T N D A T H T R E E R E L
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O V J
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A R G T O L R U D D E
R O A
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AILERON COCKPIT CONTROL STICK ELEVATOR FLAPS FUSELAGE GAUGES JET ENGINE LANDING GEAR NOSE PROPELLER RUDDER SLATS SPOILER STABILIZERS TAIL THROTTLE TURBINE ENGINE VERTICAL FIN WINGS
Many hands in a small bowl
QUOTES The work of Nigeria is not complete for as long as there is any one Nigerian who goes to bed on empty stomach. —Ibrahim Babangida Let me make a solemn pledge before all of you, before the whole world and before God, that I will devote all my energy and all I possess in my power to serve the people of Nigeria and humanity. —Olusegun Obasanjo Nigeria has had a complicated colonial history. My work has examined that part of our story extensively. —Chinua Achebe Nigeria has no business with poverty. With our human and material resources, we shall strive to eradicate poverty from our country. —Olusegun Obasanjo
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Proverbs and wise sayings 1. It is an unthinking man who achieves prosperity, and then finds with time, that his body can no longer pass through the door. 2. When an only kolanut is presented with love, it carries with it more value than might otherwise be associated with a whole pod of several kolanuts. 3. The man who remembers others, remembers also his creator. 4. The bird that remembers its flockmates, never misses its way. 5. When a dying man cries, it is not because of where he is going which he knows nothing about, but because of what he wishes he would have done in the world but is leaving behind. 6. The head could not have got to where it is now if it did not give.
JOKES Johnny Just Come A man went on a visit to Lagos. After some days, he decided to take a walk around the streets for sights seeing. When he reached a place where there were skyscrapers, he stood still, overwhelmed by what he saw. Meanwhile, an Ajegunle area boy who had been observing the man approached him and threatened him, saying looking at a building in Lagos costs N500 only. He then asked the man how many buildings he had viewed. The man replied, "I only looked at three buildings". The area boy forced him to pay N1500. After he left, the man chuckled...."Look at that fool, he didn't know I looked at 25 buildings today."
CARTOON
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F
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Sensational lace dress:
You don't have to be a celebrity Compiled by Jamila Nuhu Musa
H
o w fantastic do the likes of Kylie Minogue, Milla Jovovich and Cheryl Cole look in these stunning dresses? As always with celebrity fashion there is a downside, that usually being the price tag. Don't worry girls; you can still copy their style even if you are not a celebrity. The lace trend never dies and there are more ways than ever to wear your lace dress. Whether your style is demure or edgy rock chic, there are many different styles of lace dresses available. They range from casual shifts to glamorous gowns. Here are a few tips on how to turn out your best in lace dresses. Coloured Lace Stray from black and white lace dresses and head for bright reds and pinks. As coloured lace makes quite a statement, team these dresses with neutral accessories. A red lace dress would make an excellent party dress any day. Casual wear When thinking about how to wear lace dresses, look to the quality of the fabric. Lower quality lace is better for carrying off casual, day-to-day looks. Heavier lace fabrics are also better for creating that casual appearance. Choose a shorter length lace dress in neutral colours. Top it off with tan leather accessories for a fun, casual look.
Evening wear Better quality lace is more suited for evening wear and special occasions. Longer length dresses and gowns are quite elegant. Black lace is quite dramatic, but be bold enough to try white or cream lace. If you are worried about white lace being a bit too bridal, team it with colourful accessories or add some colourful trims. Heavy lace These types of lace are better for keeping structure and creating a defined silhouette. Think shift dresses and fullskirted tea dresses as they are much easier to style when it comes to how to wear lace dresses. Sturdier lace fabrics with wider nets and more unique patterns are what you should be looking out for this season. Metallic lace Vintage-type lace is all well and good, but if you want something a little more contemporary you can't go past metallic lace. The metallic lace dress is perfect for a party occasion. For a fun evening look, team a metallic lace dress in a flirty shift style with some patent accessories and metallic jewellery. Hopefully these tips on how to wear lace dresses will avail you some confidence about the fabric. Whether it is a staple part of your wardrobe or for special occasions only, lace is an elegant and on-trend choice of fabric.
Triangular trim lace long sleeve with fabulous flared cuff- Emuli Pucci lace one shoulder dress
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8— SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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Business L-R: Minister of State for Power, Hajia Zainab Kuchi, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Egbin Power Plc, Lagos, Dr. Michael Uzoigwe, and permanent secretary, Dr. Dere Awosika, at the signing of performance agreements with Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Power Generation and Transition Companies in Abuja, on Friday. Photo: Mahmud Isa
NEF plans international agri- business forum in 2013 By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem
A
s part of its determination to assist government in diversifying the economy and creating the enabling environment for youth employment, the Nigerian Entrepreneurs Forum (NEF) is planning and international agribusiness forum to be held in Port Harcourt, Rivers state by the middle of next year. NEF president, Dr Sidney Inegbedion who spoke at the unveiling of the group’s secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday, said that urgent steps have to be taken by all stakeholders considering the fact
that about 49 million Nigerians are presently jobless while out of about 6 million graduates our universities churn out every year, barely a million of them get something to do. The NEF boss added that the forum would attract global investors and local producers as well as other key stakeholders in agricultural business from all over the world. According to him, his group has keyed into the Agricultural Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government aimed at turning agriculture into a proper and more lucrative business. Thanking the Ministry of Trade and Investment for
providing the secretariat and other logistic needs of the forum, Inegbedion disclosed that his group which started in 2010, has been growing in leaps and bounds with present membership strength of 450 as well as growing branches across the country. He noted that with the country’s present growth rate, it will become the 6th most populous country on earth by the year 2020, urging government and stakeholders to get prepared to take care of the huge population. “The foundation of any successful nation is the people and their entrepreneural spirit. We started this forum with that
NEXIM recovers N1.3bn debt, inaugurates debt recovery dept By Augustine Aminu
T
he NEXIM Bank has recovered N1.3 billion, and henceforth created a Remedial Management Department to intensify the bank’s debt recovery drive. Nexim’s chief executive Mr. Roberts Orya stated this weekend during a briefing on the bank’s performance in the past three years. He said a robust Enterprise Risk Management
Framework for the bank has been designed. He added that in line with Mr. President’s transformation agenda, NEXIM bank has been repositioned to enhance the export of non-oil sectors of the economy. He said the bank has spent N23.33b to support Nigerian exporters majorly the small and medium enterprises with some engaged in Greenfield projects. He also disclosed that the bank issued guarantees
valued at $27.3m between 2009 and August 2012. Mr. Orya said the major areas of concentration are in manufacturing, agro-processing, solid minerals and services. Orya said financial innovations by the bank have made it profitoriented, adding that the bank, through its various operational interventions, generated and sustained direct jobs of over 14,358 as at August 31, 2012. He added that between
in mind. We have been encouraging Nigerians to establish businesses and employ people. It doesn’t matter how you start and the number people you employ, what matters is your own ability to engage people and contribute to the growth of the economy,” Inegbedion said “We strongly believe that training is key in our bid to liberate Nigeria from its present economic state. We have training programmes for both new businessmen and existing entrepreneurs and we have gone far in training a lot of Nigerian youths and women.”
August 2009 and August 2012, NEXIM has facilitated the generation of estimated foreign exchange earnings of US$189.20 million annually. He revealed that for the first time since 2003, the dividend for the 2010 financial year was declared and paid. He said the bank’s new strategic initiatives for improved performance in deepening intraregional trade with the launching of ECOWAS Trade Support Facility collaborated with the Borderless Alliance (an initiative of the USAID/ West African Trade Hub) to progress the regional initiative aimed at removing non-tariff barriers.
NSE ready to partner INEC on e-voting
T
he Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) says it is ready to collaborate with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in perfecting electronic voting for future elections. The NSE President, Mr. Mustafa Shehu, said this on Friday while briefing journalists on the communiqué issued at the end of the group’s delegates conference. Shehu said the group successfully deployed the use of e-voting designed by Nigerian engineers to elect officers to run its affairs in 2013. According to him, NSE was able to use the e-voting through the collaboration of NigComSat Ltd, a Federal Government owned company. “It is important to also highlight that the software used was developed by Nigerian engineers in Nigeria. “The lesson learnt in this exercise is that it is possible for INEC to use e-voting in the local government, state and federal election. “ NSE will be ready to collaborate with INEC in this regard,’’ he said. The NSE in the communique called for autonomy and adequate funding of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) as well as State Road Maintenance Agencies. The communique also called on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on maintenance of public infrastructure. It expressed the willingness of NSE to play active role in the implementation of the Nigerian Integrated Master Plan framework and urged Nigerians to support the power sector reform, The NSE regretted that despite the fact that the country was well endowed with indigenous technologies as well as human and material resources, the nation was yet to exploit them for economic development. The communique said that most of the steel being consumed in the country were imported while the country’s major steel plants were moribund. It called for a re-appraisal of the Osogbo and Ajaokuta machine tool plants with the aim of reviving them. Apart from Shehu, also to run the affairs of the NSE in 2013 are Ademola Olorunfemi, Deputy President and Otis Anyaeji, Vice President. Others are Adekunle Mokuolu and Mrs Valerie Agberagbe, who are both Vice Presidents. Mrs Margaret Oguntala, Mrs Aishatu Umar, Akintayo Akintola, Mohammed Abbass. Ezekwesili Onah and Wahab Ibrahim were named as committee members while Ahmed Amshi holds the position of Executive Secretary
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8— SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
The Entrepreneur
‘I used my shop as bedroom’
Damian Agwabuci, owns Demco Aluminium Works, located in Shabu area of Nasarawa state, a thriving colony of welders and various artisans cashing on the fast growing economy of the new state by establishing businesses to serve the expanding demand for the building and construction sector of the economy. In this interview with Ali Abare Abubakar, Peoples Daily Weekend correspondent in Lafia, the young entrepreneur opened up on the prospects and challenges of his line of business.
H
ow long have you been in the a l u m i n i u m business? I have been in this business for the past six years. That was after a two year training under my master who also resides here in Lafia, though after the training I had to work for another year under him before I eventually graduated and was subsequently able to set up my own shop. How much capital did you commit in starting the business? As soon as I graduated from the training, I was able to set up a small shop here in Shabu, using my savings, which did not amount to much. But somehow, I started on my own, savouring the joy of working for myself at last, rather than for my master. It was just a small shop but I was happy. I even used the shop as my bedroom. At the close of work, I will convert the remaining space inside the little shop into my bedroom. Until, through the grace of God, I was able to secure a juicy contract and from the proceeds, I was able to rent this shop, which is bigger and spacious enough for me to begin serious aluminium work. Even at that, I was almost koboless after getting the shop but then I started production gradually and then saving. What types of services do
of land where Iam presently developing my own house. What is your advice to mostly unemployed youths insisting on white collar jobs that are not forthcoming? Some of these youths do not want to learn trades but there are others, like these ones you see working with me, who are willing to learn. Presently I have 13 apprentices working under me. Therefore, I will advice such youths to learn trades to be able to sustain their lives. One must not work in government before being successful. Those that work in government come to us and spend their money buying our products. So youths should endeavour to learn trades rather than resorting to begging and creating nuisance.
Damian at his workshop you provide your customers? I construct aluminium windows and doors, sliding windows, casement windows, long span roofing, chairs and aluminium centre tables. I am also into manufacturing show cases and other aluminium products to meet the demands of my customers.
