Peoples Daily Newspaper, Saturday, June 09, 2012 by Peoples Media Limited

www.peoplesdaily-online.com www.peoplesdaily-online.com

VOL. 1 NO. 95 SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

. . . putting the people first

Ten killed as terrorists bomb Borno Police station

>> Page 3

RAJAB 19 - 20, 1433 AH

N150

I don’t want to be remembered when I’m gone — Bongos Ikwue >> Page 46

CPC/ACN merger:

How No deal yet JTF men – Buhari killed Kano boy Dana Crash Update

>> Page 8

Buhari

Tinubu

Cover Interview:

Our democracy is still militarized — Unongo

>> Pages 9, 10 & 11

Benue Guber:

>> Pages 9, 10 & 11

Supreme Court clears Suswam >> Page 3

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News

DAN A cr ash: ANA crash: Residents decr y ffor or ceful decry orceful evacua tion acuation From Ojebola Matthew, Lagos

e s i d e n t s of the plane crash site at Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos have decried their forceful evacuation from their residential buildings to the relief centers by government’s security operatives without commensurate relief. Following the DANA air mishap of last Sunday, the Lagos state government, through the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), announced that it would provide a relief center for people residing in the affected houses while a controlled demolition of the weakened buildings lasted. The Managing Director of LASEMA, Dr. Oluwafemi OkeOsanyintolu, disclosed on Tuesday that 36 affected persons had been moved to Agbowa and Igando areas of the state. The relocated persons however returned to their homes yesterday with terrible comments. Our correspondent gathered that the relocation gesture by LASEMA had only worsened matters for them, as the promised ‘relief center’ turned out to be a mother-less babies’home in Ayobo-Ipaja. According to one of the affected person, Mr. Olubola Adekola, they were idle in the new location and under fed. He said, “When we first got to that place in Ayobo-Ipaja, it was very far away from our own and we got there around 10pm because of the usual traffic in the area. So, I discovered that there were only children in that place and they were playing. I asked them what they were doing in that place and they said they had no parents, so that is why they are in the motherless home. “After realizing that the place we were taken to is a motherless home, I told the man who took us there that I have parents and had no reason to be in the same place with orphans. So, he told us to still manage the place until the government or DANA find a solution to our problem.” However, DANA officials visited the crash site yesterday to take data of the affected persons and buildings, promising to get back to them later, as the displaced persons hung around with no place to sleep and their properties either destroyed or lost. A survey expert however confirmed the vacated buildings weakened in their foundations and may collapse at anytime.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 2 — SUNDAY 3, JUNE, 2012

Benue guber: S/Court affirms Suswam's election By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

he Supreme Court yesterday affirmed the election of Hon. Gabriel Suswam as the duly elected governor of Benue state in the April 2011 governorship election. The governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Prof. Steve Ugba and his counterpart in the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Daniel Saror had challenged the decision of the Court of Appeal, which affirmed the verdict of the Election Petition Tribunals that dismissed their petitions on the ground that they were not heard within 180 days as stipulated in

Section 285 (6) of the constitution. But the apex court held in its judgement delivered by Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, that the appeals brought before it by the ACN, ANPP and their governorship candidates in the April 2011 polls are not only academic exercise but also an abuse of court process. The court held that section 285(6) of the 1999 constitution, as amended stipulates 180 days for election petition to be heard and determined by an election petition tribunal. The apex court, in its decision held that no court of law has the power to extend or enlarge the 180 days required by law to

decide an election petition, pointing out that no court has jurisdiction over election petition outside 180 days, otherwise such a decision will be a nullity. The court held that section (285) is clear and not ambiguous that judgement in an election petition must be delivered in writing within 180 days The Court held that the alleged denial of fair hearing as contained in section 36 of the constitution does not arise because it is not in conflict with section 285(6) of the same constitution. "If any legislation is against the people, the relevant authority to amend that legislation, is the National Assembly.

It would be recalled that the appellants had challenged the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Governor Gabriel Suswam in the April 2011 election, where it was dismissed at the preliminary stage. The Supreme Court on November 14, last year ordered that the petitions be heard on their merits. But the tribunal and the Court of Appeal both declined to hear the cases, citing the apex court decision in the consolidated appeals of the ANPP vs PDP governorship candidate in Borno. Dissatisfied, the appellants approached the Supreme Court again for a redress.

N300m scam: Forex dealer bags one year jail By Lambert Tyem

h e Federal High Court, Kaduna, has sentenced a 36-year-old foreign exchange dealer, Ibrahim Mohammed Bashir, to one year imprisonment over charges of money laundering. The Ag. Head, Media & Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said Justice M.L. Shuaibu found Bashir guilty of three count charge bordering on conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of N300million. Specifically, Bashir was alleged to have conspired with three other persons to conceal the genuine origin and ownership of the sum of N300million allegedly part of funds illegally transferred from an account in one of the new generation banks.

Investigations showed that Bashir was a third-party suspect in a fraudulent transaction involving some officials and customers of the bank. On March 3, 2007, an attempt was made at a branch of the new generation bank to defraud the bank of the sum of N409.7 million, through the use of three Managers Cheques drawn in favour of Federal High Court; UBA Global Market and UBA/ Transcorp respectively. The cheques were liquidated into three customers’ accounts (Ezeco Engineering, Wale Omotosho and Abdullahi Brothers Nigeria Limited). Some of the funds were later transferred into other accounts, including Bashir’s account with the Allen Avenue, Lagos branch of the bank. A total sum of N300million was transferred into

Bashir’s account. The fraud was perpetrated using the password of two staff of the bank. Bashir in his statement claimed that the N300million paid into his account from Ezeco Engineering Limited, allegedly by one Mr. Yusuf and Masauda, was to enable him sell US dollars to the customer. However, in arguing the three count charge brought against him by the EFCC pursuant to Section 17(a) and 14(1) (b) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2004 and punishable under Section 14 (1) of the same Act, the anti-graft agency called three witnesses and tendered series of exhibits. However, Justice Shuaibu, in his ruling discharged Nuhu, the first accused person, but ordered Bashir to open his defence. On May

16th, 2012 Justice Shuaibu finally delivered his judgment, and convicted the accused as charged. Apart from the one year jail term which takes effect from May 16, 2012, Bashir is to forfeit the sum of N300m to the Federal Government. In a related development, another fraudster, Churchill Joshua Essien, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment by Justice Shuaibu. Essien was arraigned on a six count charge of being in possession of document containing false pretence and which bordered on advance fee fraud. The case went through full trial and Justice Shuaibu found him guilty as charged and sentenced him to four years imprisonment on each count. The jail term is however to run concurrently.

Insecurity: Christian, Muslim NDLEA apprehends councilor, 33 others youth call for dialogue with cannabis From Mohammed Adamu, Kaduna

h e Christian-Muslim Peace Initiative of Nigeria has thrown its weight behind Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s renewed effort for dialogue between the Federal Government and the Boko Haram sect. The co-chairman of the group and chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), youth wing, Diji Haruna, supported by his counterpart from Jama'atul Nasril Islam (JNI) youth wing, Rufai Muhammad, stated this during the inauguration of the Southern Kaduna chapter at kachia local

government secretariat, in Kaduna state. The group pointed out that since peace cannot be achieved by force, the best way is to continue to dialogue with the group with the view to finding peaceful solution to the grievances of the sect. “It is only when we live in peace that all the resources spent on security will be used for economic development and in the promotion of trust between us. “The only way government can ensure peace is to create a balance in governance, while religious leaders should desist from preaching what is likely to incite their followers against others”, the groups said.

From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

m i n u Maiwada, a 23year-old serving councilor with Darazo local government area of Bauchi state was among the 34 suspects apprehended by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Bauchi, with 14.51kilogrammes of cannabis sativa in the month of May 2012. The Bauchi state commandant of the NDLEA, Mr. Parah Julius Bawa, disclosed this to newsmen while parading the

suspects, saying that the command has succeeded in arresting 34 people, seizing a total weight of 15.055 kilogrammes of cannabis where 22 out of the total suspects were charged to court while 12 were referred for counseling. Mr. Bawa explained that Aminu Maiwada was arrested alongside Bala Sa’idu, 30, and Mu’azu Adamu, 18, in Kwankiyal village of Darazo local government on 6th June this year with cannabis sativa weighing 39 kilogrammes.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Photo News Kotso musicians, performing at a Public Function yesterday in Area 1, Garki, Abuja.

Workers coming out from their offices to take 'fura da nono' outside Federal Secretariat, Abuja yesterday.

Man selling cocoanut in Abuja yesterday

Woman taking her grinding beans home to prepare akara yesterday in Garki village, Abuja.

Taking up farming profession at tender age: These young farmers were seen coming back with their parents from farm yesterday in Lugbe Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

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News

Wife murder: court admit photographs as evidence From Francis Iwuchukwu, Lagos

n Ikeja High Court presided over by Justice Lateefa Okunnu yesterday, admitted in evidence 20 photographs as exhibits in the ongoing trial of the unemployed youth pastor, Akolade Arowolo, who is facing trial for allegedly killing his wife, Titilayo Omozoje, a banker, on June 24, 2011 at their No 8, Akindehinde Street, Isolo residence in Lagos At the resumed hearing of the matter, Justice Okunnu had overruled the objections of the defence counsel, Olanrewaju Ajanaku, that the pictures which were before the court were mere identification documents should not be admitted as exhibits. Ajanaku had stated that the negatives of the pictures tagged I’d 20, 28, 3 and 15 should be rejected as they cannot be tendered in evidence because no foundation was laid. In reply, the prosecution led by Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, the Lagos state Director of Public Prosecution, had stated on point of law that the object in issue refers to fact on which the witness could be cross examined since he the witness is still before the court, urging the court to overrule the objection. Justice Okunnu had ruled that since the witness under oath admitted to taking the pictures and his testimony had not been contradicted on oath, there was no reason for the pictures to be rejected. The witness, Inspector Gift Eneche, also denied all insinuations by the defence that the pictures were superimposed, adding that the borderlines were mainly to differentiate his work from other photographers work in the force.

Corruption undermines Europe’s economic stability, says Transparency Intn’l By Aminu Imam with agency report

nti-corruption group, Transparency International has reported that close relationships between businesses and governments are enabling corruption and undermining economic stability in Europe. The non-governmental organisation’s warning comes in a new report, “Money, Politics and Power: Corruption Risks in Europe,” which says “gaps in governance” contributed to financial and political scandals in nearly every European country during 2011. Political parties, businesses, and civil-service administrations are said to be the weakest players in the fight against corruption across Europe. Public watchdog institutions such as state auditors, ombudsmen, and election commissions performed best. Transparency International says no European country received a clean bill of health from its corruption “integrity check.” The report notes growing concern among the general public in Europe that corruption is on the rise.

Bayero turbans CBN governor as Dan-Majen Kano

he Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, on Friday crowned the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, as Dan-Majen Kano. The coronation ceremony took place at the emir’s palace at about 10:30 am with prominent personalities from within and outside the country in attendance. Among those who graced the

occasion were former Head of State Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, and the InspectorGeneral of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar. The emir said the decision to honour Sanusi was in recognition of his “track record of the services he rendered within and outside the

country”. “We are not unaware of your contributions to the economic growth and development of Nigeria and the services you rendered in the banking sector. “We, therefore, enjoin you to continue to render selfless service for the progress and development of Kano Emirate and the entire country”.

Bayero urged the appointee to accommodate the public while discharging his responsibilities. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that security was tightened in and around Kano metropolis as armed security operatives were deployed to the palace and all major roads in the city. (NAN)

Ar ewa y ouths knoc k Ed win Clar k Are youths knock Edwin Clark By Abdulrauf Musa

he Arewa Citizens Action for Change (ACAC), a proactive northern youth group, has described as unhealthy what it called the unguarded utterances of South-south elders In a chat with newsmen yesterday, ACAC, led by its national leaders, Malam Sani Darma, and Barrister Abubakar Kurawa, said it was disturbed by the recent unguarded and obviously provocative remarks by leader of the South-south Elders

Forum, Chief Edwin Clark on matters that are purely the internal concern of the northern region and its people. “We address the press to affirm the open support of the organised northern youth for our elders, and our political, cultural and religious leaders,” the group said. “Chief Clark, the leader of the South-South Elders Forum has been in the forefront for opposing the northern political establishment”. “His most recent brush with the north were his criticism of the submission a position paper

by the Northern Elders’ Forum led by Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule and the declaration of the need for the region to articulate a common front against 2012 by the Northern Governors Forum led by Niger state Governor, Muazu Babangida Aliyu”. Evidently unhappy with Clark’s criticisms, the youth expressed solidarity with the nothern leaders on the need for the political leadership of the region to present a unified front in its renewed push to reposition the region. “We find it as unfortunate

as it is provocative for Mr. Clark to arrogate to himself the power and privilege to attack our leaders at the slightest opportunity even on matters that clearly do not call for such interference. We consider old man Clark’s meddlesomeness in the internal concerns of other sections of the country as unstatesmanlike irritating thereby denying Clarke any further respect either by virtue of his age or through interactions with other elders,” the ACAC leaders said.

Ogun tasks pregnant women on compulsory ante-natal services From Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, Abeokuta

gun state government has tasked pregnant women on the need to attend ante-natal care services regularly in order to have first hand information on issues relating to their health and that of their unborn babies, Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, gave the advice in Abeokuta at a sensitisation programme on

safe motherhood day celebration jointly organised by the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria, (FOMWAN), Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) Soyinka noted that pregnant women need to access services that would safeguard both the mother and the child, saying that this would help to detect possible complications

which will go a long way in reducing maternal deaths. He assured that the state government will not relent in offering qualitative and affordable healthcare services to the people. He commended the organisers for the initiative to assist the state government towards achieving efficient health care delivery especially on maternal health, adding that the state would continue to fulfill

its obligation on the Mid-wives Service Schemes (MSS) of the Federal Government to ensure safe delivery. Contributing, the Amirah of FOMWAN, Dr. Aishat Lawal and chairperson of CAN, Deaconess Amoke Olugbade stated the need to establish a public/private partnership to support government in the crusade to prevent women from dying from pregnancy related complications.

MDGs: SSAP pledges better policing of funds, programme By Mohammed Kandi

s part of the strategies to pursue an accelerated attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, Precious Gbeneol, has declared that she would ensure all funds and policy commitments in the country are well monitored.

She disclosed this while addressing the United Nations Secretary General, Ban KiMoon, at the launch of the Integrated Implementation Framework (IIF) in New York on Wednesday. The IIF, according to a statement issued by her media assistant, Utomwen Desmond, is a unique framework and webbased tool designed specifically to track financial and policy

commitments made towards the achievement of the MDGs. She, however, admitted there are challenges facing the current and accurate data, but assured her office was leading the drive to improving the availability of reliable disaggregated data for national planning. “We are populating the Nigeria MDGs Information System (NMIS) with results from

a nationwide Needs Assessment, Baseline Facility Inventory, DRGs mapping and the on-going poverty mapping,” she noted. The Nigeria MDGs Information System, she stated, will no doubt be useful as Nigeria adopts the government’s Integrated Implementation Framework to benchmark progress against the MDGs thereby accelerating their attainment.

NIPOST has limited powers over courier companies, says Baba

he Post Master-General, Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST), Malam Ibrahim Baba, has decried the limited powers of the organisation to sanction courier companies in Nigeria. Baba in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, said NIPOST only locks up shops of the offenders. ”What we do is to shut down their shops if we find out that they are doing something that is illegal or not in line with the prescribed license that they are given.” He said “At the moment,

Mallam Ibrahim Mori Baba, Postmaster-General of the Federation.

what we do is just mere registration of the courier companies, the aspect of oversight is actually very limited.’’ According to him, the regulatory aspect of NIPOST is supposed to be the oversight function of the Ministry of Communication. He said NIPOST had sent a bill to the National Assembly to establish a commission that would regulate its functions and all courier industries in the country. “We have been praying to see the day that there would be an independent regulatory body that would be overseeing the functions of NIPOST and all other postal sectors.” (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Kada News

Plane crash: Dornier Aviation denies links with DANA Air Stories by Agaju Madugba, Kaduna

uthorities at the Kadunabased Dornier Aviation Nigeria AIEP (DANA) Limited have derided the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for registering the business name of DANA Air Limited which has similarities with Dornier Aviation. A press statement by the Managing Director of Dornier Aviation, Mark Snoxell, explained that his company was registered with the CAC in 1979 and that it has been in the aviation business since then. According to him, since last Sunday’s DANA plane crash, his company’s business partners have continued to send condolence messages to him, based on a wrong belief that it was Dornier Aviation’s aircraft that was involved in the crash and blamed the CAC

The Federal Government Tuesday withdrew the operating license of Dana Air due to operational reasons. for the mistaken identity. The statement said, “it was with heavy heart that we received the tragic news of the aircraft accident of DANA Air

and we sympathize and extend our condolences to the families of the deceased. “This press release becomes necessary in view of the fact

that our business partners and associates, both local and international, and the Nigerian public have been sending us messages to inquire

about the nature of the accident upon the mistaken belief that the accident aircraft belonged to our company. “It is therefore instructive to declare that the said accident has nothing to do with us. It is hoped that the Nigerian public and our teeming development partners will fully understand the import of this as the accident did not emanate from our fleet and as such, their initial judgments and conclusions should be deconstructed. “We also hope that the apparent confusion in respect of usage of our trade name by the said DANA can be looked into with a view to finding a justifiable solution in favour of the first in time in the aviation industry in terms of usage and goodwill so as to further avoid this kind of scenario and its potential for causing anxiety in terms of safety.”

Lawyer petitions Kaduna state House of Assembly *Wants Governor Yakowa impeached

Gov. of Kaduna state, Mr. Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa

the

Kaduna-based lawyer, Auta Maisamari, has a petition to the Speaker of House of Assembly

demanding the immediate impeachment of Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa over the appointment of interim management committees for the local governments in the state. In the letter dated May 30, 2012 and entitled, “Brazen Travesty of Democracy by the Kaduna State Government, A Call for Urgent Redress,” Maisamari contended that Yakowa’s decision to appoint the interim chairman was a violation of the Constitution and that the governor ignored a court ruling on the matter.

Kaduna government set to prosecute tax evaders

he Kaduna state government says it will henceforth prosecute all persons and organisation who fail to pay their taxes. “Nobody wants to pay tax but the surest way to go to prison in the developed countries, for example, is to fail to pay tax,” the Commissioner for Finance, John Ayuba, said on Thursday at a ministerial press briefing. According to him, the House of Assembly would soon amend the state’s revenue generation laws that will have “friendly strategies” to enable individuals and organisations

pay their taxes while defaulters will have no other options than to go to jail. As Ayuba put it, “sooner than later, we will begin to also feature these tax evaders in the media to serve as deterrent to other defaulters. “So far we have taken the management of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria to court for evading tax payment and we must commend individual like the former Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki for being prompt in paying his taxes to the state government”.

A Kaduna state High Court presided over by Justice G. I. Kurada had on August 2, 2011, ruled that Yakowa does not have the powers to appoint interim leadership for the 23 local government councils in the state, based on provisions of section 7 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). According to the court, “a perpetual injunction is hereby granted restraining the defendants from appointing sole administrators and other interim leaders for the 23 local

government councils of Kaduna state.” Maisamari in his petition regretted that while the case was still in court, Yakowa went ahead to appoint interim management committees and also refused to abide by the ruling of the court on the matter. According to him, “the executive arm government carried on as if nothing happened in court and this is certainly a breach of Yakowa’s oath of office for which you House of Assembly can impeach him. “Yakowa should be

impeached because he has violated the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for failing to organise local government elections in the state for the past one year after a court judgment had ordered him to do so. But the Kaduna state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Jonathan Kish Adamu, had explained last week that the governor appointed the interim management committees based on provisions of the Local Government Administration Law, enacted by the House of Assembly.

NITT demands increased funding

he Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria, has urged the Federal Government to make more funds available to it for proper execution of projects and programmes. The NITT DirectorGeneral, Alhaji Aminu Musa Yusuf, who made the plea also urged the National Assembly to amend the law establishing the institute to meet with contemporary challenges in the transport sub-sector. He spoke when members

of the Senate Committee on Transport visited the NITT on as part of the committee’s oversight functions. Yusuf said “just as any other government establishment, we are often constrained by poor budgetary allocations or poor releases of the budget. Budgetary releases are often less than appropriation. This has made planning and execution of our programmes very difficult. “We appeal to the National Assembly for the review of the institute’s Act because

the institute has witnessed tremendous changes over the years and this requires the amendment of the Act in line with the present realities.” In his response, the committee chairman, Alhaji Sahabi Yau, commended the management of the NITT for what he described as the judicious use money being appropriated to the institute. He promised that the National Assembly would revisit the ACT establishing the NITT.

Strange World PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

PAGE 7

Woman, 45, who travelled to Tunisia for boob job reveals how her breast exploded in the shower when she got home

woman whose breast exploded after she had a boob job in Tunisia has warned others not to travel abroad to go under the knife. Alison Chapman, 45, said that she has suffered a ‘horrendous and humiliating’ ordeal after the surgery went wrong. She has now successfully claimed compensation after one of her implants exploded in the shower when she returned home. She said: ‘I took a hot shower to try and relieve the pain and was absolutely horrified when my breast burst open. I couldn’t believe what was happening to me.’ The mother-of-one was rushed to hospital where she underwent surgery to close the wound and fight the infection. She then needed two further operations to replace the implants and repair the scar. Ms Chapman said she deeply regrets having the breast enlargement abroad. ‘I hope my story acts as a warning to anyone else considering having cosmetic surgery abroad,’ she said. ‘If I could turn back the clock I would not have had the operation there and

would have spent more time looking into the potential risks that come with having surgery at a foreign clinic.’ Ms Chapman said she had wanted a boob job because she had suffered from low self-esteem due to the size and shape of her chest throughout her life. ‘I’d been deeply unhappy about my figure for years and didn’t take the decision to have the breast surgery lightly,’ she said. ‘I looked on the internet and, when I came across the clinic in Tunisia, it seemed professional so I made the decision to go.’ However, she now admits this is ‘one of the biggest regrets of my life’. After returning to her home in Southampton after the first procedure in 2009, she was disappointed with the results, which she felt had left her breasts uneven. She returned to the clinic for a corrective procedure but this only made matters worse. ‘After both operations, the staff seemed more bothered about getting cash from me than providing me with any after-care or support,’ she said. ‘I was in absolute agony after

Ordeal: Alison Chapman has received compensation after her breast exploded following a boob job in Tunisia

the second operation and knew something wasn’t right, but when I called the clinic for advice no-one could help. It was horrendous.’ After her breast then exploded in the shower, she has had to undergo further procedures in the UK. She said: ‘It’s taken three years of reconstructive surgery to repair the wound and reduce the scarring and I now feel more selfconscious than ever before, it’s been very humiliating.’ Sandeep Aujla, a specialist in injury abroad cases at Irwin Mitchell solicitors, said that they had secured a five-figure compensation claim from the credit card company that Ms Chapman used to pay for the surgery. She said: ‘Unfortunately, we see many clients who have travelled abroad to undergo surgery and suffered problems. ‘The problems suffered by Alison are increasingly common and can have terrible consequences. ‘Patients can be left paying out thousands more than private surgery in the UK would cost as a result of a foreign clinic’s mistakes.’

Girlfriend mows down toyboy lover with SUV, killing him... all because he smashed her iPhone

25-year-old Bronx woman mowed down her teenage boyfriend and then drove away as dramatic payback for shattering her iPhone. Jasmine Diaz is in custody after Frankie Hernandez’ family found his lifeless, broken body lying on Morris Avenue at about 1.30am on Wednesday. ‘I ran down to the street and it was too late,’ Iris Hernandez, the victim’s mother, told The New York Daily News. ‘His head was crushed. He wasn’t moving. There was blood everywhere.’ After a blazing, alcohol-fueled row, Diaz slammed on the accelerator of her SUV, running down Hernandez, 17, who was standing in front of the Lincoln Aviator, according to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. She then sped off. Emergency crews found the boy unconscious with severe trauma to his body. He was rushed to Lincoln Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The teen’s family said the couple had been dating for over a year but their relationship had been a volatile one. Diaz used to babysit Hernandez when he was a child, according to

Hernandez told the Daily News. ‘He was saying it was an accident. She didn’t care. She was hysterical.’ Cesar reportedly heard Diaz shout ‘you f***ed up my phone’. After the incident, Cesar said he ran from the crime scene to Diaz’ mother’s apartment and began banging on the door. ‘I could hear her screaming inside, ‘I just hit Frankie. I just hit him. I don’t know what to do,’’ Cesar said. After finding Diaz at her mother’s house, Police brought her to the 44th Precinct station house

for questioning. Kelly said she had not yet been charged but that charges were ‘being developed’ and that police were investigating the boy’s death as a homicide. ‘I want her to rot in hell,’ said Ms Hernandez, devastated. ‘Jail is too good for her. She needs to rot in hell.’ The dead boy planed to study to be a barber after finishing William Taft High School. He was the youngest of six children. ‘My son was such a peaceful boy,’ Ms Hernandez told the Daily News. ‘He would never hurt anyone.’

Dead: Frankie Hernandez, 17, pictured, was ran over by his girlfriend after he dropped her iPhone The New York Post. ‘They grew up together. He didn’t want to leave her,’ Ms Hernandez said. ‘She’s crazy. She liked to hit him and take advantage of him.’ Hernandez’ brother Cesar told the Daily News he ran out to help his sibling after hearing screaming in the street.

