Peoples Daily Newspaper, Saturday 12, January, 2013

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

VOL. 3 NO. 24 SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PDP crisis: Hassan Adamu may replace Tukur >> Page 5

. . . putting the people first

Kuje crude oil discovery: The true story

SAFAR 26 - 27, 1434 AH

Katsina CPC MPs to reclaim seats – Court

Harmattan: Dealing with cold weather

>> Page 8

N150

>> Page 17

>> Page 14

EXCLUSIVE

Another pension crisis looms >>Page 5

INTERVENTION Sokoto state Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (with mic), donating ten million naira each to Igbo spare parts traders of Sahara area and Kantin Daji motorcycle mechanics to cushion the effect of the recent fire incident in the state

COVER

2013: Shapers and Moulders WWW.PEOPLESDAILY-ONLINE.COM

>> Pages>>9,10 Page&11 3

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My thoughts With Ayodele Samuel 08074420617 (SMS only)

Jonathan, before we talk about 2015

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any Nigerians during the illness and evacuation days of Late President Yar’Adua rose to ensure Jonathan was given his right to be made Acting President, But today, he has taken away our rights to good governance as Nigerians.

We were fascinated about his ‘my brother, my sister’ speeches and a couple of days the constitutional crisis got attention of every Nigerian, but I never believed in him, I was wary of a fisher man’s son, who trekked long distance without shoes to wear to school.

As a journalist, I knew Nigerians would be carried away by his pitiful campaign messages/ promises which my friend Dr. Doyin Okupe told me he fulfilled in 2012 though I doubt this very much.

The fact remains; Jonathan’s government has continued to make many Nigerians cry. At times I feel like leaving the country and coming backin 2015 perhaps Nigerians may then decide to kick him out of the Villa. Unpatriotic! You say?

Let’s face it! Nigeria is in a big mess; our country is drowning at the speed of light, yet these prodigals in government are insensitive to our plights.

As a fresh graduate, I can beat my chest that our major problem as a country is UNEMPLOYMENT, because if solved, it’s a solution 20 other problems we face as a nation can be solved but this government, led by Jonathan is slow in creating the jobs but fast in carting away our money.

Take for instance, the BRISIN project (The Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria), a multibillion naira project conceived to provide the fundamental infrastructure for information flow from grassroots to the national level, was to generate 10 million jobs in 10 years, but under Jonathan’s administration the project is suffering its worst neglect.

Our manufacturing sector if working at maximum capacity will create 20 million jobs, but today under this administration more companies are folding up, investors are not coming, therefore, our youths remain unemployed.

With gainful employments Boko Haram will run out of suicide bombers. You said it is a lie! Remember, some kidnappers confessed that if only they could earn N20, 000 per month, kidnapping won’t be an option.

Corruption is on the increase, imagine, no one is in jail as regard the subsidy scam till date. We keep reading about the pension scam too, yet culprits walk freely on the streets.

Our government continues to deceive us with unimaginable achievements and you wonder if you live in same country Jonathan governs.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANAURY, 2013

Special Report

Tafawa Balewa: Fond memories of a legend After 47 years of the demise of first Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, his legendary contribution to politics and nationalism as well as his compassion, sincerity and love for his people still linger in the memory of many Nigerians. In this piece, Ahmed Kaigama, chronicles his life and times.

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ir Abubakar Tafawa was overthrown and murdered in a military coup on January 15, 1966, as were many other leaders, including his old companion Ahmadu Bello.

The circumstances of his death still remain unresolved. His body was discovered by a roadside near Lagos six days after he was ousted from office. Balewa was buried in Bauchi. News of his murder spurred violent riots throughout Northern Nigeria and ultimately led to the bloody counter-coup of July 1966.

According to a public commentator, Mijinyawa Ahmadu, Tafawa Balewa set an exemplary standard of leadership characterized by selfless service, high level of integrity and courageous sacrifice, because of his simplicity, transparent honesty and responsible leadership.

A lecturer with the Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Mallam Yusuf Abdullahi, also said that throughout his life, Tafawa Balewa exhibited admirable personal qualities of patience and endurance; discipline and hard-work; humility and loyalty; foresight and patriotism; frankness and friendliness, all of which our leaders of today fail to emulate due to selfish interest and their desire to acquire wealth by all means.

Today, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s tomb in Bauchi is a fascinating structure because both the tomb and library inside it tell a simple and very dignified story about his life and contribution to

Late Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa nationhood.

Workers at the late prime minister’s tomb declared that the exceptional thing about the tomb is that the building carries everything about that the history of the struggle for Nigeria’s independence.

At the entrance to the tomb was darkness; this depicts the nation under colonial administration.

This is followed by another grim darkness meaning the continuation of the struggle for Nigeria’s independence, then moving a few meters ahead was full brightness, which clearly shows the attainment of Nigeria’s independence in

His radio, television and wrist watches

1960, and is a great achievement for the country because the light shows everything good will come to Nigeria.

There are two different stairs downwards to the late Prime Minister’s graveside.

One was rough, the rough one explained the hardship Nigerians went through under the colonial administration; while the smooth one depicted freedom and independence in 1960, and every visitor would follow the smooth one down the stairs.

At the open space where Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s grave was the wall which was

painted in different colours.

The different colours on the wall showed that there are different ethnic groups in Nigeria and it explained that the late Prime Minister served the interest of uniting Nigerians as one nation despite this diversity.

At the library, which is also called Resource Centre, a visitor will see clearly the personal items of the late Prime Minister which he left behind after his death. Inside the auditorium, there are some video and audio cassettes of his speeches. One was his first broadcast to the people of Nigeria in 1957 when he was elected the Prime Minister of Nigeria, other items inside is a sword given to him by the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello during the first independence ceremony in 1960.

His three caps were also there. Then his radio and television, the radio and television are still functioning till date and the television was given to him by Queen Elizabeth II during the Prime Ministers conference in 1957 when he was given the name, the Golden Voice of Africa.

Also in the Resource Center, there was his only rain boot that he used to go to farm with and his only bed which was inherited by his eldest son, Alhaji Baba Abubakar who later he donated the bed to the library. There is also his carpet and rosary, there is also the only book he wrote in Hausa called Shehu Umar.

The tomb was dilapidated until recently when the National Commission for Museum renovated it before the posthumous celebration of

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANAURY, 2013

PAGE 3

Special Report his 100 th birthday.

Also at the opening ceremony of the event, the Director General of the Commission, Mallam Yusuf Abdallah said the commission will partner with Bauchi state government to manage the Late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa tomb to serve as educational facility in leadership training and social orientation.

He appealed to Bauchi state government to support the commission’s plans to develop the museum’s educational programmes around the facility that would target pupils and students as well as integrating the tomb with the other heritage resources in the state for tourism development.

Bauchi state Governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda who was represented by the state commissioner for culture and tourism, Alhaji Salisu Ibrahim Aliyu commended the Federal Government for finding it worthy to build a befitting edifice for Tafawa Balewa.

The Minister of Tourism Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke said the exhibition was in recognition of the role played by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in building Nigeria, because during his life time he stood for good leadership, patience, hard work and honesty.

The eldest son of the late Prime Minister, Alhaji Yakubu Baba applauded state and Federal Government for the recognition accorded his late father.

During the exhibition, details of the life and times of Tafawa Balewa from his childhood to his last day as prime minister was displayed.

Some of his personal belongings displayed include his three wrist watches, bed, television, radio, praying carpet, rosary and sword.

Many questions that people asked is our leaders of today appreciated the sacrifice and commitment of past leaders like Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa but will they emulate him?

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born late in 1912 in Bauchi, the son of a Bageri Muslim district head in the Bauchi divisional district of Lere. He started early education at the Koranic School in Bauchi and like most of his contemporaries; he studied at the Katsina College for further education and soon acquired his teaching certificate. He returned to Bauchi to teach at the Bauchi Middle School. In 1944, along with a few learned teachers from the north, he was chosen to study abroad for a year at the University of London’s institute of Education. Upon returning to Nigeria, he became an Inspector of Schools for the colonial administration and later entered politics. He was elected

The late Prime Minister with his little children eating sugarcane

Prime Minister inspecting air facilities at the London Airport

Caps of the late Prime Minister

The only bed which he used

His rosery and carpet in 1946, to the colony’s Northern House of Assembly, and to the Legislative Assembly in 1947. As a legislator, he was a vocal advocate of the rights of northern Nigeria, and together with Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, who held the hereditary title of Sardauna of Sokoto, he founded the Northern People’s Congress (NPC).

Balewa entered the government in 1952 as Minister of Works, and later served as Minister of Transport. In 1957, he was elected Chief Minister, forming a coalition government between the NPC and the National Council of Nigerian and the Cameroons (NCNC), led

by Nnamdi Azikiwe. He retained the post as Prime Minister when Nigeria gained independence in 1960, and was reelected in 1964.

Prior to Nigeria’s independence, a Constitutional Conference in 1954 had adopted a regional political framework for the country, with all regions

Ali Munguno’s tribute given a considerable amount of political freedom. The three regions then were composed of diverse cultural groups. The premiers and some prominent leaders of the regions later took on a policy of guiding their regions against political encroachment from other regional leaders. Later on, this political environment influenced the Balewa administration. His term in office was turbulent, with regional factionalism constantly threatening his government.

However, as Prime Minister of Nigeria, he played important roles in the continent’s formative indigenous rule. He was an important leader in the formation of the Organization of African Unity and creating a cooperative relationship with French speaking African Countries.

He was also instrumental in negotiations between Moise Tshombe and the Congolese authorities during

His sword

the Congo crises of 1960–1964.

He led a vocal protest against the Shrperville Massacre of 1960 and also entered into an alliance with Commonwealth ministers who wanted South Africa to leave the Commonwealth in 1961.

However, a treason charge and conviction against one of the western region’s leaders, Obafemi Awolowo, led to protest and condemnation from many of his supporters. The 1965 election in the region later produced violent protests.

Rioting and violence were soon synchronous with what was perceived as inordinate political encroachment and an over-exuberant election outcome for Awolowo’s western opponents.

Former Principal an Administrator Mohammed Maina Abubakar said “Belewa is generally regarded as a sincere democrat.

His relatively humble origins meant that his own rise to

power had to be via the ballot box. He was not, as such— unlike his friend Ahmadu Bello—a member of the tradition Northern elite.

“He appears, however, to have genuinely wanted to nurture national unity, beyond which he was also concerned with pan-African unity. Within the constraints imposed by the political reality, he tried to balance regional interests. His instinct towards pacification is indicated by his response to the post-election crises, when, instead of using the military or the power of the central government to clamp down on civil unrest, he delegated the task of establishing order to the region, “he said The late Balewa died leaving behind four wives and 19 children. Today, His portrait adorn the 5 Naira Note. The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi is named in his honor.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12— SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Photo News

Gov. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano state listening to the Managing Director of Bank of Industry, BOI, Madam Evelyn Oputu when she paid courtesy call on him at the Governor's Lodge Abuja, Thursday.

L-R: Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Alkali Jajere, National Commissioner INEC, Abdulkadir Oniyangi and Chairman Senate Committee on INEC, Andy Uba, during the senate Committee Inspection of fire disaster building at INEC office recently in Abuja.

Gov. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano state in a group photograph with Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, HE Ryuichi Shoji and other staff at Kano governor's Lodge, Abuja, Friday.

9 mercenaries arrested yesterday between Burumburum and Doma, by Task Force, in Nasarawa State

L-R: Director General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mohammed Sani Sidi with the Korean Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Jonghyun Choi, during the presentation of Rice Millers Machines to Flood Victims by Korean Government to NEMA, yesterday in Abuja.

Photos: Justin Imo-Owo, Govt. House, Kano

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

News

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

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igerians may not have heard the last shocking scandal associated with pension administration in the country.

A scoop made available to Peoples Daily Weekend yesterday has it that the same mind-boggling scams that rocked the administration of pension in the country for several decades before a recent verification, is rearing its head again.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government had in 2010 set up a special task force led by Abdulrasheed Maina to look into pension administration in the country. The task force came up with startling revelations of how top officials of government stole hundreds of billions of pension funds and denied the pensioners their entitlements.

Though the series of biometric exercise organized by Maina were mired in controversy, there seemed to be a breath of fresh air late last year with some real pensioners smiling home with millions of naira of their pension arrears.

According to a top source in the Maina committee, the honeymoon of pensioners may be under threat because some officials in the office of the Head of Service may have perfected plans to jettison the new verified database and re-adopt the old list which is full of ghost names in paying pension monies.

Our impeccable source who declined to be named, noted that this plot is the reason pensioners have not

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Another pension crisis looms been paid their November and December salaries up till now even though the Maina committee had forwarded the verified list of genuine pensioners to the office of Head of Service long ago.

“The situation is we don’t pay pensioners, after completing our work, we forward an authentic list to the Head of Service to effect payment.

But what is happening now is another scam, 95 percent of genuine pensioners are yet to receive their November and December payments. The old list of mainly ghost workers, is being used to pay monies into the pockets of some few people.”

He continued: “It is a very strong cartel and their aim is to continue to feed fat on pensioners” monies.” While most genuine pensioners were not paid November/ December payments, others were grossly underpaid. For example, someone who is supposed to receive 70,000 is seeing N700 in their accounts.”

“Their aim is to announce to the world that we have failed and get rid of us by all means.”

When our reporter asked what the committee is doing about the scandal, he said: “We have contacted the State Security Service (SSS), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission

(ICPC) to report what is going on and their respective leadership has promised to look into the matter.”

According to the source, there are also strong rumours that the Office of the Head of Service has made a request of N1.4 billion from the Federal Government to do another

Chairman, Presidential Pension Reform Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina

round of verification exercise as part of efforts to rubbish the efforts of Maina.

“The story of N1.4 billion is a speculation that is going round. We are yet to lay our hands on any documents but these people are very powerful and will stop at nothing to discredit us and continue to perpetrate fraud in the pension administration.

When contacted last night to respond to the allegations against the Office of the Head of Service, the Director of Press in the office, Mr Tope Ajakaiye told the reporter that he needed to put the questions in writing and bring to the office at a later date so that the Head of Service can respond to them himself.

Pressed further to respond to the questions immediately, Mr Ajakaiye insisted that there was nothing else he could do aside what he said earlier.

He said he didn’t want to be stampeded into making comments without the reporter following the process he outlined.

When contacted over whether the EFCC is probing the issue, the commission’s acting spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren said he could not respond since he didn’t have the information as at press time yesterday.

PDP crisis: Hassan Adamu may replace Tukur

By Lawrence Olaoye

I

ndications emerged yesterday that critical stakeholders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may have settled for Alhaji Hassan Adamu as a replacement for the incumbent national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

This is coming as the 10 members of the NWC that rescinded the sack of the Adamawa PDP’s Kugama-led exco have been alleged to have done so after having received one million pounds gratification from a governor.

It was gathered that Tukur has been placed under intense pressure to quit his position because of ‘distrust and irreconcilable

… NWC members face 1 million pounds bribery allegation differences’ with his colleagues in the National Working Committee (NWC).

Tukur had publicly accused the 10 members of the NWC of betrayal after they held a meeting without his knowledge and annulled the recently conducted congresses in Adamawa state by the caretaker committee chaired

by Ambassador Umar Damagun.

It was leant from dependable sources that PDP leaders, including the PDP governors, are expecting Tukur’s resignation letter any moment from now as it has now become glaring that he may not be able to continue to work with a team that he could not trust.

It was further gathered that in

anticipation of Tukur’s resignation, PDP leaders are already shopping for his replacement from Adamawa state.

Our source revealed that stakeholders from the north are taking proactive measures for Tukur’s quick replacement to forestall a situation where his deputy, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, who hails from the South-south region, will take over as national chairman.

“They are expecting Tukur’s resignation anytime from now and in order not to shortchange Adamawa state, there is a consensus that Tukur’s successor should come from the state. It may

interest you to know that our leaders are already looking in the direction of Wakili Adamawa, Dr. Hassan Adamu, as likely successor to Tukur”, the source said.

He further disclosed that the choice of Hassan Adamu may be connected to the fact that they are looking at a candidate who is at home with various interest groups within the PDP, including the Presidency, the Governors’ Forum and the Board of Trustees (BoT).

“We know Hassan Adamu played a key role in stabilising the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan at the early stage of his administration when he undertook diplomatic shuttles to traditional rulers in the north to

the South-west zonal congress through which he was nominated.

PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are listed as the defendants in the suit, alongside Oyinlola.

Delivering judgement in the suit, Justice Abdul Kafarati held that the action of PDP and Oyinlola amounted to criminal conduct and liable to be condemned to prison being a flagrant disobedience to two court orders and held that Oyinlola is not worthy to be recognised as the

national secretary of the party and should vacate the office.

He also held that Oyinlola could not have emerged as the nominee of the PDP in view of the two court judgements which nullified the congress adding that an order court must be obeyed whether valid or not.

The judge stated that: “The conduct of the defendants constitute flagrant disobedience to a subsisting court order and also constitute a criminal contempt of court and any step taken thereafter by the PDP

secretary is a null and void”.

He therefore dismissed the preliminary objection brought by the defendants and granted all the reliefs sought by the plaintiffs.

Part of the reliefs granted was an order of committal to prison of Oyinlola but the court did not make any specific order as to his committal.

Reacting to the judgement, Prince Oyinlola while speaking with journalist after the court session, said the judgement would be appealed adding that it was a miscarriage of justice.

… As court sacks Oyinlola

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

A

Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Friday, sacked the national secretary of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola from Office.

The Ogun state chapter of the party had through its chairman; Engr. Adebayo Dayo instituted a suit challenging the nomination of Oyinlola by the South-west Caucus on the grounds that two court judgments had nullified

solicit for support for the administration.

“We equally know of his fatherly relationship with the governors and his influence in the BoT. All these are factors that were looked into before the choice of Hassan Adamu as possible successor to Tukur”.

Adamu was Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States.

He is a former President of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and also served as chairman of National Fertiliser Company (NAFCON) and was respectively minister for Agriculture, Steel and Environment.

Meanwhile, the speculation that money exchanged hands before the 10 NWC members annulled the Adamawa congress and ordered the reinstatement of the Kugama-led exco has been making rounds. It was learnt that the money was shared among the NWC members with a close aide to the national chairman lapping up about N10 million.

The involvement of the close aide to the national chairman was said to have surprised Tukur who is said to have felt even further betrayed in the whole matter.

Although Tukur told newsmen after the reconciliatory meeting of President Goodluck Jonathan with the members of the NWC that the war was over, it was learnt that the PDP governors have told the President clearly in a separate meeting that the national chairman must quit.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12— SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

News Jonathan, Ndigbo leaders meet over state of infrastructure in South-east

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

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resident Goodluck J o n a t h a n o n Thursday, met with representatives of Ndigbo from Lagos and discussed the

Aba power projects, roads in the region and other issues.

Addressing State House correspondents on the agenda of the meeting, the group’s spokesman, Prof Anya O. Anya said: “First, we had

concerns over Aba power projects. I must say that it had been a very good meeting with Mr. President. He and his legal team sorted out what our concerns were. We had his assurance that not only the

rule of law, but the agreements entered into will be respected.

“We also discussed other issues regarding the development of the South-east and indeed the whole of the

South-east, South-south corridor up to Maiduguri.

We talked about railways, we talked about the scandalous state of roads, we talked about the issue of power, it was a good meeting”.

We’ll continue to support peace in Sudan and South Sudan – Jonathan

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

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resident Goodluck Jonathan has said African Heads of State and Government must take the lead and do all within their powers to peacefully resolve the lingering boundary dispute between Sudan and South

Sudan.

Speaking yesterday after receiving a briefing on latest developments in the dispute over the Abyei region from Mr. Nafie Ali Nafie, a Special Envoy of President Omar El-Bashir of Sudan, President Jonathan pledged that Nigeria will initiate further talks on a

peaceful settlement of the dispute at the next summit of the African Union scheduled to hold in Addis Ababa this month.

The President said African leaders must unite in support of the peaceful and amicable resolution of the dispute over Abyei and all other boundary issues that resulted from the

separation of South Sudan from Sudan because they will continue to cause problems between the two countries if left unresolved.

Mr. Nafie assured President Jonathan of President El-

Enforce National Fire Safety Code - CG FFS directs states

By Lambert Tyem

I

n order to curtail the rising incidence of fire outbreaks in the country, the Federal Fire Service, yesterday, directed state directors of fire services to commence enforcement of the National Fire Safety Code in public buildings.

Controller-General, Federal Fire Service (FFS), Olusegun Okebiorun, explained that federal and state fire services were expected to carry out the enforcement without delay at the commencement of any infrastructural development and at their completion stages to stem the spate of fire outbreaks associated with the dry season.

According to him, the fire code was meant to address conditions hazardous to life and property arising from fire outbreaks, unsafe building

L-R: Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i with the Director General, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Addison Wokocha, during the minister's working visit to the Agency, on Thursday in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Our terminal to resume operations soon – MRS

By Muhammad Nasir

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he management of MRS Oil & Gas Company, whose petrol barge caught fire and exploded at the company’s main depot in Tin Can Island Area of Lagos on Wednesday, has assured the public that all steps are being taken to ensure that the terminal resumes normal operations within the shortest possible time.

It could be recalled that no fewer than six persons were injured when the barge was gutted by fire while discharing fuel into the company’s tank farm.

According to a press statement issued by the company on Thursday, “the cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but investigation is ongoing”.

The statement assured the public that no life was lost,

although minor injuries were reported by staff who were on duty at the time of the incident, while trying to contain the fire.

The company thanked its staff immensely for their professionalism in evacuating the premises in accordance with health and safety emergency (HSE) policy. This show of professionalism paved the way for the various Fire Service Teams to perform their duty and ensure that no life was lost.

• as Fashola blames FG for incident From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state has blamed the Federal Government over the fire disaster at the MRS tank farm, Tin Can Island, saying “the disaster shows that the country’s oil and port management is still in its amateur stage.”

Fashola who spoke after inspecting the extent of damage caused by the disaster at the oil farm, urged the Federal Government to urgently relocate all tank farms sited in residential areas across the state to safer locations.

According to him, “It’s important also to understand that there are different levels of responsibility here, the whole of the maritime safety, fuel management, fuel importation, port management and all of that are clearly responsibilities that do not belong to our government, they belong to the central government and I want to think that we can do better than this amateurish standard”.

He noted that the place was not designed for fuel discharge, “But we’ve converted it through the issuance all sorts of permits by regulatory agencies, DPR, Pipelines Products Marketing

Company (PPMC) and all of those people”.

The governor added: “All of these were part of the private jetties when the Tin Can Island was built up to Ibafo. And because the old Apapa became inadequate, the central government decided to convert it. This clearly shows that there was no plan for the future”.

On the solution to end such disaster, Fashola said “I think that going forward, what we must do here is to first of all, get the agencies of the federal government to step up their safety compliance levels, everybody must do his job and that is short term”.

Bashir’s commitment to the peaceful demarcation of the boundaries between Sudan and South Sudan, and the establishment of friendly relations between both countries.

construction and occupancy, hazardous material storage, transportation and other emergencies.

The CG said that key fire flash points like filling stations and tank farms should be located far away from residential areas and operated with proper fire mitigating gadgets.