Finished aluminnium work display at Damian’s workshop
How can you describe your progress so far? Yes, Iam happy to say that things are moving well for me. After all said and done, Iam not the same person as at the time I started this venture. By and large, you make marginal profits but it is worth it. My life has changed for the better as I
now live comfortably. I married in this business and blessed with a child. My parents who live in the east, look up to me to solve some of their financial difficulties. Iam glad that Iam in a position to help my family members financially and all from the proceeds from my aluminium business. I also bought a parcel
Damian displaying his product
What are your challenges? Foremost is lack of raw materials. Most people buy aluminium from Abuja and sell to us at exorbitant rate, thereby cutting away our marginal profits. To beat that, I always travel to Abuja to buy my raw material as that is the only way I can realise a profit. Another major challenge is the lack of steady power supply. PHCN hardly gives us light and as you can see, we resort to using generators. Government should support and encourage us by providing us with steady light so that our business can flourish.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 35
Travelogue
Networking For Justice and a US road trip (II) By Dalhatu Yola
S
o l u t i o n s to the economic decline of Northern Nigeria lies in its comparative advantages particularly the wetlands in Hadejia - Jama'are - Kuduga - Yobe basin that are suitably arable. This could be done by rehabilitating water irrigational infrastructure, power generation, revamping agro industrial linkages and resuscitation of the transportation system, particularly railways. Lubeck commends the initiative making women to invest in sheep and goat breeding mounted by the Kano Economic Summit (KAPEDI) and predicts Kano - Zaria - Kaduna as the economic hub of the region. The paper entitled "Reforming Indigene - Settler Dichotomy in Nigeria, submits that the problem of determining who is at a particular place first is usually the dilemma that snowballs into open conflicts. Other incendiary instances could be whenever so called settlers attempt to assert their right to state privileges and insist on their franchise of being voted for. Present measures to boost national integration (i.e. federal character appointments, NYSC and Unity Schools) are subverted by lopsided enrolment of children of elites in unity schools and the refusal by NYSC states of primary to recruit ex - Corpers because they were not indigenes of such states. CSOs should propagate the tenets of inclusive citizenship, fight discrimination against citizen's rights and apply pressure for the amendment of legal instruments to discountenance disclosures about religion, place of birth, state of origin and lay emphasis rather on places of residence. The presentation, Rethinking Nigeria's IndigeneSettler Conflicts, observes that the propensity of conflicts in societies with socio economic disparities makes perception as important as reality. Questions demanding for answers were: If peace is prevalent in some societies with low economic opportunities, would prosperity bring peace to Nigeria? Does inequality breed violence? Shouldn't other differences like those imposed by religion, ethnicity, age, bad
Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar governance and identity based reasoning be taken seriously? And, by the way what is the response of the government? Crises in Nigeria have long history. The modalities and profiles of the conflicts have also changed over the years. From the use of axes, swords and dane guns, violence is nowadays perpetrated with kalshnikovs, bombs and mercenaries. In all probability, conflicts will abate only when perpetrators of violence are held to account. Prosecuting high level political offenders will be difficult, of course, but Nigeria has to find some way to do it. Compensations must also be paid. But conflicts could be used for broader policy planning. Goals and specific policies should be put in place and tested like institutional reforms and if necessary a Truth Commissions. CSOs could similarly mediate by broadening the concept of justice and getting people to live with their past and with each other. The complexity of indigene - settler issues in Nigeria's constitution was also highlighted. For whenever they flare up, State Governors are hamstrung from responding effectively. The structure of power distribution is largely to blame. "Policing power and therefore law enforcement is outside the jurisdiction of State Governors". More questions were raised at
Gov. of Plateau state, David Jang
NSGF Chairman, Gov. Babangida Aliyu plenary discussions. Many times, belligerent indigenes and settlers both see themselves as victims. The continuing belligerence of SouthSouth - South militants is attributed to the absence of political programme. Consequently, this claim agitated soul searching inquiries; should economic reforms in conflict areas be preceded by political reform or vice versa? A participant provides ecological interpretations to the on-going conflicts in Northern Nigeria. To him, desertification in the northern most parts and gully erosion in the deep south prod the sudden mass movement of people and grazers into the central plains, and the population density is resultantly exacerbating tensions and crises between tribal groups and new settlers in such places. Conclusions were therefore drawn that just like Boko Harm insurgency, the increasing population is itself a bomb. To rescue the situation, aggressive agrarian revolution must be pursued and implemented. But truth to tell, Nigerian state is hopeless. It cannot organize development. Only the market could attract investment. Nigerians have no alternative but to create conditions for investment by looking towards India and growing "agricultural clusters". During the working luncheon, several commentators took
US President, Barack Obama
Education Minister, Prof Ruqayyatu Rufai
alternative turns on the podium. Election Observation was one of the topics. It was mooted that the presence of foreign observers provides protection to Domestic Observer teams. True enough, without the former the later might not have been allowed to observe election duties in many climes. The bedlam which manifested as post election violence after the clean bill of health the international observer team had passed on Nigeria's 2011 elections also make it mandatory upon foreign observer teams to henceforth wait until the entire process (collation, compilation and declaration of results) is concluded before passing verdicts. To further boost the prestige of the exercise, closer correspondence need to be perfected foreign observer missions with domestic observer teams. A Nigerian who spoke on reforms assured the audience that the citizenry are reform minded. According to him, though young Nigerians openly yearn for change, they disagree on the character of the reform measures and the strategy for moving forward. Everybody has his perspective. On-going narratives indicate dissensions about the structure of the nation state, fears of political restructuring, disagreements over power sharing between federal, state and local governments, concerns about overriding powers of state governors and with the presidential system of government, revenue generation and distribution, indigene -settler issues etc. Plural societies always grapple with complex issues, thus disagreements will continue to resonate. Even though there is no consensus, clear directions have emerged. There is overall yearning to create sound economy and pursue value reorientation. Many people are non-challant about reforms because the measures thus far are piece meal, panders to vested interest and are not sustainable. The culture of impunity gives license to those who want to perpetrate evil to do so. Many inquiry commissions were inaugurated and have submitted reports but nothing has yet been done. The new narrative
is about growing lack of confidence in government. To evolve enduring political and economic reforms, bold and difficult choices have to be made. However, since Nigerians are always talking about reform, there is hope in the horizon Floor space discussions generated lively altercations. Legitimacy of the leadership, need to reform the reforms, boosting internal party democracy and inter party relations were vigorously debated and discussed. Need for individual reforms about the way and manner Nigerians regard and relate to each other was identified as cardinal. Permitting states and respective local governments to partake in mineral exploration and development is similarly adjudged as primary. Political education was identified as key to improving quality of the followership to at least generate effective demands for transparency and good governance. It was also concluded that reforms could be important only if the right attitudes are brought to bear. Rules of conduct must be adhered to by all Nigerians because "if you don't know where you are going, all roads will take you there". Afternoon Session Four papers were delivered at this session; two focused on Educational Reforms and other two dealt with Security Challenges in Northern Nigeria. In the paper, Educational Reforms in Northern Nigeria, statistical data to support claims of imbalance at various levels of education between the North and South were presented. Educational problems in the North were precipitated and compounded by inadequate funding, demographic pressure, management problems, lack of good educational planning, corruption, lack of political will etc The consequences of these abysmal despondency is low enrolment at all levels of education, general decay of educational infrastructure particularly primary schools, serious shortage of competent
Contd on page 39
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 39
Opinion Aviation ministry under Princess Stella Oduah! Comrade Tosin Kakaki
O
n assumption of office last year, President Goodluck Jonathan reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to building formidable capacity, capable of driving the administrative machinery of the Federal Government. This assertion, undoubtedly, was hinged on the President’s recognition of the indispensability of professional and well skilled personnel in the civil service. He promised to accord the civil service its pride of place in the scheme of things and urged all concerned in the training and retraining of the nation’s workforce to be proactive in the actualisation of this goal. This task by President Jonathan could not have come at a better time considering gross inefficiency, ineptitude, low productivity and ruse which have plagued the federal civil service over the years. One ministry that is key to Nigerian economy is the aviation ministry. The mandate of the Federal Ministry of Aviation is to formulate, update and implement the National Aviation Master Plan for the overall development of the aviation industry in the country. It is also to collect, store, analyze, and disseminate meteorological data to end users; install, maintain and upgrade equipment and infrastructure on timely basis and at all airports. To set and implement safety and security measures in the sector in
line with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO ) requirements and recommended best practices for the enhancement of safety oversights. The Ministry’s mandate also extends to airports development and management, the provision of aviation security, and the improvement of airspace management. There have been a lot of positive news emanating from the Aviation Industry lately and they are all tailored to give meaning to the Transformation Agenda of President Jonathan. The array of accomplishments the Aviation Ministry is hauling into its kitty is a testimony of the determined, focus and great leadership the Honorable Minster, Princess Stella Adaeze Odua has deployed to turn the Aviation industry around for good after years of lack lustre performance. Since the arrival of the current Minister, Princess Stella Odua, OON, who from the onset of her assumption of duties laid a solid framework for her Ministry to lineup with the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, there have been a lot of visible changes in our Airports, Airways operations and attitude of staff at various Airports. Immediately after she was swornin, Princess Odua undertook a tour of all Airports in the country to ascertain their state, and reasons why our airports have not been in good shape for years; and what is
required to improve them for optimum use. With that, she prepared a Road map for all the nation’s airports to transform into world class standards. This is unprecedented. Though many were skeptical about her capability to turn the aviation industry around, which all believe needed revolutionizing. But in just one year down the road, her accomplishments have proved any doubting Thomases wrong. Princess Stella has demonstrated ability, doggedness, competence and a lot of resilience to ensure that the Aviation Industry lines up with the Transformation Agenda of President Jonathan, as well as with the policies and framework aforementioned which the Aviation industry has evolved through all these years to be here today. Her handling of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) that involved the Arik Airline and the British Airways authorities brought to the fore her diplomatic ingenuity and negotiating skills. For the first time a Nigerian institution stood tall against the rampaging rascality of a foreign imperialism, which has most a times subjected our people and National Agencies or Institutions to serial manipulation. Not only did Arik Airline get back more landing slots into Heathrow Airport, the slots were increased to seven from four per week. Interestingly, as part of effort to support the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, the Minister of aviation on assumption of Office embarked on key
innovative interventions. In terms of real sector performance, there have been efforts by the Minister to ensure that airline passengers are not taxed excessively or exploited by agencies, airlines or those who are into Bi-lateral agreements with the aviation ministry. She has ensured that air travel costs remain reasonable, and there has not been any appreciable increase since she took over at the ministry. The average cost of one hour travel within the country still hovers between N10, 000 to N30, 000. This is commendable in the face of all the distortions the system has faced in the past one year. Safety of passengers has also been a top priority of the Hon Minister except the unfortunate incidence of Dana crash. Our air space has remained safe despite all kinds of challenges ranging from natural circumstances to workers restiveness and activities of stakeholders and companies that have Bi-lateral agreements with the Aviation Ministry. In all these, the Honorable Minister has maintained a sense of focus and duty that she owes Nigerians a duty to ensure that air travel remains affordable, safe and reliable at all times. In her remarks during the Bi-Courtney service charge impase, Princess Stella Odua declared “that the decision to stop Bi-Courtey from increasing the Passenger Service Charge from N1000 to N2500 was not only to forestall the illegal and unilateral increment, but also to protect the travelling public from undue exploitation.
The Minister continued, “that Bi-Courtney unilateral increase of the PSC by as much as150% without carrying out wide consultation with the Grantor as required by the Concession Agreement, the Cancellation of Maevis Concession Agreement that was heavily skewed against the Nigerian People and government is a further testimony of her Nigerianess. Simultaneous reconstruction and remodelling of 11 airports (passengers/Hajj/Pilgrims camps) under the first phase of the remodeling programme-the first such effort at rehabilitation of the decayed infrastructure in the last three decades. The GAT, Lagos has already been commissioned and in use. she equally secured approval from the Presidency and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the construction of five brand new International terminals as well as Cargo terminals from a concessionary loan from Chinese EXIM bank and got import duty waivers from the Presidency and the FEC on all imported aircraft and spare parts as part of effort to grow domestic airlines, she is working on the acquisition of about 30 new aircraft for domestic airlines through an intervention fund to re-fleet their airlines and boost their capacity and domestic operations. Plans have reached advanced stage to float a new National Carrier that will be completely private-sector driven and professionally managed too. Comrade Tosin Kakaki Civil Society Activist wrote from Abuja.