‘I heard the rubber burning and saw her just drive off,’ he said. ‘By the time I got to him, he was trying to talk, but just bubbles came out of his mouth.’ Family members said Diaz went into a rage after Hernandez accidentally dropped her iPhone, breaking it. ‘She was screaming at him about her cell phone,’ Ms

Sad: Hernandez’ relatives mourn his death

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Update on DANA Crash

No burial for crash victims yet T

here are indications that none of the dead victims of Sunday’s Dana plane crash will be buried until another two weeks. The Lagos state government said that it would need the period to validate the identity of the dead victims and conduct an autopsy. Though 103 of the victims were said to have been burnt beyond recognition, 52 bodies had been identified as of Wednesday. But the relations who have expressed a desire for quick burials would have to wait for the state government to process the necessary paperwork in line with its coroner law. The Lagos state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, who said this at a briefing, said the two weeks would also enable the government to work out victims’ compensation with the Dana Airline’s insurer, Lloyds Underwriters of London, United Kingdom. Ipaye led top state officials, Dana Airline personnel, representatives of the insurance companies and other stakeholders to the media briefing to give an update on developments after the

crash. He said, “You must understand that the government is working to protect the interest of the victims and their relatives. “We are discussing with Dana Airline and its insurer to make sure that the bodies are properly identified and matched with relatives that claim the bodies. “But that is not enough; we must conduct autopsies for each one of the recovered bodies. Fiftytwo identifiable bodies were recovered, 97 were charred remains (to be taken) for further scientific probe. The total number with us is 149. We concluded autopsy on 12 bodies yesterday (Tuesday). We have done 18 on Wednesday) and before Friday, we will finish autopsy on 52 identifiable bodies. By Friday, work will start on the 97 charred remains. “We also have to keep a detailed file for future references. We must issue Death Certificates. It is expected that all these would have to be done in the next two weeks when the autopsy will end.” Ipaye added that the state had liaised with embassies of the foreigners on the ill-fated flight for pre-mortem record to match its pathological investigation.

Plane crashes in Nigeria Sept. 26, 1992 – A Nigerian Air Force C-130 crashed minutes after taking off from Lagos airport. Around 200 people died. June 25, 1995 – A Harka Airlines Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-134 crashed at Lagos airport, killing 15 people. Nov. 13, 1995 – A Nigeria Airways Boeing 737 crashed on landing in Kaduna, killing nine people. Nov. 7, 1996 – A Boeing 727 operated by Nigeria's ADC crashed on its way from Port Harcourt to Lagos. All 142 passengers and nine crew died. May 4, 2002 – A Nigerian EAS Airlines BAC 1-11 crashed in Kano. At least 148 people were killed, 75 on the plane and at least 73 on the ground. Oct. 22, 2005 – A Nigerian Bellview Airlines Boeing 737 airliner crashed shortly after take-off from Lagos. All 111 passengers and six crew were killed. Dec. 10, 2005 – A Nigerian Sosoliso Airlines DC9 from Abuja crashed on landing in Port Harcourt, killing 106 people, half of them school children on their way home for Christmas. Sept. 17, 2006 – Twelve Nigerian military personnel, mostly highranking officers, were killed in a plane crash in Benue state. Six survived. Oct. 29, 2006 – An ADC airliner with 114 passengers on board crashed and burned after take-off from Abuja, killing 96 people. June 3, 2012 – A Dana Air passenger plane carrying 153 people crashed in the Agege suburb of Lagos.

Victims of the crash being evacuated

Compensation to be paid to crash victims within 30 days, says Insurer

h e families of the victims of the ill-fated airplane, a McDonnell Douglas 83 (MD83) which crashed recently killing about 153 passengers, will be paid $100,000 or N15.58 million, at an exchange rate of N155.84 to the US dollar within a period of thirty days according to the representative of the insurance company handling Dana Airline, Lloyds Underwriters, London, Otunba Yomi Oshikoya. This was made known by Otunba Yomi while addressing journalists at a press conference at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja; he assured that

no beneficiary will be cheated and that relatives would not be treated below the international standard as enshrined in the company’s policy. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) stipulates that each family of victims (passengers) of an air disaster is to be paid $100,000 (N15.58m), that of cabin crew members, $150,000 (N23.4m), while each family of pilots will receive $250,000 (about N38.96m). He further added that the initial sum of $30,000 would be paid within 30 days, adding that the balance of $70,000 would follow

thereafter. According to him, “By international standards, you are required to pay the sum of $30,000 to the victims as initial payment. By law, the substantive amount is $100,000 and I want to assure you that Lloyds will approach this as per international standard,” he said. On the ground claims, he said the underwriters had contacted a surveyor in Nigeria to visit the site and evaluate the building and make a comprehensible report available to it. “It is on the basis of the evaluation that compensation would be worked out,” he added.

FG constitutes 9-man technical panel to audit local airlines

h e Federal Government on Tuesday, approved the constitution of a nine-man Technical and Administrative Review Panel that would assess the operations of all domestic airlines in the country. This was disclosed by the minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, while briefing State House Correspondents on the outcome of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held in the Presidential Villa, Abuja. She said the panel would go beyond investigating the Dana air crash as it would take a comprehensive

audit of all domestic aircrafts in the country. According to her, “This review panel that we have established will immediately perform a comprehensive assessment of all the domestic scheduled airlines and also ensure that management culture as well as effectiveness of NCAA’s oversights of airline maintenance practice is being maintained and enhanced. “The Panel is mandated to make both recommendations to Federal Republic of Nigeria’s government on actions that would need to be taken to improve the overall safety

net of the aviation sector” she said. The minister stated that the panel would assess the financial health of the airlines to determine their ability to function effectively and maintain their safety obligations. According to her, the panel is expected to submit its report in six weeks’ time. Members of the panel include retired Grp. Capt John Obakpolor, who will serve as Chairman; Capt Austin Omame; Capt Dele Sasegbon; Dr O.B. Aliu; and Engr F.C Onyeyiri. Others are Capt Mfon Udom; Capt Muhtar Usman; Dr Tony Anuforom; and Capt A Mshelia.

aviation authority (NCAA). The management added that the aircraft had a total of over 60,000 flight hours and with total cycles of over 35,000 saying its last 400 hourly check otherwise known as (A-check), was on May 30th while the statutory annual maintenance known as (C-check) was not due till September this year. The certificate of airworthiness issued by the NCAA after the last C-

check was still very valid as at the time of the incidence. According to the report, the flight began scheduled flights on November 10th 2008 and operated over 18,933 flights carrying over 1,600,366 passengers during the period of operations. In another development, the flight voice recorder and the black box have been flown to the US for proper and more efficient investigations where as

the operations of the flight has been suspended alongside the boss of the Nigerian civil aviation authority, NCAA, Mr. Harold Demuren by the Federal Government as announced by the aviation minister, Mrs. Stella Oduah during a special FEC meeting on the crash at the State House, Abuja. Reacting to the suspension of the airline, an aviation commentator, Mr. Chris Aligbe described the suspension as a normal procedure.

Dana Air releases flight statistics Stories by Muhammad Sada

n the heels of its recent suspension by the Federal Government, the management of Dana Air has released the flight statistics concerning the details, status and capabilities of the operators and aircraft involved in the recent air crash, which claimed many lives in

a densely populated part of Lagos on Sunday. According to the flight statistics, the captain of the flight had a record of 18,500 flights hours, and had already flown 7,100 hours on Boeing MD 83 aircraft. Also, the first officer had flown 1,100 flight hours, 800 of which were on the crashed MD aircraft with all licenses current and valid in accordance with the provisions of the Nigeria Civil

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Cover Interview

PAGE 9

Our democracy is still militarised —Unongo Elder statesmen, astute politician and erudite scholar, Dr. Paul Unongo is widely known for his outspokenness on national issues especially those touching on the welfare of the common man. In this interview with our editors; Richard Ihediwa and Julius Ogar, the former cabinet minister speaks on the evolution of Nigerian democracy, issues of fiscal federalism and laments on the inability of successive governments to develop the mineral resources including oil and gas in the north.

i g e r i a recently celebrated 13 years of uninterrupted democracy. Is there really anything to celebrate? Is our democracy really working? Nigeria democracy to me is a long journey. You limited me to 13 years. In other words, you limited me to the post military intervention in the political process in Nigeria. I have been able to access the practice of what I called the guided democracy. The democracy we have now is skewed towards militarism. The military stayed for too long in the politics of Nigeria. The teaching of the colonial British and their appreciation of democracy and their pride in describing Nigeria at the time of independence in

1960 as a model democracy with Tafawa Balewa taking over from the British, Awolowo in the West, the Sarduana of Sokoto in the north and Dr. Okpala in the east with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe as ceremonial head of state and governor general of Nigeria. That democracy that the British had taught is not the democracy that we are practicing now to the extent that it has too much compulsion in it. The military introduced “with immediate effect” and the young politicians that came after this time and the practicing politicians that were demilitarized; who were actually the people that guided democracy and their surrogates that they loved and established

at the time they were in the military, became just like them in their appreciation of the democratic process. So to that extent, I have to assess the presidential system and the presidency (they are two different things) of the current President of the country against the backdrop of the presidential system of the man who became the patriarch and handed over to them, by that I mean General Obasanjo, and within that context, the thirteen years still have the imprints of Obasanjo and the military in our democratic practice. Two people beginning from Umaru Yar’Adua, the pronouncements that he made, the disposition he had; the knowledge we had of him as a radical

lecturer and his total commitment to the Nigerian project which made him very sick and as a sick person, he took the challenge patriotically to become President when his friend Obasanjo convinced him, we became excited by his pronouncement. We felt Yar’Adua was going to shock Nigeria by developing Nigeria; by developing democracy to the level of being the most democratic Africa country. He was dispassionate about this. He started but death cheated Nigeria and he could not implement his policies. God Almighty, who is the possessor of power smiled on Nigeria and brought another young man, President Goodluck

Contd on pages 10 & 11

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Cover Interview Govt should not always insist on its stand —Unongo Contd from page 9 Jonathan also of university stock. We saw his history, from his pronouncements and from the people who claim they knew him, that he was from a very humble and poor family. So we felt he would not forget his background and we felt that from the pronouncement that he was making that he will be perhaps a consolation prize from God on the way of the democratic process of our country. We watched him, when with all the in tricks against him by some Nigerians, he emerged through a process of election that was not perfect but about the best that has been held. People actually voted for him. In my state, Benue certain things happened and people did not like the PDP but when it was his election everybody was excited and even my state that was true ACN voted for him because of the expectation that for the fact that he was from a humble background and a minority like us that he will understand our plight and develop the democracy because it is only through democracy and democratic process that the small people of Nigeria can maximise their freedom and their developments as Nigerians. So within that context, there is a lot similarity between Jonathan and Yar’adua. They all made clear pronouncements that indicated to critical minds that they were focused on something and that in Martin Luther’s word they had a dream; and they showed in the process of reaching their dreams that they thought through it. Yar’adua was tough and yet soft and we felt that he will carry his focus through. On watching Jonathan, he appears also humble enough. I don’t know him much but we felt that he will be tough and decision making and that once he makes a decision in our type of democracy, he should remain flexible and focused. I think it is better to compare these people because I do not believe that my personal friend Obasanjo was a democrat. I think he ushered in democracy for us but his background as a dictator having been a military ruler in this country; I know him very well, he is my friend, he gives instructions and does not want anybody to distract from those instructions. He brought that to governance in Nigeria when he was president under the military and he did very well under his civilian regime by trying to civilianize himself but he also barked orders. So I will say that he had a deficiency of being a military person. I don’t believe in military persons being in power because they came from coup making which is ab-initio an illegal act and they will continue with illegality when they become President. So I will not want to compare Obasanjo’s democratic bend with that of Yar’adua and

Dr. Paul Unongo Jonathan. I said quite clear that he gave a bent to democratic people and leaders becoming concerned about being focused and then for his own good, one of the infrastructures of processing and encouraging the growth of democracy, we might give him credit in spite of being very arbitrary as a military person. He achieved tremendously for Nigeria. If people don’t give Obasanjo the credit for the communication explosion in this country, that have improved on our economy and on our development, because if you don’t have the means of communicating with people within and the outside world, you would not do too much in using the democratic process in pushing your country forward. Within that context Obasanjo did very well. He took monumental decisions; he stepped on toes to achieve this. When he was in power he also cautioned Nigerians about oil that it was a diminishing asset; that the strength of this country is in agriculture. Obasanjo understood this. He became a famer and took this thing to governance in Nigeria. He pushed agriculture and made sectoral allocation to agriculture that gave agriculture a head start. People criticized him that he saw the huge landmass in the north where agriculture was the mainstay that produces whatever we had in the country. They believed that the investment that was made in

agriculture should have been made most in the northern Nigeria. So I am talking as a democratic economist, I am talking about the development of the human person particularly through the economy. Now there is democracy in terms of politics. From all indications, the basic democracy we have now in Nigeria after the military becomes democratic stance where a clique rule Nigeria for the clique and by the clique and it was a military clique and this clique was very smart and the civilians did not know. They created appendages and surrogates in the civil population and gave us all sorts of structures and we swallowed them hook and sinker. Would you say our democracy has come of age with Jonathan? When Jonathan came as President, he also appeared to have understood what Yar’adua understood and he announced very clearly that he was going to tackle the problems head on; again I am a bit optimistic that he is committed to producing a democracy that truly will be democracy of the stomach, democratizing the institutions in the country and not militarizing it. If he can now pass this on to his lieutenants and teach them, particularly the image maker, the young man I admire very well; he speaks very clearly but when he is enunciating and announcing government policies

“

They should announce these things to challenge Nigerians. They should not announce them as finished product. That is not what happens in a democratic country.

that are very good, he announces them in a military style and when there is discussions opening up on them, he becomes angry and he will say ‘we are standing on it and we are not going to change.” I have noticed this on two or three occasions and this is embarrassing stance in a democracy. He is a mouth piece of a democratic Nigeria. The executive is supposed to show us the way and to focus our energies and attentions to develop Nigeria. So the executive should expect that Nigerians are intelligent enough to know some of these things, so when they take decision with a very minute groups of Nigerians feel offended. They should announce these things to challenge Nigerians. They should not announce them as finished product. That is not what happens in a democratic country. Like the fuel subsidy issue. Democracy is all about the practice. When you come and make an announcement on fuel subsidy and said nothing is going to change, the price must be this or that and that you won’t go back, that’s not democratic. Nigerians need some explanations to make them understand. For instance in the issue of fuel subsidy, Nigerians thought that government wanted to make them suffer. No. He needed to explain to them that there is privilege clique in the country that are cornering large sums of money to themselves and they did not know but that he knows. So he needs to explain that he intends to stop those people and recover the money they have been looted to develop the country. Of course the people will understand. So democracy means dialoging and negotiating and Nigeria must give space for that otherwise they will embarrass the head of government because where people feel that a policy of government hurts them too much, they will react and if government does not give room for dialogue and reactions, they will react

violently until the government changes the policy. You saw that in the issue of fuel subsidy. Now with the revelations coming from the investigations by the National Assembly, the President knows that he has been vindicated. He said earlier that this matter of fuel subsidy was benefiting a few who were cornering huge sums of money to themselves while the ordinary people thought they were being punished. So the President allowed the democratic process to take place and listened to the people and reduced the price. Then God came to back him up by the probe by the House of Representatives and we started hearing how billions of naira was cornered by the cabal. Now Nigerians are calling on him to get these people and recover the loot. In a democratic country, the President is duty bound to set in motion processes to recover the money for the development of the people because he said so. People have pointed out such arbitrariness as in the renaming of UNILAG after Abiola. If the President wants to introduce some policy, like I am hearing he wants to change the name of a university that is established by law, in order to show recognition to Chief MKO Abiola; order should be followed. I am not in a position to know how he consulted. I do know that universities are established by statutes and law. I was a teacher in a university like him; and the university in question, the University of Lagos, I was a head of department, the Department of Psychology which I created with my friends. So I also have an attachment to the University of Lagos. When I talk about my life, I will say I was a teacher in the University of Lagos. When I woke up, the University of Lagos has become MKO Abiola University. MKO was my friend and he won election and was stopped from taking over. The President is right in showing Nigerians that in a proper democratic governance, this man should be recognised for many reasons but one of the reasons is to put paid to the anger in the minds of the people who loved him. He was treated badly by the military now we democratic people are there and we want to do the right thing. But again, we are using military tactics in dealing with the situation by announcing the change of name. Universities are created by statutes including their names. There are laws establishing them and when you start shouting like dictators; that I wake up this morning, I feel good of Mr. X, I change these things that is established under law to something because I am President, it is not right. That is not democratic. He should go through due process, have large consultation and ask questions. Contd on page 11

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Politics Clark is not advising Jonathan well —Awoyale T

h e r e have been series of security challenges on the country, especially the Boko Haram insurgency in the north. How do you think they could be resolved? Let me tell you, poverty is responsible for these problems and it is as a result of negligence by the leaders of the north. Behind the problem of Boko Haram is the underline cause which is extreme poverty. It is not sufficient to talk about it and ask why people are poor. But I know that a poor hungry young man is very dangerous. Once we engage our youth; once we create jobs for them, this madness will evaporate. But people are saying Federal Government should engage Boko Haram in dialogue. What is your opinion on this? On the issue of dialogue, I quite agree with the proponent of dialogue. The Boko Haram members are not from Jupiter or anywhere else. They are sons and daughtelrs of somebody and largely from the northern parts of the country. The problem there is mainly poverty and this is common knowledge. Even the World Bank said so about the western portion of sub-saharan Africa; comprising of the Republic of Niger, Chad, Sudan and so on. This is one of the causes of insurgency and emergence of militant organizations in the area. So what is the way out? We need to fight poverty in the north. I urged the federal and state governments to begin a transformation agenda that will see the north coming out of poverty. One must commend the Federal Government for the Almajiri programme. State governments should key in to it. It will go a very long way to check the problem. that is my take and I believe many Nigerians think in think along this line. The governors of the northern states are insisting that they have meager resources to develop their states from the federation account. Thank you. This reminds me of a statement credited to Chief Edwin Clark, the acclaimed leader of South- South region, who derided the north as not contributing anything to the national purse. It is an unfortunate statement because,

Chief Gbenga Awoyale is the President of Orisun Igbomina; a sociopolitical group that comprises the Igbomina stock living in Kwara South Senatorial District. An astute politician, businessman and a community leader, in this interview with Olanrewaju Lawal, he spoke on various issues taking center state at the national and state levels.

Gbenga Awoyale

perhaps, he has lost memory of the Nigerian history that before the discovery of oil; there had been the groundnut pyramid in the North, cocoa on the South West, and rubber plantations and palm oil in the South East. I don’t want to join issue with an elderly person but he needs to be cautioned as his statements are too corrosive and have the tendency to set the nation ablaze. I want to advise the South South people to please pick another highly respected leader for the Niger Delta that will not endanger the fragile unity in the country. Chief Clark is the only chief adviser to the President and he has been advising him wrongly. He should stop misleading the PDP into taking wrong decisions. He should allow Jonathan to work. The poverty in the land needs to be addressed so that we can move forward. That is what we all need. We need to address

critical issues that will benefit everybody. The National Assembly has concluded the probe on the handling of fuel subsidy and the committee indicted some high profile people including some ministers. What would be your advice to the President on the way

forward? Before I state what my advise would be, I want to commend Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki for taking the bull by the horn to initiate the process that lead to the exposure of the cabals milking the country dry all in the name of subsidy. In fact, his name can never be forgotten so long the issue of fuel subsidy remains. There has been a lot of rot in the oil sector. You can imagine that there is somebody who went to NNPC for cleaning contract and was asked to bring his registration documents and he submitted the registration document. Few days later, his account was credited with N1.9 billion for doing nothing. A lot of things came up during the probe. There was an allegation that the former Accountant General who has now become a serving governor in Nigeria, ordered the withdrawal of huge sum of money, 111 times within 24 hours. Is this not ridiculous? Those that were indicted should not be allowed to walk the street freely. This is too bad and I am sure things cannot continue like this. This is negative for the ruling PDP. So my advice to President Goodluck Jonathan is that he should ensure that those who were found wanting in the probe should be prosecuted and jailed and there should be no selective trial of persons involved, no matter how highly placed or close to the President. Some Nigerians are calling on President

“

Chief Clark is the only chief adviser to the President and he has been advising him wrongly. He should stop misleading the PDP into taking wrong decisions.

Jonathan to contest 2015 presidency; what is your reaction to this? If we look at it critically, you will notice that President Jonathan is qualified to contest for 2015 because he has the constitutional right. But morally, it will be wrong because while campaigning, he promised to do a term and on the basis of that, he was elected. Coming round to change his mind and want to try second term will make people to see him as a leader that should not to be trusted. Also, 2015 is still too far away; it will be better for those talking of 2015 to leave the President to concentrate on how to bring the dividends of democracy to Nigerians. 2015 is a distraction. If Jonathan finally want to go for second term that might be the end of PDP as people are not ready for any inconsistent president. Lets come back home to Kwara state. What is your assessment of the administration of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and your advice to opposition party in the state? Is too early to start assessing the governor’s achievements in the state because most of the time was used at the tribunal. Thank God it is over now. However, in all honesty, he is consolidated the solid foundation for a better Kwara which his predecessor in office Dr. Bukola Saraki started. However, as regards the opposition in the state, they will finished themselves before 2015 because if what we are hearing is true; we learnt Lai Mohammed is oiling is campaign machinery as gubernatorial candidate of their party in 2015 and that Belgore is doing that too. None of them will like to step down for one another. So you can see that they are out for self destruction. As you are aware, none of them stay in Kwara state. I challenge any one of them to name when last he slept for seven days in Kwara. They distanced themselves from the people. They are not there for the people when the need arises, so they are going into oblivion gradually. On the last note to them. The PDP is very much open to anyone of them. The PDP umbrella is so big that it can contain all the other parties. PDP will be waiting for them if they want to come but it would be wrong for them to call themselves opposition when they are not grounded in the state.

Special Report

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

PAGE 13

How citizen Tasiu was killed in Kano From Bala Nasir, Kano

s he was preparing that fateful morning to visit his sick mother at the hospital where she had been receiving medical attention for days, a call that changed late Tasiu Hamza Mohammed’s plan came. An in-law died the previous night and he was due for burial that morning. For this, Tasiu altered his plans for the day. He decided to first attend the burial after which he will go to the hospital to visit his mother. That was not to be. Unknown to him, fate has decided a tragedy which soon befell him. Tasiu did not see his mother that day, neither will he see her again. Hot bullets said to have been fired by security men punctured his stomach and that was the end of the journey of life for the once amiable man. The young man did not even get to the venue of the burial which was taking place at Danbare village. The bullet hit him while he was trying to locate the venue and he died instantly. The deceased, who was accompanied by his nephew, Usman Salisu to the burial was said to have been killed when he was struck by bullets from members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) who were at the village in a bid to rescue the German national who was kidnapped in January this year and was believed to had been under custody at a house in the village. Both late Tasiu Hamza and his nephew were not too conversant with the area and as such they could not locate the house on time resulting in their wandering about to get to their destination. According to Usman Salisu, as they entered the street, they came face to face with some armed soldiers numbering about twenty. As they saw them one of them shouted at them ordering them to move forward with their both hands up. “We put the motorcycle we were riding on its jack and started moving with our both hands raised over our shoulders as ordered”, he said. He narrated that as they start moving, the soldiers opened fire and a bullet hit his uncle in the belly and he fell to the ground reciting some religious verses. As for him, the moment he saw what happened to his uncle he also fell to the ground almost at the same time with him and started rolling trying to hid behind an uncompleted structure which was just before them. He said he was lucky as the soldiers lost interest in him and did not pursue him as he

managed to meander his way through uncompleted buildings. Salisu said he found himself moving from one house to the other until he arrived at another street and escaped. When he finally made it, Salisu said he was surprised to find himself right before the venue of the burial and people where wondering why he was running and panting. Some of them that recognized him asked him what was happening he told them soldiers were after him and that his uncle has been shot. At that juncture, somebody suggested that he called to find out about his whereabouts and position and it was readily accepted. Fortunately, he picked the call and answered but stated that he was alive but could not even move and that he did know where he was. He was then asked if he could describe the place and when he did it was then realized he was at

Late Tasiu Hamza Mohammed

Salisu Hamza ...victim's brother

a place called Gindin Gajeren Dabino and when they went there they found him lying in a pool of his blood. A car was brought and he was immediately taken to a hospital. But on reaching the main road, policemen on duty told them that they must get a policeman to accompany them to the hospital, otherwise he would not be treated by any doctor. According to Usman, finding a policeman became another hectic assignment and in the process too much time would be wasted and the victim needed prompt attention, so they disregarded the suggestion by the policemen and proceeded with

also live a descent life as citizens of Nigeria”, he said. He also demanded for the removal of military off Kano streets and hand over security of the state capital to the police as it is their original responsibility. Malam Salisu added that at the moment their family is demanding the Federal Government to pay compensation as he was killed extra judicially. “We want the Federal Government to pay compensation to the family. His case is a clear case of extrajudicial killing”, he said. He said that since the security men did not finish his brother when he was felled or arrest him showed that he was innocent. Also, he said allowing Salisu to escape without a chase also mean that the soldiers might well know that they were innocent people. He also accused security operatives on that fateful day for

Usman Salisu ...victim's nephew

him to hospital unescorted by any policeman. He said, they took him to a private hospital which incidentally was the same hospital where his mother was hospitalized where he was readily admitted and the bullet was said to had been removed successfully. Unfortunately, late Tasiu Hamza passed away in the evening of the same day at the hospital and to add to the grief, his mother also died the following day. Tasiu died leaving his wife and five children. The eldest of the son is only fourteen years old while the youngest is six months old.