He stated that 2013 may not record many fire outbreaks if citizens observe basic fire preventive tips, even as he cautioned electricity users to avoid overloading sockets and to turn off all electrical gadgets at the close of work.

The CG warned the public against scooping fuel from broken down fuel tankers because of the risk of fire outbreaks at such accident scenes, which according to him has become a common sight in the country.

Enforce National Fire Safety Code - CG FFS directs states

By Lambert Tyem

I

n order to curtail the rising incidence of fire outbreaks in the country, the Federal Fire Service, yesterday, directed state directors of fire services to commence enforcement of the National Fire Safety Code in public buildings.

Controller-General, Federal Fire Service (FFS), Olusegun Okebiorun, explained that federal and state fire services were expected to carry out the enforcement without delay at the commencement of any infrastructural development and at their completion stages to stem the spate of fire outbreaks associated with the dry season.

According to him, the fire code was meant to address conditions hazardous to life and property arising from fire outbreaks, unsafe building

construction and occupancy, hazardous material storage, transportation and other emergencies.

The CG said that key fire flash points like filling stations and tank farms should be located far away from residential areas and operated with proper fire mitigating gadgets.

He stated that 2013 may not record many fire outbreaks if citizens observe basic fire preventive tips, even as he cautioned electricity users to avoid overloading sockets and to turn off all electrical gadgets at the close of work.

The CG warned the public against scooping fuel from broken down fuel tankers because of the risk of fire outbreaks at such accident scenes, which according to him has become a common sight in the country.

Oyo ACN visits Alaafin over fire disaster From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

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he Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Oyo state on Thursday, visited the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III over the fire that gutted his palace which destroyed property worth millions of naira.

The state chairman of the party, Chief Akin Oke, who led other executive members on the visit, expressed sadness over the inferno.

“We in ACN were shocked at the

news of the incident and we have deemed it fit to, as a matter of urgency, come to sympathise with your Imperial Majesty, as a father and foremost traditional ruler in Yorubaland who has not only identified with us but is always there to feed us with his fountain of wisdom”, he said.

Chief Oke, who prayed against such occurrence in future, was relieved that the inferno, which consumed artifacts and other valuable items, did not claim any life.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12— SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

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News 298 legionnaires in A’Ibom die in four years From Mike Etim, Uyo

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98 members of the Nigerian legion in Akwa Ibom state were reported to have died between 20082012 as a result of financial hardship caused by leadership squabble which denied the legion financial assistance from the state government.

This disclosure was made by the chairman of the Akwa Ibom state council of Nigerian Legion, Col. Linus Eyo (rtd) during the occasion of the 2013 Armed Forces Remembrance Emblem and Appeal Fund launch held in Uyo. The chairman o f L e g i o n used the occasion to apologise to the state governor, Godswill Akpabio for the legion’s disobedience in seeking redress outside court after they were told to do by the governor.

The chairman blamed the setback they suffered on some members whom he referred to as the “court seekers” who did not obey the governor’s instructions to withdraw the matter from

court, stating that the legion has however put its house in order as the crisis has been laid to rest when the Uyo High Court on December 18, 2012, struck out the case brought by erring members of the legion.

W i t h t h e matter settled, the chairman reminded the governor to redeem his promises and pledges, stating that some of the legionnaires in the state earned less than N20, 000.00 as pension monthly.

He gave the number of legionnaires in the state to be 9,812 ex-service men and women, and 2,712 as widows.

Responding, Governor Akpabio who was represented by his deputy, Lady Valarie Ebe, said the state government will remain committed to addressing the challenges of the Nigerian Legion and assured that their services to their father land will always be cherished.

The state government donated the sum of N2m to the Legion and urged other organisation and corporate bodies to donate generously.

Nasarawa set to reposition tertiary institutions From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

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overnor Umaru Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa state has said his administration is set to reposition tertiary institutions owned by the state government for better performance.

Al-makura stated this on Thursday in a speech he delivered at the inauguration of the visitation panels constituted for all tertiary institutions in the state, which held at the Government House, Lafia.

While identifying education as the bedrock for the growth and progress of the society, the governor observed that that

explains the necessity for training and building of capacity for citizens of the state in various fields of endeavour, which has made it mandatory to government to establish a number of tertiary institutions.

He maintained that government will not hesitate to commit huge resources in the development of the sector, which he identified as being critical to the development of the state, as well as provide infrastructure, equipment, welfare, training and retraining of personnel.

Al-makura however regretted that instead of attaining the desired goal, tertiary institutions in the state

have become a source of concern, with the state-owned university which was rated among the best in the country gradually becoming desolate.

He decried the loss of accreditation for some courses being run by the university, the bastardisation of the admission process, as well as brain drain that has become the bane of the institution.

The governor charged members of the panels, who were selected based on their professionalism, expertise, experience and track record in their various fields of endeavour, to meet the expectations of the people.

Defence ministry HIV programme seeks solution for orphans, vulnerable

By Joy Baba

T

he Minister of Defence, Erelu Olushola Obada, has urged the chairman of Emergency Planned Implementation Committee (EPIC) on Orphan and Vulnerable (OVC) in the Ministry of Defence and United States Department of Defence HIV programme, to come up with concrete and permanent measures aimed at alleviating the difficulties faced by OVC. Obada stated this on Thursday at the Ministry of Defence Headquarters, Abuja, while inaugurating the Board of Trustees for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Project of the Ministry of Defence and United States Department of Defence.

The minister also said it has

become a major challenge to enlarge the current safety-net at providing support to vulnerable children and create an environment which protects the rights of OVC to ensure that they attain their maximum potentials in life.

Speaking earlier at the inauguration ceremony, chairman of MOD EPIC, Maj. Gen Tahiru Omar, said the programme which commenced seven years ago has made meaningful impact on the provision of HIV comprehensive care in military medical facilities; noting that the partnership has been able to provide counseling services to 319,009 from 32 sites located in military hospitals and medical centers spread all over the country.

FG set to strengthen NSCDC operation

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

T

he Federal Government has said it has concluded plans to strengthen the operations of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) by boosting its staff strength and the management arm of the corps.

The Minister for Interior, Comrade Abba Moro disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja, describing the move as “necessary” based on increasing demand by Nigerians and recognition of the service and its officers in averting security breaches in various parts of the country in 2012.

He also said maintaining internal security will greatly be met by the corps, considering its style of operation.

The minister added: “The area of their service continue to increase every day, as people see their bravery where others fail. We will increase their human capacity.

Nigerians expect more proactive steps in addressing the internal security challenges...”

The Commandant General of the Corp, Dr. Ade Abolurin, said the organisation was restrategising based on the lessons learnt from the previous years to ensure better security.

Speaker House of Representatives , Aminu Tambuwal (middle), Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Maina Zainab (right) Executive Director UN Women, Mitchelle Bachelet, during envoy visit to the Speaker at National Assembly, on Thursday in Abuja.

Photo : Justin Imo-Owo

Two-day peace summit holds in Kaduna From Nasiru Mu’azu Isa, Kaduna

A

two-day Northern Peace Summit on linking development and conflict transformation in Northern Nigeria, held in Kaduna between Thursday and Friday.

The summit was organised by the African Youth for Conflict Resolution and Prevention in conjunction with Centre for Crises Prevention and Peace Advocacy.

The chairman of the occasion and Minister for Information, Mr. Labaran Maku who was represented by the Zonal Director Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Ladan Salihu in his opening remarks, said certain sections in the North have come under severe strain of impoverishment and collapse of industries.

Mr. Maku observed that Kaduna state has not been left

out of the social and economic malaise of the region.

He said the lack of peace is not restricted to Nigeria alone but is all over the world from the Middle East, Afghanistan, United States and Latin America.

The minister observed that the Global Peace Index has ranked Nigeria as number 146 out of 151 in the ranking of peaceful nations devoid of armed conflicts.

He further observed that the Federal Government will continue to pursue dialogue, reconciliation and peace building as a way of ensuring the peaceful coexistence and indivisibility of the nation.

He called on all to turn a new leaf of peace in honour of late Governor Patrick Yakowa, who was a staunch advocate for peace and unity in the state.

Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule, the special guest of honour in his speech, said the underlining cause of the incessant violence

is the lack of justice. He recalled that the Sardauna of Sokoto, late Sir Ahmadu Bello never discriminated against anyone.

Maitama Sule observed that past leaders put the interest of the nation before any other. He said in the past, Nigeria, India and Brazil were among the three nations that were forecast to join 1st world nations like America and Britain.

He observed that while Brazil and India have moved on to become great economies, Nigeria is still wallowing in inept rulership and corrupt politicians.

Pastor Yohana Buru, the national president Peace and Reconciliation Revival Movement of Nigeria in his paper presentation on Gender and Peace Building, said peace has been distorted by men and women.

Pastor Yohana said the role of women in peace building is crucial because the concept of peace starts at home with what parents teach their children.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Feature

By Stanley Onyekwere

Y

oung Aminu Bashiru, a labourer, would have made history when he went with his friends to fetch water from a well located at Kayada community, Angwangade of Kuje area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) where he resides.

Aminu, in company of his friends, in the process of fetching water from the particular well discovered to their surprise that, the water contained ‘crude oil’.

He had on Tuesday, January 8th, Just like any other day, visited the underground well with guga (a small container locally made from tire tube with long rope attached to it; used for drawing water from wells) to fetch water for their laundry but ended up fetching substance suspected to be ‘crude oil.’

According to Aminu “When we got to the well, I flung the guga into the well and pulled it up but when I dipped my hand to pour the content into my bucket, I discovered that my hands were stained by oily substance.

This surprised me and I alerted others there to see what has happened.”

He continued, “We decided to try again, to be sure about what was really happening; how the water has turned into oil or how oil has found its way into the well.”

According to him, before they knew what was happening, people had gathered and had started fetching the content of the well.

Describing what followed, Bashiru said police stormed the place and drove the people from the vicinity of the well.

However, by Wednesday morning (the next day) when they went back to the well, it was discovered that the mysterious oil- filled well had turned back to water without any traces of oil in it and Later in the day as water was being drawn out of the well, the oil substance returned to the well again.

As expected, the development thrown the entire community in a pandemic frenzy and the news of the discovery was spread and around the area which immediately was carried on the pages of newspapers and airwaves.

In an effort to secure the place, large numbers of security personnel stormed the scene, as some residents in the area continued tapping or fetching the ‘mysterious’ oil from the well.

Until that moment, the source of the petroleum product was not clear.

Security officials including the police, civil defence corps, Special AntiRobbery Squad, surrounded the area and limited movements around it.

In a twist of drama, a kerosene dealer, who owns a big storage tank in the area, Ibrahim is claiming that it was his product that dispensed unto the ground and found its way into the underground well.

Ibrahim who spoke to our reporter said, “Since last month I have been noticing some shortages but it never occurred to me that there is a hole in my tank until this moment.”

Also in a bid to ascertain the source of the oil, Peoples Daily Weekend gathered that, some residents made effort to investigate the claim of the Kerosene dealer and in the process traced the source to the damaged part of the tank.

“We dug the ground around where the tank was placed and in the process discovered that truly it might

Kuje ‘crude oil’ discovery: The true story

Further investigation also revealed that the people saw the exact point on the tank, from where the product had been dropping unto the ground over a long period of time which might have caused the confusion.

On his part, Abubakar Ibrahim, who verified Bashiru’s testimony told Peoples Daily Weekend how the well was constructed by his friend whom he gave his name as Lawal carpenter about 20-25 years ago.

According to him, at the time when the underground well was constructed, no oil or any other mineral resources was found there.

“It was only on Tuesday evening that some young men went to draw water from the well that they discovered the water was mixed with oil substances; so far people have fetched at least one drum.”

In contrast to the kerosene dealer’s claim, Abubakar argued that there are other water wells in the area that have oil substances and odour in them, which had made them difficult and unfit for people to use.

He maintained that, some of these water wells have been abandoned due to the development saying, “If it was only this well that was affected, it would have been easy for us to believe the retailer’s claim.

“I and many other residents strongly believe that, crude oil is available in this community because going by the wide spread traces of oil substances across the area, the source can’t certainly be the tank.”

Notwithstanding, Authorities of Kuje area council in the Federal Capital Territory, had claimed to have discovered ‘crude oil’ from the water well in the area.

Chairman of the council, Danaldi Etsu Zhin, who led newsmen to the scene said, “The young man alerted the chief of Kuje and some officials of the council, who later visited the scene.”

Advising the affected residents against making use of the liquid as it may contain petrol, kerosene and diesel, the chairman pleaded with those who fetched it to go back home and pour it away because it may contain not only Kerosene, but diesel and petrol which might be very dangerous.

He disclosed that, the council has already mounted surveillance around the place in order to keep people off adding that the council will report the discovery to the FCT Administration for experts to be sent to ascertain the authenticity of the claims.

“We are also going to fence the place and relocate all the shop owners around the place and we will set up a committee to see how those who own houses around the place will be compensated,” he assured.

In the same vein, the Gomo of Kuje, Alhaji Tanko Jibril, cautioned residents of the area to keep away from the well in order to avoid any possible fire outbreak.

When Peoples Daily Weekend visited the area on Thursday, it was observed that the security personnel had vacated the scene of the discovery and people trooped to take a look at the place.

However, efforts to confirm the story from the FCT administration proved abortive as the spokesperson for the FCT minister for State, Oluyinka Akintunde neither picked phone nor respond to text message sent to confirm the story.

Aminu Basiru

Abubakar Ibrahim

The substance have been from the tank that oil found its way into the well as the soil was soaked with the kerosene substance,” Bashiru explained.

He continued, “After we had confirmed the source, he asked us to help him savage what was left in the well into a drum, which we did.”

The discovery, in a well in the community triggered attention

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12— SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

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Cover

2013: Shapers and moulders

As we enter into the year 2013, political activities have already commenced nationwide in the build up to the 2015 general elections. Many top political actors who dominated the scene in the past year will re-ignite their interest and improve their appearance in the headlines in 2013. All eyes will also be on President Goodluck Jonathan and his team as Nigerians will want to see the much talked about dividends of democracy which government said will begin to materialize in the New Year. Here is a list of people that are likely to shake 2013 in no particular order.

1966-1967, graduating with Royal Society of Health Diploma and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 1967, graduating with Diploma in Law, in 1969.

In 2006, Atiku was involved in a face-off with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, due to Obasanjo's intention to amend certain provisions of the constitution in order to create another term for his presidency (for the third consecutive time). Atiku had never hidden his interest in the coveted position. The debate and acrimony generated by the failed constitutional amendment momentarily caused a rift in the People's Democratic Party. It also appears to have irreparably damaged both men's political and personal relationship, of which, Mr Abubakar, from all indications, is feeling the brunt of it. Despite the furor, the National Assembly eventually voted against any amendments allowing Obasanjo to run for another term.

On 20 December 2006, he was chosen as the presidential candidate of the Action Congress (AC).

By Agaju Madugba & Umar Mohammed Puma Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was the Vice-President of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 and was an influential and founding member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is considered by many as an icon of democracy, his influence is cut across the 6 geopolitical zones of the country.

He is philanthropist who provides scholarships to Nigerian students who cannot afford schooling abroad.

Atiku attended Jada Primary School, 19541960, Adamawa Provisional School, Yola, 1961 to 1965, with Advance Level studies in Economics, British Economic History, Government and Hausa Language.

He also School of Hygiene Kano,

Atiku returned to the People's Democratic Party. Since his return, the former Vice President has declared his intention to run for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. On 22 November, the Ciroma Committee selected Atiku as the Northern Consensus Candidate over former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, former National Security Adviser, Aliyu Gusau and Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara state.

Atiku contested for the Presidential ticket of his party alongside President Jonathan. He was defeated by Jonathan.

He is one of the politicians to watch in preparation for 2015.

Arc Namadi Sambo Another possible contender is the current Vice President Architect Mohammed Namadi Sambo (born August 2, 1954) He was sworn on 19 May 2010. An architect by training, Sambo is an alumnus of the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria.

Following the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua, Goodluck Jonathan became the President. Jonathan

nominated Sambo as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his official correspondence conveying the nomination of Sambo for the VP position was received by the National Assembly on Friday 15 May 2010. On 18th May 2010, the National Assembly approved President Goodluck Jonathan's nomination of former Kaduna state governor, Namadi Sambo, an architect, for the position of Vice President.

Many are of the belief that Sambo may not run in 2015 but if his boss runs, he is most likely to be on the same ticket with him.

Governor Sule Lamido Another force to reckon with is the current governor of Jigawa state, Alh. Sule Lamido, (born 1948). He served as Foreign Affairs Minister from 1999 to 2003. He was elected governor of Jigawa state in April 2007. He is a founding member of the PDP. There are speculations in the media that he is the anointed candidate for former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for the Presidency come 2015.

Analysts say as a governor of young Jigawa state, he has succeeded in transforming the state into a modern city. If achievement is considered as a yardstick for winning election, Lamido may be a top contender to dominate political headlines in 2013 and beyond.

One major disadvantage he may face is the arrest of his eldest son by the Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), over money laundering allegations.

He was arrested at the Aminu Kano International Airport on his way to Cairo, Egypt.

Although, the governor has denied any involvement in the saga, but many believed he has not done enough to convince Nigerians otherwise.

Aminu Waziri Tambuwal Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the Speaker of the House of

10

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12— SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

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2013: Shapers and moulders

Representatives, has held several offices in the House. In 2005, he became the Minority Leader of the House until he defected to the PDP. Upon his re-election to the House in 2007, he was also elected the Deputy Chief Whip. At various times, Tambuwal has been a member of several committees including the House Committees on Rules & Business, Communications, Judiciary, InterParliamentary and Water Resources. He was also a member of the House Ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Review.

He was chairman of the adhoc committee that reviewed the report of the controversial power probe committee headed

by Ndudi Elumelu; chairman, House Sub-Committee on the Bill for an Act to Amend the Land Use Act, and acting chairman, House Committee on Power.

He was leader of the Nigerian delegation to African, Caribbean, Pacific & European Union Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU) and served as Vice-Chairman, Economic Committee ACP-EU, held in Prague,Czech Republic in April 2009.

He was said to enjoy the support of the entire 360 members of the House of Representatives. He is one of the current politicians that sure to play some roles in the political landscape inn 2013 and beyond.

Vice- President Namadi Sambo

President Goodluck Jonathan For President Goodluck Jonathan, 2012 was not as favourable as he might have

desired given the basket of problems that persisted throughout that year. It had begun with government's decision to hike fuel price on

Minister of Petroleum, Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke

January 1, a development that engendered widespread condemnation and resulted in the nationwide protests. The protests may not have

achieved the desired results but it tended to put a question mark on government's claim that it has the welfare of the masses at heart. Government had to equally contend with security challenges arising especially from activities of the Boko Haram sect as citizens continued to live in fear.

Also in 2012, flooding overwhelmed a number of states across the nation along with aircraft disasters which claimed several lives. Against the backdrop of these and several other negative tendencies and government's inability to fully tackle some of these issues, Nigerians woke up on January 1, 2013 with presidential campaign posters at strategic locations in Abuja,

soliciting the continuation of Jonathan in office in 2015. This is in spite of the President's earlier admonition that politicians should concentrate in delivering the dividends of democracy for the people instead of embarking on politicking for the 2015 general elections.

Although the President has since denied complicity in the placement of the posters, there are compelling indications that the PDP may have actually begun preparations for 2015 although the on-going internal wranglings tend to dog the party's efforts.

Aside from isolated campaigns by sections of northerners that presidential power should return to area in 2015, a clear-cut pattern is yet to emerge regarding those who are likely to join the race, both from within and outside the PDP. But there is no doubt that economic and socio-political developments in 2013 will go a long way in charting the path that 2015 may take, along with related factors that will emanate from Aso Villa, seat of the Federal Government.

Whatever may be the case, certain personalities within outside government will play obvious and discreet roles that may have significant impact on the lives of the Nigerian people.

Some other groups hold the view that Senate President, David Mark, should be given the chance to emerge the nation's President in 2015, all other things being equal and especially if for whatever reasons, Jonathan does not run.

But one thing is for sure, the Senate President will not be

11 Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Odauh

Jigawa state governor, Sule Lamido

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12— SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

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missing from the headlines So far, outside the PDP, only the name of former Head of State, Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), seems to feature as a likely candidate for the 2015 presidential elections.

Buhari had contested and lost the bid to be president on two previous occasions in the past, under the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) respectively.

The eligibility of Jonathan to run in 2015 has actually been a subject of discourse at various levels of government and outside it.

Jonathan's journey to the Presidency started with his position as Vice President to late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and the former was sworn-in as President "to complete the tenure" when the latter passed on. And in 2011, Jonathan contested the Presidency and won.

"If Jonathan contests and wins in 2015, it would amount to a third term in office which is contrary to provisions of the Constitution," this is the position of a prominent legal practitioner, Yahaya Mahmood (SAN). Mahmood further describes as untenable, the argument that prior to the 2011 presidential election, Jonathan merely completed the tenure of late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua.

Whatever the arguments as the nation waits to see how

•••Shapers and moulders

Senate President David Mark

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar the issue will be eventually resolved, activities of some other prominent Nigerians will equally contribute in whatever progress the nation may experience in 2013.

Princess Stella Oduah In spite of the numerous crises that rocked the nation's aviation sector in 2012, Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, still appears to hold her head high as she

Speaker, House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal

continues to implement certain reforms in the sector as part of measures to realize President Goodluck Jonathan's transformation programme. The development may not be unconnected with the decision of the National Assembly to commend her last year for the judicious use of her ministry's 2012 budgetary allocations.

According to the House of Representatives Committee and the Senate Committee on Aviation, Oduah has so far carried out landmark transformation of the aviation sector especially with some of the reforms she introduced.

With the June 3 Dana aircraft crash in which about 153 persons perished and other aviation related problems, the Minister was able to pull

through the expected criticisms.

Oduah was reported to be in the vanguard the removal of taxes and other tariffs imposed on commercial airline spare parts. The Ministry of Aviation in collaboration with other agencies and departments of government is also believed to have completed arrangements for the acquisition of 30 airplanes to boost the operations of domestic airlines. Oduah is one of the few women who are said to be very influential in the Jonathan administration.

In 2011, she initiated the Nieghbour 2 Neighbour campaign group that canvassed the election of Jonathan during the general elections in April that year.

Diezani Alison-Madueke Heading one of the most controversial ministries, Diezani Alison-Madueke believes that her tenure as Minister of Petroleum Resources has recorded significant progress especially

Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

with the on-going transformation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the passage and implementation of the Nigerian Content Act, the quest for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill as well as the implementation of the Gas Master Plan, among other initiatives. Speaking in a recent interview, Madueke noted further that, "within this period we have created a workable programme to facilitate the domestic usage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG, also known as cooking gas which in turn would help fight desertification and deforestation in the country."

But a year after the nationwide January 2012 fuel subsidy protests, the fuel continues to remain a scarce commodity in most parts of the coun try and a litre of petrol selling far above the recommended price of N97.