Networking For Justice and a US road trip (II) Contd from page 35 teaching staff and the lack of transparency in management of schools. His conclusion therefore was that inaction by state governments in the North has, no doubt, contributed to the backwardness of the people and to the present insecurity. Recommendations lie in electing leaders with sufficient political will to invest in girl- child education, provision of free education at primary and secondary school levels and promulgation of laws to compel public office holders to send their wards to public schools. Other measures should be to uplift quality of teaching in the North through diligent implementation of educational reform policies. I missed the main gists on Pastoralist Educational Reforms in Nigeria and on Educational Reforms, Qur'anic Schools and Quest for Values when I went out to pray. I returned midstream to hear concluding remarks that Tsangaya schools are essentially 'urban phenomena' and characterized by cramped and crowded conditions, begging, itinerancy, lack of social mobility and economic opportunities. If nothing urgent is done about these schools, the Boko Haram incidence traumatizing the nation now would be just "tangential". The real 'explosion' is coming. Northern States are advised to emulate the manner Missionary
schools in South Western Nigeria integrated religious knowledge alongside western education. The Tsangaya educational system introduced by Governor Ibrahim Shekarau in Kano State was a step in the right direction but is not practically sustainable because no single state could run it. A regional plan is therefore necessary. The session on Conflict and Security Reform dwelt on the fact that military are not trained in counter insurgency tactics that is why 'mistakes" and "accidents" are happening. Military has a culture, procedure, technique's and tactics largely account for present day collateral damages. The killing of Muhammad Yusuf was attributed to the failure of command and control. The next paper Security Reform and Conflict Resolution acknowledges the dilemma military confront in civilian law enforcement duties. It was emphatic that rules of engagement which specifies composition of team comprising media, police and magistrate during military search and raid parties is not being complied with. What to do? Possible solutions lie with meeting the full standards of training and the reform of Armed Forces Act like was done to the Police Act of 1960. The military has been operating without due regard to contemporary challenges. For
instance, immediate therapy should be administered for post traumatic disorder among officers and men that participate in peace keeping operations before dispatching them off to another dangerous assignment. Nigeria has also become a transit country for drug trafficking therefore integrated border patrols should be initiated. The media also contributes to conflict. Security personnel read papers close to them and get influenced by the drivel published as news. The media therefore need to be reorientated. Churches and mosques fan embers of conflict. Military personnel that attend churches outside the barracks become easily influenced by religious bigots. Civilian and Military structures must combine to remove the perception of military brutality. Military could change the picture by participating in community development, availing health services to the public, contributing towards education and getting involved with sanitation exercises. They should organize social interactions like football competitions with civil society and so forth. Floor discussions were exhilarating. A participant recalled a meeting of Kano civil Society Forum which convened over public concerns with JTF atrocities namely; extra judicial killings, harassment of civilians and inconveniences
occasioned to movements and businesses in cordoned areas. He insisted that JTF operations in Kano, Bornu and Yobe have to be monitored, avenue for complaints need to be inaugurated, reparations paid to convicts and culprit men and officers accordingly punished. Another participant punctured the claim that Boko Haram were crushed since 2003 and cited instances about how Boko Haram incubates and reproduce themselves by preaching and recruiting inside the prison yards and the Kano insurgency tactics of throwing money to the public and inviting aggrieved individuals to join them. Subsequent farewell dinner at multi-purpose Founder's hall attracted lively discussions. Conflicts in Nigeria were attributed to random sources: competition for power and resources, regional rivalries and abuse of freedom of speech. Buses returned Delegation to Mason Inn at Fairfax around 10.00 pm. Paden's mongraph also came under spotlight the following day at the School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Johns Hopkins University. Platitudes were duly rendered. To wit, it is good news by not harping about wars or faminethe usual news from Africa. Dedicating monograph to the unity of Nigeria was saluted as
commendable sign of goodwill, friendship and solidarity. The conceptual and methodological weaknesses of the publication were however hammered. Internal migrations have rendered as puerile the fixation to label certain areas as immutable ethnic conclaves. For example, FCT Abuja could no longer be labeled as Gwari. The operational concept of ethnic groups needs to acknowledge changing facets of urban centers and resultant migrations and multiculturalism. Continuous integration has made meaningless and misnomers terminologies like Hausa- Kace or Hausa - Zuru. Methodological criticism were also pointed at Paden's over reliance on open sources i.e. newspapers and official reports instead of interviews with critical actors and failure to contextualize his analyses and findings on Nigeria as well as the sub region in general. No doubt, the various conference prescriptions are capable of making conflicts in Northern Nigeria amenable to mitigation and resolution. Due credits to identifying solution to present day troubled Nigeria should to be given to both NIPSS, S-CAR, GMU as well as the Network for Justice. Dalhatu Sani Yola is of the Department of Political Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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Garba Umar wealth and Taraba's Re: Sovereign fund Acting Misconceptions
T
h e unfortunate air accident of Taraba state's Governor Danbaba D. Suntai, which apparently has so far rendered him bedridden, has indeed triggered a lot of political discourses in the administration of this North Eastern State. It is no doubt that Taraba is a cosmopolitan and heterogeneous state, with so many divergent ethnic nationalities; cultural backgrounds and multiple religious persuasions with Christianity and Islam expectedly being the dominant. A new political horizon however opened in the state when on October 5, 2012, a seasoned administrator and notable political figure, Alhaji Garba Umar, was sworn in as the new Deputy Governor following the impeachment of his predecessor Alhaji Sani Danladi by the State House of Assembly. Both Danladi and Umar are Muslim indigenes of Wurkun tribe from Karim-Lamido Local Government of the state. The usual but unofficial political configuration of the state is that if a Christian holds fort as elected Governor, his Deputy will normally come from the Muslim faith, and vice versa. However, typical of states with large ratio of these dominant religions or other sectarian identities, the struggle for group superiority and political influence is normal. In Taraba, by some political coincidence, their elected Governors have all been of one religious faith, beginning with Reverend Jolly T. Nyame, a 3-time Governor who was succeeded by Danbaba D. Suntai, both of the same religion. Perhaps this is why some religious irredentists believe that Taraba's highest coveted seat should be reserved for a particular religion or segment. Politics of today has gone beyond mere dogma, but drives greater success from accommodation and fairness to all. As a tenet of democracy, it has also gone beyond race, ethnicity, gender, age, economic status or religion. This is why in America today an African-American is not only elected as a president despite all prevailing racial prejudices, but also re-elected to serve a second term. Politics is about sharing common ideas, fairness to all and equally important, adherence to constitutional provisions. Taraba's case is more unique because while
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: letters@peoplesdaily-online.com statistics are available on population of groups like of gender and tribes, no official data is available on religious strength or superiority. When then Deputy Governor Umar was elevated to Acting Governor on November 14, 2012, courtesy of the Governor's indisposition and the State Assembly's Resolution, many political colorations pervaded the terrain. Rumors started flying about that a loud opposition was building against his constitutional ascension to this acting capacity. Unfounded speculations even rented the air that political hoodlums opposed to his elevation on sectarian grounds invaded his residence, sacked him from it with the security personnel coming to his rescue and relocated him to their office. He had to make a state broadcast to debunk the untrue stories and reassure the citizens of the state of its peace and safety. Why then is Acting Governor Umar's ascension a subject of such speculations? The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, is very explicit in section 190 (for Governors) and 145 (for the President) that when the Governor or even President cannot discharge the responsibilities of such office due to illhealth, impeachment, death, or any legal absence like of leave, his deputy should step in to govern for the period of the absence in acting capacity (in case of sickness or leave); or for the remaining period of the tenure in case of impeachment, resignation, permanent disability or death. In developed countries where democracy has taken roots, such power transfer is just a normal procedure. For instance when the 40th President of the United States, late Ronald Reagan was shot
on assassination attempt by John Hinckley on March 30, 1981, and was to be wheeled into the theatre for an operation, Congress in a special Bill temporarily transmitted power to his then Deputy, George H. W. Bush (Snr), who himself later contested to become the nation's president after his boss recovered and completed his tenure. Coming closer home, we are witnesses to a similar scenario during the indisposition of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (now late). The Senate in its wisdom invoked the constitutional requirement of acting powers and passed a Resolution, elevating then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to Acting President's capacity not minding any sectarian affiliation. It is therefore logical that in special circumstance of unsound body or mind, especially when the indisposed principal is far away abroad, it is impracticable to expect his written transmission of power; leaving the legislation to the rescue through special Resolution(s). Even at state level, Kaduna is a good example when the erstwhile Governor, Arch. Namadi Sambo, was elevated to the office of the nation's Vice President. Sir Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa automatically took over in full capacity as Governor as provided by the constitution irrespective of his ethnicity or religion. In Bauchi State of 1983, the then Governor Abubakar Tatari Ali (now late) took ill and was flown abroad for treatment. The State Assembly, in a special Resolution consistent with democratic principles and rule of law handed acting powers to his then Deputy Alhaji Adamu Tafawa Balewa. He continued as Acting Governor even after their re-election to a second term in the same year. Balewa was still the Acting
Governor till the military coup of the same year that pushed them out of office while Tatari was still in London receiving treatment. The examples are many in contemporary Nigerian politics. Political rubble-rousers should therefore understand that this is a strict constitutional provision that should be adhered to which is to avoid an administrative vacuum. It is evident that a Deputy Governor who has not taken the Oath of Office of an Acting Governor at an expedient time has a lot of limitations and draw-backs in the execution of state duties. For instance, he cannot present a budget or legally execute statutory fiscal responsibilities, thus creating a dangerous economic cliff that could derail state administration. A Deputy Governor with no legal acting powers also has no right to manage or discipline members of the State Executive Council and other top functionaries of government for good governance of the state even if necessary. A sick Governor may also not have a definite date of sufficient recovery, and as such of return to office like the one on leave. If acting status is therefore not bestowed upon the deputy, an uncertain future in the chain of state administration will be let loose with all the problems associated to that. As the political drama of Taraba state in the conjecture of some sectarians or even alarmists is now diminishing with the Acting Governor asserting due administrative responsibilities, the truth should be told that Garba Umar even deserves commendation for being modest enough to initially decline that office until the House invoked the constitutional provisions. Indeed he could have even been culpable if he did anything to the contrary to this vital constitutional injunction. Taraba citizens and other critics should realize that for him to uphold the Oath he took for serving the state when coming into government; and to save Taraba from falling into a void in governance, he has no option than to accept the call to duty of this statesmanship by being Acting Governor at this challenging moment of Taraba's political journey. Kalla Simon is a Jalingo based political commentator, Taraba state.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 37
Opinion Benue 2015: November LG polls as a referendum Simon Imobo-Tswam
O
n November 24, 2012, the Benue state government held local government elections. For over two years, the local councils had been under caretaker committees. The exercise was professedly objectivized on deepening the content of democracy at the grassroots level, but the actual reason was to serve the Benue people more of the same PDP staple diet: imposition, rigging, voter-contempt and impunity. And since Benue has 23 local government councils, 23 council chairmanships, and about 300 councillors, were up for grabs. Expectedly, the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC), which conducted the polls, gave the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a clean sweep of the polls. PDP is still cheering. As it were, the state now has an extended care-taker system rather than a representative regime at the council level. On paper, the results show an electoral massacre and a political annihilation of opposition parties in the state, especially the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which is clearly PDP’s nemesis. But in fact, it is a scam of monumental proportions. Preparatory to the council polls, the ACN had readied itself to repeat its April 2011 electoral feats, by receiving defectors into its fold. And these were not just defectors from the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Labour Party (LP) etc; the defectors were especially from the PDP. The defections, which started in the runup to the polls, took place in many councils state-wide, but climaxed at Anyiin – Logo (Suswam’s hometown) on November 20, 2012, where Ugbah welcomed hundreds of PDP decampees into the ACN. The significance
of this cannot be more poignant, even ominous. Nigerians recall how the Benue ACN unarguably made mincemeat of Suswam, the PDP and its atrophied 12-year structure in the 2011 elections, but was short-changed. They also recall ruefully how the machinery of justice stumbled, then crumpled and finally crumbled at the feet of the infamous PDP machine when the matter went to court. It was a classic case of all machines being equal, but some machines being more equal than others. This political anti-climax effectively robbed the ACN governorship candidate, Prof. Steve Torkuma Ugbah, of his mandate; and tragically denied Benue people the democratic privilege of enjoying the fruits of one-man, one vote. In other words, although in 2011, the Benue electorate resoundingly rejected the PDP and its best offer, Gabriel Suswam, and voted in the ACN and Ugbah enthusiastically, the judiciary, overwhelmed by the Nigerian factor, aborted the historic democratic rebirth. That this shocking political heist was perpetrated in a supposedly democratic dispensation is shameful enough. That the beneficiary of this grand political larceny was a party that prides itself as a democratic party is an incredible scandal that continues to reverberate. But that the chief functionaries of our democracy kept mouthing such inanities as“Transformation,” “fair play” and “the rule of law” while these electoral-cumjudicial robberies were going on left many decent Nigerians stunned and stupefied. And if the truth be told, and it is hereby told: Nigerians are still in shock! But if the American professor caught the PDP and the Suswam entourage napping in 2011, with his disarming simplicity, regal bearing, cultured disposition, world-class
political campaigns and a perceptive dissection of the Benue problem, the council polls in 2012 offered the PDP a chance to prove that indeed, it is awake and on ground. No, the Benue state chapter of the largest party in Africa could not take the risk of facing the ACN, which it disparages as “a Yoruba party,” in an open contest of “one-man, one-vote!” And if the Senate Minority Leader, Dr. George Akume, had disabled the PDP rigging machine in 2011, with his magnetic crowd pulls, the echoes of his salutary Government House stewardship, his effervescent personality as well as his social conscience and enduring political structures, the PDP Family in Benue had the opportunity almost two years later to expose him as a political light-weight via transparent council polls. However, rather than risk popular rejection a second time, and in polls conducted by its appointees, the Suswam government chose to beat the PDP record in political infamy by conducting elections that even PDP supporters are describing, in their sober moments, as “incredible” and“fantastic.” But there are lessons to draw from this charade. If the BSIEC chairman, Prof. Ahire, can promise the sublime and deliver the ridiculous, he is merely affirming loudly that the quality of education in Nigeria has fallen to abysmally low levels. If Suswam and his entourage have such a morbid fear of the Akume-Ugbah-Voters bonding, as to warrant writing the results of the council polls in Makurdi, it means contrary to their half-hearted propaganda on Radio Benue, nothing has changed between April 2011 and now, and the ACN is still the party to beat in Benue state. If the PDP continues to shout itself hoarse that the ACN is dead in Benue, but dare not
confront the latter in a democratic contest, it is classic Goebbelian tactics: it simply means the PDP understands the arithmetic of Benue politics, which can be mathematically captured thus: Akume + Ugbah + Electorate = Majority Votes. Essentially, therefore, the November council polls in Benue were a referendum on PDP rule, and the message it got was clear: PDP is still a minority party, and its continued tenancy in Government House, Makurdi (GHM), is at once an assault and an affront: one, on all that is democratic; and the other, on all that is moral. This does not only make the duo of Akume and Ugbah very dangerous personages to the desperate and inveterate enemies of the oneman, one-vote tenet; it places the entire Benue people, sadly, at the receiving end of deliberate misrule and maladministration from those they have consecutively rejected and continue to reject at every electoral turn. Against the backdrop of 2015, the results of the council polls present a challenge to both the PDP and the ACN. For the ruling PDP, notorious for its contempt for popular votes, its challenge is to start honing its rigging skills. And for the ACN, hamstrung, as it is by political naivety, the challenge before it, therefore, is to harness its “victory,” sustain its winning streak and devise effective measures against the underhand tactics of the minority party. As a mark of good stewardship and respect for the people, the ACN must not only be adept at soliciting votes; it must prove itself capable of defending those votes once they are given. In other words, Benue voters cannot go on voting in vain. After all, Vox populi, Vox Dei (The voice of the people is the Voice of God). Imobo-Tswam, a newspaper editor and media consultant, wrote in from Abuja.