Since the death of Tasiu, there have been reactions from residents with many of them calling for the Federal Government to take responsibility of the bereaved children. Leading the demand is Tasiu’s brother, Salisu Hamza, who on behalf of their family, is demanding that the authorities should step in for the upkeep of the helpless children since they cannot be left without proper care and education. “Government should step in and take responsibility of his family. Look at the children. They are still very young and need somebody to care of them. They have to go to school and

not disallowing people to drive into the village from the main road knowing fully well that a military operation was taking place there. “Had they barred people from going in, nobody will be hurt”, he lamented. Currently, the family has joined its voice to that of advocacy groups now springing up in the state calling for a stop to these extra judicial killings by government agents whose primary responsibility is to protect the people. The groups are accusing the JTF of being behind of many killings of the innocents in the state since the insurgency started.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Insight

Assakio:

Bustling town turned ghost village By Ali Abare Abubakar

s s a k i o , an agrarian community in Nasarawa state, with its rustic charm of a country lifestyle, may after all, never be the same again, after skirmishes over a piece of land erupted between the Alago, who lay claim to the ancestral ownership of the area and the migrant Eggon, who were said to have been accommodated and given farmlands to cultivate. Situated about 30 km away from Lafia, the state capital, Assakio, the headquarters of Lafia East development area, is well known as a commodity centre, with farm produce mostly, yams, groundnut, rice and maize, brought in from neighbouring villages to await buyers from every part of the country. However, a violent clash over farmland that recently erupted in Assakio, precisely on Friday, June 1, 2012, with two prominent tribes dominating the area, the Alago and the Eggon, engaging each other in gunfights, killing each other and setting several houses ablaze, including the palace of the traditional ruler of the town, the Osakyo of Assakio, Francis Inarigu, who lost all his property, including his six cars and who has since fled his domain, has turned this otherwise thriving commercial centre into a ghost town. The scale of the destruction in the agrarian settlement clinging to the ribbon of road passing through it, is such that more than a third of the population of Assakio, have now been rendered homeless, with their houses reduced to rubbles. The town itself has become a ghost of its former self when our reporter visited the area. The town has been completely abandoned save for the few brave ones, comprising mostly of the elderly and youths, who huddled together under tress contemplating their fate. The Alagos and the Eggons, Peoples Daily Weekend gathered, have cohabited for generations. The Eggons, said to have met the Alago people already established, having their traditional ruler in place. It is said that on arrival several decades ago, the Eggons met the 6th Osakyo, one Ashagye, who accommodated them in an area called Oleye, still within the town of Assakio, at the house of one Esheye Ishaleku, after which they were apportioned farmlands for their sustenance. Tracing the genesis of the conflict, Luka Anglo Oshaneke, the Sarkin Baka of Assakio, told our correspondent that because of the refusal of some Eggon farmers to honour a time tested tradition of giving tithe to the Osakyo, for the right to cultivate a particular piece of land, the Otokwi, the peace previously enjoyed in the area has been shattered.

Assakio town now shadow of itself He explained that the Otokwi has always been reserved for the Osakyo, with even a head hunter appointed for the area, who was to ensure that hunters remit part of their catch to the palace. Also every farmer is expected to also part with a portion of the annual harvest for the Osakyo. “It is our culture to give tithe to the Osakyo when you till the Otokwi so that the ruler can feed himself. It is our time tested tradition. If a hunter is able to kill an elephant, half of the meat is to be given as tribute to the Osakyo. Fishermen, Tivs, Jukuns, all have been honouring this tradition and giving part of their harvest to the Osakyo.” Oshaneke in his late fifties, bloodshot eyes darting sideways, as if expecting another attack, narrated the cause of the conflict, saying, “when our representatives contacted the Eggon farmers over the tithe, they were beaten severely and sent away. We sought for a dialogue with them over the matter, following which the Osakyo and the TMC chairman prevailed on all to suspend work on the land, only for the Eggons to come back the next day, shooting.”

It took two days for the invaders to raze down the town, killing scores of people and leaving behind an unimaginable scale of destruction of property. According to the Sarkin Baka, “the conflict is now really about the tithe, considering the scale of destruction. It is about taking control of the land, our land. We heard the Eggon youths saying soon they will be rulers of this town. The fight is about land, as we heard them shouting that soon the Alago will have to leave town.” Eyes glaring, Oshaneke warned that if the Eggons dare return again to shoot and kill them, every Alago man will rise against the attackers, “we will fight them, follow every Eggon man until we kill all of them. However, if they come back in peace, we will accept them.” “We don’t trust the government to provide us with security. Even the governor was here while the Eggons killed our people and yet no one interfered, with the police only able to fire tear gas.” For the Eggons who had also fled the town, with most of them running back to their ancestral home, Nasarawa-Eggon, with yet

“

We will fight them, follow every Eggon man until we kill all of them. However, if they come back in peace, we will accept them.

more taking refuge at the LGEA primary school in Ashangwa, a village, few kilometer away from Assakio, where our correspondent spoke with some of them over the incident, it has also been a terrible experience. Agyi Akika, the ward head of Akika, said about a thousand of them have taken refuge in the school since the past seven days, with no form of assistance coming from the state government, leaving them depending only on the people of the village for meals. He gave the reason for the crisis as the demand by the Osakyo for every Eggon farmer to give out one bag of rice as tithe, for which they refused, saying the demand was alien to them. “We have been in Assakio for thousands of years; we have never seen anything like this, for the emir to demand that we give him a bag of rice each. Is it now that this will start? The order from the Osakyo was that if we don’t obey, he will ask us to leave.” He narrated that the Eggon people went before the emir to plead with him to rescind the order but he refused, while also denying that they were allocated farmlands traditionally owned by the Osakyo for which they were expected to pay tithes. According to him the problem led to an attack by some Alago youths last Friday, who forced them to leave the town. He said when the attacks began, they were left with no option than to also set out to defend themselves, shooting and burning down anything belonging to the Alago’s. Akika also recalled that four years ago, a similar incidence

occurred, with the Alago burning down houses belonging to the Eggons, and the government of the day failed to come to their rescue. He lamented that since the enthronement of Francis Inarigu as the 12th Osakyo, the Eggon people have come under his wrath, as the emir constantly chide his people for accommodating them and giving them farmlands. The ward head further explained that the Osakyo had earlier on threatened to banish the Eggons from Assakio because, “we did not vote for Aliyu Doma, asking us to relocate to Shabu or Kwandere, where they will give us farmlands.” With the Eggons presently enjoying a measure of victory, as they claimed to have played a major role in the emergence of Governor Umaru Tanko Almakura, the demand by the Osakyo for them to pay tithe may after all be the spark for the fire that have consumed the two communities in a conflagration that has so far devastated the ancient town of Assakio. So far and according to the police spokesman, ASP Cornelius Ocholi, 18 persons have been arrested in connection with the killings in Assakio, with the command beefing up security in the area, supported by a team of army patrol, to ensure that peace returns to the town. The question though has been, to what will these people return, with their houses burnt and valuables destroyed? Government must therefore, quickly roll out a plan that will bring permanent peace to the troubled community.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

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Discourse

Many questions on irreligious polygamy C

h e origin of the term 'concubine' can be traced to Latin, from the word concumbere, which means, "to lay with." Concubinage refers to the state of a woman (known as the concubine or mistress) in an ongoing, quasi-matrimonial relationship with a man of higher social status. In ancient China, Chinese Emperors kept concubines with them in the Forbidden City. During the Qing dynasty for instance, there were around 20,000 concubines. They served a dual purpose - to ensure the Emperor a very good chance of producing an heir and, of course, limitless opportunities to indulge his more licentious instincts. Some historical Asian and European rulers also maintained concubines as well as wives. Concubinage was frequently voluntary, as it provided a measure of economic security for the women involved. Involuntary, or servile, concubine involves sexual slavery of one member of the relationship, typically the woman. This explains why a man in Niger state, Nigeria, Mohammed Bello Abubakar also known as Mohammed Bello Massaba, stirred up controversy in his hometown of Bida when he married 86 wives, and fathered 170 children. Though he claimed that the women were his wives, the Governor of the state, Muazu Babangida Aliyu disagrees; he said they were just under the control of Massaba, the famous polygamist. "They are just under his control but not married to him". In his contention, these women needed to be rescued from the grip of their supposed captor, whom they called their husband. Expressing apprehension for their situation, the Governor said he was piqued by the role of human rights organisations in the country which tried to support Massaba in his act saying that he was shocked because it is the women that needed to be rescued from the fangs of the polygamist. He disclosed that even concubinage, an age long tradition has been discarded in the state "I can tell you that all the 8 first class emirs in the state do not practice it any longer". The irony however is that some civil servants in the state still marry as many as 6 to 7 wives. "I was shocked at the development that a man in this state married 86 wives, and then I discovered that even among our civil servants, some have six to

Gov. of Niger state, Dr. Muâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;azu Babangida Aliyu

seven wives. But as far as I am concerned that is not Islam", Aliyu said and commended one of his aides, a 63 year old man who rejected an offer of a new bride. At a National Gender Policy Dialogue in Nigeria, held in Niger state, Aliyu, who was host at the occasion frowned at the situation of women generally and condemned acts inimical to their progress. He expressed concern that some men often looked down on women. "I discovered that men often lose out in a relationship when this happens instead of such relationship being very beneficial to both". He suggested that success could better be achieved when men sit down with their spouses to chart a course for their marriage. "You need to sit down with your wife and discuss how you want your family life to be, try and see what makes both of you tick". Aliyu regretted that men do not fulfill Islamic conditions which guide the marriage institution and reiterated that women's opinion should be respected in all decisions. "I have seen here in Niger state, how, when a man wants to take a second wife the existing wife only gets to know on the day of the wedding fatiha. This

is not right. A woman should not be threatened or divorced because the man is bringing in another wife, she has the right to know and you should negotiate with her with a view to appeasing her". He maintained. And reminded that the Holy Prophet (SAW), gave reference to the importance of women when he said a mother should be honoured thrice, before a father. The governor said the ways to achieve fruitful relationship should however be devoid of undignified approaches such as battering of women, making derogatory remarks about them

or raping a small child or girls and regarded men who exhibited such tendencies as animalistic. On the health issues of women and children, he said aside other diseases that bedevil Nigerians; high blood pressure is one health condition that devastates a family. For instance, the problem of paying school fees alone can lead to hypertension. "Parents can become hypertensive when they have to pay school fees and take care of other competing demands. Some parents in Niger state said their blood pressure reduced with government policy of free school fees". In the same vein, health care delivery is another area of priority to enhance the health of women and children in the state. Understanding the problems of marriage and finding viable solutions to them can therefore, significantly enhance quality of life of families and curb life threatening diseases, said Aliyu. It is also impressive that women as agents of change have significantly impacted on the society in which they live. As custodians of language, culture and tradition, they have brought meaning to the existence of societies. Governor Aliyu gave the example of how a locality in Lafia Barebari in the state have features similar to the Babur people of Maiduguri but do not speak Kanuri language. "Historically, the Lafia Barebari people were said to have migrated to the state without their wives, making it difficult for them to institutionalise their culture and tradition. If they had come with their women the situation could have been different", he noted. He said priority should be given to education of the girl-child in every state of the federation for national development, indicating that enrolment of children is given priority in Niger state. He said before he came on board, children enrolled in school numbered 612,000 but now enrollment has reached 1.2 m pupils in the primary and secondary schools in the state. Supported by the Child's Rights

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

I was shocked at the development that a man in this state married 86 wives, and then I discovered that even among our civil servants, some have six to seven wives. But as far as I am concerned that is not Islam.

Act, signed into law in the state to protect children, education is now compulsory for children. Under the law, all children must be in school and remain in school until they finished, under the law, the girl -child cannot be married out by her parents or guardian until she is 18 years old. He noted that despite the progress made however, there are still pockets of resistance in some rural areas where children of school age still absconded from school even though the schools are available while enrollment is still a problem. Sometimes the children played truancy by not going to school on time as they may be engaged in household chores like fetching water, hawking and the likes while teachers in such schools are not doing much to improve the situation. He explained that some of the pupils may abscond for fear of being punished when they come late to school while some teachers bend the rules. Governor Aliyu said the girlchild, particularly, needed to be encouraged given the prevailing statistics in the north. "Educating a female child enhances the society. Starting from her parents, the girl-child would often be responsible for their welfare when she grows up more than the male child. Even if she is in her husband's house, she would still think about their welfare. She does not eat until her parents have eaten. She would even take food from her husband's house to her parents and ensure that they got medical attention and other necessities. She would give them succour to the best of her ability while in the case of the male child; his primary responsibility is to his own family. A female, to my mind is the surest social security that we have. And their contributions will translate to all-round development". Aliyu, who said he was very close to his mother, stated further, that he had his mother to lean on when he was growing up as she was always there for him, and noted that most often a woman provided solid support for the family to thrive and when a man marries, he relies on his wife for his family to thrive. These advocacies should be stepped up in the localities for women in the grassroots to know that education is very important. That, keeping a good home, cleanliness of their environment and their families is next to Godliness. He expressed dismay that school children, who should have been participants at the Dialogue, were not present. It was however, later discovered that some schools were invited to the programme.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Tourism Mbari:

Faces of the gods in mud

Exotic animals on display

Some gods on display

By Richard Ihediwa with agency reports

v e r heard of Mbari? Perhaps not. Maybe you will hear about it or even see it when you visit Imo state, which prides as the heartland of the Igbo race in Nigeria. Apart from being one of the very popular tourist spots in the south east, Mbari center occupies a strong place in the cultural history of the region since the precolonial era. Just like the Grecian system of worship of panthions of gods, Mbari is very famous with its reputation as the "House of the gods" owing to its display of arry of images of deties in various sizes and shapes, almost akin not in shape but in concept with the Greek. The Mbari center, situated in Ikenegbu in OwAerri, Imo state capital is a traditional art and craft centre dedicated to Chukwu Abiama, the supreme deity in Igbo mythology. The center, which also shelters various sculpted figures or artifacts that depict the cultural heritage of the Igbos has continued to play pivotal roles in the preservation of the Igbo cultural heritage. For a first time visitor, the center could be mistaken as a shrine owing to the images of the Igbo deities that have been placed there. Mbari contains the images

of all the Igbo deities that inhabit the Igbo cosmic system. Though no one knows how exactly the cosmic personalities looked like, the Mbari figures depict the thoughts and views of the race about their deities as well as other figures depicting the life and culture of the Igbos in mud. The center has figures representing key Igbo deities including Ala, the goddess of fertility, Amadioha, god of thunder, Ogwugwu, god of the forest god and other deities which are believed to guide political, religious and social values among the Igbos. Other Igbo deities found at the Mbari center include Agbara, Chukwu and Nworie as well as figure representing some key ancestors including Eke, Orie, Afo and Nkwo, after whom the Igbo four market days week were named. Closely attached to each deity are images of monkeys, rams, snakes, tortoise and owls. Which are believed in the ancient Igbo mythology to represent errand spirits or mystical messengers of the gods and goddesses as they related to humans. Other works available in the center include the Ikoro, an instrument used among the Igbo to communicate important messages from one village to another. Central to the concept of the

Stories are captured in mud house was the need to preserve ancient encodings of the daily life, actions and thoughts of the Igbo in mud, all of which provide glimpses of the social, political and cultural history of the ethnic group as a whole. There are also images of rare creatures, some of them mythical. There are images of Eyi Nnunu, the Ostrich which are preserved in the center. At the entrance of the center is a tall figure, known as Alakuko, representing the tallest man in the Igbo race. Stories have it that the name was given to him by a white man visited the area in the past.

Another interesting figure at the center is that of "Onye afo toro." It is a mud figure of a man with a protruded stomach said to have committed an offence and was buried in the evil forest. Another attraction at the center is the Mbari Museum Kitchen where a variety of Igbo dishes made in the Igbo traditional way are served. Also there is a 3,000 capacity amphitheatre for exhibitions and other events. Generally, there are no religious activities or deity worship at the center. There are no sacrifices and rites. The deities are sort of on display and people come to the center for sight-seeing

and not for any religious reasons. To get to the center visitors have to get to Owerri, Imo state capital where they have to take either a taxi or bus to Ikenegbu Layout, which is very popular because of the Mbari Center which is located within the estate. Mbari center has been a hub for tourism in the south east and visitors come from far and near to appreciate the life and social activities of the race captured uniquely in mud. When next you go to Imo state, you can visit the Mbari Center; have a silent chat with the gods and enjoy traditional Igbo delicacies.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Weekend

PAGE 17

Cocktail

Queen’s diamond jubilee celebration

Compiled by Sunday Itodo with agency reports

reat Britain is celebrating 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the Royal Throne. Queen Elizabeth II was proclaimed as the Queen in a coronation ceremony on June 2, 1953 This Sunday, a grand parade was organized by the Thames Diamond Jubilee Foundation to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee

I N S I D E:

celebrations. Queen Elizabeth along with her husband Prince Phillips was carried by the Royal Barge, MV Spirit of Chartwell. They were accompanied by Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton along with Prince William’s brother Prince Harry. All the members of family were seated beneath a gold canopy on top of the vessel. The parade was scheduled to be about 12 kilometer long going down to the river Thames. The flow of river Thames was controlled so that

it wouldn’t cause any obstructions in the parade. The pageant began from Wandsworth bridge at about 14:15pm and ended up at tower bridge at 16:00pm. About 1000 vessels off all types followed queen’s barge. Each boat in the fleet was something special. Later Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that this is the largest of all parades. The parade was leaded by the royal barge Gloriana.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

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Relationship Are you meeting your spouse's emotional needs?

a r r i a g e s are made in heaven they say, but eventually, every marriage has to come down to earth. The honeymoon "orbits" gradually decrease in passion and intensity, due to other priorities that demand our attention. More so, when the bundle of joy arrives! Loving glances are gradually replaced by frowns, the stars in your eyes do not shine so brightly anymore, and your attempts at intimate conversation is punctuated by wails from the little intruder. You discover, as almost every married couple before you have discovered, that the feeling called "romantic love" has to be nurtured by a continuous process of meeting each other's emotional needs. What is an emotional need? It is a deep desire within you that, when satisfied, gives you a feeling of extreme happiness and contentment. If this desire is unsatisfied, it leaves you with a feeling of unhappiness and frustration. It follows, therefore, that when a husband and wife meet each other's most important emotional needs, they will be so happy and contented with each other that, they will experience passionate love, and stay in love as long as these emotional needs are met. But, each of us have different emotional needs, and even if both spouses have the same emotional needs, their priorities for each emotional need may be different. For instance, love and romance for most men are sex and recreation; for most women its affection and intimate conversation. Now, if such a husband and wife pair would spend a recreational evening together, show intense affection, with deep, intimate conversation, it would naturally lead to sexual fulfillment. The result? Passionate love, since the most important emotional needs of both are fully met! You, and your spouse, fell in love with each other because you both met some of each other's most important emotional

needs, and the only way to stay in love, long after the honeymoon is over, is to keep meeting these emotional needs. So, the first step for you, and your spouse, is to identify what are your most important emotional needs - those that will make you the happiest and most contented. The easiest way is to sit down, take a sheet of paper, and jot down what you would like your spouse to do/not do, that would give you the greatest happiness. A list, of at least five of your most important emotional needs, in order of priority, would be adequate for a start. When you both are ready with it, exchange the sheets of paper. Now, that you, and your spouse, know what you can do for each other that, will make you both the happiest and contented married couple, it only remains to learn how to become experts at meeting these emotional needs. The degree of expertise you both acquire at meeting each other's most important emotional needs will be measured by the intensity of the fire of love and passion in your marriage. How to Have a Happy Marriage The happier you are with yourself and your life, the more attractive you are to your partner. Another way to look at this is: if you were someone else, would you marry you? Start today to work on being the kind of person you would want to know, date, and marry. If you're not that kind of person, how can you expect your spouse to stay attracted or stay passionate? 2. There's you, there's him/her, and then there's we. You don't have to give up your identity or be known as your spouse's partner. It also doesn't work when two people each do their own thing without regard to their partner's wishes and feelings. Marriage is, and should be, more than cohabitation. As the marriage vows state, "two shall be as one". That "one" is neither you nor him. The "one" is a third entity: the relationship, the marriage, the "we".

The "we" is what you share, what you have in common, the nurturing that cannot be provided on your own. Think companionship, intimacy, and sharing. 3. Leave behind your emotional baggage Are you really over your previous relationship? If not, you can't fully commit to your spouse. Likewise, if you are still Daddy's little girl or Mommy's boy, you are not in control of your own life. Therefore, you cannot fully enter into an adult relationship of mutual sharing and support. You can't be accountable to your spouse if you have to keep pleasing Mommy or Daddy. 4. Your marriage comes first Marriage is the strongest bond between two people. Parents are here and one day they are gone. Children grow into adults and leave to start their own lives. Your spouse is only person who is meant to stay with you the rest of your time on this planet. Women who say their children come first are usually unable to let their children grow up and become independent adults. Instead of a mature adult-adult relationship, the roles are forever adult-child. So the children never emotionally leave home and are forever dependent on the parent. These women are always surprised when their mates get tired of being number two, and decide to leave for someone else who WILL put them first. 5. Your marriage is your top priority. You didn't get married to commute two hours a day, work at the office 60 hours a week, and pay on a mortgage for 30 years. You probably got married to share your life, your hopes, your dreamsnot your bills-with that special someone. During life's ups and especially during life's downs, keep in mind why you married in the first place. Not jobs, nor cars, nor your favorite sports team. At one time, your partner was the most important thing in this world to you. Act like it today and every day. 6. Don't compare This holds true in your life as well as in your marriage. There will always be a couple that seems happier, wealthier, sexier, and more perfect than you two are. So what? Their happiness doesn't increase or diminish your happiness. Neither does their money, their jobs, their house, or their glamour. All that matters is whether you and your spouse have created a relationship that works for you. 7. Don't wonder "what if?" Wondering what it would be like to be with another person-for a night or for a lifetime-is self-delusion and is really unfair to your spouse. You see other people socially when they are at their best. You see your spouse when he/she is at his best, her average, and sometimes at her worst. If you could swap mates, guess what? You'd see that person at his/her worst, and you probably wouldn't like what you see.

8. Realize that love can grow. As much as you were in love when you got married, your love and commitment to each other can grow over the years. Marriage can get better, not worse, with time. The longer you've been married, the more history you have together.The triumphs and disappointments, the successes and the failures, all are part of sharing a life together. And that history is unique to you. No one else has that or can duplicate it. This is why a man who leaves his middle aged wife for a younger woman eventually wants to come back. With his wife he has a history-a shared past. With the new woman there is only the present. 9. Commitment means no matter what. It's as simple as making the decision to be totally committed to your spouse and to the relationship. No matter what happens financially, or health wise, or otherwise. No matter what. Once the two of you have decided to stay "no matter what", there is no question of stay or go, yes or no. Now the emphasis is on problem solving. Write this down: all couples have problems. Happy couples learn to deal with their problems. Unhappy couples eventually just run away. 10. Believe that a happy marriage is not only possible, it's yours for the making. It won't happen by itself. It takes intention, commitment, and practice. But the couples who have happy, blissful, and satisfying marriages are proof that it is possible. Just choose to be happy, and choose to be happily married.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

PAGE 19

Beauty Tips Makeup mistakes you don't have to make I

n theory beauty, editors shouldn't be making makeup mistakes but in reality, even the most experienced makeup mavens can mess up now and then. That's a lesson we learned the hard way when New York City makeup artist Susmta Patel told about 11 super-common makeup mistakes she sees almost daily, it was a stunning revelation. And more than a little embarrassing, because all of us at some point or another had committed these blunders (and most of us thought we looked pretty good at the time to boot). It is better to know (and fix!) our makeup mistakes than strut around looking like clowns. So, here are those make up mistakes all ladies aare guilty of at one time or the other. Wearing the wrong foundation shade "Foundation isn't supposed to give your skin a bit of a tan," Patel says. After all, that's what bronzers are for. Instead, "it's supposed to create a perfect, smooth complexion and cover-up any imperfections. This is why you should always use a foundation which blends with your skin." Patel recommends testing on your jawline (not your hand!) before buying, and when possible, ask for a sample first. That way you can try it at home -- and look at your skin in various lighting situations -- to make sure the shade you choose looks natural. Applying makeup on dry, flaky skin Patel describes the results of slathering on foundation over chapped skin as "horrific," and we have to agree. Foundation will only emphasise the flakes by sitting on top of them instead of blending in with your skin. Fix the dryness by exfoliating regularly (to get rid of flakes) and following that up with a rich moisturiser. Smoother skin means a much smoother application and finished look Wearing blue eyeshadow "Blue eyeshadow works for some people," Patel says. " such as little girls in dance recitals. Guests at 1970s-themed parties. Ethereal looking supermodels. If you aren't one of the aforementioned people, don't wear it. Enough said." Harsh, but truer words have never been spoken. Trying to "plump" your lips You've probably heard, or tried, the trick of lining just outside your natural lip line to make your lips look bigger. But it's way easier said than done. One wrong move and you'll end up looking like Pamela Anderson circa 1993. If you are going to attempt it, Patel says to use a lip liner the same shade as your lipstick on the outer line of your lips, without passing over it. Fill in your lips as well -- that way, if your lipstick fades, you don't wind up with only a line around your mouth. Ignoring your eyebrows

"When [brows are] well groomed they can enhance your eyes and your entire look," Patel says. So head to a professional to get an ideal shape. While you do want to tame overgrown brows, Patel stresses that you don't want to tweeze too much. "As we get older, our brows naturally become sparser, so if you tweeze your brows too thin they might never fully grow back," she says. So just stick with cleaning up the area aro0und your eye brows and follow their natural arch fot your best shape. Trying to "sculpt" your face Yes, we would all love chiseled cheekbones and a dainty, ski-slope nose, but if nature didn't deliver, makeup isn't going to help. Patel says contouring is best left to professionals, and only for photography or film.