The resolve to ensure the passage of the PIB and the renewed search for oil in the Chad Basin will perhaps be some of the issues that may continue to make AlisonMadueke to attract the attention of Nigerians in 2013 and even beyond.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Nigeria's Minister of Finance who also doubles as Coordinating Minister for the Economy has become a household name in the country more so with a number of controversial decisions of government believed to be linked to her since July 2003 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo first appointed her as Minister.

Apparently undaunted by criticisms, Okonjo-Iweala has continued to forge ahead and she remains a head of the Jonathan administration's economic think-tank. More than even the President a cross section of Nigerians had blamed Okonjo-Iweala for the January 2012 fuel subsidy protests across the country.

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Politics

By Agaju Madugba

M

ixed reactions that greeted the placement of posters soliciting a continuation of President Goodluck Jonathan in office beyond 2015 may have re-echoed historical developments in the nation’s power struggle in the recent past with some of the former leaders embarking on the sit-tight syndrome to remain in power. Late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, had employed the “who the cap fits” tactic and former President Olusegun Obasanjo made efforts to prolong his stay in office through a failed bid to insert certain provisions in the Constitution. Earlier, former Military President Ibrahim Babangida had dribbled Nigerians for several years before he was eventually forced to “step aside.” Although the Presidency has since denied complicity in the placement of the posters on New Year Day at strategic locations in Abuja, reports indicate that the move may not be unconnected with part of measures by President Goodluck Jonathan to further gauge the mood of Nigerians on the contentious 2015 presidency and his eligibility to vie for that office again. Even as he has gone to the courts for interpretation of certain constitutional clauses on the matter, a cross section of Nigerians believe that the festering insecurity situation especially in the north may indeed enhance Jonathan’s return bid in 2015. This is more so as religious considerations tend to be at the root of the security challenges in a country where there is mounting suspicion that the Boko Haram suggestion of an Islamic government may scale through if a northerner mounts the highest seat of government in the land.

A former Military Governor of the defunct north-western state, Police Commissioner Usman Faruk, holds the view that the current debacle over who or which section of the country produces the president in 2015 should not even be a subject t of discussion in a situation where there is pervasive insecurity and where citizens live in perpetual fear. According to him, “the issue of who should be President does not arise at all because the country is not secured and if Boko Haram activities continue, it means there is no hope for north in 2015 presidency and you can only think of being a president when you have a country.” The development is also compounded by stifling poverty and squalor in the communities as well as what Borno state Govenor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima calls, arrogant and contemptuous display of wealth by the rich in the society.

In spite of this, the multifaceted crises currently rocking the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) may not be isolated from the race for the 2015 presidency as various interest groups within the party continue to outwit each other and laying foundations that they may eventually build on as the date approaches. Ordinarily for the PDP with a long history of remarkable ways of choosing or “electing” its officers, the issue of a new chairman for the party’s

PDP BoT chairmanship:

A shroud for President Jonathan

President Goodluck Jonathan Board of Trustees (BoT) should not be subject of prolonged controversy. But there is bound to be certain levels of conflicting and divergent views in a situation where Jonathan would mke all efforts to be seen to be in charge and former President Olusegun Obasanjo also determined be relevant and to retain the position of godfather. Although intertwined with a measure of circumstantial incidents, Jonathan had risen to power through Obasanjo’s political shrewdness and manipulations while he was President. He also eventually rose to the equally enviable position of the party’s BoT Chairman, a position which he also reportedly exploited to ensure Jonathan’s success at the 2011 presidential polls. Predictable though, the Jonathan-Obasanjo romance cannot possibly endure forever and recent altercations between the duo may confirm that indeed the love affair has hit the rocks. When during the week Obasanjo proclaimed his “candid” advice towards resolving the Boko Haram insurgency, the Presidency had rebuffed the counsel and dubbed the former President a confused man. The aborted election or selection of a BoT Chairman may as well be the first casualty of this altercation which promises to continue.

Apparently confirming that all is not well within the party and its National Working Committee in particular, the embattled PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, says that, “it is

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo good to bring some disagreements to light, examine them and find out why you have the disagreements and go back and do what you believe is right.” Such optimism does not however explain the rebellion against Tukur from a cross section of his party men especially concerning the Adamawa PDP leadership

impasse, a development which may go a long way in determining on which side the swing goes when eventually the party takes a definitive position on the BoT chairmanship issue. Given the enormous power attributed to the BoT position and Jonathan’s ambition to contest and win the scheduled 2015 presidential race,

PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur

the President’s predicament may be explicable, against Obasanjo’s apparent new found love for the north. Although he has gained a level of maturity in the intricacies of power play since he became President but it is doubtful if Jonathan is capable of being a match for the political sagacity and more discerning steps of certain northern elements within the PDP, arising from their several years of involvement in the murky waters of the nation’s politics.

Latest reports indicating that a former PDP National Chairman, Senator Ahmadu Ali, and the PDP “old war horse,” Chief Tony Anenih, may have withdrawn from the race for the BoT chairmanship, may be part of efforts at eventually arriving at a more consensus candidate for the position. Ali was said to be Obasanjo’s candidate for the job while Jonathan was believed to prefer Anenih, whose reputation as “Mr. fix it” is legendary. Ali may not be a match for Anenih when it comes to the competence in pulling the necessary strings from across the country for Jonathan to realize his ambition but it would be foolhardy for Jonathan to begin celebrations for successfully wielding the big stick because at the end of the day, the more wily PDP strategist may deliberately give persuade Jonathan to accept a BoT chairman who does not have the political clout to keep the boat afloat and that may spell disaster for the President.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 13

Focus

By Yushau A. Shuaib

T

he United Nations Climate Change conference, which held between November and December 2012 in Doha, Qatar was a spectacular event even when terminologists, on such occasion buzzed the sessions with expected technical jargon of ‘average emission per capita tonnes’ Kyoto Protocol, “hot air” ‘unused carbon credits’, and ‘Kyoto and non-Kyoto countries ‘among other scary terms.

The conference tagged COP18/ CMP8 adopted a paperless system, which provided key information about the event in a sustainable way as officials, participants and even the residents used their computers, smart phones and other digital gadgets to track events and get access to designated venues. Dedicated websites and selected social media platforms provided all the details that anyone could require without the need for circulation of paper materials like books, journals and magazines at the conference.

The paperless conference saved hundred trees along with the associated chemicals and waste of printing literature. Every and anything that could be printed on papers like schedules of events, timetable, maps, proceedings, handouts, notebooks, press releases, product brochures, addendum and business cards were easily accessible on any internet enabled device. On the alternative, compact discs (CDs) and flash-drives were also used to download and save documents for offline access.

With the latest technology, key information were accessible with the use of two-dimensional “Quick Response” (QR) barcodes that could be scanned by smart phones to gain access to relevant documents, maps and websites in a quick, simple and paper-free way.

At the Qatar Sustainability Expo, which ran alongside the conference, exhibitors were encouraged to display QR codes that link to PDF documents instead of handing out literature.

The United Nations Climate Change conference is an annual multilateral meeting of governments held in cities across the globe and serves as a forum for countries to discuss climate change issues. The conferences addressed the threat of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide. The summit was held at the end of a year full of extreme disastrous events caused by super storm Sandy in the USA, typhoon in Philippines and devastating flooding in Nigeria where many lives were lost, properties worth billions of dollars destroyed and millions of citizens driven to internally displaced persons camps globally.

Scientists have claimed that between 2000–2011 carbon dioxide growth in the atmosphere was 20 percent of the total concentration growth since prehistoric level.

The concentration of carbon dioxide in earth’s atmosphere has reached alarming level in 2012 versus the pre-industrial concentration, which was by far lesser and unsustainable going by the consensus of world climate

Doha paperless global conference on climate change

About 200 countries met recently in oil-and-gas-rich Qatar for the Doha Climate Change Conference, on global warming issues

Venue of the conference scientists. It is widely acknowledged that scientific evidence currently points to a warming world that would adversely affect human health and agriculture.

Global climate change regime evolved out of the Earth Summit of 1992, which gave birth to three conventions including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Since then, 195 countries have become parties to the Convention that was ratified in 1994. Parties to the Convention have met several times since its creation.

Conferences and talks were held in Kyoto, Japan and Bali, Indonesia in 2007; Montreal,

Canada 2005; Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009; Cancun, Mexico 2010 and Durban, South Africa 2011. More climate change talks were held in Bangkok, Thailand and Bonn, Germany before Doha, Qatar 2012.

Marking the first time that UN climate change negotiations took place in the Middle East, the conference drew approximately 9,000 participants, including 4,356 government officials, 3,956 representatives of UN bodies and agencies, i n t e r g o v e r n m e n t a l organisations, civil society organisations, and 683 members of the media.

Wordings adopted by the conference incorporated for the first time, the concept of “loss and damage”, an agreement in principle that richer nations could be financially responsible to other nations for their failure to reduce carbon emissions. The concept also requires institutional mechanism to address loss and damage in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

The developed countries have always been urged to compensate poorer nations affected by loss and damage due to climate change.

According to the Copenhagen

Accord agreed to in 2009, developed countries are to start raising US$100 billion per year starting 2020 to help poorer nations curb their own emissions and to adapt to the effects of climate change. Developed countries are supposed to reach the US$100 billion target by gradually increasing on the US$30 billion supposedly raised each year from 2010-2012.

One of the lessons learnt at the conference is that the Qatari government, the host of the programme, has succeeded in sending a message that for emission control, environmental sustainability must be encouraged in various ways.

Registered participants not only watch the video or read the text of proceedings and presentation through their electronic gadgets; they also participated in the robust debates on climate change through social media. While the paperless summit cut down on the use of papers to save trees and budget cost, the Doha Global Conference on Climate Change was not only paper-free, fun-full but quite an exciting moment in savouring the tranquility of the oil- rich and beautiful Arab city.

Though the power of technologies was harnessed and utilized for real green purposes, the attempt to have an entirely paperless conference was partially defeated because tissue papers in the toilets could not go paperless or wireless. Most of the gadgets must also be recharged electronically to prolong the lifespan of the batteries to really fit into the online environment.

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Interview Hamattan: Buzaye tea vendors making brisk business With the extremely dry dusty wind blowing from the Sahara towards the western coast of Africa, people in Nigeria, especially in the northern part of the country are devising means of keeping themselves warm. For instance, women now bath their children in the night with warm water and prepare hot meals for their families while the men, who have to come out early to go to their places of work wearing jackets, socks and mufflers to fight the cold. As a result of the weather too, tea sellers are making brisk business in the affected areas as confirmed by a tea vendor from Niger Republic, Mallam Mohammad Ibrahim who sells tea in Katsina, in this interview with Lawal Sa'idu Funtua.

Can you tell us about yourself? y name is Muhammad Ibrahim; I’m 42 years old from the state of Zindar in Niger Republic. My major occupation before coming to Katsina is rearing of Camels and Dates farming. But here in Nigeria, where I am now in search of economic fortunes I work as security guard in a house here in Katsina.

But I can see people in your shade taking tea. Do you also engage in selling tea?

Well, you know you cannot separate Buzaye (Twaregs) from tea, you know taking tea is part of our lives. We take tea more than any other food. It is because of the Hamathan that I now engage in selling our own brand of tea to people. You know that because of the weather people need something to warm their body and our tea provides such comfort. It also gives you the strength to deal with the cold so you can do your work more comfortably.

Drinking tea even when the weather is hot is also part of your tradition. Why is that so?

What you said is true we take our brand of tea even in hot weather. To us taking tea at any time or during any type of weather is mainly to give us comfort.

It is scientifically proven that if you take something hot when the weather is hot your body will automatically cool down.

How are you finding the tea business then?

We thank Allah (SWT) for his blessings, I planned to go back home to Zindar but when I

Dealing with the cold weather

M

T

he Nigerian Meteorological Agency has attributed the present cold weather to the influence of cold wind from the Atlantic Ocean and also advised people, especially in the cold prone parts of the country to wear protective clothing; similarly, there have been strong warnings on the likelihood of fire outbreaks.

According to reports from different agencies responsible for the environment, as harmattan approaches and heralds cold weather, dry winds could ignite fires that could get out of control and cause destruction of lives and property.

As the harmattan months set in, people would also experience changes in their life style as such weather determines what one eats; the clothes to wear, and even the skin which also goes through a transition. It could easily be seen how the harsh weather takes a toll on the skin and lips making them chapped and dry. Most often people have to change their diet to suit the weather condition. For instance,

realized that the Hamathan was approaching I shelved my plans.

By my experience here in Nigeria, this is the time Twaregs or buzaye make money by selling tea. I can tell you that business is booming because I make between

Malam Muhammad Ibrahim Agades with his customers

there is the tendency to drink more tea and hot beverages than cold drinks; while hot spices may become the order of the day to liven up the body. Keeping the kids from cold temperatures and ensuring they are well kitted with the appropriate wears during the period is paramount.

It is however important to bear in mind some tips to deal with the harsh weather and ensure comfort of your family during the period. Keep things that are inflammable from the living quarters and out of the way completely to avoid fire outbreaks. It will be recalled that some mysterious fire incidents have occurred in some places, not caused by electrical faults.

The rate of fire incidences is known to be quite high during this period due to bush burning to which is on the increase, hoarding of fuel, and use of hot coal to warm up the rooms, a common practice in the north, thus knowing what to do is an important part of precautionary measures to safe guarding your health and the health of others.

N3,000 to N5, 000 daily selling tea to my fellow Buzaye and Nigerian customers I have decided to go home only after the weather situation changes.

Before then, I want to concentrate on selling tea.

A little boy fights the cold with a muffler and head warmer

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 15

Vox Pop

Harmattan: How we are faring In a survey carried out in Niger state to understand Nigerians perspectives on the ongoing change in climate condition, some Nigerians shared their feelings with Abubakar Jimoh in this report:

Asmee Suleiman Civil servant

W

ell, I know the harmattan is for a short period. We used jackets for a short period of time then keep them away. Taking hot tea is not very rare likewise Fura da nono. But, I think few from Gombe area take Fura da

nono but honestly unlike the Northwestern parts like Kaduna, Kano and so on.

Normally, children like bathing when it is not cold.

They don't like to bath at night anymore because of the weather condition.

Iweh Glorial Businesswoman ell, Nigerians are feeling the impact of the harsh weather.

Some people take hot tea to keep warm but not everyone takes tea, except the middle aged class or workers. Because most people, both urban and rural prefer hot solid food to liquid tea. There is rise in demand for jackets at various classes,especially in the Northern part of the country where we understand the cold is biting hard. Also, here in the North, ladies cannot dress as usual like on a sunny day, because of change in weather condition. Here in the city, we use hot water but the situation is different in the rural areas where they wait till the sun comes before they take their bath.

W

Abubakar Aliyu Wazoji Civil servant

T

he general price of foods and services has gained increase twice the usual price. For example, I bought something last year at N3, 000, but the price is now N7, 000 and it's the same quality. Now, not

only children, even we elders also take our bath once in the morning daily. We take tea every three hours these days and sometimes, twice in the night.

Fura da nono is suspended till further notice probably April.

Sulayman Abdulsalam Businessman

I

ndeed, there is a mammoth patronage of jacket in this cold season, because it is really cold here making people to buy gloves and socks. Hot tea is a normal thing now, as persons scout for meals that will keep them warm; while hot tea happens to be on the lead virtually everyone go for tea.

As you can see me, I'm taking hot coffee currently. The price of bread seems to be on the increase. I see children taking their baths at night as a normal thing in the North irrespective of the season; since most children take their baths before having got themselves dirty during the day.

W

ell, Fura da nono is one meal that cannot stop selling all seasons; as it is usually not the main meal but ahors d'oeuvre. Also, I noticed that people don't stay late at night and as such take time before setting out for the day.

People don't stay late at night anymore because of the cold weather.

Danlami Elukpo A graduate

Igwe Buike Adaeze Student

R

eally, children also feel the change in weather condition, as they now sleep early at night after they have taken their bath with hot water.

The harmattan however, makes them sleep better. Which means the weather is an advantage to children!

Conversely, the climatic change has really worsened the issues coupled with frequent fire outbreaks across the country. Recently, I noticed increase in price of hair products and skin-absorbent creams because of the weather.

Also,the demand and price of hand gloves are also high now.

Sulaiman Rafee'ah Businesswoman

T

o my understanding, the consumption of Fura da nono is indifferent irrespective of weather. In terms of bathing of children at night, it has remained inconsistent, because it's cold at night. There

is also an increase in the market demand for jackets including those operating in the sales of used cloths popularly known as 'BK' mostly. I think hot tea is healthy for this season so there's a high rate of consumption.

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Tourism

Dutsen Habude: Nigeria’s oldest drawings in Birnin Kudu

These drawings are thought to be engraved by the Early Man more than 2000 years ago

I

n Birnin Kudu, a town in Jigawa state in northern Nigeria is found the oldest rock paintings in human history. It lies at the intersection of roads from Kano city, Gwaram, and Ningi. It is best known as the site of Dutsen Habude, a cave containing Neolithic paintings of cattle (which

bear strong resemblance to some found in the central Sahara) and rock gongs believed to be more than 2,000 years old. It is a collecting point for peanuts (groundnuts), which are sent to Kano city 76 miles (122 km) west-northwest for export by rail, and is a market centre for millet, sorghum,

peanuts, cowpeas, cotton, and livestock.

Located in north-west geopolitical zone of Nigeria, Jigawa State was created out of the old Kano State in 1991 with its headquarter is Dutse.

The state is divided into twenty seven local government areas which include Auyo, Babura, Birnin-kudu, Birniwa, Buji,

There are rock painting and engraving in zig-zag form and in straight lines Dutse, Gagarawa, Garki, Gumel, Guri, Gwaram, Gwiwa, Hadejia, Jahun, Kafin-Hausa, Kaugama, Kazaure, Kirikasamma, Kiyawa, Maigatari, Malam-Maduri, Miga, Ringim, Roni, Sule-

Tankarkar, Taura, and Yankwashi.

Jigawa State is a mainly agricultural state created out of the old Kano State on 27 August 1991, by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida.

The former Kano State being one of the largest states in terms of land area, was simply too large for easy administration and meaningful development and this called for the new state to be created.

With an estimated population of 4,348,649 million, Jigawa State is populated mainly by HausaFulani but there are also the Manga (a Kanuri dialect) and Badawa, who constitute significant percentages in Birniwa, Guri and Kirikasamma Local Government Areas.

The pattern of human settlement is nucleated, with defined population centers.

GeographyCovering a total of 322,410sqkm land area, Jigawa State can be reached by road and is bordered to the south and east by Bauchi State to the east and north by Yobe State, to the west by Kano and Katsina States. It also shares an international boundary to the north with Niger Republic.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 17

News Extra Sambo urges Nigerians to pray for peace and progress

Katsina CPC MPs to reclaim seats as court annuls INEC’s action

By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

s Nigeria celebrates members of its armed forces who laid down their lives in the service of the country, Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo has implored Nigerians to continue to pray for continuous peace and progress in the country.

The Vice President made this call yesterday when he spoke after the Special Juma’at prayer to mark this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day, which held at the National Mosque, Abuja.

“Today we had a national prayer for our lost heroes and brothers and sisters, we pray Almighty Allah to grant them Aljana Firdausi”.

“We should continue to pray for peace and progress in Nigeria and this is the time that we all as Nigerians should come together and support this administration for the success of our Transformation Agenda,” he added.

The Special Prayer was led by the Chief Imam of the National Mosque, Sheikh Musa Mohammad.

The Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration is marked on the 15th day of January.

It celebrates the lives of the gallant officers and men that laid their lives in the service of their country.

Federal High Court sitting in Abuja yesterday said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has no power to withdraw the certificate of return issued to any person returned winner by its returning officer in an election.

In the much-awaited judgement in the suit brought before the court by a faction of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Katsina state challenging the withdrawal of their certificates of return by INEC, the trial judge, Justice Gladys Olotu held that by Section 68 (1) and 75 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010, the electoral body cannot reverse its action when a certificate of return is issued to a winner of an

A

A

election, without an order of a tribunal or a competent court of jurisdiction.

The judge held that INEC acted ultra vires by withdrawing the certificates of return issued two CPC Senators and eight members of the House of Representatives and the issuance of fresh ones to the 5 th to 14th defendants in the suit which had INEC, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Clerk of the National Assembly, CPC and 10 members of the National Assembly as defendants.

The plaintiffs had asked the court to nullify the certificates of return INEC issued to Senator Abubakar Sadiq Yar’adua, Senator Abubakar Hadi Sirika and eight other members of the House of

Representatives as well as an order that the lawmakers vacate their seats in the National Assembly.

Justice Olotu, in her judgement, declared that INEC lacks the power to cancel, nullify, review, withdraw, void, invalidate either directly or indirectly, the certificates of return validly issued to the plaintiffs consequent upon their winning elections to represent their respective federal constituencies and senatorial districts in Katsina state, without an order of the court first sought and obtained.

“The plaintiffs are the candidate who contested and won the April 9, 2011 general elections into the National Assembly to represent their various federal constituencies and

I was not arrested by EFCC – Soludo

By Augustine Aminu

F

Oshiomhole’s allegations are unfounded – IGP

By Lambert Tyem

T

he Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar, on Friday, dismissed as unfounded the allegations by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo state in which he accused the police of shielding the killers of his late private secretary, Olaitan Oyerinde.

The IG stated that he would fully respond to the governor’s allegation “at the appropriate time and in due course”.

Oshiomhole had on Thursday during the launch of a new code of conduct for the Nigeria Police, accused the Deputy InspectorGeneral (DIG) Force CID, Peter Gana and other officers of bungling the investigation into Oyerinde’s murder, adding that the police had a hand in the gruesome murder of his late private secretary.

Oshiomhole said he remained aggrieved over the shoddy handling of the case by the police, and praised the State Security Service for arresting those he said he believed are the actual suspects.

But when asked to respond to Oshiomhole’s allegation and demands, Abubakar dismissed the accusations as baseless and unfounded, but said the police would respond to the issues at the appropriate time.

He said, “In the first place, this case is in court and it may be subjudice if I comment on it, but we are going to reply that comment at the appropriate time and soonest because he (Oshiomhole) made allegations that are unfounded”.

senatorial districts of Katsina state and certificates of return were issued to them within seven days of the declaration of the election results as provided by the Electoral Act and not the 5th to 14th defendants”, the judge held.

The plaintiffs had, in their suit, asked the court for a declaration that the sealed certificates of return issued to them upon their winning election into the National Assembly are still valid and that they are entitled to immediately repossess their seats in the National Assembly to represent their respective federal constituencies and senatorial district without hindrance from the 2nd (Senate President), 3 rd (Speaker) or 4 th (Clerk of the National Assembly) defendants or any other person”.

Cuban Obini-Bata Cultural Group on behalf of National Orientation Agency (NOA) entertaining guests at the Abuja Sheraton Hotels during their Cultural exchange visit to Nigeria, recently in Abuja.

Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Discharged ‘terrorists’ sponsor’ escapes death in Kaduna From Muhammad Adamu, Kaduna

T

he former chairman, Kaduna chapter of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Association (PTD), Comrade Nuhu Babawo (popularly known as ‘Intelligent’) escaped being murdered in front of his residence in the early hours of Friday, the Kaduna state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Aminu Lawan has confirmed.

Babawo had been in military custody for a month before he was released on bail and was discharged by a Margistrate Court in Kaduna last year.