2013 budget: Aliyu to sustain Niger through agriculture By Ayegba Israel Ebije
D
e s p i t e the huge national interest in crude oil generated revenue and new finds of hydrocarbon in the North, especially the Bida basin, Dr Muazu Babangida Aliyu, Governor of Niger state has vowed to exploit the advantage of the large landmass of the state in the area of agriculture. In this light therefore, the Chief Servant has skewed the 2013 budget to ensure that every local government set aside hectares of land for the purpose of commercial farming. He declared that all Local Governments except the metropolitan Councils should make available 10,000 hectres each for commercial agriculture by private sector investors. While other states are either in continuous agitation to protect what they describe as 'their own oil', and others nuzzle deep into the earth sniffing for oil, Niger, despite its discovery of some quantity of hydrocarbon has insisted that agriculture will continue to be the major driving force of its economy. Aside from insisting on giving agriculture priority, Niger state intends to indoctrinate youths in making farming a profession. Already 6,000 hectares of land has been prepared to engage youths in agriculture. The prevailing security challenges across parts of the country is caused majorly by the indolence of youths who unfortunately become available for any kind of act for their past time, and to chew off the vicious circle of poverty in the land instead of having youths engage in criminality especially as such activities are unfortunately mass recruiting youths of today. Unfortunately this is the major reason the concept of peace and unity is fast eroding in Nigeria. Niger state government therefore intends to achieve a couple of objectives, one, to ensure
that the state conquers the problem of limited allocation of revenue from the Federal Government which has been the bane of Northern states by making agriculture a major player in revenue generation just like the groundnut pyramid days. The second objective is to provide employment for the teaming population of youths to avoid a situation where they will become available tools in the hands of terrorist organizations and finally, to ensure food security for flood displaced people, and everyone in the state. To achieve on-point success in agriculture, the government intends to pursue the completion of Lioji and Guzan irrigation schemes to ensure food security and food sufficiency in the State. The Chief Servant in his effort towards making sure the goal of turning the economy of Niger state around positively has, under the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme, disbursed the sum of N637Million to 768 cooperative societies to facilitate access to credit and boost agricultural production, with 7,700 farmers benefiting. A total of 100 units of Tractors and implements of which 75 units were distributed to Tractor Hiring Units (THU) in all the 25 local government areas while 25 units were dedicated to the Niger State Rice Investment Consortium (NSRIC) for hiring to rice farmers to boost rice production in the State. The 2013 budget is aimed at adding more to already established effort of the state government. In this direction therefore, the governor intends to collaborate with Research Institutes in the development of improved technologies and the extension delivery mechanism. The Niger State Agricultural and Mechanization Development Authority (NAMDA) will be strengthened for better advisory and agricultural extension services. In addition Niger state plans the upgrading and
transforming of Farm Institutes towards supporting agricultural initiatives implemented by FADAMA III, the RTEP the RAMP II and development partners to ensure that the state derives maximum benefits from the sector. The Chief Servant also intends to leverage on the Nigeria incentive base-risk management system for agricultural lending (NIRSAL), a Central Bank of Nigeria and Federal Ministry of Agriculture initiative to attract private sector investment in agriculture specifically to facilitate the development of rice value-chain in Niger State. The State Government is also in partnership with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture [IITA], Ibadan to boost increased rice, cassava and soya/millet cultivation in line with the State Agricultural Transformation agenda. As a result of the recent flood disaster the Government will pursue the completion of Lioji and Guzan irrigation schemes to ensure food security and food sufficiency in the State. It is therefore the plans of the Chief Servant led administration to boost agriculture and woo private investors to the state so as to turn around its potentials so it must invest more in its sectoral budget. For these reason, the state government has set aside the projected sum of N11.33 Bn making it the highest allocation in the 2013 budget with a total resource projection of N83.8 bn. If Niger state government must succeed in the area of commercial agriculture as it intends to do, then it must think towards making its roads motorable. It is in this direction also, that the state governor, since the last two years embarked upon the tenkilometer road network in all the 25 local government areas of the state. This move is
aimed at using transportation to generally support other sectors, as it facilitates movement of people and goods. In the aspect of road construction, the 2013 fiscal year, Niger will place emphases on the completion of on-going road projects across the state. Furthermore, the state government in its determination to ensure easy mobility of people and farm produce, have concluded plans to embark on the dualization of the Old AirportNew Market road in Minna, the Ndayako-GRA Club road in Bida, Badeggi-Bakeko-Katcha road and the construction of Wayan Bridge in Rafi LGA. The State Road Maintenance Agency will be provided with the requisite plants and equipment to enable it discharge its mandate of maintaining township and state roads. To ease up transportation, the state government is to inject more funds in the operation of the Niger State Transport Authority which will continue towards providing cheap and affordable transportation services to the people especially farmers in the rural areas. These are strategic plans to ensure that commercial agriculture thrives in Niger state. With the implementation of the N18,000 minimum wage in Niger state, the total wage bill will almost consume total revenue from the federal government. Before the implementation of the minimum wage, Niger state was expending virtually two-thirds of its revenue from the centre on salaries. Definitely other smart and faster ways must be sought for in tackling the economically stifling situation and that is the reason why the state seeks to go into large scale commercial farming. Ebije is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Niger state on Media Analysis
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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Travelogue Interview Insecurity bane of estate development in Northern Nigeria says developer Insecurity has been a source of set-back affecting property development in the Northern part of Nigeria. In this interview with our reporter, Lambert Tyem, A Private Developer, Chief Austine Arah, Chairman, Firstchoice Foundation and Group of Companies, bares his mind on the negative ripple and effects of insecurity to business and other various issues. Excerpts:
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h a t is Firstchoice group of companies really into? We have various companies under the group, we have Firstchoice Properties Limited, we build houses and sell and we encourage people also to come to the estate and invest in it. We have Firstchioce Construction Company Firstchoice offshore services and we are into marine as well. We also have Firstchoice medicals where we supply medical equipment to hospitals and other places. We also have Firstchoie Petroleum Company. So where and where have you gotten properties? Right now we are mostly in Abuja where we started from and where our office is. At the moment, we have been receiving invitation from other states like Plateau state, Bauchi State, Delta State to come and invest in real estate. But in Abuja by the special grace of God we have about seven estates we have developed. How much do you sell each of your flats? Well, for that information, you have to come to our office because the prices vary. So, if I give you a price now and tomorrow somebody will come and the price has gone up and he will quote me, you said so and so price so we rather not. So the time determines the price. Do you have foreign partners or it is purely Nigerian? It is purely Nigerian. We don't have any foreign partner. Though we have some friends in the course of travelling abroad, we have met one or two foreigners who have shown interest to partner with us. At the moment one of them, though he is not yet with us on board but has visited Nigeria one or two times on our invitation. Back in England he is a big real estate person and he has shown serious interest but at the moment he is not on board. How is government participation in real estate? Well government is trying their bit to encourage real estate developers but one of the areas of our challenge is acquiring land from the government. It is so difficult in the sense that it is political. When you as a genuine estate developer, when you apply for land, it is almost impossible. They don't give; rather, lands are being given to those who are not really the developers, from whom we buy the lands expensively. So that is why you can see that in the area of the estates in Abuja particularly, the cost of houses are
Chief Augustine Arah very expensive because by the time you buy land from somebody who has allocation who is not able to develop, who does not have access to funds to develop and may be you took facility from the bank to buy such property expensively, by the time you build and you want to sell, you will just make sure you recover your money. This make prices f houses expensive in Abuja. Is it all parts of Nigeria or it's only in Abuja this high cost of houses? Well in the states I think they find it much easier to get land allocation from the state government so the prices are not as high as they are in Abuja. Though Abuja is the seat of power that is why we are appealing to government to recognize those genuine developers to be given allocation to develop the land. Is it possible to have housing for all in Nigeria? It is a big challenge for government. It is easier said than done but if government is genuine; it will not take a long time to have housing for all. You know like I just mentioned for you to get a land allocation from government it is not easy. Before government can do that they need to sanitise the whole system, they need to overhaul the whole system. With the kind of corrupt system we have in Nigeria, it is going to be very difficult. What are the other
problems related to housing? Of course there are other problems, in the area of material; cost of cement and building materials is so high now. When you consider the economy, a lot of people cannot own their personal homes because even if land is made available to you, how do you develop it with the cost of building materials. So the government has to look into those areas, honestly speaking, especially in the area of cement and rods. What do you think government can do? Well, the people selling cement are business people and government should try to subsidise for the price of cement to come down. Otherwise, there is nothing they can do. Those who are doing business with it are in it
to make their money. If government can begin to produce cement locally, I think that can help. What about the security situation, do the estate dealers entertain any form of fear? Definitely! Before now it was good business. Now when this security situation became worse, there is this apprehension from people of the south of not investing in the north. It has adversely affected the business. You know people don't want to own their home again because they think that there is going to be war, there is going to be division, therefore they are holding back their money not to invest. So it is making the business very slow. Of course, the security situation is another big blow to the business. You mean it is affecting estate developers? Very well, it is affecting estate developers. We had a lot of clients, before the issue of Boko Haram, everybody desired to own a house in Abuja. Some people were coming from Lagos, even during the militancy in the Niger Delta, the white people, foreigners and our own brothers were coming to Abuja to buy lands. However now, everyone is saying, "I will rather go and buy a house in my zone, I will rather buy a house in the south just in case this Boko Haram crisis escalates." I believe that Nigeria will remain as one; it's a passing phase we don't have the fear. Even if it does, look at it; we have many Nigerian politicians, businessmen who go to invest South Africa and London. Is South Africa their country? So even if Nigeria divides today, we have the north and the south. I am from the south, from Delta State, so what if I have a house in other country in the north here. Many Nigerians have houses in Ghana. These groups of people are narrowminded. They are not going to say if you have a house in the north,
“
You know people don't want to own their home again because they think that there is going to be war, there is going to be division, therefore they are holding back their money not to invest.
go back to the south so you have lost your investment in the north. Your houses will still be there. If you like put them on rent they will still be there for you. Investment is investment. Who can tell whether if Nigeria divides today, the south will be better than the north or the north better than the south, nobody knows. So we don't have that fear. What is the situation presently with developers acquiring land in FCT is government honouring the developers' application for land or they have no assess only to buy from second or third parties? Before now, previous administrations were giving allocation to their cronies and friends who are not developers but the present minister is trying to correct that so he has been taking his time. For some time now, he has not been giving allocation because he wants to correct the mistakes that the past administrations made. I think he is doing well by making sure that the genuine developers are given allocation so it is taking shape. We have threat from FCT administration concerning some housing estates especially along Airport road. The minister said over 40 of those houses are to be demolished And they are built by estate developers. How did they acquire those lands, do you think they did enough to acquire those land? I think in every set up you have the bad ones and the stubborn ones. Some of the developers take things for granted. Without mentioning anybody I will say that we have heard of some that just go to a land without genuine papers and start developing. What do you expect the government to do? Now if government allocates such a land and the person comes with his genuine papers and by the time they get to the land they see that another person is already developing, they ask the person to bring his papers, no paper, is the land his father's property. Then the person that was given the allocation goes back to government to complain that the land that was given to me, somebody is already on it. Now they will have to go to various agencies set up by government; we have the AGIES, development control, we have Urban and Regional Planning. Before government goes o demolish, they must have written to you, "please if your papers are not in proper shape come and regularize."