"No matter how skilled you are with the makeup brush, it's nearly impossible to use dark colors that aren't glaringly obvious when viewed in person, especially in broad daylight," Patel says. "Focus instead on pretty, soft makeup that plays up your best features." Using pencil on your eyebrows "A penciled eyebrow looks painted and weird (hello Joan Crawford)," Patel says. Nevertheless, many women still go this route to fill in brows. A better option: "Choose an eyeshadow color that matches your hair color and apply with a thin, stiff, angled brush using tiny strokes," Patel says Wearing black eyeliner in the daytime This may not apply to all skin colour

but the expert says, "Here is a general rule: dark colors shrink and recede," Patel says. "Light colors advance and bring forward." That's why she recommends skipping black eyeliner (especially underneath eyes) during the day, so your eyes look more open and awake Wearing glitter "The thing that bothers me the most about glitter in makeup, besides the fact that it shouldn't be worn by anyone over the age of 14 (fabulous club kids get an exception here), is that it travels on your face, leaving strange sparkly spots where they shouldn't be," Patel says. Instead of chunky glitter, she recommends shadows with finely milled shimmer -- used sparingly, of course. Source- totalbeauty.com

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Peoples Tech

Why your car shakes By Richard Ihediwa

ars are designed to have very smooth and steady ride. However, most vehicle on the road lack this and many drivers have taken it as normal. Several things can make our car shake on the road. Greater part of the problem lies with the wheel system including the hub, bearings, rims, tyres, shock absorbers and alignment issues. However, cars can also shake in motion due to problem in the engine sitting as well as mounting for the gear box and other heavy parts. Finding what makes your car to shake will require a level of knowledge of some parts of the car and how they behave under certain circumstances. If your car shakes at start up and when idling then the main culprit could be the engine mounting. Some people call it engine sitting. This component has damper rubber sides that help insulate the base of the engine from the vehicle metal chassis. When the rubber part breaks, the vibration of the engine, when it is running, is transferred to the main body of the car and cause serious shaking. Engine sittings cannot be repaired. Get a new one and the problem is solved. Gear box mantle can also behave in this manner. Sometimes the shaking from the mountings might not necessarily mean that they are broken. Sometimes the problem could be from a slack bolt.. When the car wobbles immediately it starts moving, then you need to check the tyres or the hub. Something is wrong with any of these. Bad tyres can cause the car to have gentle bumping when you start moving slowly. It can also get more violent when you increase your speed. Check the tyres for puff-up sides. A bad hub can also make a car to have bumpy ride. However, bad hubs are more responsible for wobbly movement and they can also lead to top side wears on tyres. Sometimes, you will not notice the shaking until the car has accelerated up the speed of about 100 kilometers per hour. If your car shakes especially on the steering wheel at the speed a little below and above 100 km/ h, the main suspect is the wheel balance mechanism. When the wheel is not properly balanced, it could lead to very violent shake that could rather cause more problems to the car. Take the car to a wheel balance expert to fix. Sometimes the problem could be on the rim itself. Bent or broken rims can

Bad tyres can be a problem

Faulty hub can make your car shake result in such violent shakes. You will not know that your wheel is bent until it is checked by the expert. Bad roads, especially those with very hard and sharp bumps could cause your rim to bend or crack. Bent or cracked rim usually result in shakes. There is not need to try to weld a broken rim or the beat a bent one in place. It will not work. The only remedy is to find out the rim and replace it. Alloy rims are not immune

from such damages. Replace your rim immediately you notice any fault. It is always difficult to find out the particular rim that has the problem. however, good driver can, with a hunch find out which. However you could find out by checking which side of the car that vibrates the more. Generally the only perfect way to find out which rim or wheel is the culprit is to go the wheel balance expert. However,

Broken or cracked rims are problematic you can do your own manual check by inspecting the wheels one after the other. To do this you can jack your car up and then roll the wheel and look at this intently to check for wobbly movement. This method might prove very difficult and might not give you what you want. The other way is to remove the wheel completely from the car and mount it on a hub attached to an upright pole.

Make sure that the hub is good so that it does not add to the wobble. After you have mounted the wheel, make sure the wheel bolts are in place, the spin the tyre. Stand in front of the wheel and try to find out where the wobble is coming from. You might not be able to fix the problem yourself but this can help you know the exact wheel the has the problem and this will help you save some costs.

Healthy Living

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

60-second health checks Got a minute? That's all you need to learn surprising facts about your health, with these home- self checks

o o k at your hairbrush for thyroid disorders; deficiencies Deficiencies of zinc, iron, or biotin can all cause hair loss. Another culprit: a thyroid disorder. If you recently had a baby or experienced another significant hormonal change, such as going off the pill, hair loss for up to three months afterward may be part of the fallout. If you notice more hairs in the bathroom sink or in your hairbrush than what seems typical for you, count them. Losing 100 hairs a day is normal. If you’re finding more than 200, or if the hair comes out in clumps that leave bare spots on your scalp, immediately make an appointment with your doctor. Peer into the whites of eyes for allergies, herpes infection If the whistes of your eyes suddenly have a yellow cast, it could be that you’ve spent too much time in the sun without wearing protective sunglasses. Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation causes a thickening of the clear membrane covering the whites of your eyes. More commonly, your eyes may look red. This is caused by blood vessels near the surface of the eye becoming enlarged and dilated. Red eyes could be a symptom of any several dozen issues. Many are relatively benign, such as not sleeping well the night before, or having an eyelash hair or small foreign object find its way into your eye. Red eyes could also be a sign of allergies, colds, flu, dry eyes, or a herpes outbreak. Or they could be a symptom of an infection such as pink eye, the familiar name for conjunctivitis, a highly contagious bacterial infection. In rare cases, it could indicate a more serious eye disease or injury. Look in the mirror and focus on the whites of your eyes. For the first few days try to get a sense of any minor day-to-day variations; then keep a look out for more significant changes. Generally if you have clear white eyes, it’s a good indication that you are resting well and are keeping everyday hassles like colds and allergies at bay. Blow your nose for allergies, defects The normal, healthy way to breathe is through your nose, which means its normal, healthy state is clear of obstructions. Even minor congestion is indicative of a problem, be it allergies, a cold, sinusitis, or perhaps a basic structural defect. Many of us live with clogged noses, but we shouldn’t. Even if you’re still able to breathe comfortably, when your

It is normal to lose 100 hairs a day, more than 200 is dangerous nose is 30 percent clogged, that means you’re (UTI). It can also be a sign of liver disease. Bloody taking in 30 percent less oxygen with each urine can also mean anything from kidney breath, and you have to breathe faster to keep stones to bladder cancer. So if your urine is up with your body’s oxygen needs. This is less dark, have your doctor check it right away. healthy than taking long, deep, clear breaths. Take note of the hue of your urine. If it’s pale Hold a tissue to your nose and blow. If nothing yellow most days and then suddenly green or comes out, fantastic. If clear liquid comes out, pink or brown for several days in a row, even it could mean allergies, an emerging cold—or though you know you’re drinking plenty of a too-cold home. Keep an eye out for other fluids, let your doctor know. symptoms. Yellow or green fluid indicates an Step on the scale for diabetes, heart infection. And if solid stuff comes out, relax. disease Your nose is in large part a filtering system; Though it’s in the “eat an apple/get some it’s perfectly normal for inhaled matter to exercise” category of obvious health advice. coagulate inside. But excess weight is linked to so many health Examine fingernails for skin cancer, conditions—diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, kidney disease, fungus high blood pressure, even depression, to name The natural state of your nails should be just a few—that it truly warrants ongoing strong, clean, and clear. Any significant monitoring. Plus daily checks have a good variation from that is symptomatic of influence on you. A study from Brown something deeper going on. What exactly? It’s University and the University of North hard to say; one health website consulted listed Carolina at Chapel Hill showed that 61 percent more than 300 health problems for which of people who weighed themselves daily nail problems are a symptom. Most prominent: maintained their weight within five pounds deficiencies in vitamins, minerals, or protein; over time (compared with 32 percent who anemia; thyroid problems; hormonal weighed in less often). Keeping daily tabs helped imbalances; and psoriasis. But then again, them catch weight gain early so that they weak nails could be the result of washing too could take steps to stop it. The best time is in many dishes. Look at each nail and take notice the morning, ideally before breakfast, wearing of any discoloration. A smattering of white no clothing. Whatever time you choose, be spots might necessitate a meeting with your consistent. manicurist, not necessarily the doctor (it’s Examine your stamina for chronic probably trauma, from slamming a finger in disease For a long time, health experts considered a drawer or door). But if you notice a linear streak that runs from the nail into the cuticle, better eating habits as the number one lifestyle it could be melanoma (skin cancer) and you change you could make for good health. But should have it examined. If a brownish today fitness is getting almost equal billing. discoloration is under the nail bed, it’s probably The benefits of exercising are so extensive they caused by a fungus, which can be treated with would surprise many doctors. But much more prescription medication. Another anomaly: frightening is new research that shows how Nails that are dusky white starting about halfway down the nail bed and darker near the tip, can be a sign of kidney disease. Check your urine for infection, liver disease Normal urine is clear or a light shade of yellow. A few foods (as well as vitamin B supplements) can change it to a different colour, but most of the time your urine shouldn’t vary much. What you’re really looking for is a sudden darkening. Dark yellow urine, or urine that looks blood-tinged, can signal dehydration or a urinary tract infection

much the lack of activity hurts your body. Some experts say that sedentary living has overtaken smoking as the top cause of chronic disease in America today. Measure your waist for type 2 diabetes, BP , cancer It is recommended you check your weight each day on the scale. But certain fat is more dangerous than others, and the most dangerous type is fat that surrounds the organs in your abdomen. People who carry extra weight around their belly—as opposed to on their butt, thighs, or elsewhere—are at increased risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and even some types of cancer. Make sure you’re moisturized Dry skin can make you feel tight and itchy all over, especially after showering. It’s not a particularly nice look and doesn’t feel very good. But dry skin could also be reflective of nutritional deficiencies or a more serious skin condition. And cracked, dry skin left unattended can open you up (literally) to infections and other health issues. Gently run a fingernail along your forearm. If your skin flakes or peels under your nail, or maintains a mark where you scratched, moisturize. Dry skin can also look red, or even crack and bleed. Scan your skin for cancer Skin cancer is the second-most common cancer for women between the ages of 20 and 29, and for women under 40, skin cancer has tripled in the last 30 years. Once a year, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends making a head-to-toe skin check as part of your annual physical check-up. The median age for diagnosis of skin cancer is 59, but the sooner it is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat.

“

Dark yellow urine, or urine that looks blood-tinged, can signal dehydration or a urinary tract infection (UTI). It can also be a sign of liver disease. Bloody urine can also mean anything from kidney stones to bladder cancer.

Nails can be weak or result of psoriasis

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

With Aunty A'isha

Sights and sounds Can two people have identical fingerprints? (I) By Ritu Asthana; Illustration by Anup Singh nce, a detective series was running on television where the fingerprints of the suspect are required. The hero invites the criminal to his home and offers him a glass of water. The bad guy takes the glass and drinks the water from it. After he leaves the hero dramatically whips out a handkerchief and picks up the glass. His expressions showed that satisfaction at a job well done. It is amazing how marks on a glass identify people how can one hand have different marks from another apart from the size that is? What you are going to read will put

an end to the mystery. If you were to press your thumb on an ink-pad and then on a sheet of white paper you will leave a mark or print, which no one else in the world can make. The same would be true for each of your fingers. The Chinese were the first to use fingerprints to affix their signature on important documents though they had no way of identifying or matching it with the owner. If you look closely at the inside of your palm you can see tiny lines all over. These are absolutely unique and they remain practically unchanged from birth to death. Each print is one-of-a-kind and no two people have the same characteristic. Scientists and criminologists (those who study criminal characteristics) determine the individuality of a fingerprint by a careful study of its ridge characteristics

(minutiae) and not by its general shape or pattern. The surface of the skin has been designed to provide our bodies with a firm grasp and to prevent objects grasped from slipping. Skin is composed of layers of cells. The outer portion of skin is called the epidermis while the inner skin is the dermis. Separating the two layers is a boundary of cells called the papillae. Each skin ridge has a single row of pores that open out for the sweat glands. Once the finger touches a surface, sweat from these pores, along with other body oils layer the ridge of the skin and are thus transferred to that surface. The result is an impression of

the finger’s ridge pattern. Such prints are referred to as hidden fingerprints because they are invisible to the naked eye. How this fact was discovered and now used by the police force worldwide is very interesting to trace. In 1823, John Evangelist Purkinji, a professor of anatomy at the University of Breslau in Czechoslovakia, published the first document on the nature of fingerprints. In 1856, Sir William Herschel, who was then working for the Indian Civil Service in West Bengal, used thumbprints on documents as a substitute for signatures. In 1880, a British physician Henry Faulds, who was then working in Tokyo, published a paper suggesting that fingerprints left at the scene of a crime could identify the offender. However, Faulds never got the credit he deserved!

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rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

SHOR T ST OR Y SHORT STOR ORY

The four wives

here was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He’s very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men. He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant’s confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times. Now, the merchant’s 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her. One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, “Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I’ll be alone. How lonely I’ll be!” Thus, he asked the 4th wife, “I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you.

Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No way!” replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word. The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant’s heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, “I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No!” replied the 3rd wife. “Life is so good over here! I’m going to remarry when you die!” The merchant’s heart sank and turned cold. He then asked the 2nd wife, “I always turned to you for help and you’ve always helped

me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?” “I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time!” replied the 2nd wife. “At the very most, I can only send you to your grave.” The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated. Then a voice called out: “I’ll leave with you. I’ll follow you no matter where you go.” The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, as if she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, “I should have taken much better care of you while I could!”

JOKE

Two little boys By Ann Taylor

couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. The two were always getting into trouble and their parents could be assured that if any mischief occurred in their town their two young sons were in some way involved. The parents were at their wits end as to what to do about their sons’ behaviour. The mother had heard that a clergyman in the town had been successful in disciplining children in the past, so she asked her husband if he thought they should send the boys to speak with the clergyman. The husband said “We might as well. We need to do something before I really lose my temper!” The clergyman agreed to speak with the boys, but asked to see them individually. The 8 year old went to meet him first. The clergyman sat the boy down and asked him sternly, “Where is God?” The boy made no response, so the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, “Where is God?” Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman

raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boys face, “WHERE IS GOD?” At that point the boy bolted from the room and ran directly home, slamming himself in the closet. His older brother followed him into the closet and said, “What happened?” The younger brother replied, “We are in BIG trouble this time. God is missing and they think we did it.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, MAY, 2012

PAGE 22

With Aunty A'isha

rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

AFRICAN TALES

MODEL OF THE WEEK

The woman with two skins (II)

e prepared the medicine for which the spider had to pay a large sum of money. That very day Adiaha made a small dish of food, placed the medicine and presented it to the king. Immediately he ate the dish, his eyes were opened and he recognised his wife and told her to come to him that very evening. In the afternoon, being very joyful, she went down to the river and washed, and when she returned she put on her best cloth and went to the king’s palace. It was dark and all the lights were out she pulled off her ugly skin, and the king saw how beautiful she was, and was very pleased with her; but when the cock crowed Adiaha pulled on her ugly skin again, and went back to her own house. This she did for four nights running, always taking the ugly skin off in the dark, and leaving before daylight in the morning. In course of time, to the great surprise of all the

people, and particularly of the king’s two hundred wives, she gave birth to a son; but what surprised them most of all was that only one son was born, whereas her mother had always had a great many children at a time, generally about fifty. The king’s head wife became more jealous than ever when Adiaha had a son; so she went again to the Ju Ju man, and by giving him a large present induced him to give her some medicine which would make the king sick and forget his son and the medicine would then make the king go to the Ju Ju man, who would tell him that it was his son who had made him sick, as he wanted to reign instead of his father. The Ju Ju man would also tell the king that if he wanted to recover he must throw his son away into the water. The king, when he had taken the medicine, went to the Ju Ju man, who told him everything as had been

arranged with the head wife. But at first the king did not want to destroy his son. His chief subjects begged him to throw his son away, and said that perhaps in a year’s time he might get another son so the king at last agreed and threw his son into the river, at which the mother grieved and cried bitterly. The head wife went again to the Ju Ju man and got more medicine, which made the king forget Adiaha for three years while she was in mourning for her son. She returned to her father and he got some more medicine from his Ju Ju man, which Adiaha gave to the king. And the king knew her and called her to him again, and she lived with him as before. The Ju Ju who had helped Adiaha’s father, the spider, was water Ju Ju, and he was ready when the king threw his son into the water. He saved his life and took him home and kept him alive. The boy grew up to be very strong.

Yahanasu Yahaya Bobboji is 3

ACTIVITIES

CREA TIVITY CREATIVITY

Sports Buddies: Benny baseball paper craft With the Olympics coming up, it will be best to start some sports buddies’ crafts for your enjoyment and fun. What you need: •paper •printer •something to color with •scissors •glue What to do: •Print out the template of your choice •Color the template pieces, feel free to use different materials for coloring to add

creativity/personality to the project (paint, markers, pencils and crayons are all fun choices) •Cut out the template pieces (you may need help with this step) •Glue the baseball buddy together: *Glue the face on the baseball head *Glue the hat onto the head *Glue the head onto the neck (shirt) *Glue the pants under the shirt *Glue the arms under the shirt sleeves *Glue the bat into one of the hands *Glue the legs under the shorts

Name and paint the above picture with beautiful colour, cut and paste on your wall in class or at home for decoration, I am sure you will like it. Cheers!

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Kannywood Multi-million naira Range Rovers deal:

Genevieve beats Desmond Eliot S uperstar actress, Genevieve Nnaji, according to Nigeriafilms.com, has landed a multi-million naira car deal. We gathered that the single mother of one actress has been appointed by Coscharis Motors in Nigeria as the brand ambassador of Range Rovers cars in Nigeria. The company, Coscharis, is the owner of the car brand in Nigeria. With this deal, Genny, as she is also called, would pocket about $100,000 in the first six months of the deal. Subsequent months would make the actress about $250,000 richer. The deal, going by information we got, would run for an initial 12 months but open to renewal thereafter. Interestingly, the bumper deal was dangled between Genevieve and Desmond Elliot. A source said that the Coscharis team had a very tough time deciding who to choose between the two great actors. It was learnt that Genevieve got the deal based on her popularity over Desmond. Another factor, as the source later pointed out, was that Genny is becoming a global brand more than Desmond. It was also learnt that Genevieve’s past successful brand deals really helped her in clinching the Range Rovers car mouth-watering deal.

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Nollywood

My style is unique —Young Obama Aniedi okon [alias] Young Obama is an Abuja based comedian, event manager, actor and MC. In this interview with Miriam Humbe, he speaks on his career and his unique style of comedy which revolves around current national issues: Excerpts For how long have you been into comedy? his is my seventh year but professionally, I started about four years ago. I actually discovered my talent when I was in the secondary school. I went out with my friends, and whenever I talked, they would laugh deliriously but I didn’t know I had the talent. I just knew I was a funny guy, eventually I developed interest in it and seven years on I have never looked back, and I am happy for what God has done for me because it became my profession. What are you doing in Abuja? I am based in Abuja here though I was born in Lagos. How do you rate yourself compared to the big names in the industry? First and foremost, I have never compared myself with anyone. I just believe that everyone is special. I have always believed in myself. I believe that time and chance determines one’s success in life. So I have always seen myself as this special person, and I believe that with time and chance I will get there. I do not compare myself with any of these guys because I am unique and I have my own style. What inspires you to make funny jokes? Well, it is generally from the things that happen around us. If you listened to my jokes this evening you would understand what I mean. They are based on current situations while the creative ability is inbuilt, so I just try to re-create these things by giving meaning to them in a humorous manner. Apart from comedy, what else do you do? I am into entertainment. Apart from comedy, I am an actor, I do MCs, I am an event planner, I anchor events like wedding ceremonies, birthdays and all that. I am an event person basically but comedy is what I do in every area. I do other things as well apart from the stand up comedy. How much do you make per show? As an up-coming comedian, the money is not much but I thank God. Sometimes I do a hundred

Desmond

Genevieve

K-Solo’s marriage breaks, moves out of matrimonial home P

K Solo’s marriage to the top business woman Kike has been going through troubled waters

opular producer, Solomon Oyeniyi a.k.a. K Solo who has done some music productions for the likes of Timaya, Clever-J and others allegedly said to have moved out of his matrimonial home, abandoned his wife, Kikelomo for his mum’s home. According to sources, K Solo’s marriage to the top business woman Kike has been going through troubled waters for sometime now. The delectable woman, due to K Solo’s alleged recklessness and insatiable appetite for anything in skirt. “As a good wife who wants the success of her husband, she has the right to query him whenever he comes back home late, smelling of alcohol. But most times he complained that Kike nagged all the time.” An insider told nigeriafilms.com Kike, as a supplier had some transaction with Nigeria Breweries Limited, she was expected to be paid her money that month and K-Solo came up with some unbearable demands and Kike, we gathered, turned down his proposal claiming that the money she was expecting from her supply was going back into the business. This, we learnt, frustrated K-Solo and he allegedly gave her the beating of her life. “The following day he packed his things and moved to his mum’s house where he permanently keeps his former girlfriend” another source told us. Nollywoodgossip.com

figure to be celebrated, your name is a brand of its own and people will appreciate that you had come that far. What is your word to the youth? For the young people, I say believe in what you are. Everyone has a gift, a talent. Discover and develop it, and then believe in yourself. The environment may not be friendly but if you believe in yourself and do your homework well, God will take you to places you can’t imagine. As for me, I

believe it is God that has brought me to the position that I am now. Where do you see yourself in the next five years? In the next five years, I don’t think I will be in this country. I see myself at the top. I want to be among the top celebrities, and then I want to do my own thing as well, just like AY and Julius Agwu are doing. I want to have, and promote my brand, and also encourage younger people with a view to helping them discover their talents.

Lawrence Lurrenz Onuzulike: I’ve shot 7 movies in the past 2 months

awrence Lurrenz Onuzulike is a Nigerian author, musician and actor. In this interview, he says, “I’m actually shooting two movies at the same time right now, one with Uche Nancy and one with Solo Amaco. In Solo’s movie, which is about how the police kill innocent citizens and cover it up, I was Mercy Johnson‘s fiancé who was shot to death by trigger happy police and Mercy spent the rest of her life fighting for justice.” What is the second movie all about? The second movie is about how some desperate hot girls tried to win over the prince; my role is to protect the prince played by Muna Obiekwe. The movie with Uche Nancy is challenging because I’ve never played such a role, of protecting the prince. It wasn’t the role I was given at first. I requested for it to try something different and I love it, while in the movie with Solo Amaco, playing Mercy Johnson‘s fiancé is challenging

too because she’s the best around, and I have to step up my game so as to match her. How comes you are shooting two movies at the same time? I’m shooting the two movies at the same time and the two producers know that. Last year I shot 3 movies at the same time, one with Zeb Ejiro, one with Chico Ejiro and the other with Frank Dallas.” As long as producers know you’re on other sets at the same time, they’ll work something out. How would you rate Mercy Johnson? I think Mercy Johnson is number one in the Nollywood industry. She was actually in 4 out of the 7 movies I’ve done so far. She’s a good friend and a nice person, so working with her is fun. She is fast growing into the most respectable woman in Nollywood. If she’s not shooting, she’s on the phone with her husband. I guess she knows the value of marriage.

Aniedi Okon [Alias Young Obama]

thousand naira, eighty thousand, and fifty thousand, depending on the event. Sometimes it can be for free based on the relationship with clients. But I think the minimum I have done so far is for a hundred thousand and I for a starter, I am

not doing badly at all. The time will come when we will be signing cheques, and talking in dollars. At what point in your career will you possibly say below a given amount, you can’t go?

It has to do with fame and popularity. I hope to come to that stage when I will be well known globally not just in Nigeria, then I could say I am a star, a celebrity. At that point, you don’t talk about small money because you are a

Lawrence Lurrenz Onuzulike

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Hollywood/Bollywood

Rachel Crow plans EP release, Reason behind Genelia's new look! announces tour dates

achel Crow concluded her X Factor run in tears. But the adorable young singer has plenty to smile about these days. Crow will soon be

releasing a five-track EP and has also announced that she'll be hitting the road on July 5 along with Big Time Rush as part of its Big Time Summer Tour.

Lindsay Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor: A Train Wreck Becomes an Icon

hen Lindsay Lohan first walked onto the set of Lifetime's Liz & Dick dressed as screen legend Elizabeth Taylor, people were astonished at the resemblance. "There was an audible gasp," the movie's costume designer, Salvador Perez, who gets a boatload of the credit, tells People. "You'd swear it was Elizabeth." Occasional Lindsay Lohan wardrobe malfunction aside, the actress looked remarkably like her screen idol with the aid of vintage clothes, hair and makeup. "She just walked into the clothes and became Elizabeth Taylor," says Perez. Producer Larry Thompson, with a precise attention to detail, had some of Taylor's most famous bling, including the 33carat Krupp diamond, recreated for the film.

Lohan's hair and makeup will span all of Taylor's looks, from the long lashes and red lips of the 1950s (attained using M.A.C's "Hot Tahiti" lipstick) plus Liz's Cleopatra-inspired eyeliner and nude mouth of the '60s to her teased '80s bouffant. "Part of the magic is the wardrobe," he says. "But Lindsay brings magic to the movie." Many of the vintage dresses fit her like a glove, too; Lindsay Lohan's waist measures a tiny 23 inches, while Taylor's was a mere 22 inches. Lohan will wear 66 different looks in the 80minute biopic, which begins in 1961, ends with Richard Burton's (True Blood's Grant Bowler) death in 1984. The film focuses on their tumultuous relationship (an affair while she was still married, two weddings and two divorces), giving them plenty of material.