Narrating his ordeal to our reporter at the Kakuri Police Station, Babawo said he was attacked by three armed men with dangerous weapons while on his

way to the mosque around 4:45 am on Friday.

“I just saw three hoodlums appear from nowhere while I was trekking to the mosque near my house.

“They strangled me and stabbed me severally between my neck and my collar bone, but the daggers did not penetrate.

Upon realising, one of them brought out a machete and hit my leg with it. That was when I summoned courage and started wrestling with them and shouted for help.

“My attackers fled when people came to my rescue. I was lucky to have escaped with bruises from my inner right ankle.

“I have given my statement to the police now and as you can see, the police are going with me to my

house to see the scene of the incident and commence investigation into the matter. I can identify one of the assassins who was wearing a winter cap”, he said.

He said the attack is not unconnected to his growing popularity in his launch for a comeback to re-contest for the position of the chairmanship of the association he headed some years back.

“I am not surprise if the attempt to my life is not connected to my growing popularity to contest again…”

When our reporter visited the house in company of the police team from Kakuri Police Station, thousands of sympathisers blocked the entire Matawalle Road leading to his residence around Nnamdi Azikiwe Way in Kaduna.

ormer Governor of the Central Bank (CBN) Prof.

Chukwuma Soludo, has said he was not arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as was published in some national dailies on Friday.

Soludo said he was invited by the EFCC to make clarifications on some issues on a matter under investigation.

According to a statement from Soludo’s media office dated January, 2013, 11 th acirculated in Abuja, the former CBN boss voluntarily went to EFCC’s office to honour the commission’s invitation.

The statement which was signed by Bonaventure Melah, said Soludo was neither arrested nor escorted to EFCC office by operatives of the commission as was reported.

“We want to put it on records clearly that the media reports that Prof. Chukwuma Soludo was arrested by the operatives of the EFCC in Abuja is totally false or to say the least, written in error.

“The fact of the matter is that the EFCC wrote a letter to Prof. Soludo inviting him to their Abuja office on the 10th of January 2013.

EFCC’s invitation letter to Prof. Soludo was dated 20 th December, 2012.

“Prof. Soludo was abroad attending to several international engagements when the letter was sent to his aides. As a law abiding citizen of the country, Prof. Soludo returned to Nigeria in the New Year and honoured EFCC invitation on January 10 th as requested. He voluntarily went from his home to EFCC office on Thursday. He was neither arrested nor escorted by any operative of the commission…”

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 18

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

10 signs she likes you

W

hen a woman likes a guy, she's trying to get him to notice her and giving him an opportunity to make the first move.

The problem with this female strategy is that a lot of guys are completely oblivious to it and, consequently, throw away a lot of chances to hook up.

The following are 10 of the most obvious signals women emit when they want you.

Keep in mind, however, that lots of women are open and friendly to everyone, so spotting just one of these signs might not necessarily be enough to determine her interest. But if a lot of these signals are coming your way, it's a pretty safe bet that you could score a date.

1. She smiles at you: When a woman has an interest in you, her smile can hold your attention from across a crowded room and it is definitely one of the major signs she likes you. Good looking woman have to work every day to fend off guys they don't like, so if she is smiling at you from across the room, this means that she wants you to talk to her.

Reciprocate by returning her smile.

2. She plays with her hair: If she is attracted to you, she may twirl her hair in her fingers

or let it cascade in front of one eye, use her fingers to brush her hair away from her face or lift her hair off the back of her neck as if she is hot while looking at you. If you say hello and she's performing any of these behaviors, well, all signals say: Keep chatting.

3. She makes direct eye contact with you: One of the most obvious signs a woman likes you is when she continuously looks right at you and maintains prolonged eye contact. If the eye contact is for longer than normal duration and she scans you up and down, keeping her eyes locked on you while she talks or drinks, she's already made up her mind that she likes what she sees.

4. She isolates herself from her friends: Women know that men might find it difficult to talk with them while they're in a group, so if she distances herself from her wall of friends and stands alone, looking at or gazing at you, then it is a sign that she is providing an avenue for you to initiate a conversation.

5. She attempts to catch your attention: If a woman glances and smiles at you while walking by you and in the process takes a longer route to get to the restroom, then

it may be that she wants you to notice her. By walking past you repeatedly, out of her way, she's giving you a sense that she wants your attention.

6. She enters your body space: When a woman enters your personal space, "accidentally" bumping into you with a glance and a smile or maneuvering to stand close to you at a club or at work, she's inviting a response and trying to become more intimate with you. Closeness is intimacy for a woman, and the closer she allows herself to get to you, the more attracted she is to you.

7.

She initiates conversation with you: If she comes over to talk to you, she wants to know what you're all about. She will seem really into your conversation, turning her body toward you, tilting her head up at you and listening to you intently. She'll convey her interest by asking you open-ended questions, attempt to determine if you are single, dig for personal information and catalog your interests so that she can mimic your likes and dislikes in order to bond with you.

8. She draws attention to her mouth and lips: A Woman's lips can be extremely seductive and there is a tremendous amount of flirtatious energy tied up in them. Some of the most effective signs she is flirting will have her applying lip gloss or running her finger across her lip.

9. She compliments you: A woman who likes you will tell you flat out that she thinks you are cute, compliment your clothes, hair or something that you mentioned in conversation. If you receive a compliment and she seems really into you, she's definitely hoping you will ask her out. If you are interested in her as well, don't forget to compliment her, otherwise she may think you are self-centered 10. She touches you: A woman that likes you will make an excuse to touch you, if only briefly. She might reach out and lightly touch your shoulder, forearm, hand or wrist during a conversation or put her hand on your knee while making a point. If she gives you any lingering touches and doesn't immediately remove her hand, you know you've got a live one. www.naij.com

Heart Matterz With A'isha Biola Raji E-mail: rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com Phone: 08082071393

Re - Will this be the end to our romance

I

read your story Mr. Badmus, I must say it is pathetic looking at how much you both love each other.

For me I believe there is nothing beyond God, go down on your knees and pray. If it is the will of God that you live, no terminal disease can terminate

your life.

In the mean time, let your fiancée know what you are battling with. If she truly loves you, she will stand by you, irrespective of the pain she will go through. I wish you God's protection and good luck.

—Sister Nneka

My boyfriend is now very rude

I

am 20 years old and an undergraduate in one of the state universities, my boyfriend and I have been dating for one year now; everything was going fine at the beginning as he showed me love, attention and care.

Now the relationship has gone so bad that I regret ever returning his love. The worst part of it is that, he had become suddenly rude. Sometimes I wish he was like that before I fell in

love with him.

The major problem is, I can't seem to get him out of my mind and I'm not comfortable with his rude behavior. I really love his personality it is hard to ignore him. What should I do?

Hopeless, rude boyfriend I keep falling for-and hate m I decided to post here because I've been going through quite a hard time and I feel somewhat comfortable posting here for general.

—Rita

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 19

Beauty Tips

The world of mineral makeup M

ineral makeup is extremely popular in the world today.

It is considered to be far better than ordinary makeup. This is why people prefer to make use of these products. As the name suggests, mineral makeup contains minerals of various kinds.

These minerals have a very positive effect on the skin of the person. Such makeup items are very expensive as compared to ordinary makeup. The powders used in mineral makeup are very fine and smooth.

Thus, they are able to give a much better finish than other makeup when they are used on the skin.

However, mineral makeup must be applied in the correct manner in order to get the desired results. Given below are some handy tips which can be put to use while dealing with such makeup.

How to apply mineral makeup Mineral foundation must be applied rather carefully as this forms the base for your other makeup items.

Make sure that your face has been washed and dried well before you make use of any foundation. Also, you must moisturize your face before using foundation as this helps it to spread evenly.

Start by taking out a small amount of foundation. Make sure that the shade is as close to the colour of your skin as possible. Blend this into your skin and keep covering up any imperfections which might be present in certain areas.

Mineral blusher must also be applied with care as it is rather

difficult to get rid of excess colour from the face once it has already been applied. You must start by using light strokes of blusher on the apples of your cheeks. You could then darken the blusher with repeated strokes, if necessary.

Make sure that your strokes are light, yet brisk. Refrain from making circles around the cheek area. Instead, use light strokes only on the apples of your cheeks. You could use a single shade of blusher or you could also blend in more than one shade.

A good mineral bronzer can complete your look within seconds. Start by swirling your brush in a shade of bronzer.

Make sure to dust off any powder which is in excess. Apply some bronzer to your cheeks and your temples.

Make sure to apply only a small amount of bronzer to your face in order to give a warm, natural look to it. You must also dab a small amount of bronzer to your neck and ears in order to complete the look. Mineral bronzers have a far better finish than ordinary bronzers.

The Finishing Touch After you have finished applying your mineral makeup, you must apply some loose powder or compact powder all over your face and neck.

This helps to seal the makeup in place.

It also helps to blot out any oiliness from the face and neck area. Such powders are very smooth and so they spread evenly all over the skin. It is important to follow this last step so as to help your makeup last for longer periods of time. www.ladyzona.com

Mineral Foundation

Mineral Blusher

Mineral Bronzer

PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Learning Book Review

With Augustine Aminu 07038749120 julius2001_a@yahoo.com

Becoming Abigail

"

Compelling and gorgeously written, this is a coming-ofage novella like no other.

Chris Abani explores the depths of loss and exploitation with what can only be described as a knowing tenderness. An extraordinary, necessary book."-Cristina Garcia, author of Dreaming in Cuban "Abani's voice brings perspective to every moment, turning pain into a beautiful painterly meditation on loss and aloneness."-Aimee Bender, author of The Girl in the Flammable Skirt "Abani's empathy for Abigail's torn life is matched only by his honesty in portraying it.

Nothing at all is held back. A harrowing piece of work."-Peter Orner, author of The Esther Stories Tough, spirited, and

fiercely independent Abigail is brought as a teenager to London from Nigeria by relatives who attempt to force her into prostitution. She flees, struggling to find herself in the shadow of a strong but dead mother. In spare

yet haunting and lyrical prose reminiscent of Marguerite Duras, Abani brings to life a young woman who lives with a strength and inner light that will enlighten and uplift the reader.

Chris Abani is a poet and novelist and the author, most recently, of GraceLand, which won the 2005 PEN/ Hemingway Prize, a Silver Medal in the California Book Awards, and was a finalist for several other prizes including the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His other prizes include a PEN Freedom-to-Write Award, a Prince Claus Award, and a Lannan Literary Fellowship. He lives and teaches in California.

Things you can do with your cell phones

H

ow to use your phone as a modem: You can go online to send faxes and e-mail using your cellular phone as a wireless "modem" for your laptop. To do this, you'll need a phone that can function as a modem, a cable to connect your phone to your laptop, and a carrier that offers Internet or data options.

For cellular phones without a built-in modem, you'll need to purchase a cellularcompatible PC card modem that works with your laptop. You'll also need a compatible cable to connect the card modem in the laptop to your cell phone. Sometimes the PC card and cable are packaged together as a kit i.e. You can click on the Service Plans tab to see which carriers in your market sell that phone.

Newer phones have built-in modem capability, so your laptop doesn't need a PC card, but you'll still have to purchase a compatible cable to connect the phone to your laptop's serial port.

Getting Web Updates on your phone: Some carriers offer news, stock and sports updates with activation of a Web-messaging option or service plan. Other carriers provide free news updates as long as you subscribe to textmessaging services.

B

lackbird is a captivating story of a world in transition. Through a quartet of characters, the admirable Maya and her devoted husband Omoniyi, the formidable Nduesoh and her philandering husband Edward, the novel depicts how their connected

world progresses towards crisis and tragedy.

Blackbird is a provocative and evocative novel from start to finish. It lays bare all the fatal flaws of humanity - love and jealousy, need and possessiveness, care and self-preservation - and does so through a style that is finely judged and

accessible. Building on its author's previous groundbreaking novels, this latest follows his interest in how traditional beliefs and personal experiences clash to force explosive changes. Blackbird is an important modern novel by a contemporary Nigerian writer.

When you sign up for these services, c a r r i e r s require you to establish an account either on their Web site or on a Web site designed to provide your updates.

Once you establish an account, you will be able to select and modify your updates, including when you receive them, simply by accessing your account via the Web site.

The updates arrive as text messages (also called short messaging service), so your phone needs to support this feature.

Depending on the carrier, updates are subject to character limitations ranging from 100 to 150 characters.

Alarm Clocks on phones: With most phones, you simply select the alarm option and enter a time.

Some alarms will work even when the phone is turned off. Usually, the phone's alarm will sound just like your ringer alert.

E-mail and Faxes on your phone: You can also send and receive data/fax documents, access the internet, email accounts and corporate databases whenever you are on the move. All you need is a compatible phone and computer and the

service, for just a little extra charge. And then, you become truly global!

In touch with the world at your fingertips!

Screening your calls: A caller ID displays the caller's number on your phone's screen. It is standard with many digital cellular and PCS ( P e r s o n a l Communications Service) carriers. Some callers can't be identified, depending on how their call is routed to you.

Locking your Phone: Locking your cell phone is a great way to ensure you're the only one using your handset. Once you activate the lock mode, you must enter a four-digit code on the keypad each time you turn on the phone. This prevents anyone else from making calls or accessing the phone's memory or menu functions.

Tracking B a t t e r y Strength: Y o u r p h o n e c a n indicate on its screen

connecting accessories (unless you use infrared). Your mobile acts as a phone line. Calls are normally charged at the same rate as voice calls. You can ask for this facility from your phone

when your battery is almost out of power. The indicator can be a battery icon, a "battery low" message or a red light.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12— SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 21

Healthy Living A

high fibre diet may prevent the progression of prostate cancer by stopping tumours from growing.

Researchers have found that eating plenty of wholegrains and plant-based foods may have the potential to control the progression of the disease in the early stages.

They wanted to ascertain why men in Western cultures suffer from more advanced stages of the disease, whereas their Asian counterparts do not.

This is despite the rate of prostate cancer in both cultures being similar.

Scientists at the University of Colorado Cancer Centre set out to find out why, and found the answer may be a high-fibre diet The study compared mice fed with of inositol hexaphosphate (IP6), a major component of highfibre diets, to a group of mice that were not.

MRI scans were then used to study the progression of prostate cancer in both groups.

Komal Raina, research instructor at the Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said: 'The study's results were really

High fibre diet could slow the progression of prostate cancer rather profound.'

Indeed, the researchers saw dramatically reduced tumour volumes, primarily due to the effects IP6 had on the growth of blood vessels.

Good sources of fibre Wholemeal, granary and softgrain varieties of bread Jacket/new/baked potatoes in their skins Wholegrain breakfast cereals, eg.

Weetabix, bran flakes, unsweetened muesli, Shreddies and porridge oats Wholemeal pasta, brown rice Beans, lentils and peas Fresh and dried fruits particularly if skins are eaten Vegetables - particularly if the skins are eaten Nuts and seeds Wholemeal flour Basically, the chemical kept prostate tumors from making the

Sugary soft drinks may raise risk of depression - with diet versions causing the most harm

I

f you are feeling low, it may be best to lay off the fizzy drinks and have a cup of coffee instead.

A study has linked soft drinks to depression with diet versions p a r t i c u l a r l y problematic.

Coffee, however, appeared to have the opposite effect.

The finding comes from US researchers who studied the drink consumption of 265,000 men and women aged 50 to 71.

T e n years into the study, t h e volunteers were asked if they had been diagnosed with depression in the previous five years.

Those who drank more than four cans of soft drinks a day were 30 per cent more likely to have had depression than those who drank none, the American Academy of Neurology conference heard. The risk seemed greater among those who preferred diet drinks.

The researchers said this may be due to the presence of the artificial sweetener aspartame, which yesterday was provisionally given a clean bill of health by the European Food Safety Authority, following a review.

Making the link does not

prove soft drinks cause depression.

But researcher Honglei Chen said: 'While our findings are preliminary and the underlying b i o l o g i c a l mechanisms are not known, they are consistent with a small but growing body of e v i d e n c e suggesting t h a t artificially sweetened beverages may

be associated with poor health.'

The study found that those who had four cups of coffee a day were 10 per cent less likely to become depressed than non-coffee drinkers.

Dr Chen said this may be due to the caffeine in coffee stimulating the brain.

High fibre foods such as porridge may all help slow the progression of prostate cancer - by slowing down the blood supply to the tumours new blood vessels they needed to metaboliSed glucose.

Dr Raina added that a possible supply themselves with energy.

Without this energy, the cancer mechanism for the effect of IP6 against metabolism include a couldn't grow.

Without the energy, prostate reduction in a protein called cancer couldn't grow. Likewise, GLUT-4, which is instrumental in treatment with IP6 slowed the transporting glucose.

He said: 'Researchers have long rate at which prostate cancers

been looking for genetic variations between Asian and Western peoples that could explain the difference in prostate cancer progression rates, but now it seems as if the difference may not be genetic but dietary.

'Asian cultures get [more] IP6 whereas Western cultures generally do not."

The findings were published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research.

Fibre may also play a role in preventing cancer, say researchers from the University of California San Fransico.

Men who consumed at least 28 servings of vegetables per week had a reduced risk of prostate cancer compared with those who ate fewer than 14 servings per week.

There is some evidence that vegetables particularly cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts and bok choy - may be associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

Aviod eating wrong type of fat during prenancy

P

regnant women who eat too much of the 'wrong' type of fat are likely to have fatter children, warn researchers.

They found consumption of high levels of fats found in cooking oils and nuts can affect the body weight of the child years later.

Scientists say new evidence suggests women should be eating more fish oils, known as omega 3 fatty acids, to give their children the best start in life.

But their benefits could be reduced by diets that contain too much omega 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).

Researchers assessed the fat and muscle mass of 293 boys and girls at four and six years.

The results were compared to the concentrations of different types of fatty acids measured in blood samples collected from their mothers during pregnancy.

The study found children born to mothers who had consumed greater levels of omega 6 during pregnancy had greater fat mass.

Dr Nicholas Harvey, senior lecturer at the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton, who led the research, said: 'These results suggest that alterations to maternal diet during pregnancy to reduce omega 6 PUFAs intake might have a beneficial effect on the body composition of the developing child.'

Results from the study, published in the Journal of

Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, also showed a link between a mother's levels of omega 3 and muscle mass in their children.

The higher the level of omega 3, the less fat in the baby and the more muscle and bone.

This suggests taking fish oil supplements might be beneficial in pregnancy, the authors said.

They said omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids seem to act in opposite directions on fat mass and this needs to be taken into account.

Previous trials have attempted to use omega 3 supplements in pregnancy to reduce fat mass in children without looking at omega 6

intake.

Omega 3 fatty acids are found in oily fish and fish oil supplements, as well as pumpkin seeds and walnuts, and are essential to the development of the brain, eye and nervous system.

But they have reduced in the diet over the last two decades, often replaced by omega 6 fats, found in olive and sunflower oil.

Professor Cyrus Cooper, professor of rheumatology and director of the MRC unit, said: 'This work should help us to design interventions aimed at optimising body composition in childhood and later adulthood and thus improve the health of future generations.'

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

With Aunty A'isha

Sights and sounds

PAGE 23

rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

SHOR T ST OR Y SHORT STOR ORY

The fox without a tail History of cloth in Africa Contributed by: Muhonjia Khaminwa

T

he origin of cloth production in Africa is lost with time but findings indicate some of the earliest sites.

Drawings of looms can be seen in the tombs of ancient Egypt, dating back to at least 2000 B.C.E. In West Africa, woven fiber pieces dating back to the ninth century C.E. have been found in Nigeria, and woven cotton cloth dating to the eleventh century has been recovered in Mali.

Traditions of Cloth Production and Design Bark cloth, or cloth made from tree bark, were before the development of woven textiles in most parts of Africa. Today it is rarely used for day-to-day clothing, but some societies use it for ceremonial costumes.

The Ganda of Uganda, for example, make fabric from the inner bark of fig trees, which is worn during ceremonial dances and other occasions when ancestors are being honored. Early clothing in Africa was also made from treated animal hides, furs, and feathers.

The two main kinds of textile looms in Africa are the doubleheddle loom, used for narrow strips of cloth, and the single-heddle loom, used for wider pieces.

The narrow strips are typically sewn together, and then cut into patterns for clothing. The double-heddle loom is generally used only by male weavers, who use it to weave in colored threads and create richly textured fabrics.

In addition, weavers in North Africa and in Ethiopia also use ground looms, while looms similar to those used in Southeast Asia are found in Madagascar.

Although A f r i c a ' s weavers produce a w i d e variety of patterned, colored fabric, t h e y a l s o weave plain cloth.

This cloth can either be used for daily wear around the home, or it can be decorated.

Two of the most popular d y e i n g methods in Africa are tie and dye and resist dye. In tie and dye, designs are first tied or stitched into the cloth, using cotton or raffia threads. In resist dye, dyers draw on the cloth using a waterproof substance, such as candle wax or paste made from cassava, a tuber. They then dip the fabrics into solutions typically made from vegetable dyes, which color all but the covered areas.

Indigo plants are used for deep blue dyes, while reddish brown dyes are extracted from cola nuts, the camwood tree, and the redwood tree. Greens, yellows, and blacks are prepared from other sources.

Designs and styles used to decorate fabric have names. They are associated with particular plants, animals, events, or proverbs. Others incorporate Arabic script, Roman letters and numerals, or line drawings of contemporary objects, such as bicycles and cars.

In many African societies, men and women are responsible for different stages of cloth production. For example, in Mali, women used to dye bogolanfini mud-cloth. Indigo dyeing is women's work among the Yoruba and the Soninke of West Africa, but among the Hausa, fabric dying is traditionally a men's craft.

Source: Africana.com

O

n e day a fox was out walking when suddenly he heard a loud snapping noise and felt a sharp pain in his rear.

"Ooooow!" howled the fox, tears coming to his eyes. "That hurts ooooow! The fox looked behind him and saw his tail was caught in a trap. He struggled and struggled to get free but his tail was firmly stuck in the jaws of the trap.

With one last frantic effort, the fox used all his strength and broke free. "Ooooow!" howled the fox as he looked behind him and saw his tail still stuck in the trap.

All he had left was a little stump

on his backside.

He cried, "My tail, my beautiful fluffy tail. What will I do? "How will I face all the other foxes without my beautiful tail?

It will be so embarrassing."

The fox thought and thought and finally came up with a plan.

He called all the other foxes together for a meeting.

When the other foxes saw the little stump on his backside they began to laugh. "I've cut off my tail on purpose and I want you all to do the same" he yelled over the laughter.

"A large tail is more trouble than it's worth", he shouted. "When we're being chased by dogs it gets

in the way, and when we get together for a talk you never know what to do with it. Do you wrap it around your feet, do you sit on it, or do you leave it out for someone to trip over?" asked the fox.

"So now is the time to free yourself from your tail and join me in a tailless society."

One of the older foxes shook his head and said, "You wouldn't be saying that if you still had a beautiful tail. You're only saying that, out of your own self-interest and because you're embarrassed."

All the other foxes walked off laughing with their big bushy tails proudly pointing upwards.

HIS AND HERS CORNER

You might not have noticed many fashion trends in children's wear but they are there and as much for boys as there are for girls. This Ankara styles are breathtakingly beautiful.