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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8— SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
Peoples Page
Suswam cooks at ‘Benue Woman’ celebration From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi
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n 30th November, 2012 Benue women thronged the IBB Square in their thousands for the sixth anniversary of 'Celebrate Benue Woman'. The event is a brainchild of the first lady of Benue State and Chairperson Northern Governors' Wives Forum Arch. Dooshima Suswam. This year's edition was marked with pomp and pageantry and attracted women from outside the State. However, the program turned out to be a mini trade fair and carnival of sorts as it witnessed the display of wares and farm produce by the 23 local government areas of the State to depict the state as the 'Food Basket of the Nation'. Amongst dignitaries who graced the occasion and added colour to it were the minister for Culture and Tourism, Chief Edem Duke, the DirectorGeneral, National Orientation Agency, NOA his NAFDAC counterpart Dr. Paul Orhii, while the two ministers from the State, Comrade Abba Moro, Minister for Interior and Dr. Samuel Ortom, Minister of State, Trade and Investment were represented. The guest all showered encomiums on Mrs. Suswam as a rare gem whose humanitarian activities are exemplary. One significant feature of this year's celebration was the striking support it enjoyed from a multinational Uniliver Nigeria Plc that identified the uniqueness and exceptional initiative of the Benue State First Lady and decided to partner with her office in a very special way in providing mouth watering prizes for winners of the food cooking completion that marked the climax of the celebration. Aside the contestants in the cooking competition who were drawn from across the state, Mrs. Suswam showed the stuff she is made of by preparing a local delicacy in her executive kitchen for the dignitaries that graced the occasion from far and near including her husband Dr. Gabriel Suswam and his deputy, Chief Steven Lawani. Governor Suswam excited at the participation as well as the organization of the event, assured that the state government would sustain its support for the annual program to enable it achieve greater success. Governor Suswam maintained that the program was significant in so many ways since it had gainfully engaged women and particularly educated and enlightened them on critical issues aside celebrating and appreciating their priceless
First Lady of Benue serving the meal
Mrs. Suswam preparing meal for guests. qualities. While commending his wife for the initiative, Suswam noted that the 'Celebrate Benue Woman and Food Festival' has also promoted creativity and encouraged healthy competition amongst Benue women. The Governor stressed the need for all Benue people especially men to celebrate and appreciate the womenfolk for taking up the responsibility of feeding mankind from birth and throughout life. In her speech Mrs. Suswam noted that the program was a deliberate effort by her office to bring to the fore the immense contributions of the Benue
Woman to the sustainable growth and development of the state. She further stated that her office has become a rallying point for women because of several programs aimed at enhancing the quality of lives of women and youths. "By this program we converge annually to assess each other and also mobilize for sociopolitical responsibilities as women from the rural communities, the urban centers and the diaspora". "Our efforts have paid off because we have increased the number of Benue women in politics and more are now in government. We have stood
Mrs. Aseen wins a car at the celebration
against poverty by ensuring the provision of fertilizers and other farm imputes for our teeming farming women", she said. Commenting on her Non Governmental Organization, the Sev-Av Foundation on which platform the celebration was initiated, Mrs. Suswam said it was also set up to avail women and youths training in various arts and crafts aside providing succor to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. She intimated that that over 1,500 persons have benefited from SEV-AV skills acquisition centers, while over 20, 000 persons have also been attending the Sev-Av clinics at the three senatorial zones of the state for HIV testing and counseling. In his remark, the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mr. Edem Duke disclosed plans by his Ministry to partner the Office of the First Lady of Benue State to upgrade the Celebration to an international status with intent to attract tourists from across the globe to witness the fun fair and urged other states to emulate the Benue example so as to attract foreign tourists and resources into the country. DG NOA, Mr. Mike Omeri said the Benue woman remain leading examples for others to emulate in the transformation drive of the present administration and sued for greater recognition for them. In his own speech the Marketing Director of Uniliver Nigeria Plc, a partner in the project, Mr. David Okeme who was represented by the Country Consumer Activation Manager, Mr. Femi Atoyebi said the company was proud to identify and partner with the office of the First Lady in the celebration
because of her unrestrained consistency in uplifting the lives of the people of the state Uniliver Nig. Plc. also presented an award of excellence to the Benue state First Lady in recognition of her contribution and service to humanity particularly women, children and youths. The event was climaxed when a local food vendor Mrs. Martina Aseen emerged the overall winner of cooking competition and carted away a KIA Picanto car and N500,000 cash. While the second and third positions went to Mrs. Onyinye Okoye and Sylvia Avafa who went home with a motorbike and deep freezer, N300, 000 and N200, 000 respectively, while consolation prize were also given to other contestants. Vandeikya LGA emerged first in the Food fair while Ukum and Tarka local governments finished second and third respectively. They went home with over N1million cash reward while consolation prizes were also distributed to other 19 LGAs that participated. Presenting the prizes to the winners, Mrs. Suswam called the sustenance of the Celebration even after the tenure of her husband as governor since it avails women a rallying point to ventilate ideas and galvanize support for one another. Wnner of the star prize, Mrs. Aseen in an emotion laden voice expressed appreciation to the First Lady for changing her life story for the best and positively impacting on the lives of the women of Benue state who hitherto were never recognized or reckoned with by previous administrations in the state.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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Weekend Handball coaches applause referees for fair officiating
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NFF puts Baribote’s ouster on hold Men’s 200 metres backstroke swimming competition in progress at the festival which curtain will be dropped this Sunday.
By Patrick Andrew or now, Victor Baribote remains the chairman of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL), until Tuesday when the league body will hold its 7th congress in Abuja. This was the consensus of members of the executive committee of the NFF who met in an emergency meeting yesterday where they extended the lifeline to the embattled chairman of the league board. The Baribote-led board was Wednesday dissolved by 16 clubs chairmen who adduced among others the board’s failure to midwife the league in accordance with the NPL statutes. They also decried “the lack of transparency and accountability on the part of the league board, gross misappropriation of funds, lack of title sponsorship for the league, clubs payment of match officials indemnities” among others. However, the executive committee of the NFF ‘unanimously rejected their resolutions’ and the dissolution of the Baribote-led board, thereby temporarily postponing Baribote’s removal from the helms of affairs of the league. Specifically, the executive said the rejection of the resolutions was hinged on non-compliance with the “provisions of the NPL statutes.” The said breach of statutes rose
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from the provision that stipulated that meeting of such nature can only be called 60 days before prior to the date of the meeting. Peoples Weekend Sports recalls that the clubs had set aside Articles 22, 24, 26 which clarified on procedures essential for the meeting and dissolution of the board. But the executive committee, while not directing condemning the dissolution, only directed that the 7th congress of the NPL be held in Abuja
on or beforeTuesday December 11, a development some reasons may have been a veiled authorisation to the clubs to carry out their desire. The NFF said it has mandated three of its members to attend the congress as observers and warned that no further breach of procedures would be tolerated. “The NPL members must conduct themselves in a manner that will not bring the game into disrepute and also allow the commencement of the 2012/13
season in the shortest possible time,” the communique released after the meeting reads in part. Those to attend as observers are Emeka Inyama, Suleiman YahayaKwande, and Shehu Adamu. Meanwhile, Baribote has reacted by stating that he would prefer to keep mute on the resolution of the NFF “just for the sake of peace,” in what appears to be his dissatisfaction with the content of the comunique.
Curtain drops on 18th NSF as coach urges follow-up on new talents
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y the time the closing ceremony of the 18th National Sports Festival (NSF)EKO 2012 would have been performed, Delta state that was temporarily dethroned at the 17th edition of the fiesta, would have been declared the winner of President Goodluck Jonathan’s N20 m cash prize. Team Delta as at yesterday evening were well ahead of its major rivals, Team Rivers as it amassed 90 gold, 77 silver and 51 bronze medals while the immediate past winners got 58 gold, 47 silver and 51 bronze medals leaving the hosts Team Lagos in a distant third place with 35 gold, 35 silver and 48 bronze medals in what appears to be the best performance of Lagos in recent years. Team Edo was fourth while
Bayelsa, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun, Cross River, Plateau, Kano and Akwa Ibom followed in that order. However, unlike previous festivals that left some states without any shape of medal, the EKO 2012 has been unique in that all participating states have won some medals. Meanwhile, Uruemu Adu, Head Coach, Lagos State Grassroots Sports, has appealed to the authorities to institute a follow-up programme for talents discovered at the ongoing 18th National Sports Festival (NSF) in Lagos. Adu said that such programme, if instituted, would go a long way to consolidate the spirit and the gains of the 14-day fiesta. He said the country stands to gain from newly discovered athletes, who he
judged to be young with prospects for growth if properly worked on. Adu asserted that a good lot of these potentials would eventually represent the country in future international tournaments, if they were adequately attended to. “Organising the festival without a proper follow-up programme to work on young talents discovered will not help the athletes to grow. “The government should have a plan for them so that in the nearest future, they could represent the country in major international competitions,” the Head Coach said. Adu added that sports in the country would only grow if necessary measures were put in place for the overall development of sports in the country.
andball coaches at the ongoing 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos yesterday commended the officiating of the event, noting that it was better than what obtained at the 17th edition, tagged “Garden City Games,’’ hosted by Rivers in Port Harcourt in 2011. Some of the coaches who spoke after the final and medal presentation ceremony of the event at the Handball Courts of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), observed that officials made conscious efforts to be fair to all the teams. They said that should the officials continue with the fairness, handball would be revived, adding that bad officiating had been stifling the sport. Mohammed Ali, Chief Coach of Team Borno, commended the referees and other panel of judges for a doing a good job. “The officiating in this tournament is fair; there is a lot of improvement now. It is like the officials have repented of their ills,’’ he said. Team Rivers Coach, Olusanjo Ogundoro, said the officiating had improved tremendously, noting that the dearth of impartial officials had been responsible for the slow growth of the game. “The officiating, this time around, is fair. It seems the officials were not bought over by some teams this year,’’ he said. Ogundoro said that if the trend could continue, players who have lost interest because of cheating would be lured back to the game. Tomiwa Olalude, Ondo State Assistant Head Coach, equally noted that the officiating in the tournament had witnessed a new era. “It is good, at least better than that of last year. If we can continue like this, it will not be very long for us to restore the glory of handball in Nigeria,’’ he said. Olalude noted that the problem of bad officiating had been militating against the development of all sports in Nigeria and not only handball. He called on officials of sports federations and state associations to be fair in their judgment. The head Coach, Lagos State Handball Association, Anthony Idolor, added that the officials had done their jobs without partiality. According to him, the officials have been fair enough in the game, as the host was never favoured in any form. “No, this year’s officiating seemed better. It is an indication that handball has a good future,’’ he said.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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AFN confirms new 10,000m festival record A
s the athletics event of the festival is scheduled to ends today, the Athletic Federation of Nigeria has confirmed that a Bayelsa state athlete, Kayode Seriki, has broken the 10,000m National Sports Festival record. The said record was set in the 16th edition of the Games in
Kaduna in 2010 by Plateau’s Emmanuel Gyang. Seriki returned 30.01.43 secs against Gyang’s record of 30.29.63 secs in the race on Tuesday at the ongoing 18th edition of the festival in Lagos. Reacting to the development, Bayelsa State Athletics Coach, Sam
Onikeku, said that he was happy that the state broke the 10,000m festival record. Onikeku said the feat was earned through “I am happy that one of our athletes broke the first record in the athletics event. It was earned through hard work and commitment. “I commend Seriki for a job well
done because it will show in the records that we broke the 10,000m event,’’ he said. In the men’s pole vault final on Friday, Emmanuel Agaba of Cross River won with 3.80m, while Sunday Ochapa of Benue was second with 3.80m and Dennis Ngbodo of Delta third with 3.60m.