The EP will include the following songs: 1. Mean Girls 2. Rock With You 3. Lemonade 4. My Kind of Wonderful 5. What A Song Can Do

Sonja Morgan: Reality TV Helps Lonely People!

e n e l i a D'Souza was recently spotted with a new hairdo. Well, it was her husband, actor Riteish Deshmukh behind this new look. "Riteish has a great sense of style, for sure. Actually, it was Riteish's idea and he had for long asked me why I don't try going with a short hair," the 24year-old said. The actress added, "Normally, due to continuity issues, you don't get the opportunity to try a different style. I thought there was a break after marriage so let me do something that's different and new." Genelia always loved

street fashion. "I don't know what the definition of style is, but what I have always enjoyed is being creative in my own space. In college, I used to have my entire hand filled with friendship bands and that used to be my style statement, be it with any outfit. "They were of different colours and looked really cool," said Genelia. "Then when my jeans would fade away, I would cut them off and use them as shorts or (wore) shirts tied up. So I like that kind of style and I would say I enjoy street style more when it is about casual dressing," she added.

Skin show for Abhay Deol

n a new interview with Lifestyle Mirror, Sonja Morgan comes up with an interesting theory of Awhy people love The Real Housewives of New York City. "If you sign up for reality TV, you have to be yourself," Morgan tells the publication. "People want to see how real people live. It makes people feel like they're not alone in the world." Morgan adds that she was hesitant to sign on for the Bravo franchise at first because she "didn't know if it was going to be a cross between Jerry Springer and Desperate Housewives." So why did she finally agree? "I knew at that point my divorce settlement wasn't coming. I needed to support myself and my daughter in our townhouse," said Morgan, referring to the $6 million property in which she resides. The Real Housewives of New York Season 5 kicked off this week with the introduction of new cast mates Aviva Drescher, Carole Radziwill and Heather Thomson.

www.thehollywoodgossip.com

ibakar Banerjee's Shanghai will have the daring Abhay Deol bare his torso, something similar to Ranbir Kapoor's "Saawariya" act. The difference is, it was a towel for Ranbir, and it'll be a lungi for Abhay. Abhay Deol essays the role of an IAS officer from Tamil Nadu. "It's not a towel… It's a south Indian lungi," Abhay Deol said, at a press conference recently. Abhay was said not to be very comfortable with the idea of wearing just a lungi. "I cried for days, that, why you're you making

me wear this… but then we decided to go with it. I told Dibakar to take care of the lighting… that's all," said the 36-year-old. In Shanghai, one will not get to see a pumped up Abhay. The actor has kept his normal physique. "Dibakar said I shouldn't go and make a gym body with six packs. He said - 'be athletic, keep your physique as it is, don't pump yourself with steroids otherwise you won't look like an IAS officer for sure'," Abhay said. Focusing more on the scene, rather than Abhay's body, Dibakar said,

"While filming that scene, we weren't really thinking what Abhay would look like because it was a one-take scene when a burning brick wrapped in cloth and kerosene oil had to crash in through a window to the left of Abhay and landing to Abhay's right side, and kept burning. That was risky because it could have hit Abhay, hit the camera or the laptop in front of Abhay. "Shanghai", hits theatres this Friday. The film also features Emraan Hashmi and Kalki Koechlin. bollywoodgossips.net

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

PAGE 27

Homes

Improving your landscaping

Save money with these valuable tips

here are several methods to employ to prevent erosion in your yard. However, before you look for a soil erosion prevention plan, make sure to assess the erosion carefully. Since topsoil is normally the most egregious kind of yard erosion, here are four methods to use to prevent it. Prevention begins with control methods that are determined by the depth and severity of the problem. Soil erosion can be caused by factors such as rainfall, and wind blowing severely. By establishing one or several prevention methods, you will keep your lawn healthy while offering plants and trees enough place to grow and flourish. Plant Vegetation The most common, and possibly the easiest, way to battle erosion in your yard is to plant flowers or tress in the area affected. These plants will act as a shield, lessening the impact of rainfall, over watering, and wind that contribute to erosion. Plants and tress help stabilize the soil by putting in roots that soak up water as well. Wild flowers work well to blanket an area prone to soil erosion as do herb plants acting as cover. Also, a line of shrubbery can be used as an antidote to soil erosion. Creeping crawling cover plants are better to plant than ones that simply grow upwards. Matting Matting is one method for preventing soil erosion that can be applied on residential lawns. Since matting is comprised of wood fibers it is eco-friendly. Matting is placed in the affected area, helping to soak up the elements preventing erosion. Matting allows for plants to grow through it and can be cut into whatever size to suit your needs. Mulching Adding a layer of mulch can be beneficial for both soil and plants when applied. Consider a layer of fertilizer as well. Both will help the soil absorb water; thereby lessening any impact rainfall may have on the area. Mulch and fertilizer contribute to higher PH levels and help the health of the soil as well. Frequent mulching is a good practice to replace used mulch that may no longer be as effective controlling erosion as a fresh batch might be. There is no particular type of mulch or fertilizer to be better to use. Edging Mud puddles or wet spots visible on your

lawn are sure signs of soil erosion runoff. They occur where the soil cannot hold the water and the soil pushes it to the surface where it puddles. Often planted areas where the soil has been disturbed cause a water runoff that appears in other areas of the lawn. A simple solution is to build a retaining wall around flower beds and larger plants such as trees. Retaining walls are typically installed a few inches deep into the ground. These will act as shields preventing surface water runoff. Retaining walls will also keep water within the bed, allowing plants in the bed to slowly soak water in. When it comes to saving money, one area of the home that is often overlooked is right outside the window. By taking advantage of some basic landscaping techniques, you can preserve your home's foundation and enhance your property. In addition, when carefully planned to accent your home, landscaping can offer some cost-saving benefits. For instance, a survey of homebuyers indicates that landscaping increases a home's value by more than 15 percent. But even if you're not considering selling your home in the near future, landscaping can save you money in other

ways, too. Beginning your landscaping project is easy, and you don't need a "green thumb" to get started. An important advantage of landscaping is the protection it can provide to your home. There are three areas in particular, where landscaping can improve your home's exterior: 1. Prevents Property Erosion. By planting certain shrubs, you can prevent soil erosion from around the foundation of your home. Such erosion could weaken your foundation, causing your drainage system to overwork. If this happens, you could end up with a flooded basement. By landscaping, you can create grades to form positive slopes away from your home's foundation. 2. Enhances Home's Architecture. Low growing plants arranged along your home's foundation can enhance or accent the architecture of your house. Ground covers, such as mulch chips also provide the same benefit. 3. Improves Unsightly Fixtures. Flowerbeds and plants make the perfect cover-up for eroding slopes, poor drainage, downspouts, air conditioners, heat pumps, and pool equipment.

Although the arrangement of trees, plants, and shrubs is important to the overall appearance of your landscape design, your selection of plantings can also bring some cost saving benefits. Here's how: Conifer and hardwood trees, when arranged wisely on your property, can lower the heat in your home and cool the environment. In cold weather, these trees shield your home from wind while in the warm weather provide cooling shade. And just think of the contributions you are making to the environment when you plant a tree. Even your lawn has a useful role. When compared to artificial grass and pavement, fresh grass refreshes the air, protects the ground in harsh weather, and lowers temperatures in hotter climates. Natural insect control: Trees and flowers attract birds. If you select plantings that welcome tree swallows, house wrens, brown thrashers, and orioles, you will enjoy free insect control. Your local garden shop can help you with your planting selection. Health Benefits: A properly landscaped home is soothing to look at with its burst of color, pleasing fragrance, and calming sounds from the wind and birds. In fact, psychologists report that an attractive landscape plays a major role in reducing stress. What's more, gardening is good exercise for physical fitness. But if the extent of your landscaping interests is to mow and water your lawn when needed, then you might want to hire a professional to landscape your home. · Select three reputable landscapers to evaluate your landscaping needs. Observe their inspections, ask questions, and advise them of your personal gardening preferences. · Compare the three estimates carefully. Check the quality of materials being used and understand the services that are not being provided. · Be sure to hire a landscaper that has liability insurance. Landscaping your property will bring additional benefits unique to your home. By investing a few hours of your creativity and time a week, you can be assured that your rewards will flourish. doityourself.com

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Cuisine

Pots & Pans

With Hajiya Ramatu Usman Dorayi

Accessories to spice up your kitchen

You may not think of your kitchen as a place that needs accessorising, but actually there's a wide range of products on the market that can help you spice up your kitchen. Take a look at some of the different types of accessories that are a must have for a healthy family kitchen. Water filtration system Collapsible Salad Installing an under-sink water filter Spinner in your kitchen is one of the best ways to ensure that your family is getting safe and clean drinking water. They are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. Cartridges are inserted into the unit, which receives water from the cold water faucet. These need to be changed just a couple of times every year.

This is a sole salad spinner that not only dries and rinses clean your fresh lettuce. This is different from the traditional salad spinners that take up all your cupboard space. It is an absolutely ground-breaking salad spinner which collapses to half its height so it doesn't clutter up cabinets. Fashionable and extremely spacesaving, this collapsible salad spinner is a must-have in each kitchen.

Soap dispenser Over- the- head pot rack Lack of space in your kitchen? Don't worry; just hang your pots and pans above your head. Hanging your pots on your pot rack above the head is fun, and exclusive way to get them right where you want them, over your head, so you can reach up for them and start cooking right away.

A soap dispenser on your kitchen sink will help to create a more hygienic kitchen. The chef can easily wash up after working with meats, flour and other messy foods, while kids can be directed to wash up before dinner without a trip to the bathroom.

Garbage disposer

Sink strainers

A kitchen sink garbage disposer is installed between the sink's drain and trap, where it shreds incoming waste into tiny pieces that pose no threat to plumbing. Waste is fed through a chamber and drops onto a spinning blade that hacks it up. Metal parts in a garbage disposal unit should be made of stainless steel or another corrosionresistant material as they will constantly be coming into contact with water. You may want to consider soundproofing any garbage disposal unit, as they can be noisy.

A kitchen sink strainer will help prevent blockages in your plumbing by filtering out big chunks of food and other debris in dishwater. Sink strainers also help prevent these types of materials from entering water run-off systems and being washed into rivers and oceans, where they can cause harm. There are various types of sink strainers - some even double as a plug.

Cake pops, doughnut maker Cake pop maker machine is simple to use. Just follow the instructions and you are good to go. It's essentially plug and play (or bake). Cake pop maker will help you create sweet treats for your relations and friends. It could also be used for your doughnuts and puff-puff. It is wonderful for parties and great idea for kids.

Womanhood PAGE 29

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Getting right education for your lads R

ecently, massive failures have been recorded in the West African Examinations, WAEC, National Examinations Council, NECO and Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board, Jamb examinations conducted to usher students into higher educations of learning in the country. Much of the blame appears to be placed at the feet of women whose primary responsibility is seeing to the proper upbringing of children and moulding them into responsible adults in the society. Here are a few steps women can take to ensure their children and wards avoid examination misconducts and are rewarded with better results. Read together Children who read at home with their parents perform better in school. Show your children how much you value reading by keeping good books, magazines and newspapers in the house. Let them see you read. Take them on trips to the library and encourage them to get library cards. Let children read to you, and talk about the books. What was the book about? Why did a character act that way? What will he or she do next? Look for other ways to teach children the magic of language, words, and stories. Tell stories to your children about their families and their culture. Point out words to children wherever you go -- to the eatery, to the pharmacy or to the gas station. Encourage your children to write notes to grandparents and other relatives. Use TV wisely Academic achievement drops sharply for children who watch more than 10 hours of television a week, or an average of more than two hours a day. Parents can limit the amount of viewing and help children select educational programs. Parents can also watch and discuss shows with their children. This will help children understand how stories are structured. Establish daily family routine with scheduled homework time Studies show that successful students have parents who create and maintain family routines. Make sure your child goes to school every day. Establish a regular time for homework each afternoon or evening, set aside a quiet, well lit place, and encourage children to study. Routines generally include time performing chores, eating meals together, and going to bed at an established time. Talk to your children and

teenagers -- and listen to them, too Talk directly to your children, especially your teenagers, about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and the values you want them to have. Set a good example. And listen to what your children have to say. Such personal talks, however uncomfortable they may make you feel, can save their lives. Express high expectations for children by enrolling them in challenging courses You can communicate to your children the importance of setting and meeting challenges in school. Tell your children that working hard and stretching their minds in the only way for them to realize their full potential. Expect and encourage your children to take tough academic courses like geometry, chemistry, computer technology, a second language, art, and advanced occupational courses. Make sure they never settle for doing less than their best. Find out whether your school has high standards Your school should have clear, challenging standards for what students should know. For example, what reading, writing and math skills are your children expected to have by fourth grade? By eighth and twelfth grades? What about history, science, the arts, geography, and other languages? Are responsibility and hard work recognized? If your school doesn't have high standards, join with teachers, principals, and other parents to set these standards. Keep in touch with the school Parents cannot afford to wait for schools to tell them how children are doing. Families who stay informed about their children's progress at school have higher-achieving children. To keep informed, parents can visit the school or talk with teachers on the telephone. Get to know the names of your children's teachers, principals, and counsellors. Parents can also work with schools to develop new ways to get more involved. Families can establish a homework hotline; volunteer on school planning and decision-making committees, help create family resource centres, serve as mentors, and even help patrol school grounds. Use community resource Activities sponsored by community and religious organizations provide opportunities for children and other family members to engage

in positive social and learning experiences. Family- oriented community resources may include health care services, housing assistance, adult education, family literacy, and employment counselling. Families can reinforce their children's learning by going to libraries, museums, free concerts, and cultural fairs together. When parents and families get personally involved in education, their children do better in school and grow up to be more successful in life. Sounds like common sense, doesn't it? Yet parental involvement is one of the most overlooked aspects of education today. The fact is, many parents don't realize how important it is to get involved in their children's learning. All parents and family members should try to find the time and make the effort because research shows that when families get involved, their children: — Get better grades and test scores. — Graduate from high school at higher rates. — Are more likely to go on to higher education. — Are better behaved and have more positive attitudes. It is wise to get the entire family involved. Family involvement can be as simple as asking your children, "How was school today?"

But ask every day. That will send your children the clear message that -their schoolwork is important to you and you expect them to learn.Many children and parents are yearning for this kind of togetherness these days. Among students aged 10 to 13, for example, 72 percent say they would like to talk to their parents

more about their homework. Forty percent of parents across the country believe that they are not devoting enough time to their children's education. And teachers say that increasing parental involvement in education should be the number one priority for public education in the next few years. kidsource.com

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Do you have old pictures for memories? Send them to julius2001_a@yahoo.com

From the archives

Malam Yusufu Kazaure (holding a pointer) teaching town planning at the defunct Institute of Administration, Zaria, in 1959.

Chief of Native Authority Police, Sgt. Umaru Zaria in 1959.

The late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Abdullahi Bayero, returning home from an outing in 1951.

L ear ning PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Mathematics Lesson Surface Area of Common Solids This week we shall be learning in this section, how to calculate the surface area of common solids. Within our area section, we had to provide a definition for the meaning of area. That definition rested upon the square -particularly a unit square. A unit Square can be 1" x 1" or 1 yd x 1 yd or 1 ft x 1 ft or a square by some other unit.

Unit Square We saw the area of a figure was nothing more than the sum of all unit squares of a figure. For the surface area of a solid, there is a similar definition, but it applies to the exterior surfaces of the solid. The definition of surface area is the sum

General Prism of all unit squares that fit on the exterior of a solid. This is the best figure to begin with when investigating surface area. It is the simplest figure of all the solids. It is also a figure most people have personal experience due to either wrapping or opening gifts. All the surfaces of a prism are rectangular. This makes calculating the areas of these

Compiled by Joy Baba

Surface Area of Prisms

surfaces very easy to do. The areas of rectangles have been discussed in another section, which is available for review before proceeding, if necessary. As the diagram below indicates, there are six surfaces to a rectangular prism. There is a front, back, top, bottom, left, and right to every

rectangular prism. The surface are of a prism is nothing more than the sum of all the areas of these rectangles. Using the labeling of the general prism diagram above, a formula can be created for dealing with the surface area of prisms. Let's calculate the area of each surface.

e s , IT is currently a strong marketespecially in comparison to the competition. And although IT talent is in demand, job hunters need more than just a couple letters (such as BSc. or B.A.) to land a job. Here are a few things to consider if you're looking for a job in IT or considering a career in the field. This is, of course, far from a complete guide to getting an IT job, but it focuses on a few areas of particular interest. It's Not What You Know, It's Who You Know Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your perspective), getting a job in IT-or in any field-is often a matter of connections. This is particularly the case if you're just starting out in IT. You're competing with potentially thousands of others who, on paper, may look a lot like you. But if you know someone at the company you're applying to, and especially if that someone has some sway in hiring decisions, you automatically have a leg up on everyone else. This is just human nature-people tend to prefer what they're familiar with. If you're an extrovert, this may be good

PAGE 31

ICT ESSENCE with

Bello Abdulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Azeez +234 805 113 0075 abdulazeez@ictessence.com www.ictessence.com

Finding an IT job in a bad economy (I) letter stand out (in a good way, anyhow); everyone has access to tools to form a decent resume, and all the articles you read about how to make your resume stand out have been read by everyone else too. Every professional employment situation is different, of course, but almost all of them require more than just a convincingly designed resume and cover letter. That being said, don't let your resume or cover letter work to your disadvantage. They may not do all that much to get you a job, but they certainly can do you a lot to lose the opportunity. Spelling and grammar mistakes-however irrelevant it may be. Yes, rejecting an applicant over

have been asked over the phone or through email. The employer is looking more at your personality. Yes, some interview questions may be designed to test how well you can think on your feet, but not all jobs are better suited to "fast thinkers" than to those who more deliberately and carefully review all the information and come to a more solid conclusion. The best thing you can do is be yourself, at least you won't sound like you're just doing whatever the article (which everyone else read) told you to do. Your personality might clash with your interviewers and lose the job, but hey-that's probably a good thing. Think Twice About College

a minor grammatical mishap is stupid, considering the people who'll be reading your resume probably don't know much about grammar beyond what they hear from Microsoft Word. But it's also a way for employers to narrow an often much too large pool of applicants. And as for interviews, recognize a few simple facts. An employer is not going to waste time on an interview if you don't appear qualified for the job, and most of the lame questions you'll be asked could just as easily

The traditional university is quickly becoming unaffordable and is arguably not even worth the time, let alone the money-at least in terms of gaining expertise in a particular topic. Part of the problem is that so many people have degrees, the value of a degree has been essentially inflated to almost nothing. But you've probably noticed, if you've done much job hunting, that so many advertisements list a bachelor's degree (or more) as a minimum requirement.

Prism Surface Area Formula Top Bottom Front Back Left Right Total

: lw : lw : hl : hl : hw : hw : lw + lw + hl + hl + hw + hw : 2lw + 2hl + 2hw : 2(lw + hl + hw)

Example 1: Given l = 4 yds, w = 2 yds, and h = 5 yds, the surface area would be SA = 2[(4 yds)(2 yds) + (5 yds)(4 yds) + (5 yds)(2 yds)]= 2(8 yds2 + 20 yds2 + 10 yds2) = 2(38 yds2) = 76 yds2. Example 2: Given l = 6 mm, w = 9 mm, and h = 8 mm, the surface area would be SA = 2[(6 mm)(9 mm) + (8 mm)(6 mm) + (8 mm)(9 mm)]= 2(54 mm2 + 48 mm2 + 72 mm2) = 2(174 mm2) = 348 mm2.

news; if you're an introvert, it may make you groan. Don't Blend In with the Crowd The better and more publicized the job, the more numerous your competition will be. So, if you just found a listing for your ideal job at any widely used job site online, then you can bet that a lot of other people have done the exact same thing. And when you submit your resume and cover letter, rest assured that many others have as well. Unfortunately, there's very little you can do to make a resume or cover

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

F Green is natural, red is unique Compiled by Miriam Humbe

he high contrast of the complementary colours of green and red create a vibrant look that is unarguably unique. The colours are tricky to use in large doses, but work exceptionally well to achieve good result. On its own, green colour is splendid and gorgeous on the red carpet. It is a day or night colour for women no matter their complexion. Combined with red and matching jewelleries, other accessories and sensuous red lipstick, it is magical. Both green and red are most amazing combinations. Green is life. Abundant in nature and signifies growth, renewal, health, and good environment. It is a restful colour with calming attributes. Red gives the accent for confidence.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

PAGE 33

Business

Mechanised farming is key to food security in Nigeria

Interbank rates stay high on naira shortage By Augustine Aminu with agency report

igeria's interbank lending rates inched up slightly to an average of 14.50 percent this week, up from 14.25 percent last week, as banks funded their foreign exchange and treasury bills purchases, traders said on Friday. Traders said cash outflows to the purchases drained liquidity from the system, creating naira dearth and upswing in cost

of borrowing among banks. The market opened with a cash balance of about 10 billion naira ($61.52 million) on Friday, down from about 92 billion naira last Friday, traders said. "The market has remained very tight because of lack of cash inflows," one dealer said. The naira has been falling sharply against the dollar in recent weeks, but that has been driven largely by unmet strong dollar demand, rather than

readily available naira liquidity. The secured Open Buy Back (OBB) inched up to 14.25 percent, from 14 percent last week, 220 basis points above the central bank's 12 percent benchmark rate, and 4.25 percentage points above the Standing Deposit Facility (SDF) rate. Overnight placement also closed at 14.50 percent, compared with 14.25 percent, while call money rose to 14.75 percent, from 14.50 percent last week.

"We see rates inching up further next week as the market becomes very tight until the disbursement of May budgetary allocations," another dealer said. Africa's top crude-oil exporter shares proceeds from oil sales from a centrally held account every month to its three tiers of government federal, states and local providing liquidity to the banking system. That usually pushes down interbank rates.

Nigeria sells N138bn in local debt at higher yields

i g e r i a sold a total of 137.97 billion naira ($848.78 million) in treasury bills ranging from three months to one year at its bi-monthly auction, at higher yields than at the previous auction, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said on Friday.

The bank on Thursday sold 32.97 billion naira worth of the 3-month paper at a return of 14.10 percent, higher than the 13.50 percent reached at the previous auction. It sold 45 billion naira worth of the 6-month bill at 14.94 percent, up from the 14.14 percent at the previous

auction, while the bank issued 60 billion naira worth of 1-year paper at a return of 15.69 percent, higher than the 13.30 percent at an auction on May 25. Total subscriptions stood at 223.06 billion naira, down from 307.28 billion naira demanded at the last auction,

a reflection of waning interest by offshore investors in the local debt market, traders said. High inflation, the declining value of the local currency and the Eurozone debt crisis are prompting offshore investors to sell down their local debt holdings and repatriate the funds.

FG Urged to support customs By Augustine Aminu

tand Nigeria, a nonegovernmental organisation has urged the Federal Government to support the Nigeria Customs Service in its bid to shore up the transformation agenda by its enormous contribution to the nation’s economy. The call was made by its Executive Director; Mr. Dike Chigbue who spoke to journalists after the group made public its assessment of the Nigerian Customs Service within the last three years. Chigbue declared that StandNigeria had put in place a mechanism six months ago with the sole aim of x-raying and evaluating the activities of customs in the last three years He said the NGO was delighted with its findings and therefore find it imperative to call on the Federal Government to

continue to support the Nigeria Customs Service, under the leadership of Alhaji Abdullahi Inde Dikko. He said “the efforts of the customs must be commended and in fact emulated by other government agencies, we have seen how they have tripled the revenue of the nation, enhanced the welfare of its men and women, renovated and constructed numerous barracks and up grading its working structures to meet international standard”

C-G of Customs, Dikko Inde

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Business News Africa CEO Forum launched at the AfDB annual meetings in Arusha By Aminu Imam

h e Africa CEO forum (ACF) was officially launched by Tim Turner, AfDB private sector operations Director, and Amir Ben Yahmed, vice-president of Groupe Jeune Afrique and founder and executive producer of the event, at the Annual Meetings of the African Development Bank (AfDB) in Arusha, Tanzania. The Africa CEO Forum is the first international conference dedicated to top African companies, and breaks the mould of typical sector-focused events and run-of-the-mill academic forums. On 20 and 21 November 2012 in Geneva, it will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, financial decision-makers, and policy-makers to promote the success of the African private sector, providing a platform for public-private dialogue and highlevel strategic solutions to support the development of companies and their African markets. For the AfDB, co-organiser of the event, the Africa CEO Forum fits perfectly into the AfDB’s mission, which is to foster an environment conducive to business and private sector development for the transformation and a more inclusive growth of the African economy. “It will showcase the initiatives and the success stories of African entrepreneurship, allow entrepreneurs to share their

experiences, and promote regional and intra-African trade," said Tim Turner. “As an annual gathering of Francophone and Anglophone Africa's most brilliant CEO’s and major African and international decision makers, the ACF will be a unique platform dedicated to supporting private sector-led growth in Africa. In an increasingly connected world economy, it will also promote the rise of leading African companies”, concluded Amir Ben Yahmed, Vice President of Groupe Jeune Afrique. Several heads of Africa’s most prominent companies have already confirmed their attendance. Among them feature Aliko Dangote, CEO of Nigeria’s largest industrial conglomerate, Jean-Louis Billon, president of Sifca, Cote d'Ivoire’s biggest private employer, Issad Rebrad, CEO of Cevital, the leading private group in Algeria, Terrab Mostafa, CEO of the Moroccan company OCP, the world's major phosphates exporter, and Mark Cutifani, who heads South African mining group, AngloGold Ashanti. Other major international company chiefs who have announced their attendance at the Geneva meeting include Tidjane Thiam, CEO of top British insurance group, Prudential, and Sunny Verghese, CEO of Olam, the agribusiness multinational based in Singapore.