With pair of earring accessory to match the yellow rose, the baby model standing on a chair looks confident wearing her hair in an African way. Especially in this Harmattan, wearing a black underneath embroidered buba is just ideal.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 22

With Aunty A'isha

AFRICAN TALES

rajia39ishabiola@yahoo.com 08082071393.

MODEL OF THE WEEK

The little traveller

From left, Umar Farouk, Asma’u and Mohammed Bello Birnin-Kudu, children of Alhaji Dauda Mohammed Birnin-Kudu

ACTIVITIES Using any appropriate colours, paint the image below and name all the objects you have seen and show it to your parents for correction. Cheers!

O

n c e upon a time there was a little boy who had a long journey to go. He had a very dear mother, and she did not want her little son to leave her but she knew he must go, so she put her arms around him and said, "Now, don't be afraid, for I shall be thinking of you, and God will take care of you."

Then the little boy kissed her goodbye and ran away, singing a merry song. As long as he could see her he would turn and wave his hand to her but by and by she was out of sight. Just then he came to a stream of water that ran across his path.

"How can I get over?" thought the little boy but a white swan came up to greet him, and said, "There is always a way to get over the stream. Follow me! Follow me!"

The little boy followed the swan till he came to a row of great stepping stones, and he jumped from one to another, counting them as he went.

When he reached the seventh he was safe across, and he turned to thank the white swan. And when he had thanked her, he called: "White swan, white swan,

swimming so gay!

Carry a message for me today My love to my mother, wherever she be; I know she is always thinking of me."

Then the white swan swam back to carry the message, and the little boy ran on his way.

Oh! There were so many beautiful things to hear; the birds singing and the bees humming and so many beautiful things to see; the flowers and butterflies and green grass! After a while he came to a wood, where every tree wore a green dress; and through the wood, under the shade of the trees, flow a babbling creek.

"I wonder how I can get over" said the little boy and the wise wind whispered, "There is always a way to get over the stream.

Follow me! Follow me!"

Then he followed the sound of the wise wind's voice, and the wind blew against a tall pine tree, and the pine tree fell across the creek, and laid there, a great round foot log, where the little boy might step. He made his way over, and thanked the wise wind and he asked.

To be continued…

CREA TIVITY CREATIVITY

You can make your own earrings

U

s e wires to make some colourful, ethnic earrings. You will be surprised at how little imagination can do to things. But don't let these ideas restrict you.

Let your imagination carry you to greater depths of creativity.

What you need: Thin wires Paint Colourful beads Coloured wool Adhesive Scissors

What to do: Pick up wires that are not very thick so that it can go through someone's ear-hole. Twist the wire in different kinds of patterns and paint it. You could also use electrical wires with a plastic jacket. Simply strip a portion of the jacket so that there is no problem inserting it into the wearer's ear-hole.

Try to make some earrings with coloured wool and beads.

Wound wool around the wire.

Make a knot at one end of the

wire and string a bead. Turn the other end in a U-shape and the earrings are ready to be worn.

PAGE 24

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 25

Kannywood

Entertainment Nollywood More troubles for D'Banj as Kanye West My father made me marry so I could set to drop him from G.O.O.D music I stop singing - El Bash N Bashir Muhammed is popular musician and producer who has been singing for the past 13 years. In this interview with Nasiru Mu'azu Isa, he spoke about the industry, how he battled with his father, who did not see singing as a valuable career and how he tried to dissuade him by getting him married, as well as the challenges faced by artists in the north.

H

ow did your singing career start?

I have been a music lover since my childhood and I used to listen to old musicians like the late Mamman Shata and Dan Kwairo. Listening to them then, I felt that they gave me inspiration and that I would one day love to sing like them. Gradually I hooked up with Audu Boda, a popular musician in Katsina.

I started hanging around his studio just to be close to the musician, initially I was just a kid who hanged out with them, and eventually I got involved with the music production in their studio.

Did you face problems with your parents because most parents in the north believe singing is not a career?

Yes! I did, especially from my father. At that time I was in secondary school and

that was when I became interested in music. I started skipping school, instead of going to school I would go off to the studio and when school closes I would go home pretending I w a s coming from school.

At first my father did not know what w a s going o n until one day when he f o u n d out. I was in a music studio one day and he just showed

Bashir Muhammed

up, I could not hide because I was not expecting him. That day he nearly got into a fight with the studio owners accusing them of influencing his son negatively. They explained to him that that was not the case and that I decided to hang out there. I also told him that I was the one who decided to hang out there.

After that incident, my father forbade me to go out and even took me out of school saying since I was not going to study I should just stay at home.

He accused my mum of encouraging me, and honestly at that time she didn't even know what I was doing. It got to a point when he asked me to leave his house. I did not leave and did not stop going to the studio.

He stopped talking to me at a point, so I decided to talk to him about my interest. I told him I was willing to jettison my interest in the music since he did not approve of it.

One day he called me and said he would allow me sing if I agreed to concentrate on my studies. So I agreed and told my mentor Audu Boda what transpired between me and my father and he promised to assist me in my educational pursuit as well as my musical career. Boda later taught me the technical aspects of the business and then I became a backup singer. One day he gave me a song to sing for him and that was how the whole thing started.

How many albums do you have now?

So far I have only one album called "Bankwana da Masoyi", now we are talking about doing another one though I have a lot of songs done but not yet released.

You know most often a musician would have many songs recorded but nobody would know about them until he becomes a star, and then those old songs would begin to make waves.

Why is it that musicians in the north spend more time doing songs for films instead of albums?

The reason is the problem of marketers who can buy the album off you and keep it

Why do our artists concentrate more on love songs than other issues?

I am not among those who concentrate on love songs, most of my songs are about life.

without distributing it.

The marketers are more interested in promoting the known faces than new musicians.

What is the story behind "Bankwana"?

I wrote the song just for the fun of it, but after

t is now being speculated within the music industry in hush tones that D'Banj may been shown the exit door at Kanye West's G.O.O.D Music label which D'Banj claims he is still at. According to information gathered from reports and some industry sources, all may not be too well between D'Banj and his American boss.

What Nigeriafilms.com scooped

reveals that Kanye was never happy with the split between D'Banj and Don Jazzy in early 2012. We gathered that Kanye actually signed Don Jazzy to produce D'Banj for his record label, but with the split between them, it was no longer possible for Don Jazzy to perform his obligation of making 'good' beats for D'Banj.

Now that D'Banj took a step

Label boss adopts late MC Loph’s Son

D'Banj Bashir Muhammed

Apart from the problem of marketers, what other problems do you face?

The truth is most of the problems in the industry don't affect me because I am not like other artists and don't usually hang out with them. I am usually in the studio or at home, if you find me among fellow artists, I am there because of work but usually you'll find me in the studio.

When did you establish your studio?

I opened my studio about 5 months ago.

How do you fund your activities as a studio owner, where do you get your running cost?

My running cost comes from my live performances, which I undertake once or twice in a week, that is where majority of my funding comes from.

Let's leave your career for a bit, and talk about you specifically, are you married and do you have kids?

Yes, I am married and had three kids but the older one died.

How did you meet your wife?

Actually my father arranged the marriage because I was not interested in marriage then. And the reason was he wanted me to stop singing so he decided I should get married to discourage me from singing. Initially I was not happy about it but I later accepted his decision.

How did the marriage affect your relationship with girls in the music business?

At first we had problems, but I made her understand that it is about my career and she met me doing it and I was not willing to stop singing because I have a passion for it. She used to get upset when she comes to the studio and meets a girl or if I received a call from a lady. My father intervened and told her to accept me and my career, saying that is the way he is.

Among your songs, which are the most popular?

Among my songs the most popular include, "Bankwana", "Gidan Dollars".

singing the song it became a reality and I no longer liked it but to my surprise the song was well received by the public.

Did you do the song before your marriage or after your marriage?

It was after I married, and my wife loved it. But then she always likes my songs no matter its theme or who I sang it with.

What is your advice to young men and women interested in joining the industry?

First I'd like to advice them to avoid rumors and not spread them because it will affect their reputation. The other advice is on the lyrics of their songs, because sometimes you listen to a song and you wonder if it makes sense or wonder what is about. Artists should be aware that they need to create songs that are meaningful and teaches lessons but that is not to say that every song must teach a lesson. Some sing just for entertainment sake and if they can abide by that then they would not have problems.

further to sign J-Sleek as his music producer, what sources in D'Banj's camp reveal to industry sources is that Kanye is not pleased with JSleek's production prowess and he sees D'Banj's new collection of songs as weak.

What some tale-bearers are saying now is that Kanye is disappointed at D'Banj as his (Kanye)initial quest of storming African music through the duo of former Mohits Records is has been defeated and D'Banj's new singles are no where match what convinced him to sign on the two African superstars when he signed them in 2011.

There are indications that D'Banj may consider reconciling with Don Jazzy or lose his deal with Kanye. Though we couldn't confirm if D'Banj would consider the first option as we were told that his (D'Banj) ego might be a big obstacle is making the first option become a reality.

We are still digging deep into the story and we would serve you our further findings.

Kanye West

Late MC Loph

I'm way too young for Tonto Dikeh – Inyanya

K

ukere crooner, Inyanya, who has been the focus of the Twitter cat-fight between voluptuous vixens Tonto Dikeh and Yvonne Nelson; in a recent interview has declared that he's way too young to date someone like Tonto Dikeh, The fast rising star didn't commend blogs and the media that has made a story out of his ordinary friendship with these people but he expunged the possibility of a hook-up with Tonto, claiming he is way too young for the Nollywood actress cum singer.

Hear him, ``first of all I need people to understand that blogs will write what they have to write so they can get hits. There's a price to pay for fame.

People have access to you, they can s a y anything about you. But I just want people to know, before they say a word, do not forget that I have not said anything. I have not told

you that I'm dating A or B. On this interview, I repeat that I am a single guy married to my music and my hustle. I'm too young for all that, I'm just young and getting it right now."

Though, he denied to have ever had anything to do with the two divas, he emphatically directed the word to Tonto who is a way too aged t h a n him.

Inyanya

N

ews reaching us indicates that Obiajulu Jnr, son of late MC Loph, who died in a fatal accident in 2011, has now been adopted by his late father's record label boss, Emeka Morgan of Morgan Entertainment.

Morgan reportedly said in a statement that it pains him to know that virtually those that claimed to be the late singer's friends have left MC Loph's mother and her son, who was in pregnancy stage when his father died, alone and made them not looked after as MC Loph would have wished.

Obiajulu was given birth to in March 2012 by her medical practitioner mother, Nkiru, who was also involved in the accident while on their way for their traditional marriage.

The statement reads, "MC Loph's family became my second family from the very day that unfortunate incident happened and I have been living up to expectations. This is not a joking matter.

Nuella Njubigbo Dumps Tchidi And Emenike For Gov. Rotimi Amaechi o doubt, it's season of enjoyment for the beautiful Nollywood diva called

Nuella Nuella Njubigbo who is said to have just acquired a brand new 2011 Toyota Highlander, SUV last December 2012.

The wonder on wheels estimated to cost a whopping N8million.

Though, Nuella is one actress who is not on the A-list category, her sudden wealth is said to have been traced to series of men she has dated in the past.

Before now, she was a darling of the film maker, Tchidi Chikere, when she came into his life, a union of over a decade collapsed irreconcilably. www.nigeriafilms.com gathered that, it was the rumoured pregnancy of Nuella for Tchidi that led to Sophia bidding goodbye to a home she struggled to build. Ever since Sophia has kept mum.

According to a reliable source, when Nuella discovered that she wasn't getting what she expected from Tchidi, a common producer, she moved to date a Russian based footballer, Emanuel Emenike. Her relationship with the handsome rich dude didn't last a year as she was said to have met another lady with Emenike the last time she made a trip to Russia and that put a stop to her frequent visit to the place.

Governor Rotimi Amaechi, who has romanced quite a few Nollywood actresses, according to findings, has caught the eyes of pretty Nuella and they are neck deep in a soaring relationship and Nuella herself, we learnt, is seriously enjoying every moment of the relationship till it lasts.

The smitten lovebirds met in early November 2012 in Port Harcourt where the actress had gone to represent Nollywood stuffs, and numbers were exchanged.

One thing led to another, Nuella thereafter escorted the governor abroad on official trip and when she came back, Amaechi was so smitten that he presented her the SUV which was supposedly taken from items meant for the state government, as we were told.

Amaechi also credited the actress' account with N5 million to get an apartment in the Eastern part of Nigeria, a source stated.

PAGE 26

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Hollywood/Bollywood Davina McCall shows off a frizzy mane

S

he is usually seen showing off sleek luscious locks in the Garnier Nutrisse adverts, but in real life Davina McCall isn’t always so well preened.

The TV presenter showed off a frizzy mane as she made her way into the London television studios on Thursday.

Her shoulder-length tresses which normally appear silky and sleek looked somewhat unkempt instead of their usual glossy shine.

But despite having a slightly dubious hair day the Million Pound Drop presenter still looked immaculate.

Wearing a fitted dark green jacket,a black pencil skirt and high heels, Davina looked every inch the model professional as she made her way into the studios.

The presenter off set her look with mauve nail varnish and a shiny black designer handbag.

The mother-of-four who looked ultra trim is one of the few women whose figures have improved with age.

Whie she insists she never diets, Davina puts her figure down to intensive exercise regimes to keep her in shape.

Earlier this week it was revealed that that presenter is the fitness DVD Queen selling as many as 1.5 million copies of the workout films in eight years.

Priyanka Chopra upset over father’s ill health

P

riyanka Chopra is going through a rough patch due to her father Lt. Col Ashok Chopra’s frail health.

While shooting for Apoorva Lakhia’s Zanjeer, Priyanka looked very upset and kept forgetting her lines. A source who was at the set said that Priya usually never forgets her lines and here she was standing in front of Mr. Dutt, faltering and fumbling over her lines repeatedly. Priyanka’s father Dr. Ashok Chopra has reportedly been battling an illness for some time now. The

actress recently tweeted about her father saying, “Seeing my dad so weak and so fragile breaks me

just a lil bit more... Dads r supposed to be superheroes...need some prayers today.” (sic).

Alicia Keys shows off her muscular stomach in a crop top

I

t’s a wonder Alicia Keys finds time to eat, let alone exercise considering how busy she always appears to be.

But judging by her stomach muscles, which she revealed as she performed in a crop top, the singer is definitely fitting in a work out or two.

The 31-year-old hot footed it to Las Vegas to perform following her electrifying appearance at the People’s Choice Awards.

Dressed in a pair of high waisted trousers the Girl On Fire star had her washboard abs on display in a tiny white crop top.

Covering up, so as not to reveal too much flesh, she slipped a white jacket on over her top.

With her hair slicked back off her face, with plenty of eye make-up Alicia strutted her stuff on stage looking really powerful.

It’s been non-stop for the mother-of-two, who performed at the People’s Choice Awards on Wednesday evening.

The R ‘n’ B star had the honour of kicking off the ceremony with a performance of her latest hit Girl On Fire.

Her look was in contrast to Thursday’s more revealing outfit as she wore a pair of black trousers with a conservative white shirt and quilted red jacket.

She began her

performance seated behind her trademark grand piano.

Things became more upbeat when she broke out into a dance routine, flanked by dancers as she performed New Day. While everything is seemingly wonderful on the surface and Alicia has been performing non-stop, she is in fact being sued over her hit single Girl On Fire.

Songwriter Earl Shuman claiming the singer’s latest track bears similarities to his and Leon Carr’s 1962 composition Lonely Boy. Best known for being recorded in 1972 by Eddie Holman under the title Hey There Lonely Girl, the part of the song Shuman is concerned with is in the middle section, in which she reportedly uses similar lyrics.

If a court rules a sample or section of Lonely Boy has been used without permission, Alicia could face losing royalties from both the track and the Girl on Fire album it appears on.

Jessica Chastain wins Best Actress

I

t must have almost seemed like too much hassle.

But her mad dash from New York to California certainly paid off for Jessica Chastain on Thursday night - with the actress walking away with top honours at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.

Wearing a striking red dress, the flame-haired actress won Best Actress for her role in Zero Dark Thirty.

Just the night before the 35-year-old actress was performing her play The Heiress on Broadway, jetting to the West Coast the following morning so she could be at the award ceremony held in Santa Monica.

As she prepared to board her flight she got the good news that she had been nominated for her second Academy Award she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress last year for The Help.

Despite a long flight and a big day, the actress looked flawless on the red carpet keeping to her style of understated and unfussy elegance.

The Zero Dark Thirty actress was the centre of attention in her red floor length Prada gown.

While the embellished v-necked dress did not win her top fashion honours, the rear did. The frock stepped up the glamour

and drama level with a low back with a stunning diamond encrusted oversized bow.

Jessica teamed the dress with gold Jimmy Choo shoes and, making it clear that after being all but unknown two years ago, she is now one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities, the 35year-old wore the exclusive

jewelry handiwork of Harry Winston.

The actress’ make-up was also understated with just pink lips and cheeks adding colour to her alabaster complexion.

Her signature red hair was styled in a side part with loose curls just at the very end of her locks.

Making sure she looked prefect for he red carpet walk, Jessica’s stylist quickly dashed on to the carpet to give her hair one final touch up.

Chastain beat out M a r i o n Cotillard, J e n n i f e r Lawrence, Emmanuelle R i v a , Quvenzhane Wallis, and Naomi Watts to take out the gong for Best Actress for Zero Dark Thirty.

It must have been fate - or the actress was given a heads up - as J e s s i c a cancelled her performance in the Heiress to be at the award show.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 27

Homes How baking soda and vinegar can rid your sink of smell Make your kitchen sink drain clear and fresh Kitchen sink drains can often run slow and smell bad because of a buildup of foods and grease.

You don't have to live with the smell or the slow drain, however.

You can keep your sink drain running clear and smelling fresh by using a simple technique that involves baking soda and vinegar.

Here's what to do: Find the biggest pot you can handle. Fill this with water and set on the stove on high to boil.

Pour the baking soda down your kitchen sink drain. Push and work it down into the sink drain as much as possible. Pour vinegar down drain a little bit at a time, about a tablespoon at a time will work best. As the baking soda foams up, give it a few seconds before adding more vinegar until all baking soda has turned to foam.

Let that sit and work for a few minutes in the kitchen sink drain while water is heating to a boil.

Pour the boiling water down the kitchen sink drain, washing away the baking soda and vinegar foam. The foam should have broken up the fatty deposits and killed the odor causing bacteria. The boiling water will help wash it all away. As simple as that. ehow.com

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PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Cuisine

Pots & Pans

With Hajiya Ramatu Usman Dorayi

Arabian roast chicken

Ingredients: One whole broiler chicken, one cup of rice, two eggs, curry and thyme, seasoning - cubes, salt, onions fresh pepper, green pepper, 4 table spoons of groundnut oil and garlic if desired.

Method: Cook rice half done, remove from fire then add seasoning and slices onion, green pepper and fresh pepper. Beat eggs and add. Mix well then, wash chicken and remove all dirt, but do not cut then bring down the rice mixture and fill inside of the chicken with it.

Cover the filled pot with the leg of the chicken then close the neck with one whole onion. Put the chicken in a clean pot. Add some water and seasoning, curry and thyme. also add groundnut oil cover the pot and cook until all the water is absorbed, then remove from the heat and put inside the electric oven and roast side by side until golden brown, serve hot.

Mango shake Ingredients: Two large mangoes, one tin of evaporated milk, honey or sugar and water.

Method: Wash and peel mango then put in a blender and blend. Add water, milk and honey. Keep cool and serve cold.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13 JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 29

Womanhood N

ighttime waking is one of the most common dilemmas for new parents. Sometimes a baby who started out sleeping through the night will begin waking again, much to the dismay of his or her mom and dad! Here are a few simple tips you may want to try to get a bit more uninterrupted sleep:

Helping your baby sleep through the night a v o i d overstimulation. If a bath is relaxing for your little one, you can bathe him before bed. If it’s too stimulating, bathe him at another time.

Nurse in a darkened room at night when your child wakes up and wants to feed. Avoid nighttime diaper changes if at all possible. Let him know that night is for sleeping.

And don’t forget to take care of yourself!

Rest while your baby rests. This is especially important when you have a high-need baby.

Take a walk. Sunshine and fresh air are good for both of you. Going out together, with your baby in a sling, baby carrier or stroller can be a great stress

Keep to a routine. If your baby wakes up late in the morning to help make up for some of his late nights, begin waking him at an earlier time each day to help encourage him to get the sleep he needs at night — when the rest of the household sleeps.

When your baby naps, allow him to sleep in a welllit area. This will help encourage shorter naps, which in turn may help him sleep better at night.

During the day, nurse in a quiet, darkened room. You mentioned that your son isn’t very interested in daytime feeds. Babies of this age are often caught up in what is going on around them. Feeding him more during the day will allow him to meet his nutritional needs at a time more convenient to you.

Is your baby using a pacifier? If so, allow him to meet his sucking needs at your breast instead, offering nursing

in lieu of the pacifier. Regular nursing sessions during the day may help to reduce his middle of the night waking.

When nursing, allow your baby to finish the first breast offered. This will provide him with more of your rich hind milk, which may also help to space out his nighttime

feeds.

Carry your baby; this can be done with the aid of a sling or other baby carrier. This will help to keep your baby relaxed, especially during the early evening hours, encouraging an easy transition to sleep.

Keep the evening calm to

reliever.

Hoping these ideas help you to get some much-needed rest! www.ivillage.com

PAGE 30

Archives

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Do you have old pictures for memories?

Send them to julius2001_a@yahoo.com

Eastern House of Assembly, Enugu, Nigeria (1960). Nnamdi Azikiwe was the governor in the 1950s and Michael Okpara was the governor in the early 1960s

Dr M Okpara, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Solomon Lar, Jim, Melford Okilo, Aper Aku, Prof.

Kenneth Dike

First ILO African Regional Conference, Lagos, Nigeria, December 1960. From left to right: Mr. Johnson, Labour Minister of Nigeria and Chairperson of the Conference, Dr. Azikiwe, Governor-General of Nigeria, Mr. Demby, Labour Minister of Sierra Leone, and David A. Morse, ILO Director-General.

Biology lesson at Queens College in Yaba, Lagos. 1959.

Ministry of Communications and Aviation, Lagos, Nigeria 1959

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 31

Leisure WORD SEARCH

PICTURE OF THE DAY

With Augustine Aminu

A Real Lagos Child

Find the Birthday Gift related words listed at the bottom of this page in the birthday gift word search grid. The words may be forwards, backwards, up, down, or diagonal. Circle each letter separately but the letters in each birthday gift related word may be used in more than one of the words.

Birthday Gifts Word Search I

N C H I

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BOOKS BOWS CARD CLOTHES GIFT BAG GIFT BOX GIFT CARD GIVE RECEIVE PACKAGE PRESENTS RIBBONS SCISSORS SHOP TAPE THANK YOU TISSUE PAPER TOYS WISH LIST WRAPPING PAPER

Many hands in a small bowl

QUOTES Ben Okri "We plan our lives according to a dream that came to us in our childhood, and we find that life alters our plans. And yet, at the end, from a rare height, we also see that our dream was our fate. It's just that providence had other ideas as to how we would get there. Destiny plans a different route, or turns the dream around, as if it were a riddle, and fulfills the dream in ways we couldn't have expected."