NHF identifies 60 talented players
Aliyu Yusuf of Abuja (red) and Abdullahi Ibrahim of Adamawa state slugging it out in the taekwondo event at the 18thNational Sports festival that will end on Sunday.
Anambra high jumper vows to defend title
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he defending champion in the men’s high jump, Onyeka Nwaoye of Anambra, yesterday vowed to deliver to the state its first gold medal of the ongoing 18thNational Sports Festival in Lagos. Nwaoye leaped 1.95m to win the gold medal in the event at the 17th edition of the festival, tagged “Garden City Games’’ in Port Harcourt in 2011. Though the athlete expressed concern that Anambra had yet to win a gold medal at Eko 2012, he was convinced that he would try not to let the state down. He promised the people of Anambra that he would double his efforts to clinch the ultimate medal of the event at the final on Saturday. “I know people are expecting
much from me, especially now that my state has yet to win a gold medal in Lagos. I believe God will bless my efforts. “I will do my best to retain my gold and put the name of my state among the gold medal winners. All hope is not lost,” he said. One of the Team Anambra athletics coaches, John Igboka, said his team was the last hope of the state for gold medals at the festival and added that he was expecting them to spring a surprise at the event. “Nigerians are watching us. We will do our best to improve on our last heights; definitely, Anambra is going to do well in the triple jump event,” Igboka said. Team Anambra have so far has won four medals, made up of two silver and two bronze.
6,000 viewers watch Games online
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o fewer than 6,000 viewers from 45 countries are watching the ongoing 18th National Sports Festival (NSF) online, a consultant with the Local Organising Committee (LOC), has said. Mr. Bayo Okunowo, the Product Manager, Crown Interactive Ltd, said on Friday in Lagos that the UK and the U.S. recorded the highest number of viewers outside Nigeria. Crown interactive is a service aggregation company that is in partnership with the LOC of “Eko 2012’’ sports fiesta to stream live actions of the games.
to the crowd which, according to him, was overtly in support of the host team. “My team played a better game than Lagos but because we were playing against the hosts at the final, everybody was in support of Team Lagos and we lost,`` he said. Ali, however, said that Team Borno would prepare early for the next edition of the festival in Calabar in 2014. Ondo male and female teams won the event’s bronze medals. The male team defeated Team Sokoto, 30-23, while the female team defeated Team Plateau, 20-15.
Tomiwa Olalude, Assistant Head Coach of Team Ondo, attributed the inability of the state’s male and female teams to clinch the gold medals to injuries sustained by the players. “We were determined from the beginning to deliver the gold medals to our state, but we were checkmated by the injuries sustained by our players. The bronze medal is certainly not bad too,“ he said. Team Borno also lost at the final of the 17th edition of the tournament in Port-Harcourt in 2011 to the then hosts, Team Rivers.
Medal Table As At Midday Yesterday SN
1 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 15 7 17 11 12 14 16 10 18 13 19 20 25 26 21 23 22 24 27 28 29 30 31 32 35 36 33 34 37
ST AT E
D elta Rive rs La gos Edo B ayelsa Ondo Oyo Ogun C ros s R ive r Pla te au K ano A kwa Ibom I mo N iger F CT Ebonyi N asa rawa Jiga wa B auchi K aduna Ekiti Os un A bia B enue Enugu K wara K ogi K ebbi A nam bra B orno Zam fara Yobe Adam aw a Gombe Taraba Katsina Sokoto TOTAL
ME D ALS WON Go ld Sil ver 90 77 58 47 35 35 19 13 17 15 12 6 9 7 7 14 7 11 6 8 6 4 5 15 5 12 4 1 3 8 3 2 3 1 3 0 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 1 4 1 3 1 3 1 2 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 306 305
EKO 2012
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he Nigeria Handball Federation (NHF) said yesterday that it had identified 60 talented male and female players at the ongoing 18th National Sports Festival in Lagos who could fit into the national team. Moses Balogun, President, Handball Referees Association, who disclosed this said that the identified players were more than what were discovered at the 17thedition of the festival in Port Harcourt in 2011. “We are able to identify more talents here in Lagos than last year in Port Harcourt due to the high standards displayed here. “From the statistics available and from the selections that have been conducted so far, we have already discovered about 30 male and 30 female players with high potential. “These talents are physically fit, with a very high prospect,’’ Balogun said. The president, who is also a member of the NHF technical committee, noted that Nigeria’s glory in handball would be restored if the identified talents were properly harnessed. He said that the federation would organise a two-week training camp for the identified players through the National Sports Commission (NSC), during the next long vacation. Meanwhile, Team Lagos has defeated Team Borno, 26-22, to clinch the men’s gold medal of the event, while Team Rivers defeated Lagos, 29-25, to win the female gold medal. Mohammed Ali, Chief Coach, Borno State Handball Association, attributed the state’s loss at the final
B ronze 51 51 48 32 16 18 11 25 12 15 10 18 13 3 4 3 1 6 7 7 5 3 7 17 6 6 3 1 1 2 0 4 2 2 1 3 3 417
TO TAL 218 156 118 64 48 36 27 46 30 29 20 38 30 8 15 8 5 9 11 11 8 6 12 21 10 9 4 2 4 4 2 5 3 3 2 3 3 1028
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
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United eyes epic Manchester City derby win
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lex Ferguson lit the fuse on a potentially explosive showdown with Manchester City as the Manchester United manager claimed a victory at Eastlands would be one of his club’s greatest ever
results. For the first time in 44 years, City will go into the Manchester derby as reigning English champions, but the bragging rights from piping United to the title on the final day of last season will
Real Madrid president planning 2012/13 without Mourinho
F
lorentino Perez is already planning Real Madrid’s future for the next few years - but without current coach Jose Mourinho. According to media reports this week, Perez - one of Spain’s richest businessmen through his construction companies is already planning his campaign to be reelected club president in the summer of 2013, for what would be a fourth foury e a r stint. Perez, 65, is still fairly popular with the Real fans and members, despite the recent stumblings of Mourinho’s team. He has recently changed the club’s rules to make it more difficult for members to be candidates for the presidency, and therefore few opposition
candidates are expected. Even so, he is taking no chances, and is already putting together a strong campaign based around a remodelled stadium, a new coach and new star signings. Perez has an ambitious plan to put a retractable roof
Coach Jose Mourinho
Sunday Everton v Tottenham Man. City v Man. Utd West Ham v Liverpool French Ligue 1 PSG v Evian TG AS Nancy v Valenciennes Troyes v Nice Sochaux v Lille Montpellier v AC Ajaccio Rennes v Brest
a chaotic 4-3 win at Reading last week, Ferguson knows it won’t be easy to subdue City, especially as the Blues have a formidable record on their home turf. City haven’t lost a league home game since Everton won at Eastlands in December 2010 and they can also take confidence from a pair of league victories over their bitter rivals last season. In the circumstances, Ferguson believes a derby victory would rank as one of the all-time great United triumphs.
rsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been under fire of late and another negative result against West Bromwich Albion today would trigger more bile from the growing number of critics among the club’s previously loyal fanbase. Wenger’s team are on a miserable run of two wins from their last nine matches in all competitions and Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta, is well
Under-fire Gunners
A
over the club’s Estadio Bernabeu, and to increase revenue by building more shops and restaurants around the legendary stadium.
Dusseldorf SC Freiburg v Greuther Augsburg v Bayern Munich Frankfurt v Werder Bremen Sunday Borussia M’gladbach v Mainz Hannover 96 v Bayer Leverkusen Italy Serie A Atalanta v Parma Roma v Fiorentina Sunday Cagliari v Chievo Palermo v Juventus Pescara v Genoa Siena v Catania Torino v AC Milan Inter Milan v Napoli Spanish Primera Liga
Sunday Reims v Bordeaux Marseille v Lorient St Etienne v Lyon German Bundesliga
Spanish Primera Liga Real Sociedad v Getafe Malaga v Granada Valladolid v Real Madrid Osasuna v Valencia
German Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund v Wolfsburg VfB Stuttgart v Schalke Nurnberg v Fortuna
Sunday Levante v Mallorca Athletic Bilbao v Celta Atletico Madrid v Deportivo La Coruna Real Betis v Barcelona
aware that a victory over West Brom is essential to ease the sense of crisis enveloping the Gunners. At the Stadium of Light today, both Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez and Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill are in desperate need of a moraleboosting victory. Benitez has yet to win a league match since replacing Roberto Di
“If we win tomorrow it will be one of our best ever results. They are a really good, powerful team with massive players,” Ferguson said. “It won’t be easy and if we defend like we did at Reading we’ll be in trouble. The important thing for us is to take lessons from the mistakes we’re making and do something about it. We need to find a solution. Mancini faced renewed questions about his future after City’s latest European flop and a defeat to United would only add to the pressure on the Italian.
Matteo, while O’Neill has presided over a woeful run of two wins from their last 22 league games. Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert, whose lowly side host Stoke, and Nigel Adkins, whose Southampton team take on fellow strugglers Reading, could also do with three points to keep the critics at bay.
2012-2013 BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
POS
Weekend clashes in EPL Arsenal v West Brom Aston Villa v Stoke Southampton v Reading Sunderland v Chelsea Swansea v Norwich Wigan v QPR
count for nothing if Ferguson’s side inflicts a first league defeat of the season on Roberto Mancini’s men at Eastlands tomorrow. United are three points clear of second placed City at the top of the Premier League and the prospect of allowing their bitter rivals to extend that lead is certain to provoke a ferocious response from the hosts after their exit from the UEFA Champions League in midweek. With United showing alarming defensive frailties in recent weeks, encapsulated by
TEAM
OVERALL
HOME
AWAY
P W D L F A
W D L
F A
W D L F A
GD Pts
1
Manchester 15 12 0 United
3 37 21
6
0
1
19 9
6
0
2 18 12
16
36
2
Manchester 15 9 City
6
0 28 11
6
2
0
19 6
3
4
0 9 5
17
33
3
Chelsea
15 7
5
3 25 16
4
3
1
14 7
3
2
2 11 9
9
26
4
Tottenham Hotspur
15 8
2
5 28 23
4
2
2
13 10
4
0
3 15 13
5
26
5
West Bromwich Albion
15 8
2
5 24 19
6
0
2
14 6
2
2
3 10 13
5
26
15 5
8
2 25 19
3
4
0
12 8
2
4
2 13 11
6
23
15 6
5
4 23 17
3
4
1
13 10
3
1
3 10 7
6
23
6 7
Everton Swansea City
8
West Ham United
15 6
4
5 19 17
4
3
1
14 7
2
1
4 5 10
2
22
9
Stoke City
15 5
7
3 14 12
4
3
0
7 2
1
4
3 7 10
2
22
10 11
Arsenal Liverpool
15 5 15 4
6 7
4 24 16 4 19 18
3 3
2 3
2 2
16 10 9 7
2 1
4 4
2 8 6 2 10 11
8 1
21 19
12 13
Norwich City 15 4 Fulham 15 4
7 5
4 13 21 6 25 26
4 3
2 1
1 3
8 7 13 10
0 1
5 4
3 5 14 3 12 16
-8 -1
19 17
15 4
5
6 17 21
4
1
3
10 9
0
4
3 7 12
-4
17
15 3
5
7 12 23
2
3
2
8 8
1
2
5 4 15
-11 14
14 15
Newcastle United Aston Villa
2
9 15 28
2
2
4
11 15
2
0
5 4 13
-13 14
17
Wigan 15 4 Athletic Sunderland 14 2
7
5 13 18
1
3
2
5 7
1
4
3 8 11
-5
18 19
Southampton15 3 Reading 14 1
3 6
9 21 32 7 19 27
2 1
3 4
3 2
13 12 12 14
1 0
0 2
6 8 20 5 7 13
-11 12 -8 9
20
Queens Park 15 0 Rangers
6
9 11 27
0
4
3
5 13
0
2
6 6 14
-16 6
16
13
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 44
P.I.C.T.O.R.I.A.L
USA remains comfortably on top of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking, while Korea DPR, Austria and Equatorial Guinea have made impressive leaps.