L-R: The representative of Bwari Farmers Association, Musa B. Kwalik, Senator representing FCT, Sen. Phillip Aduda, FCT chieftain, Hon. Kura Bitrus and P. A. to Senator, Mr. James Jimiko, during the flag-off of fertiliser distribution to farmers in FCT by Sen. Aduda in Abuja yesterday. Photo: Judtin Imo-Owo

VP wants NCP activities fast-tracked By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

i c e -President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has directed the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE), being the secretariat to the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) to furnish the Council with a clear information as to their

plans, activities and progress towards the implementation of the 2012 work-plan, considering that the time of the year has now gone half way. The Vice-President gave this directive when he received a progress report on the BPE 2012 WorkPlan from the Director General (DG) of the BPE, Ms. Bolanle

Ngama advocates proper documentation of migrant workers By Abdulwahab Isa

i n i s t e r of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Lawan Ngama has enjoined African countries to put in place proper documentation of their nationals that go abroad to seek employment either as skilled or unskilled workers. This, he said, would ensure that such workers are well looked after in their host countries and also receive entitlements such as pension that are due them when they retire. Ngama spoke yesterday in Abuja at the closing of migrant workers’working group of the International Social Security Association, (ISSA). He said the number of migrant workers is increasing everyday and now a very big problem not only within developing countries but also within developed countries hence the need for proper documentation. “It is a very big problem, not only within developing countries, but even within the developed countries. I know that if you go to one country, it is a tradition that after the dry season, people have to migrate even within the same country to go to

other areas to engage in one vocation or the other. These movements are normally not documented. “We don’t have the rules that actually organise that labour, we find out that at the end of the day when they disengage, there is nothing to compensate them for services already rendered . If you see the condition under which Nigerians work in countries like Saudi Arabia and other Asians countries and compare it viz-a-viz people coming from Philippines working in the same countries, you know that we are far behind. "The Filipinos that work in the Middle East, they don’t even set off, there are agencies that employ them formally and provide information about them, they are already engaged. Their countries know they are really working in those countries so that they can actually look after their welfare because they have records. “But here in West Africa, we don’t have valid records so how do you take care of somebody’s plight when you do not even know he works here. These are the issues as far as I am concerned”, he said.

Ngama said pension is not the ultimate as countries first have to put some processes in place to ensure that there is adequate documentation of migrant workers as that is the only way the issue of pension can be implemented effectively. He said the growth in migrant workers the world over, which is presently put at 175million is grossly under estimated and called for a review saying that India alone could provide half of the number. Ngama disclosed that the present administration in Nigeria is committed to creating jobs which is being done by the day but said apart from job creation, government should ensure that workers welfare is well taken care of. “It is not just a matter of creating jobs but you have to ensure that the workers welfare is being taken care of. Nigeria we want everybody who will come and identify with us in the implementation of the transformation agenda to come and join with us in order to make this country one of the advanced in the world and hence we need talents to come from all over the world.

“And these talents will come as migrant workers and if we don’t have a scheme whereby their welfare is being catered for, they will then compare offers given to them by various countries and choose the best. We want to ensure that our pension is enough to take care of them when they go back home. He said the government is determined to make the working conditions in Nigeria one of the best in the world, hence the meeting about pension of migrant workers and how to take care of them while they work and when they go back home. While commending PenCom on the implementation of the Contributory Pensions Scheme, CPS, the Minister said its implementation will ensure that migrant workers put in their best for the development of the country because they know that Nigerians working in the country side by side with them will be adequately catered for after they retire and they also will be catered for, adding that “and once they know that the system is already put in place and is working, then they will put in their best”.

Onagoruwa, in his Conference Room, State House, Abuja. He stated that, ‘There is a responsibility to make a financial contribution from the NCP of certain amounts to the year 2012 appropriation’. In view of this, he urged the various working committees to fast-track the activities of the BPE, observing that the number of transactions currently in progress is too few to make a significance from the total overview of available transactions. From the reports received, Vice-President Sambo cautioned that, ‘no reserved bidder should be used after a period of stall as long as five years in any bid transaction.’ The DG, BPE presented to the Vice-President a summary of the work-plan alongside the projected revenue from the various companies as it stands presently. She pointed out that while there were no projected revenues yet for NITEL/Mtel because of their huge standing liabilities as well as challenges faced from aggrieved creditors of the company; that of SkyPower Catering Services was currently being discussed with the Ministry of Aviation as well as the Management of the Company. She called on the VicePresident to intervene in order to facilitate rapid progress. Others present at the meeting included the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, members of the various Working Committees of the NCP such as Technical, Legal, Information and others as well as the Principal Staff of the Office of the Vice President.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

PAGE 35

Business

When an aircraft enters a home J

u s t because they live close to an airport, they see low flying aircraft every day, even as they know that they cannot afford a flight ticket. Between the couple, Jeremiah and Josephine Okwuchukwu, who live near the airport are four children aged 11, nine, seven, and a few months old baby. Jeremiah is a commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider), while his wife is a job seeker. Josephine's last attempt at self-employment was thwarted by a rainstorm that destroyed her newly constructed kiosk which she had hoped to use for the production and sale of ``fufu'' (cassava flour) in front of their house. Tragedy struck at the home of the Okwuchukwus as they died with their last child on June 3 when a commercial airliner slammed into their rented apartment at Olaniyi Street, IjuIsaga, Lagos. Their other three children, Joel, Chisom, and Ester, had gone on an errand shortly before the plane crash. These children were taken to Government House by the Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, 24 hours after the accident. Although the cause of the crashed DANA Flight 0992 had no terrorist input, it however, had a maximum impact. All the 153 passengers and crew

onboard were killed, as well as a yet-to-be determined number of persons on ground. It also destroyed properties worth millions of naira. Mama Joel (Okwuchukwu) was like a sister to me,''lamented Dupe Awosika, 30, a resident of No. 10, Olaniyi St., Iju-Ishaga, Lagos. Awosika's residence is separated from the olive-green three-storey building that the plane crashed into, by a mere brick wall. “She was a mother to the end as her corpse was found clutching her equally dead baby," Awosika said in tears as she watched heavy tractors pulled down what remained of the building. A petty-trader and mother of three, Awosika said it was most unlikely that the poor couple ever took a flight in an aircraft, lamenting that ``it is an irony of life that an airplane flew into their bedroom and killed them". According to her, the Sunday crash will forever haunt residents of the area as they witnessed what no normal human being would want to see twice in his lifetime. “Our houses are directly on the aircraft's landing approach to the Murtala Mohamed Airport, Ikeja, and we are used to their noise. Some very big aircraft make

our houses shake and a new tenant would likely rush out in the fear that the plane is crashing in. Well, it finally did on Sunday and killed Mama Joel, her husband, her baby and many others unknown to me. “Since then, we have known no peace as the government has virtually taken over our street," she said as another plane shook the building on its way to the airport. DANA flight 0992 from Abuja to Lagos had already descended from its cruising altitude, preparatory to landwhen the mishap occurred. The McDonnel Douglas MD 83 aircraft nosedived into a twostorey residential apartment. The compound it crashed into in a densely populated area of the Lagos metropolis also housed a warehouse, a printing press and a church. Zaccheus Sobande, a 74year-old tailor and resident of No. 1, Sobande Close, off Olaniyi Street, Iju-Isaga, said the crash was a double tragedy to him. “I lost my first child to an illness on Saturday; and 24 hours later, my neighbours got killed in their home as this crash also claimed several other strangers who were in the plane. “God knows why. We'll not forget them, and we can only pray for the repose of their souls,'' Sobande said.

Sobande opposed any attempt to demolish houses in the area, saying that many of the houses had been there for decades, just like the airport. “You need not throw away your kitchen knife just because it injured you,'' he said in his workshop, a mere 20-metre away from the debris of the crashed airliner. Sobande, however, appealed to the federal and Lagos State governments to ensure that the families of the victims are handsomely rewarded. “Also, those whose property were affected, especially this beautiful three-storey building that the plane crashed into, should be provided plots of land and money to rebuild their homes," he appealed. Idayatu Ali, a 24-year-old unemployed school leaver who resides close to the scene of the crash expressed fear,and would not like the victims to be buried at the scene of the accident ``for fear of ghosts". According to her, human beings are no goats, and when they die prematurely, especially violently, their ghosts will haunt the scene of death for a while. “This is no superstition; I have witnessed where a young man died in an accident and his ghost continued to cry at the scene for days until a sacrifice

was performed. “Please, tell them not to bury the victims here or some of us will have to abandon our homes," she pleaded. Jude Agwu, a commercial motorcyclist, said he and some of his colleagues would offer sacrifices to Ogun (the Yoruba deity in charge of wars and iron) and get rid of any fear of ghosts. Iyiola Akande, the SouthWest Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), said a decision on where to bury the victims has not been taken. He, however, believed that identifiable bodies would be released to their relations for burial, while badly burnt ones would be interred in a mass grave, probably far from the scene of accident. “This is a densely populated area and erecting a memorial here may not be in the interest of the psyche of the residents. “This has nothing to do with any myth about ghosts," he said. Akande also explained that a census of those living in the affected buildings, now demolished, would be taken to ascertain the number of those who died on the ground. He said this would also form part of the statistics for full rehabilitation of the survivors, as well as compensation for the dead. NAN

NSE Index dips by -4.83% in the week; closes below 21,000 psychological lines

This week at the Exchange

nrelenting sell pressure continued to permeate trading activities on the Nigerian bourse as market closed the week southwards for the fifth consecutive session due to negative outlook witnessed in all trading days of the week while International Energy Insurance Plc announced its share reconstruction exercise with 1 for 5 reverse split. More so, NSE ASI closed below 21,000 psychological lines on the last trading day of the week while market YTD performance currently stands at +0.83%. Furthermore, trading activities sustained southwards movement by -0.81% to open the first trading day of the week pessimistic as sell pressure

significantly outweighed bargain activities while the bears continue to exert their grip on the bourse as unrelenting pressure continue to permeate market activities with the key market indicator closing in the red zone with ASI sliding further by -0.70% after the second session. In the third session, Nigerian Stock Market witnessed intense selling activities to sustain southwards movement by -1.15% as the loss recorded in the share price of Dangote Cement Plc also contributed to the negative outlook while similar outlook was also recorded in the fourth session with All-Share Index recording -1.26% loss. Conversely, trading activities on Friday closed southwards as sentiments remained bearish.

Consequently, the key benchmark indices dips by -1.00% while market closed the week with aggregate loss of -4.83%. Further analysis on acquiring banks since transaction date showed that the share price of Access Bank Plc has recorded 21.82% gain with FCMB recording -13.85% losses while Union Bank Plc leads the chart with 51.67% gain. However, Sterling Bank Plc recorded -13.39% losses while ETI also closed negative with -7.28% loss recorded. However, the All-Share Index in the week under review moved down by -4.83% to close at 20,902.95 as against a decline by -1.21% recorded last week to close at 21,963.87. In the same vein, the market capitalization in the week

depreciated by N338.33 billion (US$2.25 billion) to close at N6.66 trillion (US$44.42 billion) as against depreciation by N85.62 billion (US$570.83 million) recorded last week to close at N7.00 trillion (US$ 46.68billion). The total volume traded in the week closed at 1.14 billion units valued at N8.86 billion (US$59.05 million) compared with 1.30 billion units valued at N9.45 billion (US$63.04 million) exchanged in 14,792 deals last week. The volume transaction in the week when compared with the previous week data moved down by -12.14% as against downwards movement by -25.23% recorded last week. Weekly value also went down by -6.33% as against negative

position of -37.38% recorded last week. The volume traded in the top ten most traded stocks for the week represented 69.67% of the entire market volume transactions and their total value accounted for 66.38% of the market value. Financial Services sector emerged the most traded sector in the week in terms of volume. The volume traded in the sector this week alone closed at 830.80 million units, valued at N6.15billion and exchanged in 11,014 deals compared with 737.80 million units, valued at N5.89billion and exchanged in 8,550 deals in the preceding week. The volume traded in the sector accounted for 72.69% of the entire market compared with 56.72% of the ratio recorded last week. First Bank Plc led the market volume for the week to displace Transcorp Plc as top traded stock on the transaction volume chart last week. The sector’s volume transaction was mainly boosted by trading in the shares of the companies in the top-ten category. Conglomerates sector followed with 114.53 million units valued at N256.81 million and exchanged in 1,014 deals compared with 269.16 million units, valued at N314.29 million and exchanged in 692 recorded in the sector last week.

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

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

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CHAIRMAN MALAM WADA MAIDA, OON, FNGE EDITOR, DAILY AHMED I. SHEKARAU

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Dikko’s rejuvenation of Customs Re: Sovereign wealth fund Service commendable I n contemporary times, it is pertinent to evaluate from a neutral point of view the efforts put in place by government and its agencies towards attaining its mandate so as to commend or constructively caution them. StandNigeria Initiative has in the last six months set in place a mechanism to critically evaluate the activities of the Nigeria Customs Service under the leadership of Alhaji Abduallhi Inde Dikko (CFR) in the last three years. No doubt, to achieve unprecedented success one must mix creativity, hard work, commitment and in this case, patriotism. This qualities have been used by the Comptroller General of Customs, Alhaji Abdullahi Inde Dikko to transform the Nigeria Customs Service to an enviable height, thereby repositioning it to a world class status. A visionary leader of any

WRITE TO US

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organisation can be a valuable asset to its expansion, the vision of the Comptroller General is very evident when putting into consideration the facts and figures of his achievements in the last three years. Upon his assumption of office as the Comptroller General, Dikko outlined his priorities in order to have a frame work and target of what he intended to achieve. Within a short while he established a new department of Human Resources Development (HRD) with the sole aim of training and re-training officers and men

of the Service in order to restore and enhance professionalism and productivity. This significant input was responsible for the unprecedented revenue that the country has earned within the last three years, an achievement that is highly commendable because he has contributed robustly to the transformation of the nation’s economy. The Comptroller General has also enhanced the welfare package for officers and men of the Service by approving 100 per cent increase in their salaries and

allowances. In order to enhance the operational performance of the Service, he also purchased vehicles of various brands, including Peugeot cars, buses and Hilux/Mitsubishi 4x4 vehicles. He also provided residential accommodations for the Service men and women through the renovation of various barracks, a move which has made it possible for them to become house owners. Even as the world has become a global village, the Comptroller General ensured that the Service was not left behind by introducing modern initiatives to meet international best practices. This led to the introduction of Asycuda project in order to facilitate fast clearance of cargo. These achievements of the Nigeria Customs Service in the last three years are unprecedented and worthy of commendation and Chigbue is the Executive Director, StandNigeria Initiative. He wrote in from Abuja

Tax evasion: Law makers must investigate

hen the world is trying to transform its economy for it to automatically metamorphosis itself some individuals and organizations are there trying to sabotage a nation that is equally theirs, the evasion of tax by Pivot Engineering Ltd, Reliance Telecommunications Ltd, HITV Ltd, UTC Nigeria Plc, Sweet Sensation Confectionary Ltd, Entertainment Highway Ltd and John Holt Nig. Ltd as recently alleged by the Federal Inland Revenue Service is a condemnable act, one that has criminal intentions and therefore must be investigated as promised by NASS. First and foremost we must commend the efforts of Federal

Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) for its courage to blow the whistle to unmask these companies that have decided to cheat the nation, it is encouraging to note that there are still agencies within Nigeria that have pursued its mandate without fear or favour, intimidation and coercion, the best the Federal Government and the national assembly can do is to support them by giving them the will, legislation and enabling environment to succeed. Secondly, the law makers have started well by initiating a probe, they must immediately take the bull by the horn and thoroughly investigate this matter to a logical conclusion and bring to book those found wanting, this is to ensure that the Federal Government’s effort to tighten loose

ends to shore up the tax gained in the country is sustained and achieved; above all, increase in the internally generated revenue in Nigeria will mean well for us all, this measure remains the most potential means

through which government will achieve its transformation agenda if they are truly committed to do so. Mr. O .T Eric, a political analyst from Zone 2 in Abuja.

“

The law makers have started well by initiating a probe, they must immediately take the bull by the horn and thoroughly investigate this matter to a logical conclusion and bring to book those found wanting

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

PAGE 37

Opinion

Public opinionand and national subsidy reversal Mark, Senate stability By Paul Mumeh

n Wednesday, June 6, 2012, the Seventh Senate under the leadership of Senate President David Mark completed its first legislative session having been inaugurated a year ago. Although the mood of the nation on account of the ill fated Dana airline crash, it is imperative to put the outgoing legislative year in perspective. The Senate was mindful of the pains Nigerians are currently going through and in like manner cancelled all forms of celebration marking its one year legislative session. Indeed, the Senate mourns the lost of precious lives and tasked the executive arm of government to find a solution to the disaster with a view to averting future occurrence. It is however pertinent to note that Since Mark emerged Senate President in 2007 followed by his unanimous re-election in 2011, the Senate has continued to increase in legislative productivity as well as consolidating on the gains of representative democracy resulting in the stability currently enjoyed in the polity. The questions many ask are; what factors led to the stability and high productivity of the Senate? What reasons account for the acceptance and respect that led to the re-election of Mark as Senate President in 2011 at a time most Nigerians were campaigning for change in various federal and state elective offices? Political pundits opined that the reasons lie more with the style of leadership which has helped the Senate under him to achieve what other past parliaments could not achieve. Before the emergence of Mark to the seat, the leadership of the Senate, nay National Assembly was usually foisted on lawmakers by the strong men in Aso Rock in collaboration with the leadership of the ruling party at a time when democratic procedures, constitutional provisions and even the standing rules of the Parliament were jettisoned. Such, largely led to the emergence of relatively weak leaderships which naturally succumbed to the whims and caprices of the party and the executive. This effectively undermined the powers of the legislature to check the excesses of the executive, thereby eroding the sovereignty of the people constitutionally vested on it. Such situation hindered the legislature then from firmly protecting and furthering the wishes and aspirations of the people and almost denied them from fully deriving the dividends of democracy as oversight functions were largely compromised due to executive control and influence. The electorate then considered the Senate and indeed the legislature as mere appendage to the executive, especially during those trying days on account of its inability to exert constitutional control on the executive . Besides there were series of infighting and internal power tussles, which further weakened its legislative abilities. The period between 1999 and 2007, witnessed series of frictions , walkouts and impeachments of principal officers resulting to serious instability which led to an unproductive legislature. Between 1999 and 2003, the Senate produced three Senate Presidents; Enwerem, Okadigbo and Anyim. Between 2003 and 2007, the Nigerian Senate had two Senate Presidents; Wabara and Nnamani, all on account of infighting over certain political and pecuniary interests.

Senate President David Mark Impeachments of principal officers were the sing song during the period. The proverbial banana peels were never scarce. In fact, banana peels were there in large quantity. However, there was a paradigm shift in 2007 when Mark appeared on the scene, precisely on June 5, 2007. Several factors played out to allow for the emergence of truly democratic leadership in the Senate . One of which being that late President Umaru Yar’Adua did not bully or force the legislature on the choice of its leadership like his predecessor did. His Presidency was not interested in imposing a leadership on the National Assembly. Stakeholders insisted on the observance of due process. For the first time in the contemporary political history, the Senate was left alone to freely choose its leadership in an election keenly contested on the floor. Mark became Senate President in an election keenly contested by three other very influential Senators from the North Central. Through a popular open voting, Mark defeated his major arch rival, former Benue state Governor George Akume by 69 votes to 39 even after the other two ranking contestants; Senators Nuhu Aliyu and Gbemi Saraki Fawora stepped down for Akume. The then Clerk to the National Assembly, Nasir Arab and his Deputy Yomi ogunyomi allowed the election between Akume and Mark in spite of the Senate ranking rule 97 which barred new senators from contesting for the Senate Presidency. The election of Mark through an open democratic means marked the paradigm shift that turned the Senate around and put it on the track as true representative legislature. Immediately he was inaugurated, Mark set out to lay the solid foundation for a united, dynamic and result oriented Senate which principal agenda would be to uplift the living standard of Nigerians in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution. To begin with, Mark

erased the seeming division resulting from the Senate Presidency election. In his inaugural speech, the Senate President declared that the Senate was one indivisible family and vowed to provide a leadership where all members would have adequate sense of belonging irrespective of party affiliation. This soon became evidenced in the selection of chairmen, vice chairmen and members of Senate standing committees. Insisting that round pegs must be put in round holes, Mark had made selection into committees based strictly on merit which saw Senators who did not vote for him as well as those in the opposition parties appointed as chairmen, vice and members of key committees. Mark further fortified the unity and focus of the Senate by refusing to set up a kitchen cabinet despite pressures from certain senators who wanted desperately to be in control. Such is believed to be part of the factors that contributed to the undoing of former Senate Presidents like Wabara and late Okadigbo, whose kitchen cabinets succeeded in pitching them against other senators. Under Senator Mark’s leadership, the Senate has risen as not just representatives of the Nigerian people, but indeed the gathering of true statesmen on whose shoulders the burden of nation building can be placed. This has been exemplified in the series of innovative representational activity embarked upon by the Senate in addition to enacting people oriented legislation and oversight investigation on critical issues in the country. Of note is the sustained Senate retreat which started in 2007 with the retreat in Port Harcourt, River state capital during which it visited all the six states in the Niger Delta with the view to finding lasting solution to the problems of the Niger Delta. After the retreat, Senate initiated the Niger Delta redemption process which culminated in the creation of the ministry of Niger Delta

and later the Amnesty Programme that ended unrest in the area. Similar retreat have been held in Kano , North West and Enugu, South East during which senators had first hand information on the real issues in that part of the country resulting in the initiation of various intervention programmes and policies as well as legislation to better the life of Nigerians. This is known to be responsible for the adoption of an all inclusive budget system for greater productivity in the country. This has also led to probes into critical sectors including the oil and gas, sale of government property, pensions administrations, power, education among others after which critical legislations were made to correct certain anomalies in the system. Of crucial note was the invocation of the doctrine of necessity to save the nation from the precipice when our former president of blessed memory was indisposed. That singular action to save the nation from political catastrophe has remained a reference point in the nation’s political history. Besides, the successful amendment of some sections of the 1999 constitution which previous legislatures could not realize became another watershed in the nation’s history. Critical amendments in the constitution resulted in reorganization of the electoral system and the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which resulted in the conduct of credible elections in 2011. Currently, the Senate is poised for another amendment and has boldly listed critical areas such as state creation, fiscal federalism local government autonomy among others for consideration. In line with its commitment for stability in the country, the Senate has waded into several volatile issues resolving crisis between the people and the government, the most recent being the resolution of the conflict between the citizens through organized labour and the government over the removal of fuel subsidy in January 2012. As the Senate under Mark marks its one year of the 7th Senate of the 4th National Assembly, there is even greater vigour and hope that this session would even be better. What is more, Mark and his colleagues have set sail to replicate the successes recorded in the 6th Senate. All the grey areas in the constitution constituting imbalance in political equation of Nigeria have been listed for legislative attention while over sight functions to ascertain the degree of compliance by the ministries, departments and agencies to appropriation acts have been reinvigorated. Mark has constantly assured his colleagues whom he refers to as “my bosses”, that only those things that promotes unity, happiness and prosperity of Nigeria would occupy their attention and influence their actions. As a result all bills whether executive or private member bills or motions must have direct positive bearing on the security and wellbeing of Nigerians. It is expected that in the next days, weeks, months and years to come, the 7th Senate under Mark would through its legislative actions prove more to Nigerians that it can be relied upon when it matters. Mumeh is Chief Press Secretary to the President of the Senate.

Interview PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Nigeria has no post-disaster management mechanism -Clergy The security situation in the country has among other things shown the lack of disaster manage mechanism in the country. However, an NGO, Hadassah Humanitarian Foundation (or the Society of Saint Esther) has risen to fill the lacuna. Its founder and spiritual head Rev. Fr. Vincent Chimezie in this interview with Augustine Aminu warns that the aftermath of disasters could be more disastrous than the disasters. What is the main focus of your organisation? ur main aim of setting up this organisation is to solve the problems associated with post disaster management in the country. Some of the challenges are arising from terrorism and other disaster-related matters in Nigeria. It is new to us, but the fact remains that terrorism has become part of our existence. The NGO has come to assist the victims in terms of shelter, other material needs and above all, psycho-spiritual restoration. I lived in the US for over five years, and in those years, I got a first-hand experience in disaster response. I have learnt that once there is any disaster anywhere, in less than 24 hours, there should be a response that impacts on the lives of the victims. It goes beyond giving them food, clothes, shelter and the rest of them. We are looking at the welfare of those who pass through this experience and the trauma they face. This psychospiritual support is lacking in society and we have come to fill the gap. In Nigeria, a majority of the people who pass through this never recover: either they don’t know where to go or the help is not there. Is it a Catholic arm? No. It is an independent organisation. Does the function of your foundation not overlap with that of the Red Cross? It could, but the issue of trauma recovery is distinctive, and I’m not in the position to know how far the Red Cross does that. Did you form this orgasnisation because of Boko Haram? To a large extent yes. You are right because victims of Boko Haram attacks are many and they are passing through psychological problems. But the inspiration for this foundation has been in me even before the Boko Haram problem. One thing is clear: even the Boko Haram members are still victims of disasters and they need help. It is all-inclusive. The scheme goes beyond offering help; prayers and spirituality are involved. We just came into the country. Very soon, we shall go to Maiduguri in Borno state to see

Hon. Abdullahi Bello, Speaker Kogi State House of Assembly

Founder and spiritual head Hadassah Humanitarian Foundation, Rev. Fr. Vincent Chimezie things for ourselves. We don’t run from scenes of disasters if we must succeed. We go to the place and do my work there. The goal is to expand to other parts of Africa and the world at large. Do you intend to partner with NGOs and government agencies to achieve your goals? When the bomb blast took place at Madalla in Niger state, Hadassah went there and offered some assistance. We are still expanding. Our main focus is to affect lives. If the concerned agencies or bodies could key into what we do, that will be good. Our work should speak for us. Our prayer is also to have organisations like Hadassah so that our aims could be achieved effectively. It is not business, but

service. What are the resources at your disposal? You don’t let finance or issues of operational resources to constitute a hindrance to whatever you are doing. If 10 kobo is what is available, start doing something with it and success will be achieved. We are trusting in God because the project is divinely planned. No doubt, we look forward to getting good-spirited people to join us, but for now we must work with what we have. My survey has shown that nothing has been done in this respect. What is common in Nigeria is government giving out millions of naira, but no one knows how such large sums of money affect the genuine victims. So far, we

go to people’s houses, one-on-one. I understand their needs. It’s like a soldier in the battlefield. For your information, I’m a trained soldier in the US. I advocate for the department of mental health in our health delivery services. If this exists, there won’t be mad people in Nigeria because before a health situation escalates to that level, it should have been cured. People suffer a lot of psychological problems in this country. To cope with this, we have to start off little by little. People face trauma everyday and they don’t know how to deal with the situation. We have come to fill the void. It is only a mentallystable person that can contribute positively to the growth of a nation.