"The worst realities of our age are manufactured realities. It is therefore our task, as creative participants in the universe, to re dream our world. The fact of possessing imagination means that everything can be re dreamed. Each reality can have it"

Chinua Achebe "One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised."

"Democracy is not something you put away for ten years, and then in the 11th year you wake up and start practicing again. We have to begin to learn to rule ourselves again."

Wole Soyinka

"The only thing we have learnt from experience is that we learn nothing from experience." - Chinua Achebe "Let's say there are prospects for a new Nigeria, but I don't think we have a new Nigeria yet." ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

L

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Proverbs and wise sayings —It is the boast of every juju priest that unless he dies, no thief can ever come to steal his juju away.

—What affects the nose must also affect the eyes that must weep for it.

—If a greedy eater is near a patient, such a patient can never survive.

—There is no elephant that complains about the weight of its trunk. No elephant is burdened by the weight of its tusks.

—When the elderly ones in a house travel, the younger ones quickly grow in experience.

—It is when there is a stampede, that a person with big buttocks knows that he carries a load.

—If a soup is sweet, it is money that cooks it.

—If a child is not well-behaved, she is not sent by the mother to go alone to the market to buy things for her.

—A glorious past is the work of a glorious man.

I

W R A

CARTOON

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F

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Compiled by Miriam Humbe

Elegant patched ankara still in vogue

P

atched Ankara styles elegantly made waves in the 2012 fashion season. Most fashion designers got the ladies and gents alike looking amazingly good in the most fabulous styles of skirts and blouses, gowns and shirts. The patched Ankara designs are still hot in the new year, and the favourite choice of lots of fashion conscious men and women. The African fabrics never really quite go out of vogue.

Omotola

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 33

Business

International Conference Centre, Abuja

World Bank Vice-President for Africa on official visit to Nigeria T

By Aminu Imam

he World Bank’s Vice President for Africa, Makhtar Diop will visit Nigeria on Sunday for his first official visit to the country since he assumed his new position in May, 2012.

During his stay, he will hold

discussions with key Government officials, development donors, civil society organizations, and youth leaders. He will also meet the Nigerian and international media at a press conference late Tuesday afternoon, World Bank announced in a statement yesterday .

The Vice President’s visit will afford him a first-hand opportunity

to better understand Nigeria’s development opportunities and challenges, and how the country plays a major leadership role in West Africa.

Mr. Diop, a former Finance Minister of Senegal, and former World Bank Country Director for Kenya, and later Brazil, will visit some World Bank financed

development projects in education, in order to see the Bank’s work in action, as well as how best to make its assistance more efficient and responsive to the country’s development needs.

The World Bank Vice President will also meet with President Goodluck Jonathan before departing for Washington on Tuesday 15, 2013.

World Bank’s Vice President for Africa, Makhtar Diop

FAAN records over 13 million passengers in 2012

By Ibrahim Kabiru Sule, with agency report

T

he Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN) has stated that a total of 13.4 million passengers were recorded in 2012, representing 2.4 million increase over the 11 million passengers

recorded in 2011.

According to a publication jointly signed by the Executive Officer of FAAN, Abiola Alaka and the Operation Officer, Lawal Abdulahi, which was released yesterday, indicated further breakdown of the figure showing 6.9 million and 6.5 million passengers were recorded for

arrival and departure respectively.

The publication said FAAN is maintaining “an international standard of security” in all its airports to increase the number of passengers and make the airports safe and comfortable for passengers.

It noted that the management

recorded high patronage in April, May, June, July and December 2012, and had put in place measures to ensure high record of passengers in 2013.

“Yuletide period was the peak period that the management recorded high patronage as travelers came into the country for holidays,”

the publication revealed.

FAAN, stated the publication, had been working closely with security agencies, including the Police, Customs, Immigration, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and the armed forces, to ensure adequate security of all passengers.

of 10 years. “ At the inaugural meeting, the task force called on owners of such abandoned aircrafts to evacuate them immediately because of the danger posed by such. The task force noted that some owners have responded to earlier appeals by the Authority and are already making arrangement to evacuate them.” FAAN told reporters through its spokesperson Mr. Yakubu Datti.

Datti said It will be re-called that several appeals have been made in

the past to remove the abandoned planes by the authority, including meetings with the owners and publication of paid notices in various newspapers in the past five years.

He said “Some of the owners of these abandoned aircraft had taken FAAN to court over this issue and got court injunctions that made it difficult for the Authority to carry out this exercise before now. Some of these cases have now been concluded hence the commencement of the disposal

exercise, for the abandoned aircraft which cases have been concluded.”

Also, chairman of the task force, who is also the Director of Airport Operations, Capt. Henry Omeogu calls on all owners of the abandoned aircraft to evacuate them, as a last and final warning.

Failure to abide by his appeal he warned will necessitate a drastic action by the authority to clear the airports of “these encumbrances.”

However, some of the owners of these abandoned aircraft had taken FAAN to court over this issue and

got court injunctions that made it difficult for it to carry out this exercise before now. Some of these cases have now been concluded hence the commencement of the disposal exercise, for the abandoned aircraft which cases have been concluded.

It could be recalled that FAAN had made several appeals for owners of these abandoned aircrafts including meetings with the owners and publication of paid notices in various newspapers in the past.

...to inaugurate task force on abandoned aircrafts From Suleiman Idris, Lagos & Ibrahim Kabiru Sule, Abuja

T

he Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said it has inaugurated a task force on the disposal of abandoned aircrafts in all airports across the country.

It said the composition of the task force has become necessary because the aircraft constitute a serious safety hazard on the airside, apart from being an eyesore at the airports saying some of the aircraft have been abandoned for upwards

PAGE 34

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12— SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Business Agric Ministry, NEXIM set to import 100 rice mills from China T

he Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has entered into an agreement with the Nexim Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to bring in 100 rice mills from China.

Dr Olumuyiwa Osiname, the Rice Value Chain team leader, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Osiname said that the mills would ensure that local rice was processed to meet

international standard.

According to him, the mills will be strategically located in all the states in the country, with each state getting at least two rice mills.

He said that states with higher rice production would get more than two mills.

According to him, the first 40 mills will be installed before June 2013, noting however that Nigeria has constraints in rice production.

Cue in audio “ We have recognised the constraints; first

of all, the quality of our rice.

“Most of them are not long grains and then, they are not being processed right.

“The manual processing like parboiling, soaking, sometimes give the rice odour, which many consumers don’t like.

“There are technologies now that can process the rice the same way as they process in India or Thailand.

“We will take the stones off, we will take the smell off, we will polish and we will package.” Cue out audio

NEXIM boss, Robert Orya Osiname said that the Federal Government had provided farmers with improved seeds to boost rice production in the country, adding that the seeds were distributed to farmers to ensure that paddy for the mills were of good quality. “This would make our local rice to be globally accepted.”

He identified two improved rice varieties as upland and lowland or irrigated systems, adding that the irrigated rice was considered as one of the most promising as it produces the highest yield per hectare of

all the rice systems. Osiname said that such rice variety also offered the chance for two croppings per year.

He said that total rice production expected under the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) by 2015 was 5.1 million tonnes of milled rice.

“When the 5.1 million tonnes is added to about 1.3 million tonnes being produced by farmers who did not join the ATA, the total national production of milled rice would amount to 6.4 million tonnes.”

Agro-business trainees sell off working tools in Zamfara

S L-R: Executive Director, C II&T, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, Mr. Philip Ikeazor , and Representative of Director General, International Crop Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics, Dr. Waliyar Farid, at the International Conference on Agric Financing held recently at Transcorp Hotel, Abuja.

Income Tax: Lagos seals 5 companies

T

he Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) has sealed five companies in the last two days for refusing to remit over N25.2 million income tax. A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) covering the enforcement team reported on Friday that four of the companies were closed on Jan. 9, for failing to remit N23.3 million taxes. The other company was sealed on Jan. 10, for illegally owing N1.97 million tax debt. Mrs Folasade Coker-Afolayan, the Head of Enforcement Unit of LIRS, told NAN that the companies defaulted in the remittance of

the Personal Income Taxes of their workers.

Coker-Afolayan, who led the team, said that the tax liabilities range from one to six years. She said that payment of taxes was a civic responsibility of everyone. She added government needed the taxes to provide infrastructure for economic growth and improved standard of living.

“Tax payment is a civic responsibility of everyone because it enables government to provide adequate infrastructure for the people,” she said. Coker-Afolayan urged taxpayers and companies to imbibe the habit of prompt

payment of taxes for government to serve them better.

She warned the sealed companies not to violate the laws by reopening their premises for business, reminding them it was a criminal offence. However, the team leader advised the affected companies to produce evidence of their tax payment, if they had any. She also solicited for taxpayers’ cooperation to enable the tax officers perform their duties effectively.

Coker-Afolayan warned that it was a criminal offence to assault them while on official duty. (NAN)

ome youths trained under the agro-business empowerment scheme in Zamfara have sold off working equipment given to them by the state government, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

NAN investigations revealed that some of the beneficiaries of the scheme sold off their take-off packages at give away prices in spite of several warnings by the government against such practice. Some of the items sold were tanks and hose given to those trained on irrigation farming.

At Talata Mafara Local Government, five beneficiaries sold the water tanks given to them as start-off capital to a private sachet water company at the cost of N10,000 per tank.

NAN learnt that the amount is 50 per cent less than the cost price. Lawali Yusuf, one of the beneficiaries, told NAN that more than onethird of the youths who received training on poultry farming also disposed of their

start-up facilities. Another beneficiary, Musa Ibrahim, told NAN that some of his colleagues sold their tools and used the proceeds to take care of pressing family problems.

M e a n w h i l e , Alhaji Abubakar Abdu, a consultant to the programme, said that the government was aware of the development. He said that the state government was taking “drastic” action to recover the items.

NAN also gathered that Sen. Ahmad Sani, in whose constituency the project was executed, had warned that those involved in the sale of the items must return them before Monday, Jan. 14, or be prosecuted. A total of 276 youths were trained in various agro-allied businesses such as irrigation and poultry farming in December last year under the programme.

The programme, which was initiated by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, was aimed at empowering youths in agroallied business for self-reliance.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 35

Entreprenuer

Katsina baker, Kado pay workers a million naira monthly F

rom a humble background, Abdulqadir started his education at the Qur'anic school before gaining western education. He was fondly called Kado by friends, relatives and business associates.

He started his primary school education at Garama Primary School, Katsina, and then attended the Arabic Teachers' College, Katsina and Government Day Secondary School where he eventually completed his secondary school education at the Kofar 'Yandaka area of the state.

The most interesting aspect of Kado's life is that he holds a Diploma in Financial Management from the Hassan Usman Katsina Polytechnic and a Higher National Diploma in Accounting and is currently preparing for his ICAN professional examination, but never in his life did he ever contemplate working as a civil servant after his studies.

Speaking about how he grew up, he told Our Correspondent in Katsina, "since I grew up I never fancied government work because I wanted to be self reliant'. He said 'a business man without education is operating at a risk and will not grow or develop his potentials'.

Kado's story He started bread business after completing his secondary school when he joined the Brigadier Bread as a sales boy and in 1989, he joined Nakowa Bread also as a sales boy and later rose to the position of Assistant Manager and eventually he became Manager. Kado said he acquired all his academic qualifications while working in the bakery. He disclosed that it was in 2000 that he decided to quit working for others and set up his own bakery since he had acquired experience in bread production.

Abdulqadir invited two other people who were his relations to help him start the new enterprise.

"When we started, apart from the machines that we purchased we didn't have a single kobo to begin production', but due to their determination they bought two bags of flour and engaged 10 staff to start work. Kado then struggled to buy four bags of flour because he was determined to kick off the business which he envisaged was lucrative. The idea of purchasing four bags of flour

Alhaji Abdulqadir Abdullahi is the Chairman of Katsina State Bakers' Association, and General Manager Alliance Bread, Katsina. Armed with good business vision though penniless, he was able to achieve success through hard work, discipline and commitment. Lawal Sa'idu Funtua, captures the story of the Chief Executive of one of the most popular bread making outfit in Katsina, Alliance bakery.

Alhaji Abdulqadir Abdullahi was to forestall shortage of the commodity and ensure that bread would be produced the next day. Since then Kado has never looked back as he now has 64 workers and produces 40 bags of flour daily. "I pay them a weekly salary of N250,000.00 which translates to N1 million in a month".

The chief executive of Alliance Bread stressed that businesses like bread baking serves a huge number of people, especially children who have been known to love bread a lot.

'Those you see selling our bread on the road in Katsina, get it from us on credit and they would make returns after sales.

For instance, if we give you bread to sell you will make a return of N300 daily or weekly as the case may be while the bulk on the money remains as your capital'. On how he is coping with the huge clientele,

he noted that with the help of God he has been able to cope considerably, as he has even

been able to acquire new machines and erect new structures for the expansion of the business.

He however stressed that his philosophy about business is discipline, prudence and hard work no matter how little your resources. In his words: "You see even in our difficult years, when we started this business we never borrowed a single kobo from any individual or bank.

We use what we have at all times". Abdulqadir said most businesses flop because its operators fail to differentiate between business and leisure, adding 'you can't take money from your business, squander it and expect it to grow. Any business that is run that way would surely flop'.

However, the major factor militating against small scale businesses according to Abdulqadir, has been lack of support from government. He said he never received any support from Katsina State Government. He similarly stated that there was a time the Katsina State Governor Alhaji Ibrahim Shehu Shema promised to assist members of the association but said they are still waiting. Abdulqadir added 'governor Shema has good intention to assist us, in fact we presented our request to him and he gave approval but we are still waiting for the release'.

Abdulqadir also lamented

that one of the major factors retarding their growth was lack of stable power supply. He said 'if we have stable power supply I can comfortably employ 100 people in my bakery'. The chief executive said by Nigerian standard he is comfortable with life as he has one wife and five children. On why despite the fact that his business is booming, he has only one wife, Abdulqadir jokingly said 'let me pay back the debt of those who supported me in life before taking more wives'.

“

The idea of purchasing four bags of flour was to forestall shortage of the commodity and ensure that bread would be produced the next day. Since then Kado has never looked back as he now has 64 workers and produces 40 bags of flour daily

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

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”

OUR PEOPLE

OUR VISION

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

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER ALI M. ALI

HEAD, ADVERT/MARKETING HUSSAINI ABDULRAHMAN, CNA

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MANAGER, ADMINISTRATION HASSAN HAMMANYAJI

HEAD, LAGOS BUREAU ADESOJI OYINLOLA

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

Nigeria: Must we let this house fall?

Re: Sovereign wealth fund WRITE TO US T

he year 2002 was a very tense year in Nigerian politics. The members of the House of Representatives were dead set on impeaching President Obasanjo.

Peopled mostly by members born after the civil war, they were not in the mood to bother about consequences of their action.

For quite a number of them, Heaven could fall but Obasanjo must go.

It took a lot, involving so many actors and players to eventually stall this. As a ministerial aide, I observed how some of the actors played out their intervention, especially the media end. But the ultimate peace makers were General Yakubu Gowon and Alhaji Shehu Shagari. They were the ones who got Speaker Ghali Na’Abbah and his colleagues to reckon with the implications and get off that course. Their summative point of entry was: How can you impeach Obasanjo when we have not put behind some of the consequences of June 12?

The logic of this recollection is that it is not in every circumstance that the formal organisation of power and authority works.

In many circumstances, especially in very fragile polities where power does not reside in a father figure or some form of enlightened dictatorship, they rarely work well and informal intervention has to be relied upon.

This is so basic that it does not have to be belaboured.

As everyone else has observed and concluded, the situation today is, indeed, very ominous. Nigeria today is like a condemned criminal on a death row waiting patiently and helplessly for his or her appointment with death. Every weekend, we hold our breath for one form of violence or another. Or hear voices confidently proclaiming how Lord Lugard has provided for secession in the amalgamation document. Beside these, the society has progressively been deteriorating in every sphere under the weight of complete elite failure.

It is very surprising that a nation in this situation will still be engrossed in nothing but elaborate scheming for office in 2015 by an army of ambitious individuals, most of them without any road map(s). This is in spite of the clear signs that no election looks feasible with the existing level of violence in addition to that which the gangs and militia already assembled will unleash as the elections draw near. All of these point to the impossibility of convincing and honourable victory by any party or candidates anywhere in Nigeria in 2015. Instead, it would be war of all against all across

Peoples Daily Weekend welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed to: The Editor, Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja.

Email: letters@peoplesdaily-online.com kindreds, clans, villages, districts, local government councils, within and between states, religions, ethnic groups, regions and even the arms of government.

This is a calamity for any society. We would continue to have nothing to show for democracy if we don’t break out of this bondage of democracy defined by a zero-sum calculus.

We need restoration through good sense, a process which cannot be handled by the players who are already in the political trenches, waiting to unleash private armies made up of a generation that has known only violence but nothing of “respects for others, of productive work, of planning, of family life”.

Nigeria can still avoid collective ruin to which it is stubbornly heading again by quickly shedding our reservations against some of our senior statesmen and investing them with the task of somehow bringing down the temperature and getting the country off its current date with anarchy. The truth is that Nigeria has simply exhausted the potentials of electoral democracy and nothing less than this sort of intervention will stop the House from crashing under the weight of multiple contradictions.

We have no better alternative at the moment than that of our most senior statesmen, although, as card carrying members of one political party or another, I don’t know how General Obasanjo, Buhari and IBB would fit into the category of senior statesmen even as I can’t contemplate their absence from such a make or break intervention. There is no reason why these few and those who just have to be co-opted in for the necessary balance cannot come together for Nigeria at this point when it is very clear that that the state itself is distressed and authority has broken down. They would merely be repeating what they have helped to accomplish in other deeply divided societies in Africa.

There are also no alternatives to them at a time like this when the big powers are all troubled at home and/or have good reasons

not to be too bothered by a country whose elite are so lumpen that they simply can’t get it right. And at a time when the internal structures and mechanisms that should moderate democracy and governance such as the intelligence community, the bureaucracy, the intelligentsia and the political parties are all in indeterminate state.

Comparatively speaking, only the media is awake, whatever deformities observable there.

One, the lesson of the past thirteen years in Nigeria is that freewheeling democracy cannot bring about beneficial politics. Nigeria has reached a point where only a leadership deliberately and consciously decided will serve the objective of good governance. This time, it should be done by senior statesmen. I am not ignorant of real and apparent tension between these men. But this should not stop them from coming together for Nigeria at a time like this if they are, indeed, statesmen.

Two, unless some people are persuaded to sacrifice their ambition for Nigeria, there is very little hope. And there are many such people in the country right now.

Three, could an Assembly of Statesmen come up with a considered position with a better understanding of what is really going on? At the least, their position will be on record.

Is it Boko Haram we are dealing with or something more systematic but using Boko Haram’s name?

Four, it is about time Nigeria decides on her fatal infatuation with the so-called market forces economy. For, that is the origin of the present peril. A bureaucratic state like Nigeria cannot deliver social transformation through private enterprise of parasites, cabals and foreign surrogates. More so that what we have as the organised private sector here is in no managerial and technical position to run the commanding heights of the economy and create the millions of jobs we are looking for. At the same time, it amounts to an oddity to expect the private sector of other countries we are competing with in the

international market to run the commanding heights of our economy for the good of the Nigerian people. Why did Niger Republic not wait for foreign investors before building own refinery, from where we are embarrassingly importing refined products now. Are we beyond shame?

In fact, Nigeria must be the only country of its size and potentialities to believe that her competitors will teach it how it will supersede or beat them to it. The Asian Tigers never waited for anyone. In most cases, they ignored the promoters of market forces. It is a matter of commonsense that if the IMF could not persuade President Obama right there in Washington from pumping billions of dollars into saving privately owned automobile companies in an advanced industrial economy, then we here in a tomato and garri economy have no business even talking about market forces because our economy is a pre-market economy.

Who, for God’s sake, is preventing the Federal Government from building a refinery in each of the six geo-political zones as a matter of national emergency warranting withdrawl from external reserves by an Act of the NASS? The statesmen should make a statement on this especially as they, with the exception of Gowon and Buhari, are the ones guilty of taking us down this hopeless direction.

Finally, the statesmen should make a statement on the cheap and silly orchestration that Lord Lugard said after 100 years, anyone could secede. The realities of the modern state make it a very backward agenda which only our kind of elite will even mention without shame. Is Lugard from Obalende or Zaria or Buguma or Wukari?

If going back to history were to work, then the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, many countries in Southern Africa, several countries in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America will never be what they are today as they will be permanently sorting out historical claims of who was where. The impossibility of neatly separating Nigerians into the different ethnic, linguistic and territorial identities means that breaking up is only a way of humiliating ourselves further by throwing our people back into the dark ages at a time of unbelievable advances in science, technology, medicine, engineering, architecture and agriculture.

Adagbo Onoja is at the University of Ibadan

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 37

Opinion Sure-P chicanery and the fear of subsidy removal in 2013

By Theophilus Ilevbare

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igerians celebrated the new year with curious optimism inspite of repeated assurances that subsidy will not be withdrawn by the federal government in the new year but for an administration renowned for its double standard, January 1, 2013, brought memories of President Goodluck Jonathan’s new year gift to Nigerians in 2012 - the partial removal of fuel subsidy.

The occupy Nigeria protest, took centre stage at about this time last year as Nigerians took to the streets to protest the hike in pump price of fuel from N65 to over N141 before it was reduced after negotiation between the organised labour and the federal government to N97. The Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) was set up by President Goodluck Jonathan, as an interventionist committee to manage the proceeds from fuel subsidy removal. It is now officially the latest addition to the ever increasing conduit pipes employed to fritter away public funds and a perpetration of the legacy of failed promises that Nigerians have become accustomed to.

Lamentably, the Jonathan administration has demonstrated with the SURE-P that proceeds from total withdrawal of subsidy at any point in time will translate to nothingness to Nigerians.

The Christopher Kolade-led committee has been very busy duplicating projects and defrauding the nation by making double

payments for projects already embarked upon and financed by the various ministries and agencies amid other frivolous reasons the committee chairman outlined for expending billions of its budget.

During the Obasanjo tenure, billions were paid to the Paris Club as debt relief facilitated by the present Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She and her economic team told Nigerians at that time that settling its huge debt will mean freeing up much needed fund in subsequent years which will translate to prosperity for Nigerians in the long run, but it turned out to be just another utopian ambition of the Nigerian government past and present.

Echoes of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of the General Ibrahim Babangida military junta resonates the SURE-P of the Jonathan government.

SAP’s high hope of an improved social service, infrastructure and human resource development were dashed. Till this day, those promises never came to fruition.. .