Arsene Wenger has admitted he is losing patience with Theo Walcott's ongoing contract wrangle and has grown frustrated with his refusal to commit to Arsenal
England tightens their grip on the third Test against India, although Alastair Cook misses a double century in bizarre fashion.
David Price's promoter Frank Maloney says he will put his boxer in a position to fight for a world title next year
Chelsea captain John Terry's knee injury will keep him out of the Club World Cup, manager Rafael Benitez reveals
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 45
200m sprint techniques By Augustine Aminu with additional information from Wikipedia
T
h e development of performances in the 200 m sprint has been affected by its intermediate position between the 100 m and 400 m. All efforts to describe a statistical relationship between either the 100 m or 400 m distance with the 200 m have been unsuccessful. There are successful doublestarters from both disciplines: Florence Griffith-Joyner (USA) as world record holder over 100 m and also Michael Johnson (USA) as double Olympic champion over 200 m and 400 m are examples. A widespread specialization upon this distance has possibly not occurred or not yet occurred. Two outstanding leaps in performance (Johnson 19.32 s and GriffithJoyner 21.34 s) are the most obvious characteristics of the present situation and have not nearly been achieved by the majority of world class sprinters. Performance factors in sprinting The sprinter's goal is to develop the highest possible horizontal velocity. As an example this velocity is developed in the 100m sprint within 43 - 46 strides (men) and 47 -
52 strides (women). A stride consists of a stance and a flight phase. The sprinter's horizontal propulsion is only produced during the stance phase. The push-off leg (figure 1) presses against the resistance of the floor in a backward-downward direction ("action") and the interactive forces result in the horizontal propulsion of the body in a forward-upward direction ("reaction"). The stance phase is prepared during the flight phase. It is important that all forces acting against the running direction (e.g. resisting movements) are minimized. During the flight phase the legs must actively swing downwards - backwards because from a subjective point of view it seems to the sprinter that the ground is coming towards him. The braking forces are minimized because the feet backward swinging feet and the "retreating" ground have approximately the same velocity. There is only little time available for the sprinter to develop force during the stance phase. The stance phase of the foot on the ground is only 0.08 s 0.09 s long in the phase of maximum velocity. However, the greatest possible power must be
produced in this short time for forward propulsion. Forces of up to 3.5 times the body weight in vertical direction and a single body weight in horizontal direction are acting during the stance phase. This explains the great importance of strength in sprinting which is comprised predominantly of maximum strength and speed strength. However, stronger legs must also have a correspondingly strong upper body because (according to biomechanical laws) the swinging arms must produce equal opposite forces to the those of the legs. This explains the generally very
strong appearance of sprinters. The sprinting velocity is mathematically determined by the product of stride length and stride rate. These two factors interact: after they have reached a certain level after a phase of mutually increasing (in the first 50 m) an increase in either parameter will result in a corresponding decrease of the other, i.e. if the sprinter increases his stride length after 50 m then the stride rate must decrease and vice versa. The extent of these changes varies individually depending upon physical capabilities, training level, form of training and body build.
PAGE 46
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8— SUNDAY 9, DECEMBER, 2012
News Extra Reps, AGF bicker over OPL 245 INEC should learn from our e-voting says NSE
By Lawrence Olaoye
M
embers of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the sale of Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245 and the Minister of Justice/Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mohammed Bello, were on Friday locked in a hot exchange of words. Bello, who was not comfortable with some discomfiting questions emanating from members of the committee chaired by the Deputy Leader of the House, Leo Ogor, suggesting his complicity in the matter, said it was unfortunate that the petitioners had created the impression that he paid monies to Malabu Oil Company illegally from the Federation Account. “I was not that irresponsible and I did not authorise the payment of money from the Federation Account to Malabu. The perception there was that the Attorney-General and the Minister of State for Finance connived to pay some money to Malabu” Probed further, “I know where this question is coming from. Ask me and I will give you the answer. I am not a crook and I don’t support crooks”. A member of the committee John Dyeign (ACN), responded in
From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin
T
he Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE) has advised Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to learn from its e-voting method used in Ilorin, Kwara state during the society’s election. President of the society, Engr. Mustafa Sheu who stated this during a press conference at the end of the society’s 2012 national conference, said NSE adopted a
Speaker House of Representative, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal a charged voice thus:”You are calling yourself names; nobody is calling you such a name”. But the minister replied: “The petition came well after the issue has been resolved and I told the petitioners to take the matter to the appropriate agencies of government. The office of the Attorney-General is not an investigative office. “The Malabu matter has been on for 12 years and this latter day claimant did not come forward to lay claim to the oil bloc. This latter day claimant waited till after the transaction had been resolved and the issue had
become irreversible before writing a petition to the AGF. The AGF advised them to approach the relevant agencies as the matter was an internal affair of Malabu”. Intervening, the chairman said: “AGF, we are in the Green Chamber. We don’t presume. We are here on a fact finding mission. Members can ask any question, no matter how foolish you presume it is”. Adoke however clarified “I cannot be unduly maligned by people who have been the architects of the ruins of this country”.
2015: Opposition parties to sacrifice identities in merger against PDP, says Shekarau From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia
O
pposition parties in the country have agreed to forgo individual identities as they prepare to merge into a single entity to challenge the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) come 2015. Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, former governor of Kano state and leader of a delegation comprising former All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) governors of Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara as well as members of the party’s national rebuilding and inter party relations committee, stated this in a chat with journalists in Lafia, Nasarawa state Thursday, shortly after paying a courtesy call on Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura. Shekarau who earlier on informed Al-makura on the purpose of their visit to the state, which was to attend a zonal meeting of the ANPP in the North-central region, aimed at rebuilding the party by reaching out to its members at the grass roots, propagating the manifesto of the ANPP as well as forming alliances with other opposition parties, explained that unlike in the previous arrangements, opposition parties are talking of a total merger and not alliance, with all the parties accepting to merge into a single entity. He stated that unlike what
soft ware for its election which was designed by its member. He explained that the lesson INEC and the Federal Government should learn from the initiative was that “it is possible to use e-voting in either local government or national elections. “Our members were voting on net and they are monitoring the results. So before election was concluded, they knew the winner. We are ready to partner with INEC on this …”
Malam Ibrahim Shekarau obtains in the past when parties hastily go into electoral alliances, which he said has failed to yield the required result because parties went into such alliances very late, sometimes even after the election, in the present arrangement there is no question of alliances or marriage of convenience, with opposition parties accepting a total surrender of individual identities. Shekarau stated that at the end of the merger talks, opposition parties will fuse together to have a common ideology, emblem and flags, stressing that the parties presently negotiating the merger, ANPP, CPC, ACN and others have ample time to finalise on the arrangement,
with the three major parties totally committed to a merger. While observing that the opposition is gradually gaining ground, with the opposition controlling 12 out of the 36 states in the country, the former Kano state governor, maintained that when the opposition challenges the ruling party from a larger platform, it will be able to “dislodge the monster” that is the ruling party, PDP. “There is no single geopolitical zone that doesn’t have a state being controlled by the opposition party, and that tells you the agitation for a credible opposition cuts across regional, tribal or religious barriers”, Shekarau observed. He added that in the present arrangement, no party is coming into the merger with any predetermined condition, with the opposition resolved to first cross the bridge before discussing who takes what. Earlier on, while receiving the delegation at the conference room of the Nasarawa Government House, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura, expressed his appreciation over the choice of Lafia as venue for the ANPP meeting, saying that the country was not able to record progress despite the years of democracy “because of the non progressive nature of the party at the centre”, which he described as not being people oriented.
INEC boss, Attahiru Jega
SMEDAN begins e-registration of small firms By Chris Alu
T
he Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), has concluded arrangements to launch electronic registration of micro, small and medium enterprises in Nigeria,
D-G, SMEDAN, Mohammed Nadada Umar
Mohammed Nadada Umar, director general of SMEDAN has said. Umar who was at the flag-off of Small Business Opportunities Fair organised for the six Northcentral states and the Federal Capital Territory, in Lokoja, Koji state, said the programme was designed to build a functional database for developmental interventions. He added that it was also expected to formalise informal businesses as well as to facilitate easy business registration. Umar said: “Considering the relevance of the micro, small and medium enterprises subsector in the economic growth and development of Nigeria, the event is expected to provide a platform for the development of MSMEs in the zone.
Mali conflict: Nigeria’s embassy in Niger bars cars from premises
S
equel to the conflict in Mali where Nigeria would be leading the ECOWAS contingent against the rebel group, Nigeria’s embassy in Niger Republic has barred cars from entering its premises. Nigeria’s ambassador to Niger Republic, Alhaji Aliyu Isa Sokoto, stated this yesterday while receiving members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE) in his office in Niamey. Sokoto noted that considering the role of Nigeria in the move to forcefully root out the rebels, Nigeria’s embassies had to be careful as the rebels could launch a surprise attack.
“We made it an order that all cars coming into the embassy would henceforth park outside. Even my car – security checked it before being allowed into the premises”, he added. The ambassador similarly disclosed that a recent Boko Haram attack on the border town in Borno state has forced over 1, 042 Nigerians to seek refuge in the Niger Republic state of Difa. Sokoto also tasked businessmen and other category of persons visiting Niger Republic to always call on the embassy for guidance and their personal security and that of their businesses.
PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 8 — SUNDAY 9 DECEMBER, 2012
PAGE 47
From the Pulpit Doing what is right in God's eyes (lI)
P
r a i s e the Lord! It's a privilege for me to welcome you to your favourite column. Before I rounded off last week, I was talking from Judg 18. In Judg 18, we saw how the tribe of the Dan in Israel also did what seemed right in their own eyes by stealing and adoptingtheidolofMicahandalsohiring aLevitetobetheirfatherandpriest."And they said to him, 'Be quiet, put your hand over your mouth, and come with us; be a father and a priest to us. Is it better for you to be a priest to the household of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel?' So the priest's heart was glad; and he took the ephod, the household idols, and the carved image, and took his place among the people." (Judg 18:19-20 NKJV) Unfortunately, the Bible says this priest was glad. Quite amazing! That showed he had completely gone astray doing what was right in his own eyes! The tribe of Dan was not only guilty of idolatry, it was also guilty of murder. In Josh 19:40-48, the tribe of Dan was allocated her land but didn't believe God to possess all that was allocated to her. "And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the valley." (Judg 1:34 NKJV) They later chose to look for a native land - the land of Laish - not the land allocated to them. They had no right to invade the land of Laish, kill the people, burn the city and take over the land. Why? Because the land wasn't part of the inheritance God had given as the territory of the tribe of Dan. But the tribe of Dan went to possess Laish seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in because until that time their inheritanceamongthetribesofIsraelhad not fallen to them. If the people of Dan were not doing what was right in their own eyes, they would have exercised caution and devoted themselves to possess the land allocated to them. But Hebrews 11:4-6 e are living at such a time andplacewhenfaithinGod is so needful for a purposeful life. We will always need God and we need Him now more than ever, speaking in human language. All around us, we see and hear of adversity and disaster, “no peace, great vexations upon all the inhabitants of the countries,” “men’s hearts failing them for fear.” And yet, there is no end in sight. This is not the time to play religion; this is the time to seek the true and living God with unwavering faith in Jesus, His only begotten Son. “And ye shall seek Me, and findMe,whenyeshallsearchforMewith all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). God demands faith, real faith, pure faith, implicit faith expressed in corresponding confession, conviction and consecration if we are to please Him. Though we are living in perilous times, it is not peculiar to our community or this era and age. Others have lived triumphantly through similar experiencesasours.Theywerevictorious by faith; we too can be overcomers and more than conquerors, by faith. 1.TRUST AND TRANSFORMATION BY FAITH Hebrews 11:4; Genesis 4:3-5; Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22; Romans 3:23-26; 5:8-11; 1 Peter 1:14-20; Hebrews 10:19-23; 11:28. “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.” Cain offered a sacrifice too but his sacrifice was not acceptable to God. Cain was religious but he “was of that wicked one.” He
W
theybecamelawlessandkilledthepeople of Laish, a people not among the peoples God said they should destroy. "Then, withMicah'sidolsandhispriest,themen of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure. They attacked and killed all the people and burned the town to the ground. There was no one to rescue the residents of the town, for they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. This happened in the valley near Beth-rehob. ThenthepeopleofthetribeofDanrebuilt the town and lived there. They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel's son, but it had originally been called Laish. Then they set up the carved image, and they appointed Jonathan son of Gershom,adescendantofMoses,astheir priest. This family continued as priests for the tribe of Dan until the Exile. So Micah's carved image was worshiped by the tribe of Dan as long as the Tabernacle of God remained at Shiloh." (Judg 18:2731 NLT) Doing what seemed right in their own eyes, the people of Dan continued with idolatry in Laish renaming it Dan. Dan, a place where God did not design as a place of worship for Israelites, became a place of worship. They appointed their own priest to worship a carved image. What a folly! But if you ask them, they would have justified it. It was convenient for them rather than going a far distance. That was similar to what Jeroboam, the first king of Israel (Northern kingdom) did leading Israel into idolatry. "So on the advice of his counselors, the king made two gold calves. He said to the people, 'It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!' He placed these calf idols at the southern and northern ends of Israel - in Bethel and in Dan. This became a great sin, for the people worshiped them,
traveling even as far as Dan. Jeroboam built shrines at the pagan high places and ordained priests from the rank and file of the people - those who were not from the priestly tribe of Levi. Jeroboam also instituted a religious festival in Bethel, held on a day in mid autumn, similar to the annual Festival of Shelters in Judah. There at Bethel he himself offered sacrifices to the calves he had made. And it was at Bethel that he appointed priests for the pagan shrines he had made. So on the appointed day in midautumn, a day that he himself had designated, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar at Bethel. He instituted a religious festival for Israel, and he went up to the altar to burn incense." (1 Kings 12:28-33 NLT) Jeroboambecamethereferencepointfor the sin of the kings that reigned after him. He was a negative pacesetter in promotingidolatrywhichalltheeighteen kings who reigned after him diligently pursued; they didn't deviate from worshipping the golden calves that Jeroboammade.Forexample,hearwhat God says concerning Jehu, one of the kings who reigned after Jeroboam: "And the LORD said to Jehu, 'Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourthgeneration.'ButJehutooknoheed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin." (2 Kings 10:30-31 NKJV) Jehu refused to turn from the sins of idolatry which Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. Jeroboam's case was a sad one because when God divided the kingdom of Israel into two, he gave him ten tribes to rule and even promised to give him an enduringdynastyifhedidwhatwasright in his sight. "Then it shall be, if you heed allthatIcommandyou,walkinMyways,
GREEN PASTURES By Pastor T.O. Banso cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you." (1 Kings 11:38 NKJV) But this Jeroboam messed up. He wasted a great opportunity that God gave him to have an enduring dynasty. He plunged the kingdom of Israel into idolatry, the same reason God had taken the kingdom from the house of David. Solomon's idolatry brought about this division leaving Rehoboam and the house of David with just two tribes to rule over. "And he said toJeroboam,'Takeforyourselftenpieces, forthussaystheLORD,theGodofIsrael: Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you (but he shall have one tribe for the sakeofMyservantDavid,andforthesake ofJerusalem,thecitywhichIhavechosen out of all the tribes of Israel), because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David.'" (1 Kings 11:31-33 NKJV) Knowing how he came to the throne, one would have expected Jeroboam to do only what was right in the eyes of God and avoid idolatry. But he did what was right in his own eyes. If God allows everybody to do what is right in his eyes everybody will be justified in his actions, and that is a recipe
for anarchy. "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the hearts." (Prov 21:2 NKJV) Even a foolish person will insist that he is right. "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise." (Prov 12:15 NKJV) But God has made it clear to us in His Word what He demands of us. Permitmetostopheretodaybecause ofspace.Iwillconcludethismessagenext week. Don't do what is right in your own eyes; do what is right in the eyes of God. Obey the Word of God. TAKE ACTION! If you are not born again, kindly say this prayer now: "0 Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today. I invite Jesus into my heart today. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God" I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where you will be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things becoming all God wants you to be.
Freedom through faith that pleases God sacrificed but “his own works were evil.” Though religious, he hated his brother and had no eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:12-15). He lived and died under condemnation, not willing to repent and turn from the religion of works. In his man-centredreligion, hecouldnotattain to freedom from sin, guilt and eternal damnation. “ByfaithAbeloffereduntoGodamore excellent sacrifice, by which he obtained witnessthathewasrighteous,Godtestifying of his gifts.” Abel’s sacrifice was by faith, looking back to what God did in providing asubstituteforAdamandEveandlooking forwardtothecomingofthepromisedSeed who will be our Sin-bearer (Genesis 3:15, 21). His faith was in the acceptable Lamb “slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Man-made religion attempts to worship God with inventions of “men’s hands”, “man’s device” and “tradition” (Acts 17:25, 29; Mark 7:6-13). Religion without faith in God’s acceptable Lamb is vain and displeasing to God. Whatsoeverisnotoffaithissin.Abel’sfaith was counted unto him for righteousness. Hewastransformedandsetfree–freefrom guilt and condemnation, free from the power and curse of sin, free from eternal wrath and judgment. 2. TRANSITION AND TRANSLATION BY FAITH Hebrews 11:5; Genesis 5:22-24; Psalms 119:1-3; 15:1-5; Isaiah 33:15-17; 1 John 1:7; 2:6; 3:1-3; 2 Kings 2:3, 5, 11; 1 Corinthians 15:51, 52; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Colossians
FAITH DISCOURSE WITH
Pastor W. F. Kumuyi 1:13. “By faith” “Enoch walked with God” and “he pleased God”. “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” God revealedHimselftoEnochandheagreed with God by faith. God’s revelation came to him that, “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 14,15). Knowing the judgment of God, he turned from his own ways, asked and believed God for mercy, became committed to God and His way, at age 65. He received grace and divine enablement to walk with God. “And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years” (Genesis 5:22). Consistently, he remained “undefiled and walked in the law of the LORD”. He walked “in the
truth” “in the light”, “in love”, “in the Spirit”, “uprightly”, “righteously”, “humbly” and “honestly” (Psalm 119:1; 3 John 3; 1 John 1:7; Ephesians 5:2; Galatians 5:16, 25; Psalm 84:11; Isaiah 33:15; Micah 6:8; Romans 13:13). Living each day at a time, it was possible for him to “walk with God ” because he walked “by faith” (2 Corinthians 5:7). “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony,thathepleasedGod.”Enoch’s translation is a prophetic illustration of the Rapture of the true Church. All true believers who have put their faith in Christ, living and walking consistently with God in righteousness and holiness of life will be translated, raptured, caught up to heaven, forever to be with the Lord. 3. THE THRUST AND TRIUMPH OF FAITH Hebrews 11:6; Deuteronomy 32:20; Psalm 78:22-24,41; Romans 14:23;
1:16,17; 5:1,2; Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 6:10-12; 10:38,39; 12:1,2. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Can you be pleased and happywithanyonewhonevertrustsyou, who always doubts your words, always questioning your sincerity and integrity? Will you be pleased with ‘a good man’, ‘an innocent woman’ who is always asking if you meant what you said and if you said exactly what you meant? How pleased will you be with someone who professes to love and honour you but never trusts your words? How can God be pleased with anyone, any ‘good man’, any‘innocentwoman’,whodoesnottrust Him, who does not have faith in His Word and in His provision of salvation? “For he that cometh to God must believe that He is.” He who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is infinite, eternal, self-existent; the Creator of all other beings and things, on whom all others depend and by whose powerandprovidenceallothersexist,live and are supplied with the means of continued existence and life. “And that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” He who has genuine faith in God must believe that He is not indifferent to the needs of His creatures, that He cares for their eternal and temporal welfare, that He will fulfil His promises, that He will grant salvation if sought in His appointed way and bestow blessings according to His infallible Word.
BIG PUNCH “A government can never solve a problem it denies. Corruption has become the most virulent threat to Nigeria. Own it. Tackle it”. —Obi Ezekwesili former minister of education
SATURDAY 10 — SUNDAY 11, NOVEMBER, 2012
The Gateway
T
h e Qur’an is the gateway. It stimulates and nourishes the human intellect while throwing open before it the gates of the universe, and joining the Muslim to the Earth, to the Universe and, beyond it, to Nature in an inseparable bond . Every cardinal principle of Islam is intended to serve as a catalyst, in one way or another, to human development; every principle of Islam, from which the practice and culture of Muslims derive, forms an integral part of the broad rhythm of the universe, and it is only proper and fitting that many of the landmarks in the onward march of human intellectual and scientific advancements have had the imprint of Islam. Just one example will suffice. Muslims pray five times a day, at specific times and facing a specific direction, the Sacred Mosque in Mecca or the qibla.This rather simple requirement has led to scientific and human developments of monumental and far reaching proportion, not only for Muslim but for all people. To fulfill the full requirements of this cardinal principle of Islam, Muslims have to know the precise times of prayers at different places on earth, as well as the right direction they must face, from whatever spot they are in any part of the world. To achieve that the intervention of science became imperative. The desire for precision and perfection in the timing and direction of the daily prayers created and widened the scope for pioneering works on fundamental scientific principles, whose 'valuable spin-offs,' to quote Jonathan Lyons, 'included breakthroughs in geography, instrumentation, optics and navigation.' In short the Muslim quest over the centuries to pray at the right time in the right direction was the genesis of the science of geography as we know it today. More than that, Muslims were bound to develop in the process perfecting the duty of worship of God what Jonathan Lyons calls the art of telling time. This singular
achievement revolutionized life on earth. 'Without accurate control over the clock and calendar, the rational organization society was unthinkable,' Lyons explains the far reaching significance of Muslim gift to the world. 'And so was the development of science, technology, and industry, as well as the liberation of man from the thrall of nature.' The precision attained by early Muslims reached absolute perfection. The great mathematician and geographer, Al-Khawarizmi, measured the circumference of the earth between 1020 and 2025, in his effort to provide the direction of qibla for the cities of the world. The result, recorded in his Determination of the Coordinates of Cities, gives, according to Jim Khalili, a value for the circumference of the earth that is within 1 per cent of the modern value - just under 25,000 miles. Similar efforts aimed at facilitating and advancing the practice of Muslim prayer did lead to unforeseen but absolutely extraordinary advancements in other areas of science. According to Michael Hamilton Morgan, alKhawarizmi's endeavors would yield the following results. 'This mathematician, alKhawarizmi, creates a system that will provide the key to begin unlocking all planes of the universe. His numbers and new ways of calculating will enable the building of 100story towers and mile-long bridges; calculating the point at which a space probe will intersect with the orbit of one of Jupiter's moons; the reactions of nuclear physics; the cellular processes of biotechnology and pharmaceutical and marketing research; the calculus of a global economy; the language and intelligence of software; and the confidentiality of a mobile phone conversation.' So blessed were the accomplishments of al-Khawarizmi that in the sixteenth century, seven hundred years after his death, some of his works were core textbooks in mathematics and astronomy in the universities in Europe and Muslim world. The Qur’an transported him to an eminence and a height so
WEEKEND Ibraheem Sulaiman sa427420@gmail.com
rare, so unique. The discourse so far leads us to the main point we want to stress, namely that the Qur’an has always been an inspiration to the attainment of the highest pinnacle in the pursuit of Knowledge. In fact the few examples we have selected from the galaxy of thinkers, philosophers, scientists, inventors, pioneers, pathfinders show the meaning of Islamic education: its breadth, depth, versatility, richness and vitality. We see clearly the point made by Jonathan Lyons, namely, 'Islam's flush of enthusiasm for learning,' and the result thereof, namely, the titanic output of Muslim scholars over the ages, and what they accomplished for Islam, for human civilization and for humanity. The work of these pioneers and leading lights was never an easy one for they endured all kinds of hardship and deprivation. Ibn Sina for example went through all the travails of life - poverty, prison, hunger - just as in