How do we avert such traumas? Experiences due to insurgencies are traumatic. An attack by armed robbers is also traumatic. Some people can be faced with emotional problems that can become lifethreatening. Some people become traumatic after a slight shock. We try to tell our brothers and sisters that such is just a human experience that the world has not come to an end. One way of solving trauma is the group therapy – people who have passed through the same experience sharing their common knowledge. Part of the project we are doing is getting the world to know of the power of the Eucharist. Jesus is the greatest healer. We shall also embark on sensitisation. There is a saying that once you are not informed, you are misinformed; and if you are misinformed, you are deformed; and if you are deformed, you can’t perform. Those who throw bombs are simply misinformed. It is because they can’t perform that they take to violence. Education is part of the scheme. Won’t religious conflict crop up if you apply Jesus Christ to solving these problems even at the backyard of the Boko Haram? It is not about religion, but about healing; restoring what has been lost in the human person. You can be a Buddhist, African traditional worshippers and so on. In fact, I will be the happiest man on earth if Muslim brothers join in this race. I will bring a world renowned trauma specialist to train people on trauma management. He is Dr Dane Bechely. He has been in Iran, Sudan, Iraqi and such other countries. He is coming to equip our people who will in turn equip the rest with basics in trauma management. I also pray that the Boko Haram people will send their members to witness what we are doing. What had been your major challenges They are enormous. It is always hard to start off a project like this, especially in Nigeria. Funds, understanding and vehicles are some of the hindrances facing us, but we are not relenting.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

PAGE 39

International

Many killed in Pakistan bus bombing

bomb blast has killed at least 19 people on the outskirts of Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, police said. More than 40 other people were wounded in the attack on a bus rented by the government to take staff home after work in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was the deadliest attack in months on Peshawar, which has long been a flashpoint for Taliban attacks targeting government officials, security forces and civilians. The city runs into the semiautonomous tribal belt that US officials consider a safe haven for al-Qaeda and armed groups fighting both in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan. Friday's explosion went off

in the Daudzai area, killing government employees and other passengers riding the same bus, officials said. "The bomb was planted under the bus," provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told reporters. "We still can't say how many government employees and private passengers were killed, but there were heavy human losses." At the blast site, the back of the colourfully decorated bus was torn apart, leaving a mass of snarled metal. The injured, who included two policemen, were moved to Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital. Local television footage showed locals carrying victims to the hospital in private vehicles.

Several people were killed and dozens injured in a blast targeting a bus carrying government employees [EPA]

British Prime Minister, chancellor to Rival Sudans fail to agree on disputed border testify at media ethics inquiry

u d a n and South Sudan have broken off security talks after failing to agree on a demilitarised zone along their disputed border. After 10 days of talks, the two sides were unable to agree on Friday where to draw a demilitarised buffer zone along the 1,800km-long border. Khartoum's delegation accused South Sudan of making new land claims, most importantly to the Heglig oilfield whose output is vital to Sudan's battered economy. The southern army had temporarily occupied Heglig during the recent fighting. "The border is based on a map that we have been using for the past six years (since the 2005 peace deal was signed), but they (South Sudan) have included five areas within their border," Abdel Raheem Mohamed Hussein, the Sudanese defence minister said. "We consider it as a hostile action," he told reporters in

Addis Ababa, where the talks took place. To back its claim to the field, Khartoum has cited a 2009 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on Abyei, another disputed area. The court issued maps that put Heglig in the north. Juba contests Khartoum's claim, citing an internal boundary marked from the British colonial rule that ended in 1956, and the ethnicity of the local population. There was no immediate word from South Sudan, but members of Juba's delegation confirmed talks on border security had ended with no agreement and no new date scheduled. Despite the lack of progress, Hussein said both sides had renewed pledges to end hostilities during the talks. "We will continue attending these talks but the (African Union) panel will now take time and invite (us back)," he said.

r i t i s h Prime Minister David Cameron is one of several high-profile current and former government figures who will be grilled next week at an independent inquiry into media ethics, it was reported Friday. Cameron, who has been under pressure because of his ties to media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his former newspaper chief Rebekah Brooks, is scheduled to testify all day Thursday at the Leveson Inquiry. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne will be quizzed Monday, as will former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the inquiry's witness list shows. John Major, another ex-prime minister, will appear Tuesday, as will opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband and his deputy, Harriet Harman. Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg is scheduled to testify Wednesday, ahead of Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond. The judge-led Leveson Inquiry, set up by Cameron after the phone hacking scandal at

Saddam Hussein aide executed in Iraq

r a q has executed a highranking aide to the late ruler Saddam Hussein, a government spokesman said Thursday. The Justice Ministry carried out the execution of Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti, who was Hussein's personal secretary, national security adviser and senior bodyguard, spokesman Ali a-Dabbagh said. Al-Tikriti was the "ace of diamonds" in the U.S. military's card deck of 55 most-wanted Iraqis. He was No. 4 on the list, behind Hussein and his sons Uday

and Qusay. He and members of Hussein's special security forces were captured in a 2003 raid by U.S. Special Operations Forces near the north-central Iraq town of Tikrit. The Iraqi High Tribunal had sentenced al-Tikriti to death for genocide and crimes against humanity. The 2003 U.S.-led invasion toppled Hussein's Sunnidominated regime. Hussein was hanged in December 2006 after being found guilty of crimes against humanity in the killings of Shiite villagers in 1982.

Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti

Murdoch's News of the World newspaper last summer, is examining the relationship between the media and politicians. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair was called to testify before the inquiry last month. He said he came under "political pressure" from Murdoch during his time in office but denied that his relationship with the media baron was too "cozy." In April, Cameron told politicians in the House of Commons: "I think we all, on both sides of this house, did a bit too much cozying up to Mr. Murdoch."

British Prime Minister, David Cameron

Surge in suicides among US soldiers

ore troops have committed suicide this year than been killed in action in Afghanistan [AFP] Suicides are surging among US soldiers, averaging nearly one a day this year, according to statistics from the country's defence department. The 154 suicides for activeduty troops in the first 155 days of the year outnumber the US forces killed in action in Afghanistan by about 50 per cent, according to statistics obtained by the Associated Press news agency. The numbers are rising among the 1.4 million active military personnel despite years of effort to encourage troops to seek help with mental health problems. The reasons for the increase are not fully understood. Among explanations, studies have pointed to combat exposure, posttraumatic stress, misuse of

prescription medications and personal financial problems. Jackie Garrick, head of a newly established Defence Suicide Prevention Office at the Pentagon, said on Thursday that the suicide numbers this year are troubling. "We are very concerned at this point that we are seeing a high number of suicides at a point in time where we were expecting to see a lower number of suicides," she said, adding that the weak US economy may be confounding preventive efforts even as the pace of military deployments eases. Because suicides had levelled off in 2010 and 2011, this year's upswing has caught some officials by surprise. Army data suggest soldiers with multiple combat tours are at greater risk of committing suicide, although a substantial proportion of suicides are committed by soldiers who never deployed.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Wellness Zone

Phyllis Ogo Ogah phyllisogoogah@gmail.com +234 80 58425746 (sms) only

Lowering cholesterol Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) and Drug Therapy

Dear friends, thank God it's Saturday. I had a blissful time last weekend and I hope you did too? Last week I did a spotlight on Cholesterol, this weekend we will be looking at treatment options for high cholesterol.? Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC)includes a cholesterol-lowering diet (called the TLC diet), physical activity, and weight management. TLC is for anyone whose LDL is above goal. —Drug Treatment-if cholesterollowering drugs are needed, they are used together with TLC treatment to help lower your LDL.TLC is a set of measures you can take to help lower your LDL cholesterol. The main parts of TLC are: —The TLC Diet. This is a low saturatedfat, low cholesterol eating plan that calls for less than 7 percent of calories from saturated fat and less than 200 mg of dietary cholesterol per day. The TLC diet recommends only enough calories to maintain a desirable weight and avoid weight gain. If your LDL is not lowered enough by reducing saturated fat and cholesterol intakes, the amount of soluble fibre in your diet can be increased. Certain food products that contain plant stanols or plant sterols (for example, cholesterol lowering margarines) can also be added to the TLC diet to boost its LDL-lowering power. —Weight Management. Losing weight if you are overweight can help lower LDL and is especially important for those with a cluster of risk factors that includes high triglyceride and/or low HDL levels and being overweight with a large waist measurement (more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women). —Physical Activity. Regular physical activity (30 minutes on most, if not all, days) is recommended for everyone. It can help raise HDL and lower LDL and is especially important for those with high triglyceride and/or low HDL levels who are overweight with a large waist measurement. Treating High Cholesterol The main goal of cholesterol-lowering treatment is to lower your LDL level enough to reduce your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. The higher your risk, the lower your LDL goal will be.

To find your LDL goal, look for your category below. There are two main ways to lower your cholesterol. If you are in: Category I, High Risk, your LDL goal is less than 100 mg/dL. You will need to begin the TLC diet to reduce your high risk even if your LDL is below 100 mg/dL. If your LDL is 100 mg/dL, or above, you will need to start drug treatment at the same time as the TLC diet. If your LDL is below 100 mg/dL, you may also need to start drug treatment together with the TLC diet if your doctor finds your risk is very high, for example if you have had a recent heart attack or have both heart disease and diabetes. Category II, Next Highest Risk, your LDL goal is less than 130 mg/dL. If your LDL is 130 mg/dL or above, you will need to begin treatment with the TLC diet. If your LDL is 130 mg/dL or more after 3 months on the TLC diet, you may need drug treatment along with the TLC diet. If your LDL is less than 130 mg/dL, you will need to follow a heart-healthy diet, which allows a little more saturated fat and cholesterol than the TLC diet. Category III, Moderate Risk, your LDL goal is less than 130 mg/dL. If your LDL is 130 mg/dL or above,you will need to begin the TLC diet. If your LDL is 160 mg/dL or more after you have tried the TLC diet for 3 months, you may need drug treatment along with the TLC diet. If your LDL is less than 130 mg/dL, you will need to follow a heart-healthy diet . Category IV, Low-to-Moderate Risk, your LDL goal is less than 160 mg/dL. If your LDL is 160 mg/dL or above, you will need to begin the TLC diet. If your LDL is still 160 mg/dL or more after 3 months on the TLC diet, you may need drug treatment along with the TLC diet to lower your LDL, especially if your LDL is 190 mg/dL or more. If your LDL is less than 160 mg/dL, you will need to follow a heart-healthy diet.To reduce your risk for heart disease or keep it low, it is very important to control any other risk factors you may have such as high blood pressure and smoking. Drug Treatment Even if you begin drug treatment to lower your cholesterol,you will need to continue your treatment with lifestyle

changes. This will keep the dose of medicine as low as possible, and lower your risk in other ways as well.There are several types ofdrugs available for cholesterol lowering including statins, bile acid sequestrants, nicotinic acid, fibric acids, and cholesterol absorption inhibitors. Your doctor can help decide which type of drug is best for you. The statin drugs are very effective in lowering LDL levels and are safe for most people. Bile acid sequestrants also lower LDL and can be used alone or in combination with statin drugs. Nicotinic acid lowers LDL and triglycerides and raises HDL. Fibric acids lower LDL somewhat but are used mainly to treat high triglyceride and low HDL levels. Cholesterol absorption inhibitors lower LDL and can be used alone or in combination with

statin drugs. Once your LDL goal has been reached, your doctor may prescribe treatment for high triglycerides and/or a low HDL level, if present. The treatment includes losing weight if needed, increasing physical activity, quitting smoking, and possibly taking a drug. Good sources of soluble fiber include oats, certain fruits (such as oranges and pears) and vegetables (such as brussels sprouts and carrots), and dried peas and beans. Note. Drug rx for cholesterol should be administered by a qualified physician or pharmacist. The drugs mentioned here are not to be taken without proper evaluation and prescription. Keep moving!

HEAL TH TIP FOR THE WEEK HEALTH

Foods low in saturated fat include fat-free or 1 percent dairy products, lean meats, fish, skinless poultry, whole grain foods, and fruits and vegetables. Look for soft margarines (liquid or tub varieties) that are low in saturated fat and contain little or no trans fat (another type of dietary fat that can raise your cholesterol level). Limit foods high in cholesterol such as liver and other organ meats, egg yolks from cage bred hens, and full-fat dairy products.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

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Weekend

Trailing: Sally Pearson (left) won comfortably in a field containing Jessica Ennis (centre). Pearson went on to run the year’s fastest time of 12.49sec, with British record holder Tiffany Porter third in 12.70. There can only be one winner of this event in London

Malawi, Nigeria battle in Blantyre today By Albert Akota

igeria’s Super Eagles will confront the Flames of Malawi in a 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier at the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre today. The West Africans is leading Group F of the World Cup qualification on three points and need to avoid defeat to stay top or remain in contention to win their pool. The clash in Blantyre has the potential of throwing up a runaway leader or new leader depending on its outcome and the result between Namibia and Kenya. Stephen Keshi’s men are no doubt favourites going into this game as they are ranked higher by Fifa than their Southern African counterparts. The Super Eagles are also yet to lose a game against the Flames since the 1978 clash at the All Africa Games. In the last four head-to-head meetings, Nigeria has won all including a 1-0 win in Blantyre on March 29, 2003 in which John Utaka scored the winner. Utaka is one of the 23 players in the Nigerian contingent for this game and the Malawians will be wary of his capabilities. The closest the Malawians came to defeating Nigeria was at the 1984 Africa Cup of Nations in Bouake, Cote d’Ivoire on March 8. The Flames raced into a two-goal lead in a Group B game before the Eagles under the then coach Adegboye Onigbinde rallied back to 2-2. Nigeria have injury concerns going into this game with Keshi leaving out experienced captain and

defender, Joseph Yobo as well as Nnamdi Oduamadi, Ekigho Ehiosun and Fengor Ogude. The Malawians, on the other hand, are not short of talent with the like of Joseph Kamwendo, James Sangala, Simplex Nthala, Moses Chavula and teenage striker, Robin Ngalande ready to operate in their usual 4-4-2 formation. Despite the growing talent in Kinnah Phiri’s team, they have failed to win in their last five games against Kenya, Chad, Ethiopia and Tanzania over two legs. Head-to-head of Malawi v Nigeria African Cup of Nations 2004, Qualifier tournament, Group

1; June 7, 2003 (Abuja): Nigeria 4 – 1 Malawi African Cup of Nations 2004, Qualifying tournament, Group 1; March 29, 2003 (Blantyre): Malawi 0 – 1 Nigeria Friendly international 2000; June 6, 2000: Nigeria 4 – 1 Malawi Friendly international 2000; June 4, 2000: Nigeria 3 – 2 Malawi African Cup of Nations 1984, Group B; March 8, 1984 (Bouake): Malawi 2 – 2 Nigeria All-Africa Games 1978, Semifinal; July 25, 1978: Nigeria 3 – 2 Malawi

Malawi Flames consider Super Eagles ‘small boys’

alawi will be pressed today to make good their boast of beating “the small boys” who are now parading themselves as the Super Eagles. Malawi considers Nigeria current players as “small boys” as the Eagles are without several of their top stars like Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi and skipper Joseph Yobo. Against Namibia last weekend, Coach Stephen Keshi started as many as five players from the widely disparaged Nigeria Premier League. The Brave Warriors were left off the hook by the poor finishing of Keshi’s team and so departed Nigeria with a flattering 1-0 defeat. “The team and particularly the strikers are under tremendous pressure to deliver and that is why they make mistakes in front of goal and in the process it comes out to haunt them,” the Eagles handler said.

“We must be patient with the team and the strikers and very soon the goals will start rolling in aplenty. “But are Nigerians ready to be patient? That is the big question”. He added: “Gradually, we will overcome the poor scoring credentials of the team because what we are doing at the moment is building a new team in the midst of crucial qualifiers, which is very difficult to do.” Montpellier striker John Utaka scored the match winner when both teams last clashed in March 2003 in Blantyre. He made a long-awaited comeback to the Eagles against Namibia on Sunday and has promised to again deliver in Malawi. Malawi was the better team against hosts Kenya in their own opening qualifier in Nairobi as the Harambee Stars had a lot to thank goalkeeper Boniface Otieno for pulling off several top saves.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

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Malawi won't be as lucky as Namibia says Ambrose

FEPSGA elects new executives

fe Ambrose has promised that the Super Eagles will not let Malawi off the hook Saturday in Blantyre as they did against Namibia. Ambrose, who played as a right back in the slim 1-0 victory over Namibia in Calabar said that they will correct all the shortcomings from the Namibia game when they come up against Malawi. “We are leading the group now as expected. We are set to remain there. We will go to Malawi with aim of victory. We ought to beat Namibia well last weekend but we only managed a 1-0 despite our performance. “But Malawi won’t be lucky. We will do what we failed to do right against Namibia when we go to Blantyre. “We all know the importance of the game, we are getting along well as a team and by the time we play Malawi, we would be better than against Namibia.” The Kaduna-born player said Nigerians should pray and keep supporting the team as they will make the country proud. “I am calling on Nigerians to keep supporting us and pray for us. We won’t disappoint the nation as we will get the desired results as the team play games,” Ambrose said. The Eagles pipped hosts Malawi 1-0 in March 2003 in a 2004 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.

Efe Ambrose

Sports pundits back Germany to win Euro 2012

fter weeks of anticipation, speculation and debate, Euro 2012 finally kick-off yesterday when co-hosts Poland take on Greece in Warsaw. The tournament sees 16 of Europe’s

best footballing countries compete for the Henri Delaunay Trophy, with the final taking place in Kiev on 1 July. The home nations are represented by England - who begins against France on 11 June - while Republic of Ireland is also in action. Football fans will see 31 games over the next three weeks, as Spain look to defend the title they won in Vienna four years ago. E i g h t s t a d i u m s across Poland and Ukraine are being used for the tournament, from the smallest in Lviv which holds just under 35,000 fans, to the c o l o s s a l 70,000-seater O l y m p i c Stadium in Kiev which hosts the final. S p o r t ’ s pundits have b a c k e d Germany to win this time around, with only former captain Alan S h e a r e r

backing England to make the last four. As well as France, Roy Hodgson’s England will come up against Sweden and co-hosts Ukraine in Group D, while Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland are in a tough group consisting of Croatia, Italy and defending European and world champions Spain. Other fancied teams this time around are the Netherlands - who are in the ‘group of death’ alongside the Germans, Portugal and Denmark while Russia could spring a surprise from Group A. England - who failed to qualify for the last tournament in Austria and Switzerland four years ago - have never won the European Championship, with their best result in recent memory a semi-final defeat by Germany at Wembley in 1996. Their build-up to the tournament this time has been hampered by the loss of several first-team players to injury and suspension. Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will miss the first two matches of the tournament after he was sent off against Montenegro last year, while Frank Lampard, Gary Cahill and Gareth Barry all picked up injuries in the last few weeks.

UEFA Euro 2012 Netherlands v Denmark Germany v Portugal

Sunday

Spain v Italy Ireland v Croatia

he Federal public Service Games, (FEPSGA) has elected Mr. Victor Orji as the new national president. Orji who has been on acting capacity was elected yesterday as national president of FEPSGA following the impeachment of former president Sani Suleyman. In an election which was held at federal secretariat Abuja witness delegates from all federal ministry and parastatals across the country. The newly elected executives were sworn -in immediately and mandated to pilot the affairs of FEPSGA and also organise the forth coming annual game. Orji promised to carried it members along in activities that the body may engage to chat a way forward, noted that transparency will be his watch words. He further promised to work in harmony with civil servants by organising the monthly and walking jogging exercise in order to keep fit physically and mentally ahead of their day to day activities. Alhaji Dahiru Hassan who was on public relation officer capacity was elected as vice president of FEPSGA. Hassan commended the electorates for voting the new executives into office and promised to carry-out it function judiciously. Also elected were Musa Abubakar as treasure and Yahanna Tausa as national public relation officer.

World Cup qualifiers - Africa Malawi v Nigeria Botswana v South Africa Zambia v Ghana Mozambique v Zimbabwe Uganda v Senegal Gabon v Burkina Faso Congo v Niger Mali v Algeria Namibia v Kenya Equatorial Guinea v Sierra Leone Cape Verde v Tunisia Morocco v Ivory Coast Sunday Lesotho v Sudan Tanzania v Gambia Ethiopia v Central African Republic Rwanda v Benin Congo DR v Togo Libya v Cameroon Liberia v Angola Guinea v Egypt World Cup qualifiers - South America Bolivia v Paraguay Sunday Venezuela v Chile Uruguay v Peru Ecuador v Colombia FIFA International Argentina v Brazil

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

Transfer

The season is over. Clubs are counting their blessing as well as losses and would like to make amends and even beef up their squads where noticeable lapses exist. And the transfer market is agog barely 24 hours after major European leagues dropped the curtain. And so to keep abreast with latest rumours, we begin weekly doses of movements within the market both for players and coaches like.

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Modric set to join united

Hulk urges Porto to agree Chelsea deal

ulk has told Porto he wants to join Chelsea’s revolution this summer in an attempt to force through a move. The Brazil forward has been a longterm target for the Champions League winners and both clubs have held advanced talks about a proposed move. Hulk has an £80million release clause written into his contract though the Portuguese club will accept an offer of around £38million. Chelsea is yet to meet that valuation, causing a delay in the transfer, though the deal is still expected to be completed. The 25-year-old can play both as a winger and a central striker and has scored 57 goals in 91 games during the past two seasons.

Spurs held off interest from Chelsea to hold on to the midfielder last year.

United agree £3m deal for 18-year-old Chilean forward Henriquez

Barcelona agree deal for Bale

ottenham have agreed to sell Gareth Bale to Barcelona for £40million, according to reports in Spain. There has been much speculation about Bale’s future, with the Nou C a m p regularly talked about as a possible destination for the Welshman. A n d Marca TV programme, Futboleros, is now claiming the La Liga club has reached an agreement with the north Londoners for the sale of the 22year-old. They now need to agree personal terms with Bale and Futboleros are reporting they will offer him a five-year contract on •5million a year.

anchester United has agreed a £3million fee for 18-year-old Chilean striker Angelo Henriquez. Henriquez has been on United’s radar for over a year, he has starred in his country’s age-group sides and has also appeared for Universidad de Chile’s first team - scoring eight times in 10 games. United hope to gain a work permit for the Universidad forward and will have to go down the ‘special talent’ route since he has not represented the senior international side. Henriquez only took up the game in 2007 as a 13-year-old after abandoning his hopes of becoming a tennis star. Having represented Chile’s Under 15 and Under 17 teams, Henriquez has already built up an impressive reputation in South America for his strength and skill on the ball.

Newcastle move for free agent Kalou

ewcastle has entered the race to sign former Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou. The Ivorian is available on a free transfer after the European champions decided not to offer him a new deal. Toon boss Alan Pardew is looking to bolster his attacking options after Gabriel Obertan failed to impress following his move from Manchester United last summer. Bundesliga outfit Schalke has offered him a lucrative deal and the prospect of Champions League football next season which could see them steal a march on the Magpies. The 26-year-old had limited opportunities last season, starting just 16 games, and has previously been linked with moves to Arsenal, Liverpool and Turkish giants Galatasaray.

ir Alex Ferguson has offered Tottenham a £25million fee, rising to £30m based on appearances and success. Modric, 26, will be handed a four-year deal worth £26m. His wages of £125,000 a week will put him among the big earners at Old Trafford. Modric has kept up to date with talks while at Euro 2012 with Croatia and will seal the move on his return. The Croatian said he had no intention of quitting Spurs having signed a six-year deal in May 2010. United boss Fergie signed Japanese star Shinji Kagawa this week and wants Newcastle’s Cheick Tiote and Everton left-back Leighton Baines — but refuses to match the £20m valuations.

Cisse: I’m staying at Newcastle

apiss Cisse has moved to end speculation surrounding his future by declaring: I’m happy at Newcastle. The Senegal international has been in sensational form since joining the Magpies in a £10million switch from Freiburg in January. Cisse smashed 13 goals in 14 Premier League appearances to help Alan Pardew’s side finish fifth. His form attracted interest from a host of Europe’s leading clubs, including Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid. The 27-year-old insists he has no intention of quitting St James’s Park for the time being at least. He said: “I am very happy in Newcastle and I want to stay there for many years. I am looking forward to next season. “We were close to a Champions League position so next season hopefully we will qualify for that and everyone will taste the Champions League.”

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

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PICTORIAL

The Netherlands will make no official complaint over the alleged racist abuse of players during an open training session in Poland.

Sam Stosur drops the first set against Sara Errani in the opening French Open semi-final, with Maria Sharapova facing Petra Kvitova later.

England head coach Stuart Lancaster hands Tom Johnson and Joe Marler their England debuts against South Africa today.

Usain Bolt is pushed all the way in the 100m before powering to victory at the Diamond League in a time of 9.79 seconds

Former England captain Michael Vaughan describes the timing of Kevin Pietersen's one-day international retirement as "staggering".