The Refineries are part of the grand fraud perpetrated and perpetuated by the Jonathan government. The proposed $1.6billion as announced by Minister of Petroleum Denziani Alison-Madueke to be spent on Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) on the moribund refineries is just another indication of the perfidy and insincerity in the oil industry. This is in addition to the colossal funds injected since 1997 that have left the refineries in worse state. The Idika Kalu National Refineries

Special Task Force recommendation that the government dispense with refineries in 18months should immediately be implemented General Sani Abacha, awarded a major contract valued at $215 million in 1997 for Kaduna refinery. In 1998, the Abdulsalami Abubakar administration set aside $92million for the refineries without achieving any result. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo frittered about $350million on rehabilitation of refineries and pipelines. The absurd injection of billions continued in 2007 when $54million was doled out for TAM of the Kaduna refinery. The rot in the oil sector can’t get any messier as it is not rocket science for the Jonathan government to comprehend that these refineries are a waste of tax payers money.

The world over, refineries are constantly changing hands with private sector partnership.

The Nigeria government with its awful antecedents of managing its establishments should not have any business with the day-to-day management of refineries. They should inject funds into it and make it viable for private investors takeover.

It is a ruse the theory the government peddles around that the price of petroleum products will remain high except the sector is deregulated by removal of subsidy. The likes of Singapore, India and some other countries without oil deposit import about 70% of their crude oil, they refine sufficiently, petroleum products for use

locally and even more for export to other countries like Nigeria.

For the foreseeable future, government must forget about total removal of fuel subsidy after all most OPEC countries still subsidise fuel prices. It should rather channel its effort to prosecute those indicted by the House of Representatives Ad Hoc committee on fuel subsidy and whoever found guilty, must return his share of the stolen billions in subsidy loot.

Rather than spend N251billion on the repair of three refineries in the country as the Minister of Petroleum, Mrs AlisonMadueke, recently intimated the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), brand new refineries running at full capacity, working alongside some proposed modular refineries is the way forward to ensure sufficiency in local refining of petrol. It is only when these are on ground that the government can revisit the TAM for the near obsolete refineries on ground.

In 2013 and beyond Nigerians must resist every attempt to remove the partial fuel subsidy, a policy that the President and his aides have long ago, made up their minds to withdraw, he only seem to be buying time before he completes the last lap of his systematic removal of the other half of what remains today as subsidy.

Sadly, the Jonathan government is perturbed by the subsidy rather than the corruption in the scheme and other sectors of the economy and his only solution to the sleaze is to completely remove subsidy. theophilus@ilevbare.com

In defense of CBN under Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

By Auwal Shehu

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ccording to some national papers including Business Times, the National Assembly members from both chambers will begin a deliberation that will strip the powers of the Central Bank from overseeing or better put regulating the affairs of other commercials banks in the country.

No reasons were stated in the reports by the Assembly member whom both the papers quoted, as why it is more appropriate to transfer this CBN functions to the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

Part of Central bank functions as enumerated in our O level economics text is; National Bank for the commercial banks. This in advance economic school transcends our junior understanding were the limited expectations were for the Central bank to print paper money for the banks and keep excess money by other commercial banks.

In advanced way the Central bank flexes some input to what and how the commercial banks in the country should operate and be managed. These are the core issues that regulatory functions revolved around.

Operationally there are guidelines from point one, expected by an interesting potential customer of what to table as particulars before an account is opened to all other requests and entitlements. Similar manual of procedures for the bank management team are equally enumerated. Few important guidelines related to the customer involve articles that protect him as an individual with his money, property, documents or valuables entrusted to the bank. Other guidelines protect the bank as an agent to the national economy against trouble-some customer and other forms of insincerity.

Paradoxically the involvements of Central bank between the customers the national economy policy and commercial banks are dovetailed and balanced. A customer should enjoy the protection of his government against crooks and fraudsters.

The bank supposed to enjoy an enabling and

safe environment to set up its operations while the National interest ought to be preserved.

Prior to the privatization policy through S A P, the federal government been a notable share holder in the bank capital base formation appoint the bank management teams with periodic mandate to report directly to the Central bank, but the privatization arrangements warranted for private bank licenses to some groups that met certain standard through loosed control by the government. There were banks operating only within Lagos there were some operating through super bankers like Omana Omana, there were some that do not open to the customers but used their licenses solely to bid for the foreign currencies. Under such loosed policy, Money launders and drug peddlers became bank owners.

Regulatory bodies like CBN, NDIC, and External Auditors exerts loosed control with limited power to sanction erring managements partly due to the absence of stakes from the government in the composition of the needed take up capital and the fear of the customers fate should the bank license be revoked. This situation led to colossal lost by many customers after some banks went down. Private bank owners used innocent customer’s deposits to finance political party, many engaged into unsecured policy lending, others financed oversea based business.

These absurd developments continued with the customers at lost and government policy short changed up to the recent drama that led to the direct involvement of the CBN under Sanusi Lamido. Numerous cases of false profit declarations were reported. Risk management books were doctored between banks through personalizing the release of data. Ethics and professionalism thrown to the gutters and direct theft by some management teams exposed, leading to arraignments and prosecution of many.

Procedurally the CBN acted in the national interest to fashion out operational system for the banks that tally with the

overall interest of the economy through measures like interest page, capital base, cash deposit limits, periodic snap checks, and credit ratio, authentication of profits among many.

Despite all these some banks found way to cheat the system until now when the loose regulatory rope is tighten and bail out policy introduced to save major victims. Is this what the national assembly members want to rescind or transfer to the Charted Institute of Bankers? Nigerian constitution does not apportion such role to this body despite the fact that Assembly members make laws. But common sense expects that the role of Charted Institute should be limited to promoting ethics and professional development in the banking sector just like the guile of Doctors.

The institute failed to even exercise these roles when it is no longer relevant by many bankers to attain peak without passing through any form of training or accreditation by the organization. The institute was silence where many bankers were denied their severance packages. It was silent were qualification to promotion was replaced by the volume of deposit mobilization, were our daughters were pressurized to immorality through indecent attires and deposit marketing. The charted institute lacked national identity when cases of sentiments and victimization characterized its operations. Ethically the agency lacked any discipline when many a times it lobbied for training projects amongst the management of many banks.

Referring to recent case of the introduced bail out measure where the CBN doled out money to augment the mismanaged capital base of some affected banks, how could such prompt solution be made by the Charted Institute? More over what will be the composition of the Charted Institute of Bankers management be? How long will the bank industry wait to harmonize the interwoven feature of NDIC with the Charted Institute of Bankers just as is obtained between CBN and NDIC? Even the advanced economies are

contemplating to replace sheer capitalism or privatization policy with the current promoted policy of Public Private Partnership after the expose of some notable financial institutions undermined their national economic interest.

Some banks were found in profitable romance with drug Barons and terrorist network. Must we tread the same path before prevention which serves well than cure?

One is tempted to assume that the lostout bank owners are desperate to reclaim relevance and set to continue their corrupt attitudes. They will stop at nothing to detract this honest role provided in ensuring customers protection. Any attempt by the Assembly members to promote a rescinding role of the CBN to the malfunctioned Charted Institute of Bankers will automatically be hijacked by these faceless cabals with sinister plan. The aged long practice that accorded them glamour and wealth through the sweat of innocent depositors should not be allowed to continue.

National Assembly members should find way to stop Sanusi Lamido from saying the truth if that is unconstitutional or they should put their houses in order. Remarks that are sincere and touches on every individual Nigerian by Sanusi will always find listeners and a space within the daily papers. Honesty is the only thing that the gentleman has over them. Striping the CBN role on commercial banks will directly affect nothing personal to the CBN governor but innocent citizens. The governor is certain to leave the sit some day as others have done but policy can have a wider bearing effect on the national economy.

Assembly members should deceased from contemplating personality clash using our collective economy. Those that erred are castigated through the dictates of the national law and if they seek redress our court system are full gurus to determine their misgivings.

Certainly there are chunk of available other members who can see through this smokescreened regional news paper report. shehual@fastmail.fm

PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12— SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Features How police unmasked killers of Kano legislators

By Edwin Olofu

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t the height of the Boko Haram insurgency, many political office holders were apprehensive of the activities of the insurgents. To make matters worse the group had threatened to carry out attacks on political office holders in the north and made good their threat in some states where political office holders were attacked and killed. In Kano most of the political office holders did not take the threat seriously not until recently, when unidentified gunmen in November 2012, killed a lawmaker, Honourable Ibrahim Abba Garko, member representing Garko constituency in Kano state House of Assembly.

An eyewitness account said that two gunmen riding on a motorcycle trailed the lawmaker to one of his meeting areas in Unguwa Uku and shot him to death.

The account added that the lawmaker was chatting with his friend when the gunmen opened fire at them and shot him in the head and chest, while two of his friends also sustained injures from the gunshot, before fleeing the scene.

Until his death, Garko who was elected under the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shortly after he was elected.

Barely a month after the incident, another House of Assembly lawmaker, representing Gaya constituency on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) Alhaji Danladi Isa Kademi was killed by gunmen in a bizarre circumstance at his Guest House along Ring road in Hotoro maradi quarters .

Sources said Kademi, who was the former ALGON chairman, was believed to have been trailed by two gunmen riding on a motorbike to his Guest House and opened fire on him at close range, killing him instantly.

The slain Kademi was the former chairman of Gaya Local Government Area before his election to the State House of Assembly in 201.

Immediately after Garko was shot dead, the state Security Council held a meeting to review the security situation and subsequently announced the reversal of the curfew imposed on motorcycles from 6.am to 8.am, to become from 6.am to 6.am.

Although this didn’t deter the murderers of Kademi who, killed him before the motorcycle curfew time started.

Again, two weeks after Kademi was gruesomely killed, the Interim Management Chairman of Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State, Alhaji Kambai Sumaila, narrowly escaped death when gunmen attacked him at the state capital, killing his driver while Sumaila sustained injury and has since been treated and discharged from hospital.

Alhaji Saleh Kura (L) and Lawan Ibrahim The brutal killing of the duo and the narrow escape of Sumaila raised dust and serious apprehension in the state especially among political office holders that became very careful about their movements. The circumstances of their murder resembled the manner the insurgents carry out their acts.

However, politicians were taken aback when the Kano state Police Command paraded the alleged killers of the two legislators revealing the identities of those behind the killings.

Among them was the alleged sponsor of the killing, a PDP chieftain in Kano Alhaji Saleh Kura, whom one of the principal suspects Lawan Ibrahim who had confessed during interrogation that he hired them to kill the two legislators.

According to Ibrahim, Kura promised to pay them (assailants) the sum one hundred thousand Naira (N100, 000) each after they had carried out the dastardly

act with advance payment of N30, 000.

Kura, a politician and business man, who was the PDP chairman of Tarauni Local government in Kano, and chairman of Sabon Gari Amalgamated Traders Association, denied knowledge of what transpired when he was interviewed by newsmen at the Police Headquarters of the Command, and was paraded alongside the principal suspect Ibrahim.

Contrary to Kura’s denial in a taped confessional statement Ibrahim vividly gave the account of how Kura allegedly recruited the killer gang.

Lawan Ibrahim narrated how it happened thus, in answering questions the by interrogators respectably.

Who are you? My name is Ibrahim Lawal; I live at Layin Yarabawa Ungwa-Uku. I had my primary school education at Ungwa Uku, and proceeded to Government secondary School

“

The target was identified and we went out of our way to spray bullets on others within the vicinity to avoid any of them recognising us

Bichi. I ventured into professional dying after I dropped out of secondary school. I maintained a shop at Layin Tazarce at the same quarters.

Lawal in the said clip in response to why and how he joined the dreaded Islamist group, known in the local parlance as Boko Haram, the suspect in a loud voice declared that “I am not a member of Boko Haram; I am a Hired assassin and armed robber.

We operate a group of 6 and all of us live at Ungwa Uku” The officers at this moment showed signs of discomfiture over the revelation, and the leader of the group managed to asked, Tell us more about your group?

Ibrahim Lawal in the said clip revealed thus: “we have Sagir Yahuza of Farin Massalaci Ungwa Uku, Surajo Adamu of Layin Tazarce Ungwa Uku, Tasiu Shuaibu of Layin Yarabawa Ungwa Uku and Mohammed AbdulSalam of Layin Tazarce Ungwa Uku quarters in Kano metropolis”.

Speaking further, Lawal Ibrahim stated that “I was personally recruited into the group by Alhaji Saleh Kura who happens to be my neighbour and we have been enjoying close relationship since 1999 when he became the PDP chairman of Tarauni Local Government of Kano state”.

Asked to comment, on the criminal gang, the self-styled hired assassin revealed that “we are not only into killing we also engage in violent robbery operation and in most cases Alhaji Sale Kura usually provides us with a concoction to drink

before embarking on an operation. This drink gives us courage to confront any risk head on”.

Commenting on the recent exploit that led to the death of two local MP’s in Kano, Ibrahim Lawal said “we were mobilised by Saleh Kura, who personally handed over to me N30, 000 twice and we trekked to the target abode while some other members of the gang arrived separately on a bike and at this point, Saleh Kura was already with the late Abba Garko”. He stated that “The target was identified and we went out of our way to spray bullets on others within the vicinity to avoid any of them recognising us”, he maintained further, “the gang escaped in the ensuing melee”. Asked why Saleh Kura was spared, Lawal retorted, “he is one of us, how do you expect us to pull the trigger on him?”

The interrogation drew to a close with a question on how he was captured by the police.

Lawal stated that “I was with Mabo, the leader of the gang when we received a call that an unknown person was sighted around Mabo’s shop and we quickly armed ourselves and moved in but on arriving at the shop, the said person was nowhere to be found” He added that “as we were returning to my shop on a motorbike we were accosted by a team of police officer who arrested me but Mabo was lucky to escape” The police command said the duo have been charged to court while the manhunt for the fleeing members of the gang is on.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 39

UN urges swift deployment of troops to Mali

Rebel fighters have gained control of the north, where they have imposed strict Islamic Shariah law [AFP]

T

he UN Security Council has called for a swift deployment of foreign troops to Mali to rein in ultraconservative armed groups in charge of the country's north.

The call on Friday comes as

the fighters are vowing to capture more territory in the West African nation.

Diplomats at the UN in New York said Dioncounda Traore, Mali's interim president, had appealed to Paris and UN chief

Ban Ki-moon for help.

Citing a letter from the president, Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the UN, said: "It basically said: 'Help - France'."

France is Mali's former colonial ruler and the two

UK police report 50 years of Savile sex abuse

B

ritish police say that Jimmy Savile, the late BBC star presenter, was a "predatory sex offender" whose victims were as young as eight years old, according to a newly

sight", but that he could have been prosecuted.

Police says the scale of Savile's sex abuse was "unprecedented in UK".

They have recorded 214

victims at 57 medical establishments, including mental care facilities and a hospice, as well as 14 schools and 33 television or radio studios; 73 percent of his alleged victims were under 18. Eighty-two percent of his alleged victims were female.

Police found no "clear evidence" suggesting Savile was part of a paedophile ring.

Syria rebels capture key Idlib airbase

S The BBC has faced heavy criticism for its coverage of the allegations against Savile [AFP] released extensive report.

Savile preyed on children and adults in hospitals and even a hospice, according to the report, released by the police and child protection services on Friday.

The television presenter was accused of having committed more than 200 sex crimes over more than half a century, from 1955 to 2009.

Police and child protection authorities found Savile used his celebrity status to "hide in plain

offenses committed by Savile, including 34 rapes. In all, 450 people have come forward with information about abuse by the late TV presenter.

Victims ranged from a 10year-old boy sexually assaulted after he asked for an autograph to children groped when they attended a popular music show.

Commander Peter Spindler of the Metropolitan Police said Savile's offending was "vast, predatory and opportunistic".

Savile allegedly abused

yrian opposition fighters have overrun Taftanaz airbase, the largest in northern Syria, after several days of fierce combat, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.

Anti-government activists said fighters from Jabhat alNusra and other groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad seized control of buildings, ammunition and military equipment in the sprawling Taftanaz airbase in northern Idlib province on Friday.

"The fighting at Taftanaz military airport ended at 11:00 am (09:00 GMT) and the base is entirely in rebel hands," said Rami Abdel Rahman, the director of the UK-based rights group, on Friday.

countries maintain bilateral relations.

Francois Hollande, the French president, told a meeting of diplomats in Paris on Thursday his country would respond urgently to Mali's appeal, but would only act under the auspices of the UN. "They are trying to deliver a fatal blow to the very existence of this country," Hollande said of the Islamist groups that control the north of Mali.

"France, like its African partners and the whole of the international community, cannot accept this."

Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Paris, said French military officials would neither confirm nor deny reports that French troops had already arrived in Mali.

"We did hear from a spokesman with ECOWAS, the bloc of West African nations, that the UN has endorsed to go in with a military force into Mali ‌ They did almost as good as confirm that the French were there but they're saying the French are there purely to train Malian troops and to offer logistical support."

Following an emergency meeting on Mali, the Security Council called for a "rapid deployment" of an agreed African force to the country and expressed "grave concern" at the capture of the town of Konna by "terrorists and extremists groups".

Indian envoy summoned over Kashmir clash

P

akistan has summoned the Indian ambassador to Islamabad to protest against the death of another Pakistani soldier in what it said was a second cross-border attack by Indian troops in the disputed region of Kashmir.

A Pakistani spokesperson said that the soldier was killed on Thursday - the third deadly incident and fourth death reported in five days in the disputed Himalayan region, which is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but ruled in part by each.

The Indian envoy was told that the attacks were "unacceptable", Pakistan's foreign ministry said.

Pakistan said the soldier died as a result of "unprovoked" fire from India.

The Pakistani government called on India to investigate the "repeated" violations of a ceasefire that has largely held since 2003. It also repeated its offer for an independent inquiry to be held under the auspices of the United Nations, an offer India has rejected.

On the ground, more than 300 people demonstrated in Pakistani-administered Kashmir on Friday, condemning Indian aggression and accusing Indian troops of ceasefire violations, police said.

The crowd condemned the killings of Pakistan soldiers in the state capital Muzaffarabad and dispersed peacefully, local police chief Raja Shafqat told AFP.

Landslide smothers village in southern China

A

t least 29 people have died and dozens remain missing after a landslide swept through a village in the mountains of southern China, local government and state media have said.

The landslide smothered 16 At least 29 people have been confirmed homes on Friday dead while dozens remain missing after a morning in landslide in China's Yunnan province [Reuters] Zhaojiagou village, and hours later more than 40 and earth.

Behind them stood hillsides people were missing, said a notice posted on the website of and pine trees covered in snow, Zhenxiong county in Yunnan signs of the unusually cold province, where the village is winter that has hit all of China.

Reports did not say what located. triggered the landslide, but Rescuers recovered 29 such events do occur bodies, among them a family of periodically in the region, seven, said a report on the which is prone to earthquakes website of the Yunnan Daily, the and heavy rains. official newspaper of the In a nearby county, 81 provincial government. people died after an earthquake Photographs posted on the in September. news site showed rescue crews A month later, a landslide in orange jumpsuits using buried a primary school, construction machinery to sift leaving 18 students and one through massive piles of mud other person dead.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 40

Features T

he Nigerian policeman represents the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He has the backing, authority and power of the government, and should be seen as such. This means that the public should accord him a high level of regard, especially while carrying out his lawful duties.

However, this is not the case as there have been incidents of assault on policemen in contravention of Section 89 of the Police Act. Is the assault on our policemen and policewomen as a result of ignorance of the law on the part of the public, or a matter of a prophet not being accorded honour in his community, or the image that the policeman has carved for himself?

Why are policemen not accorded that deserving respect, as accorded other members of the armed forces? After all, these same people have lost their lives while trying to save the lives and property of other citizens, excelled and won laurels in local and international assignments, although, just as in any profession, there are few rotten eggs among them. According to the police act, it is an offence to assault a policeman or obstruct him willfully in the performance of his duties. Many cases of alleged assault of policemen are, however, pending at various magistrates' courts, in Lagos state for instances, and same may be happening across the country.

Some of such cases pending before the Magistrates' Courts of Lagos State include that of one Sanjo Somodiya, a commercial motorcyclist who allegedly assaulted Corporal Jimoh Omiyi, on Aug. 23, 2012. Somodiya was accused of biting the policeman on the chest while resisting arrest at a suspected marijuana smokers' black spot in Somolu. The case is before a Somolu Magistrates' Court. Also, Michael Odunlami is standing trial before the same court for assaulting Sgt. Jamiu Enang, a member of the police anti-robbery team.

He allegedly conspired with others at large to hurl stones on

Why policemen are often assaulted the policeman on Sept. 3, 2012.

Wole Coker, also a commercial motorcyclist, was arraigned on Sept. 10, 2012 over beating of Sgt. John Orogbo, who attempted to arrest a suspected robber being transported by Coker. Magistrate Ope Agbe of an Igbosere Magistrates' Court on Sept. 19, 2012, sentenced unemployed Lawal Adeola (25) to four months' imprisonment for beating up Cpl. Nnodi Joseph who attempted to arrest him. Analysts blame such assaults on alleged bad conduct by the police.

They say that such assaults are a revenge for alleged injustices on the citizens by the police. According to them, many members of the public do not have confidence on the police's ability to protect them, and, thus, do not earn public respect. A trader, Mrs Dayo Banjoko, alleges that the police have lost public trust and respect because of their alleged corrupt acts and regular harassment of innocent citizens. ``They just stop people and search their bags and, sometimes, seize their property without a cause,'' Banjoko says.

A commercial motorcyclist, Mr Akpan Oboti, also believes that such assaults are an expression of anger. He claims that policemen unjustly harass and extort money from commercial motorcyclists, motorists and other Nigerians. A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr Babatunde Awotubo, calls for effective measures to improve the relationship between the police and the public. He is of the opinion that cordial relationship between the two groups will reduce the assault.

An officer trying to stop a vehicle in its track

IGP MD Abubakar ``Public attack on the police is borne out of provocation due to perceived injustice by the police who, in many cases, do not act in line with their code of conduct,'' Awotubo observes. The lawyer also urges re-orientation of the citizenry about the duties of the police. He also calls for adequate education and remuneration of police officers and men to enable them to stop extortion of motorists and other members of the public.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mrs Funke Adekoya, wants the Federal Government to provide funds for the development of forensic services in Nigeria to boost the performance of police and secure public confidence on them. ``Everyone knows that forensic

investigation-- finger print identification, for instance -- is the basic rudiment of any police force. ``It will reduce the cumbersome nature of investigation, and ensure precision. ``This may gradually restore public confidence in the Nigerian security operatives," Adekoya says. Some policemen, who will not want their names to be mentioned, however, blame the trend on alleged public hatred of the police because of their constitutional roles of arresting and prosecuting crime suspects. They claim that every Nigerian is likely to commit crimes, and consequently sees the police as enemies.

A corporal says that many police officers and men are committed to their duties but that some bad eggs among them have tarnished the image of the force.

He is of the opinion that inadequate remunerations especially for policemen, have pushed some of them into extortion through other illegal acts. ``Many policemen are

frustrated as a result of their poor welfare and support system, besides the hazardous nature of our job,'' a police sergeant says. He admits that some over-zealous policemen have infringed on the fundamental rights of some individuals. This, he says, has led to public aversion for the police. ``It's a fact that some policemen have overstepped their bounds and have misrepresented the force by their poor attitudes, which have resulted in public aversion for the police,'' the policeman remarks. Analysts say it is high time the police built a positive image through commitment to duties so as to gain public trust and respect.