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

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Table tennis: Magic at the twist of the wrist Complied by Richard Ihediwa with additional reports from Wikipedia

able tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net. Except for the initial serve, players must allow a ball played toward them only one bounce on their side of the table and must return it so that it bounces on the opposite side. Points are scored when a player fails to return the ball within the rules. Play is fast and demands quick reactions. A skilled player can impart several varieties of spin to the ball, altering its trajectory and limiting an opponent’s options to great advantage. The game originated as a sport in Britain during the 1880s, where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game then commonly known as “wiff-waff”. A row of books were stood up along the center of the table as a net, two more books served as rackets and were used to continuously hit a golf-ball from one end of the table to the other. Alternatively table tennis was played with paddles made of cigar box lids and balls made of champagne corks. The next major innovation was by James Gibb, a British enthusiast of table tennis, who discovered novelty celluloid balls on a trip to the US in 1901 and found them to be ideal for the game. In the 1950s, rackets that used a rubber sheet combined with an underlying sponge layer changed the game dramatically, introducing greater spin and speed. Service and return In game play, the player serving the ball commences a play. The server first stands with the ball held on the open palm of the hand not carrying the racket, called the freehand, and tosses the ball directly upward without spin, at least 16 centimeters (approximately 6 inches) high. The server strikes the ball with the racket on the ball’s descent so that it touches first his court and then touches directly the receiver’s court without touching the net assembly. In casual games, many players do not toss the ball upward; however, this is technically illegal and can give the serving player an unfair advantage. The ball must remain behind the endline and above the upper surface of the table, known as the playing surface, at all times during the service. The server cannot use his body or clothing to obstruct sight of the ball; the opponent and the umpire must have a clear view of the ball at all times. If the umpire is doubtful of the legality of a service they may first interrupt play and give a warning to the server. If the serve is a clear failure or is doubted again by the umpire after the warning, receiver scores a point. If the service is “good”, then the receiver must make a “good” return by hitting the ball back before it bounces a second time on receiver’s side of the table so that the ball passes the net and touches the opponent’s court, either directly or after touching the net assembly. Thereafter, the server and receiver must alternately make a return until the rally is over. Returning the serve is one of the most difficult parts of the game, as the server’s first move is often the least predictable and thus most advantageous shot due to the numerous spin and speed choices at his or her disposal. Scoring A point is scored by the player for any of several results of the rally. They include when ·Opponent fails to make a correct service or return. ·After making a service or a return, the ball

Table tennis requires focus and flexible wrist. touches anything other than the net assembly before being struck by the opponent. ·The ball passes over the player’s court or beyond his end line without touching his court, after being struck by the opponent. ·The opponent obstructs the ball. ·The opponent strikes the ball twice successively. Note that the hand that is holding the racket counts as part of the racket and that making a good return off one’s hand or fingers is allowed. It is not a fault if the ball accidentally hits one’s hand or fingers and then subsequently hits the racket. ·The opponent strikes the ball with a side of the racket blade whose surface is not covered with rubber. ·The opponent moves the playing surface or touches the net assembly. ·The opponent’s free hand touches the playing surface. ·As a receiver under the expedite system, completing 13 returns in a rally. ·The opponent has been warned by umpire commits a second offense in the same individual match or team match. If the third offence happens, 2 points will be given to the player. If

A good curve can be the kill.

Trickish service can help get good scores. the individual match or the team match has not ended, any unused penalty points can be transferred to the next game of that match. A game shall be won by the player first scoring 11 points unless both players score 10 points, when the game shall be won by the first player subsequently gaining a lead of 2 points. A match shall consist of the best of any odd number of games. In competition play, matches are typically best of five or seven games. There are several styles in playing ping pong. Starting with the grips which include penhold and shakehand. Table tennis strokes generally break down into offensive and defensive categories. Offensive strokes, Speed drive, the Loop, Counter-drive, Flick, Smash, Defensive strokes, Push, Chop, Block, Lob and so on. Effects of spin. Adding spin onto the ball causes major changes in table tennis gameplay. Although nearly every stroke or serve creates some kind of spin, understanding the individual types of spin allows players to defend against and use different spins effectively. Table tennis is a game you can play at any time and enjoy.

Inter view PAGE 46

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

I don’t want to be remembered when I’m gone —Bongos Ikwue Bongos Ikwue, the music icon and a living legend turned 70 on Tuesday. As part of the celebration, he gathered journalists across the country at his palatial Double K Resort in Otukpo, Benue state for a listening party to usher in his yet to be released new musical works. In this interview, he spoke about his music, the Nigerian situation, the film industry amongst other issues. Our correspondent Uche Nnorom was there too. Excerpt:

e are gathered here in Otukpo courtesy of your invitation. What is the motive behind this gathering? Well, we are adding every year into our lives ain't we? The motive behind this gathering is to let everybody know that I have done some new work that I am very passionate about. I have a unity project for which I have six songs. One of the songs is ‘Nigeria Has Come To Stay’, another one is ‘Mustapher and Christopher’, ‘Your God Is My God’, ‘Hold On Africa’, ‘One United Nigeria’ and ‘Cock Crow At Dawn’. Each of these songs point to the fact that we need to stay united, we need to be tolerant and there is no country without unity. So I am not only singing it, I believe it. You talk about your peace project, what do you really have in mind? The message I am propagating is that we must learn to live together as one people. The time is now, you see, we have stayed here and allowed ourselves get fooled. When the white man first came here, they took the black man as slaves. What did the black man do? The black man built for the white man, paradise here on earth, not in heaven. White man told black man, hey you, when you die you'll go to heaven. But in the mean time build my paradise for me here on earth. It is time for us to look at ourselves. The only problem I have with religion; that's why I am not playing religion and I am not playing God; is that people live by what they do and religion tells people what they shouldn't do. All Nigerians should better know that it is not a mistake that you are made to come from whichever part of the country. We must first come to terms with who we are. And coming to terms with who you are makes you come to terms to the fact that you are a Nigerian and that you are going to die a Nigerian. And you don't have any other choice but to make the most of what this wonderful country offers you. It is a shame that all I am doing here is talking, I do not believe in talking, but you see, wherever you have seen any house cleaned, somebody cleaned it, wherever you see any street cleaned, somebody cleaned it. Wherever you see any point of light, somebody is generating electricity. If you turn on the tap somebody is working on the water. And honestly, I think the time for talk is over for the black man in particular. Our land is so vast, our blessing is too many, and our endowment is plenty. It is time for us to convert it into action. We can no longer sit down here and listen to organizations like World Bank or IMF; these people have more problems than we have. And they are looking at us as a gigantic country which they can use to solve their own political problems and their own financial problems. There is no country

Bongos Ikwue

that is too well off enough to want to put his money to do your services for you.When are we going to open our eyes and see that the time is now? What is you opinion about Nigerian Nollywood? To start, the name is too much of another copy. Well we are in a global economy, like we have Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood is for Nigeria. That is okay. I think to sit down to run anybody down is not the answer. They are doing their best. I believe that at the dawn of everyday, there is an improvement added to what they are doing. We are all looking forward to a day when we can recognize what is our own a little more. And we can get the rest of the world to put the kind of attention and money we put to them here. But do you think that the Nigerian government is doing enough to promote the arts industry particularly films, music etc? I think that the role of government is actually to provide the enabling environment for every business to thrive. Are they doing enough? Well, it is very easy to look at the other person, but I think that we need to work harder as a people, we need to be more committed as a people to any thing and to

everything we do. Government can't do everything and we are all part of this government. I think it is up to us. Going down memory lane, how would your compare the music of yesteryears and what we have now? What we have now is what we have now. What we had then was what we had then. And like I was telling you, we need to be careful because what we expose to our children is what they are used to. And today is today. You can see that I am still writing new songs today, I am playing them today; they are being played on our radio and our TV today as I speak. I am living in today's world, I may have come from yesterday's world but you see I live in today's world. Tomorrow will never come. Looking at the trend in Nigerian music now, what would you say to the fact that Nigerian artistes are playing less of life bands compared to what we had years back? That is what I have been saying; it is a matter of time before we start playing again. Because you cannot be carrying your CDs all over the places. I got up just now and I sang with my daughter and you saw the band playing. You cannot carrying your CDs to everywhere in the world, you go on stage and start miming to it. What do

you guys watch, have you ever seen a band playing in the US or Russia and the people are miming? Don't you think you are failing in your duty? You are the ones who must tell the people of this country how it is done elsewhere and how should do what they are supposed to do. Do a little bit of research and find out where in the world where somebody would stand before his Queen and is miming to CD. It doesn't happen anywhere. Where would you want to see Nigerian music in the near future? Music is a minor aspect. It's the entire entertainment. We sit down here and we are bombarded completely by the western world. Our children cannot do their local dances anymore; they are watching foreign programs from sun dawn to sun set. These programs are produced and thrown at us all the time and we cannot separate the chaff from the real things. So it is not just music; it is the whole entertainment. I sit here in this country and I hear young boys quarreling among themselves. They say their team has lost a football match. Their team is Chelsea, their team is Man U. They do not know the name of any Nigerian team, they don't know. They don't know the names of their cities. Sometimes, if they are coming to Otukpo, they are asking where Otukpo is. I think all our programs should be tailored too. What would be your advice to upcoming Nigerian musicians? Music is one of the most difficult professions in the world. I mean it is unlike buying a burger with your last money if you are hungry. But can you walk down the street and hear a song and use your last money to buy. But remember, life requires that you do what you want to do and always have a passion for what you do. At 70, do you intend to retire from music soon? Retire from anything. No, it is music all the way? I've been playing music and doing whole lots of other things, so am just carrying on and carrying on. You have been a musician, an artist, an icon for the most part of your life. When the final analysis is made what would you want to be remembered for? When the time comes for me to be remembered, I do not want to be remembered for anything. When I am dead, I like to be gone and forgotten completely. People who want to leave legacies end up stepping on other people's toes. When I have spent my time on earth, it will be the final thank you to the Almighty. The only question I will like to ask myself will be, did I put all of my time to maximum use while alive? Once I have done that, I don't want to be remembered for anything, by anybody or for any reason.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

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From the Pulpit Coping with the tragic plane crash death

h e week has been that of mourning for us in Nigeria and the period of mourning will certainly be prolonged for the families of victims of the unfortunate plane crash that happened last Sunday. We had thought the days of plane crashes were over in this country but the entire nation was devastated by the calamity this first day of the week. We lost babies, children and adults. What a great loss! No probe by government or compensation to the families will suffice. I commiserate with Nigerians especially the bereaved families including foreigners who died in the air mishap. I pray that the Lord will give them the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. May the Lord comfort them this season. May Nigeria not experience such mass death again in Jesus' name. At a time like this, one question must have come up many times: Why Lord? It's a normal question for those who are grieving to ask. David asked God why. "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?" (Ps 22:1NKJV) Dying on the cross, Jesus asked a similar question: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"(Matt 27:46 NKJV) But hardly does anyone find the answer to "Why Lord?" The Lord alone knows why He allowed those who died in that plane crash to die. I'm not saying God caused the plane crash. But He could have stopped it. Why did God allow spouses to lose their beloved partners and children in the plane crash? Why did God allow an only child on National Youth Service to die? Why did He allow the death of a couple, ministers of the gospel, in that plane crash? Why did He allow some passengers who attended church

service that Sunday and worshipped Him to die in that air disaster? Why did He allow any human being to die at all? The questions are endless. Just where was God when the plane was going to crash? Where was God when the passengers and the crew expectedly began to pray to God frantically for His intervention for safe landing? Doesn't God answer prayer again? These and more are the questions that must have been asked repeatedly either openly or privately in many families directly affected by this unfortunate national disaster and those not directly affected. Unfortunately, I don't know why, and God doesn't owe us any explanation. He's God, and must be God. In spite our faith, holiness, prayer, discernment, we shall never know some things until we get to heaven (I'm not talking about what the on-going investigations on the crash will reveal). Deut 29:29 says, "There are secret things that belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we may obey these words of the law." (NLT) Therefore, we must never allow our heads to doubt the God that we believe in our hearts. As the bereaved are trying to reconcile themselves to the reality of the demise of their loved ones, they must continue to believe that no matter what happens, God is good, and the goodness of God endures continually. (Ps 52:1) Whether good things happen to us or bad things God is good. The bereaved must never allow the devil to preach to them that God is evil. "There is no truer statement than this: God will not do wrong." (Job 34:12 NLT) God loves you; He loves your departed ones. Your faith in God must remain unshaken. We may not understand the "why" of what happened but we mustn't doubt the integrity and love of God.

LIBERA TION LIBERATION AREN A ARENA By Rev. Abel Duniya Gospel Power Liberation Ministries, Abuja GSM: 08033155167

e l l o friends. In our ministry, we had declared this year a year of multiple harvests. Since the beginning of the year, we have been having series of teachings to get people to know how to tap into God’s blessing and experience multiple harvests from our labour. Today, I want to share one of the lessons with you as presented in our ministry by a friend and I believe it will help you a lot. This lesson will make you understand what you can do to make you to be singled out for multiple harvests. For this, we will look at the characters of Abraham and his

nephew Lot in the book of Genesis. Now harvest can be comprehensibly defined as experiencing the consequences of one’s previous actions or behaviors. We see Abraham having blessings while Lot continued to have problems. What was the secret? Lets see. Read Genesis 11. We see that Terah has three children, Abram, Haran and Nahor. When Lot’s father, Haran, died Nahor did not care, though he married Lot’s sister. Abram took Lot and took care of him as his own child. Abram had a wife Sarai, who was barren. By then, people were allowed to put off barren women but Abram did not. He loved Sarai. On the contrary Nahor did not

We must continue to have faith in God. (Mk 11:22) We mustn't cast away our confidence in God and in His Word. (Heb 10:35) The Bible tells us that trials will come. Trials come to unbelievers and believers alike. I consider this plane crash a trial of faith to many families and even all those who have faith in God. We must face this trial and support bereaved families with our presence, love, care and understanding to go through it victoriously. 1 Peter 4:12-13 says, "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad - because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world." (NLT) Nobody likes trials especially the loss of a dear one. Trials are a test of faith. The Bible says, "These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold - and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world." (1 Peter 1:7 NLT) This trial won't destroy you, the families and friends of victims of this air mishap in Jesus' name. To say that the loss of loved ones in the circumstance that this has happened is not painful is to be callous. While we allow them to shed tears of sorrow, I know that the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from off their faces. (Isa 25:8) He will heal their wounds. In a period like this, we must hold on to the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit, the comforter,

GREEN PASTURES By Pastor T.O. Banso cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 comfort us. We mustn't allow this tragedy to separate us from the love of Christ. Though we're grieving as relations, as a church, as a nation, we must not forsake Christ. We must remember the Words of Paul in Rom 8:35-39 - nothing must ever separate us from Christ's love, not even the loss of a dear wife, a caring husband, a lovely child, a close relation or an intimate friend. We need to encourage ourselves and the hearts of the bereaved. We need to share in their grief. Rom 12:15 says, "When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow." (NLT) The great challenge before the bereaved is how to find joy in the midst of their current trial as we're told to do in James 1:2-4. It's not easy. But the Holy Spirit will help every child of God to do this. As we mourn the departed souls, we mustn't forget that death isn't the end. Christians must therefore not mourn like unbelievers do. We have the hope of resurrection. "And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died." (1 Thess 4:13-14 NLT) We shall see again our loved ones who died in Christ. Halleluiah!

Child of God, God's grace is sufficient for you at this time. I pray that the Lord will strengthen the bereaved and give them the fortitude to bear this great loss. Those of us alive must constantly remember that it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. (Heb 9:27) Therefore, you need to give your life to Jesus if you haven't, and if you have, you need to devote yourself to a close walk with Him. Without Jesus, life is a waste. There's nothing in this world! TAKE ACTION! If you're not born again, kindly say this prayer now: "0 Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I'm a sinner and I can't 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'm saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God" I believe you've said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You'll need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where you'll 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. I'll be glad to hear from you. May the Lord be with you.

How to get multiple harvests care about Lot, though he had become a closer relation by marrying Lot’s sister, Milcah. Lot himself abandoned his family and joined Abraham. Along the line, Abram shared everything he had with Lot to the extent that the orphan Lot also became rich and had herds and servants. But Lot did not reciprocate Abram’s care and love. he failed to give respect to him. It happened that Lot’s servants picked quarrel with those of Abram over grazing land. Lot did not rebuke his servants. He waited until Abram came and made peace and yielded the right of first choice of land to him. Lot foolishly, in disrespect to his uncle chose the best land and left the seemingly bad side for his benefactor. Lot’s character was mercenary. He has no loyalty to his uncle. Because of his impudence, he elected to leave Abram and went to live in Sodom and Gomorrah because the land appeared good. When Lot left in Genesis 13, God visited Abram and gave him, all the land as far as his eyes can

see including the area Lot had chosen. He also assured him of his own son. Abram deserved one based on the way he treated Lot, his nephew. In no time there was war in Sodom and Lot and his family was taken captive (Gen 14).Abram did not abandon Lot but went to war to rescue him. For that, he was blessed by Melchizedek king of Salem, the priest of God. After that blessing Abram started having more intimate relationship with God to the extent that in Genesis 17, we see God making a covenant with him and changed his name to Abraham; a covenant that is forever and a declaration to become a father of many nations. In Chapter 18, we see God intimating things He wants to do to Abraham. When God informed Abraham of His plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the loving Abraham started thinking about his nephew Lot, who had abandoned him. He pleaded and Lot was saved. When God finally gave

Abraham the long awaited son, Isaac, He also put him to test by demanding that he sacrifices Isaac to him. Abraham passed that test and indeed wanted to sacrifice Isaac to God. For this God gave Abraham all the blessing one can imagine. On the contrary, when the angels of God told Lot to leave Sodom, he foot-dragged and had to be forced out before the destruction came. Lot escaped but lost everything he had earned. He lost his wife and at the end of the day ended up in incest with the daughters. What a contrasting lifestyle between Abraham and Lot. Look at yourself. Do you think you are Abraham or Lot? Are you kind hearted? Are you loving? Do you forgive others and seek the good of those who offended you? Do you have faith in God? Can you go the extra mile for Him? Multiple blessings are more of products of character traits and actions. Check your ways today and ask God to help you live a life worthy of His blessing. God be with you.

BIG PUNCH The ruling party is totally undemocratic. There is nothing they do that is democratic. They rig elections with impunity; the electoral bodies, the security agencies are all with them; they have managed to even compromise some of the judges; and we pretend we are in a democracy, we are not. —Malam Nasir el-Rufai criticising the ruling PDP

SATURDAY 9 — SUNDAY 10, JUNE, 2012

First, save the cradle 'Have you ever wondered...how God made you [mankind] spring forth from the earth like a plant, how He will return you into it and then bring you out again, and how He has spread the Earth out for you to walk along its spacious paths?' [Quran 71:15-18] 'Man has only to look at his food. We pour down plentiful water, then split the earth into furrows. Then We make grain grow in it, and grapes and herbs and olives and dates and luxuriant gardens and orchards and meadows, for you and your livestock to enjoy.' [Quran 80:24-32]

us back in time to the infamous Rwandan Genocide of 1994. Within just six weeks, between April and July, an estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans, representing 20% of the total population of the country, were massacred in a tragedy of truly gargantuan proportion. The victims were mostly Tutsi, the aggressors, Hutu, the two major tribes who constitute Rwanda.

WEEKEND with

Ibraheem Sulaiman sa427420@gmail.com

'It helps to think of soil as a living organism covered with skin like a human. We can live with a certain percentage of our skin damaged, but if too high a percentage is damaged, we die. So too does soil and thus most life…. -[Allan Savory, President and Founder, Savory Institute]

h e Earth is the Cradle. Every human being, as the Quran says, is a product of the Earth, and has grown from it, stage after stage, like a tree. The picture we are given of this beautiful home is that of a mother, caring, generous, friendly, indulgent - ever ready to satisfy every need of all who grow from its bosom with flawless, unceasing bounty. The relationship between man and Mother Earth is not only physical, but it is also moral and spiritual. The Earth is always willing to offer the environment for growth and development but only to the extent that it is treated with utmost decency, utmost care and utmost respect. Whatever the Earth yields by way of nourishment is clean and wholesome, and fully protected against contamination, [see, for example, the extent to which banana, orange, coconut, ground nut etc are each enclosed in protective shells, shielded from harm and pollution, and see also how spring water goes through a meticulous cleansing process until it emerges pure and pristine for human consumption]; so this merciful, diligent provider reserves the right to demand similar treatment from all who benefit from it. Beyond all that, the Earth is spacious and exceedingly versatile and elastic, able to accommodate the entire gamut of human activities and the most ambitious of human enterprises. The price for violation of Earth's sanctity, for infraction of the rules of engagement can be very high indeed. Jared Diamond, in Collapse, has given us a very good, if disturbing, example of what happens when a human society offends against its mother. He takes

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Earth is the cradle Human Rights Watch, quoted by Jared Diamond, described the genocide as follows. 'This genocide was not an uncontrollable outburst of rage by a people consumed by ancient tribal hatreds. This genocide resulted from the deliberate choice of a modern elite to foster hatred and fear to keep itself in power. This small, privileged group first set the majority against the minority to counter a growing political opposition within Rwanda. Then these few power holders transformed the strategy of ethnic division into genocide. They believed that the extermination would restore the solidarity of the Hutu under their leadership and help them win the war.' This is the familiar story of the genocide. There is, however, another dimension to the tragedy, and that is precisely the focus of our discourse. Jared Diamond furnishes the outlines, based on an empirical research conducted by two Belgian economists. In Kanama, a province inhabited almost entirely by Hutu, genocide also took place, perpetrated by Hutu against Hutu. Here the cause, according to Diamond, was

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not ethnic but ecological. Kanama was a commune, subsisting entirely on agriculture. As the population steadily increased, farmers were forced to cultivate more and more land to meet the ever increasing food demands, until every available space was turned into a farm. The farming method and technique had not changed for ages, and the available land for every farmer [on average, one seventh of an acre], could not produce enough for the family. Deforestation became the general rule. No measures were ever taken to protect the soil from degradation, as a result there was much soil erosion, no much cover for vegetation, and rivers carried heavy loads of mud. New farming methods and implements which could have helped Kanama feed it's teeming population were totally absent. In short Kanama agriculture was not sustainable. Because all land was occupied, young people found it difficult to marry, leave home, acquire farm and set up a family. So the whole of Kanama became a prison, hungry, impoverished, desperate, tense. Inevitably, with pressure from all

sides, the social fabric broke down, and practically every body was fighting every body else - fathers against children, wives against husbands, brothers against brothers, sisters against brothers, men against women, the haves against the have nots. And then, there was genocide, Hutu as perpetratoarsr, Hutu as victims. 'One also needs a proximate cause: a match to light the keg. In most of Rwanda, that match was ethnic hatred whipped up by politicians cynically concerned with keeping themselves in power,' Diamond observes. 'The decision to kill was made of course by the politicians, for political reasons. But at least part of the reason why it was carried out so thoroughly by the rank-and-file peasants in their ingo [= family compound] was feeling that there were too many people on too little land, and that with a reduction in their numbers, there would be more for the survivors.' All these people who were about to be killed had land and at times cows. And somebody had to get these lands and those cows after the owners were dead, so went one explanation. 'The people whose children had to walk barefoot to school killed the people who could buy shoes for theirs,' said a survivor, as quoted by Diamond. Now Northern Nigeria is an agricultural community. A very large part of its territory is now being ravaged by desertification. The fate of Lake Chad, to which reference has been made elsewhere before, is a clear example of a fatal and catastrophic violation of the sanctity of the Earth. Scientists speculate that Lake Chad was once the largest lake in the world, even larger than the Caspian Sea. The first European survey carried out in 1823 concluded that the lake was among the largest in the world. In 1983, the Lake had shrunk to just 10 to 25 thousand square kilometers. Today, Lake Chad has rapidly and dramatically dwindled to just 1500 square kilometers, in what scientists see as an ecological catastrophe, raising the fear that it may even vanish completely from the face of the Earth. Some of the causes of the lake's fate are due to

climatic factors but the UNEP puts most of the blame on human activities. Add this to the evolving ecological catastrophe in North East and North West, in the form of fierce and destructive desertification encroaching upon the land relentlessly. Savory Institute sums up the likely consequences of desertification wherever it occurs, as follows: [1]Dry, infertile, bare soil is unable to store carbon, releasing it into the atmosphere. Even if the world achieved zero carbon emissions from fossil fuels tomorrow, current agriculture practices would still create vast areas of bare soil that emit and are unable to store carbon. The climate would continue to change. [2] Desertification creates large areas of exposed soil which dramatically decreases the effectiveness of rainfall. Water evaporates or runs off instead of soaking into the soil where it is available for plants and living organisms and recharges water tables. This change leads to the increasing frequency and severity of both floods and droughts even with no change in rainfall in a specific region. [3] The world's grasslands have the capacity to feed billions of human beings. Unfortunately, the rapid desertification of these lands is resulting in famine as well as decreased food safety for communities around the globe. [4] Desertification is a major driver of poverty for communities and entire regions, hurting the economic stability of rural pastoralist communities and causing supply chain disruptions and imbalanced consumption and demand patterns around the world. [5] Because desertification plays a key role in increasing drought, poverty and hunger around the world, it also contributes to increased social violence, abuse of women and children, cultural genocide and emigration to cities and other countries. Desertification occurs when the soil is not healthy due to damage, abuse and neglect. It is aggravated by unsustainable use of water and unsustainable use of land. Science has made it possible for desertification to be stopped and even reversed. The Soil can be cured and revitalized. Desertification continues to spread unabated in the North because of complete loss of political will. People must rise to save their land and their livelihood and their life. It is time to save the Soil and keep it healthy and nourished, so that agriculture may be saved, so that people may be saved, so that Northern Nigeria may be saved, so that Nigeria may be saved.

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