They say policemen and women need complete reorientation and should see themselves not as instruments of oppression, bully and harassment as in the colonial days, but as a true friend who is needed in time of help. Afterall, if there is trouble, people still run to the police to complain, not to criminals.

(NANFeatures)

A female officer knocked down by a vehicle which tried to escape

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 41

Weekend !

Daniel Akpeyi: Chance to prove himself!

Austin Ejide: Out of the Nations Cup?

Nations Cup: Ejide needs 14 days to recuperate

By Patrick Andrew

A

ustin Ejide’s ham-string injury may take no fewer than eight days to heal and a further six days for the player to fully recuperate and be in the physical and mental health to return to action.

The verdict was handed down yesterday by the Eagles’ medical team, who ruled that the tear to the goalkeeper’s tendon was slightly more serious than was initially thought of and as such he must not be rushed back to training.

Nonetheless, Head Coach Stephen Keshi is optimistic that Ejide may be back before Nigeria’s opening game. “In fact, he should be ready for our opening group game against Burkina Faso on January 21”, he said yesterday at the

Keshi: Going gray over goalkeepers’ palava

* Akpeyi on stand-by * Dik e ma yy et mak e team Dike may yet make team’s afternoon training session in Faro, Portugal.

“The doctor has explained that he has started his recovery therapy already and in four days, before we leave Portugal for South Africa, we should have a progress report on whether he has improved or not.

“If we have any negatives we may be forced to make a change but we don’t expect that. However we are still keeping Daniel Akpeyi in camp to forestall any unforeseen circumstance”, Keshi explained.

Though they did not out-rightly ruled him out of the continental

fiesta beginning next weekend, it seems logical to conclude that he may as well be out of the 29th African Cup of Nations based on CAF statutes on such situations.

CAF’s rules specifically states that any injured player in the 23man list be substituted 24 hours before the team’s opening game a failure to do so means that such team shall lose such chance.

Going by the medics’ verdict,

Ejide shall have fully recuperated by January 24 by which time the Eagles would have their first two games against Burkina Faso on January 21 and on the day they are to clash with the defending champions, Chipolopolo of Zambia.

The decision to retain Akpeyi pre-supposes that Keshi, likely the medics, does not want to rely on Ejide whose health condition would remain suspect even after he may

have fully recovered.

Meanwhile, Bright Dike could still be part of the 23-man squad going by Keshi’s decision to retain the player in camp as one of the two stand-by players. Though Raheem Lawal had been sacrificed for Brown Ideye, fillers from the camp in Faro, has that the technical crew may reconsider the inclusion of Brown or either of the two domestic league players listed in the Eagles’ forward.

Perhaps, after today’s closed door game against FC Rotterdam, Keshi would make up his mind on whether to stick to the initial list or announce changes.

NFF board member docks in Niger From Illya Garba, Minna

A

member of the Nigeria Football Federation, Mallam Ahmed Yusuf aka Fresh risks imprisonment if found guilty by a Chief Magistrate Court 6, in Minna, Niger state where he is standing trial over allegation of criminal conspiracy and breach of trust, contrary to sections 103 and 228 of the Penal Code.

Ahmed was alleged to have conspired with some employees of Chanchaga local government council to collect large sums of money some unsuspecting customers/traders autensibly to assist them purchase stalls at the Kure Ultra-Modern Market.

However, trouble began for the

NFF board member, turned ‘business connector’ was unable to provide them with their paid for stalls when they sought to take possession of the stalls.

They learnt later that their assumed stalls had been allocated to ‘genuine’ owners even as Ahmed was unable to give satisfactory answers to their inquiries.

The traders initially threatened legal action but were persuaded to tarry awhile yet Ahmed could not allay their fears.

Consequently, they decided to lodge a formal complaint with Magistrate Court 6, Minna presided over by Hajia Aminat Musa when it became obvious that they might not be refunded their money with relative ease.

Peoples Daily Weekend Sports

gathered that the Presiding Magistrate summoned Ahmed to appear before the court but he failed to comply on several occasions thereby forcing the court to issue a warrant of arrest on him.

“Fresh” as he is fondly called was later arrested and remanded in the police custody on the orders of the Chief Magistrate, but was later released while the case was handed over to the Tudun-Wada Police Station in Minna for proper investigations and prosecution.

Following the conclusion of the initial police investigations and the submission of the First Information Report, he was taken to court while the case was thereafter adjourned till January 15 2013 when trial may likely begin.

PAGE 42

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Liverpool, Man United rekindle great rivalry L

iverpool host Man United in a tasty clash that will bring face to face the English premiership’s leading goalscorers: Robin van Persie and Luiz Suarez.

And it is a rivalry of note as it rekindles pleasant memories. Both clubs are the two most successful in the history of English football, and clashes between them have traditionally been major fixtures in the season.

Liverpool have not featured in the Premier League title race for the last few years, though, and ahead of tomorrow’s meeting at Old Trafford, the gap between them in eighth place and Sir Alex Ferguson’s troops is 21 points.

However, the duel between both has never been dull irrespective of the form of either team. Sunday’s clash will not be an exeception, especially considering that the Reds seems to have improve on their offensive play.

WEEKEND EPL QPR vs Tottenham Aston Villa vs Southampton Everton vs Swansea Norwich vs Newcastle Stoke City vs Chelsea Sunderland vs West Ham Fulham vs Wigan Reading vs West Brom Sunday Man Utd vs Liverpool Arsenal vs Man City La Liga Valladolid vs Mallorca Espanyol vs Celta Vigo Osasuna vs Real Madrid Valencia vs Sevilla Sunday Betis v Levante R/Sociedad v Deportivo Atletico Madrid v Zaragoza Malaga v Barcelona Serie A Bologna V Chievo Inter v Pescara Sunday Torino v Siena Parma v Juventus Udinese v Fiorentina Lazio v Atalanta Napoli v Palermo Cagliari v Genoa Catania v Roma Sampdoria v AC Milan Lique 1 Troyes v Lyon Rennes v Bordeaux Montpellier v Lorient AS Nancy v Lille Evian TG v Brest Sunday Reims v Bastia Nice v Valenciennes Sochaux v Marseille

Everton eyeing Champions League spot as Swansea call

E

Robin van Persie Liuz Suarez

While it has been Manchester City - the reigning champions - and Chelsea battling United for the league title in recent campaigns, Paul Scholes has no doubt Liverpool “historically are our biggest rivals”.

He said: “Whether Manchester City have overtaken Liverpool now (as United’s biggest rivals), I don’t know...it’ll probably take years for City to create what Liverpool have done.

“But Liverpool historically are

Stoke City may end Benitez’s sojourn at Stamford Bridge

R

afael Benitez’s brief sojourn at Stamford Bridge may well be over this weekend if he fails to produce a result that would gladden the hearts of Roman Abrahamovic and the Blues’ faithfuls.

Rcent form suggests his Chelsea side’s best hope of reigniting their season lies away from Stamford Bridge, with Swansea’s stunning defeat of the Blues a painful reminder of the poor home runs.

The Londoners have looked formidable on the road, in stark contrast to the European champions’ form at home where successive defeats have severely dented their bid for honours this season.

And Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat

by Swansea in the first leg of the League Cup semifinal provided a focus for the discontent that has been building up around the club over the past few months.

Chelsea supporters greeted the loss with fresh condemnation of both interim manager Benitez, his fellow Spaniard and misfiring striker Fernando Torres, as well as slamming the clubs failure to offer a new contract to fans’ favourite Frank Lampard.

It didn’t help that Chelsea’s previous appearance on home turf had seen them fall to a shock 1-0 defeat to Queens Park Rangers

who sit at the foot of the Premier League table, a result that all but ended the Blues’ title hopes.

Those results overshadowed the impressive victory at Everton and the confident 5-1 defeat of Southampton in last weekend’s FA Cup third round, Chelsea’s fifth successive away win in domestic competitions.

Benitez must decide whether Torres or Demba Ba offers the more effective cutting edge.

Ba scored twice on his debut against Southampton and had an effort ruled out for offside against Swansea after appearing as a late substitute, suggesting he is the striker in form.

Rafa Benitez

our biggest rivals, they’re always the biggest games and the best atmospheres. But I’m sure City will run them close.”

New Liverpool signing Daniel Sturridge, who scored on his debut in the FA Cup last weekend, has raised the stakes ahead of the trip to Old Trafford by claiming the Reds are the biggest club in the league.

“It is the biggest club I have ever played for. In the Premier League, there is no bigger club than Liverpool.” said the former Chelsea forward, who described the Reds as one of the biggest in the world when he signed last week.

Besides, Robin van Persie and Luiz Suarez will be hoping to jank up their goals haul, a possibility that the clash provides.

The Uruguayan should be more effective than ever now that he has the complement of Daniel Sturridge.

United though will have to strengthen their backline while hoping that Pepe Reina will be as inconsistent as ever to allow van Persie to find target.

Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Team Man Utd Man City Tottenham Chelsea Everton Arsenal West Brom Liverpool Swansea Stoke West Ham Norwich Fulham Sunderland Newcastle Aston Villa Southampton Wigan Reading QPR

P 21 21 21 20 21 20 21 21 21 21 20 21 21 21 21 21 20 21 21 21

W 17 13 12 11 9 9 10 8 7 6 7 6 6 5 5 4 4 5 2 2

verton host another of the Premier League’s surprise packages when Swansea head to Goodison Park on Saturday, with Leon Osman confident the Blues can maintain their challenge for a Champions League spot.

The Welsh side will arrive in Liverpool still fresh from their 20 League Cup semifinal first leg victory at Chelsea.

David Moyes’s Everton have built on a fine finish to last season by pushing for a place in the top four, with just one defeat in their last 10 matches in all competitions.

They go into the clash with Swansea two points behind fourthplaced Chelsea, although the European champions have a game in hand.

Swansea have built on their fine debut Premier League season under Brendan Rodgers, now manager of Everton’s local rivals Liverpool, since Michael Laudrup took charge at the Liberty Stadium ahead of the current campaign.

Swansea have lost just four Premier League matches on their travels all season and they are unbeaten in their last six matches.

One of the many highlights of Laudrup’s reign has been the form of £2 million ($3.21 million, 2.45 million euros) pre-season signing Michu.

The 26-year-old Spaniard, who joined from Rayo Vallecano, scored his 16th goal of the season in the victory at Stamford Bridge.

Swansea midfielder Leon Britton believes Michu’s impact at a new club has been similar to that of Robin van Persie, who has scored 20 goals in all competitions since joining Manchester United from Arsenal for a far more expensive £20 million in the close season.

Laudrup’s only absentee is Neil Taylor and the defender will miss the entire season with an ankle injury.

D 1 6 3 5 9 7 3 7 8 11 5 7 6 7 5 7 6 3 7 7

L 3 2 6 4 3 4 8 6 6 4 8 8 9 9 11 10 10 13 12 12

GF 54 41 39 39 35 40 29 34 31 21 24 24 32 21 27 17 27 22 23 17

GA 28 19 27 19 26 22 27 26 26 20 24 34 37 29 39 41 38 39 40 36

GD 26 22 12 20 9 18 2 8 5 1 0 -10 -5 -8 -12 -24 -11 -17 -17 -19

Pts 52 45 39 38 36 34 33 31 29 29 26 25 24 22 20 19 18 18 13 13

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Consultant hopes 2013 will be a better year for golf

PAGE 43

Former 15km world champ Limo goes into ‘limbo’

he well-known Kenyan distance runner Felix Limo has taken a bow from the game that gave him world acclaim. The Kenyan chose to hang his spikes after attaining a top-level career that spanned more than a decade.

He twinkled and sparkled in the 15km marathon race in 2004 when he became the world’s fatest man on the road. He first came into lime light when he ran 27:04.54 for 10,000m for second place at the 2000 Van Damme Memorial meeting in the Belgian capital of Brussels, which is now one of the finals of the IAAF Samsung Diamond League.

But road race was his forte and on 11 November 2001, he ran 15km in 41:29 at the Seven Hills Run in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, famously beating Haile Gebrselassie.

The time was the inaugural standard for the distance when the IAAF ratified road running world records at the start of 2003 and stood as the best time ever until November 2010.

Limo, now 32, ran his first marathon in 2003 when he finished second in the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:06:42, at the time the second fastest debut ever.

The following year, he was the fastest man in the world over the classic distance when he won the 2004 Rotterdam Marathon in 2:06:14. Later in 2004, he won the Berlin Marathon in 2:06:44.

Between 2004 and 2006, he won four out of his five marathons, his other victories coming at the 2005 Chicago Marathon and 2006 London Marathon, the latter in 2:06:39.

Although those three years can be considered to be the pinnacle of his career, and he was arguably the number one marathon runner in the world during that period, he remained close to the top of his profession until the end of 2012.

“At the end of last year, I had some tough decisions to make. I had some back problems which meant I could not train as well as I would have liked, which lead to me dropping out of the Toronto Marathon last October,” reflected Limo.

“In fact, I have had back problems for a number of years. They have never been serious but were the reason why I also dropped out of the Chicago Marathon in 2007 and they have become a little worse in recent years.

“I feel confident I could still run marathons in 2:09 or 2:10 but I can’t do the intensity of training that I was able to do seven or eight years ago. I also have to be realistic, those times are not going to get me into the top three of the best marathons these days,” added Limo, with a smile on his face.

“In addition to obviously spending more time with my family, I’m looking forward to being able to devote more of my energies to my business affairs away from athletics as I have interests in real estate, dairy farming and tea plantations.

“However, I will always run, I love the sport. I would like to thank the man most responsible for my success, Patrick Sang, who coached me throughout my career and adidas, who supported me for many years.

“I would also like to thanks all the race organisers I have dealt with over the years.

They were very kind and generous to me,” commented Limo.

Baas in the eleventh round.

He retained the belt by knocking out Gideon Buthelezi of South Africa in the second round before losing to Porpramook; his only defeat in 13 fights.

The 27-year-old Cabarca has a record of 13-6, with 5 knockouts. He made his professional debut in June 2006, losing on points to David Paz, and in October 2011 he was outpointed over six rounds by Karim Guerfi.

Cabarca had only two fights last year.

He beat Manuel Videas on a split decision over eight rounds and stopped the inexperienced Jonatan Bravo in six.

The challenger has never been beyond eight rounds and has fought outside Panama only once. He is likely to lose inside the distance.

On the same card, Ricardo Dominguez takes on Luis Arceo in a lightweight rematch over ten rounds.

Dominquez has twice challenged for a world title and his record stands at 36-82, including 22 knockouts. Arceo’s is 2411-4; 17. When they fought in March 2011, Dominguez won on a split decision.

In Mexico City, WBC Continental Americas super-featherweight champion Dante Jardin defends his title against

Carlos Cardenas of Venezuela. The 24year-old Jardin has compiled a record of 21-3; 18. Cardenas stands at 20-6-1; 13.

S

amuel Emehelu, a golf consultant, said the country’s golf circuit might record a more successful year, if the Professional Golfers Association could sustain the 2012 momentum.

Emehelu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said in Lagos that with more corporate sponsorships in place, the sport could soar to the desired height.

“Golf will grow tremendously this year if we can consolidate on the achievement of last year, more golf courses are sprouting up now; for instance in Akure, we now have one.

“And towards the end of last year, we witnessed the biggest golf tour, sponsored

by Globacom Telecommunications, which shows that golf is gradually gaining ground,” Emehelu said.

Emehelu said the recent collaborative efforts between the PGA and Globacom was a foretaste of what lies ahead if the partnership was sustained stressing more of such partnership are likely to be seen this year.

“It is essential for the development of golf,” the consultant added. He stressed that with more championships, players would be kept busy all through the year, thereby improving their ratings internationally.

“Nigerian players will be better off for it, they will make more money and remain in form, and their rating too in Africa and the world at large,” he said.

It would be recalled that the Glo Golf Tour West Africa, which was held from Nov. 8 to Dec. 9, 2012, coursed through some major golf courses across the country. The tour featured 50 amateur golfers and 300 professionals in each of the cities that hosted the event, plus prize money of N62.5 million attached to it.

Major golf turfs like the Asaba Golf and Country Club, the Sagamu Golf Club, the IBB Golf Course Abuja and the Oturkpo Golf Course, where the tour ended, all rose to the occasion.

T

Kuroda to challenge WBA champ as Hernandez stakes WBC title

M

asayuki Kuroda will challenge WBA flyweight champion Juan Carlos Reveco for his title on February 27.

The Japanese fighter’s handlers said on Monday Kuroda would fight the Argentinian at the Todoroki Arena in Kawasaki near Tokyo.

It will be a first shot at a world title for the 26-year-old Kuroda, who is ranked ninth by the WBA and has a record of 21 wins, including 13 knockouts, against three defeats and two draws.

Reveco, a former light-flyweight champion, has 29 wins, including 16 knockouts, and has lost only once.

Meanwhile, Adrian Hernandez, one of many Mexican stars, is scheduled to make the first defence of his WBC junior flyweight belt when he takes on Dirceu Cabarca of Panama in Toluca tonight.

Hernandez, who has a record of 25-21, with 16 knockouts, comes off an impressive sixth-round stoppage win over Kompayak Porpramok, a 46-3 veteran. He won the WBC light-flyweight belt on April 30 2011 when he stopped Gilberto Keb

Adrian Hernandez (252-1, 16 KOs) regained his WBC light flyweight title by dethroning the reigning champion Kompayak “Suthico” Porpramook (46-4, 31 KOs).

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUYARY, 2013

PAGE 44

Prodigals and new sons PICTORIAL

F

or many footballers January is a time when suitcases are packed and transfer deals signed. Anxious for a new challenge or surplus to requirements, a host of players have been on the move in the first few days of 2013, returning to places they once called home or checking into pastures new.

FIFA.com rounds up who has gone where at the start of the latest transfer window.

The host nation of the FIFA Confederations Cup this year and the FIFA World Cup™ 12 months later, Brazil has welcomed home three of its European exiles.

Central defender Cris has swapped Galatasaray for Gremio, and while it might be too late for him to resume his international career, fellow returnees Alexandre Pato and Renato Augusto are both hoping to be back in the yellow and green of Brazil at some point.

Having both spent five years in Europe, with AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen respectively, the front-man and the attacking midfielder have teamed up at 2012 Copa Libertadores and FIFA Club World Cup champions Corinthians.

England’s Joe Cole has made a much shorter journey in returning to his roots, departing Liverpool for West Ham United, the club that discovered him and which he left in 2003 to play for Chelsea, the Reds and Lille.

Without a club after leaving Portsmouth last August, former Hammers man Tal Ben Haim has been given an opportunity to relaunch his career at the age of 30 by Queens Park Rangers. The West Londoners will be the Israeli defender’s seventh English Premier League side, Ben Haim having enjoyed previous spells with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.

One man leaving England is Portuguese forward Bebe, who has made just two appearances for Manchester United since joining them in 2010. Farmed out to Besiktas last year, he has now joined Rio Ave in his native country on loan.

Italy forward Giuseppe Rossi has also headed home following six years in the yellow of Villarreal. After suffering a long-term injury and relegation to the Spanish second tier last season, Rossi is hoping to regain his form and his international place by signing for the ambitious Fiorentina. Impressive during a loan spell in 2011/12, Antonio Floro Flores is back in Serie A too, returning to Genoa after ten La Liga outings for Grenada, where he

Johan Djourou

Alexandre Pato arrived last summer.

Born in Martigues and starring latterly with Valenciennes, Algerian international Foued Kadir needed little persuading to return to his native Provence and fulfil a childhood dream by signing for Olympique Marseille. Fellow local Florian Raspentino is leaving l’OM on loan for Brest, having failed to impress in a striking role since moving from Nantes to the Stade Velodrome at the start of the season.

Former Ghana captain John Mensah is also Brittany-bound, linking up once more with Rennes, the club where he burst on to the scene between 2006 and 2008 before enjoying stints with Lyon and Sunderland.

The experienced Pablo Guinazu is retreading old ground too. Following an illustrious five-year stay with Brazil’s Internacional, the Argentinian midfielder has rejoined Libertad, with whom he won the Paraguayan title in 2006.

In contrast a clutch of players have decided to make fresh starts, though a few of them will at least have some familiar faces for company. A case in point is Colombian midfielder Pablo Armero, who has left Udinese for Napoli, home to six other South Americans, among them his compatriot Juan Camilo Zuniga.

In a similar vein, attacking midfielder Ivan Perisic, a Bundesliga winner with Borussia Dortmund, has been reunited with Croatia team-mate Ivica Olic at Wolfsburg, while Switzerland’s Abidjan-born defender Johan Djourou should have no trouble settling in at Hannover alongside Ivorian forward Didier Ya Konan and former national team colleague Mario Eggiman.

Over in France the exciting Lucas Moura can count on fellow Brazilians Thiago Silva, Maxwell and Alex to help him find his feet at Paris Saint-Germain after completing his move from Sao Paulo, announced last

Demba Ba summer. And Newcastle United’s latest purchase from Lille, full-back Mathieu Debuchy, will be sharing a dressing room with five compatriots, including fellow France internationals Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa.

Senegalese striker Demba Ba has cut his ties with the Magpies and left for Chelsea, where he has already made an impression by scoring twice on his debut against Southampton. Daniel Sturridge exited Stamford Bridge on the eve of Ba’s arrival and has enjoyed a similarly productive start with new employers Liverpool, taking just seven minutes to open his Reds’ account in last week’s FA Cup tie at Mansfield Town.

Arsenal’s Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh will be hoping to make an instant impact of his own when he begins a loan spell at West Ham, as will young Chilean loanee Angelo Henriquez at Wigan, the 18-year-old goalgetter having played nothing but reserveteam football since moving to Manchester

United from Universidad de Chile last September.

A winner at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1997, 32-year-old Brazilian midfielder Matuzalem has decided to extend his stay in Serie A, where he has spent nine years in all throughout his long career. A Lazio man since 2008, the veteran will now be helping Genoa in their fight against relegation. ExBiancocelesti team-mate Tommaso Rocchi is anxious to keep his career going at the age of 35 and has made the switch to Inter Milan in a bid for more first-team football, the striker having played just three times this season.

One place off the bottom in Italy, Palermo are banking on the seasoned exNapoli duo of Salvatore Aronica and Andrea Dossena, 34 and 31 respectively, to shore up their leaky defence. At the other end of the table, meanwhile, Juventus have spirited international defender Federico Peluso away from Atalanta to fill in for the injured Giorgio Chiellini.

One of several players opting for a complete change of scene is Guillaume Hoarau. Sidelined at Paris Saint-Germain by a certain Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the French forward has upped and left for Chinese club Dalian Aerbin. Also China-bound is Bosnian playmaker Zvjezdan Misimovic, formerly with Wolfsburg and Galatasaray, who has cut his ties with Dynamo Moscow to join Guizhou Renhe, while Boca Juniors legend Rolando Schiavi has decided to put his retirement plans on hold and sign on the dotted line for Shanghai Shenhua.

There is a big change in store for Portuguese wide man Ricardo Quaresma, who has ended his two-year association with Besiktas to join Al Ahli of Dubai, where he will come up against Japanese forward Takayuki Morimoto, now with Al Nasr after spending six years in Italy with Catania and Novara.

The final destination in our whistle-stop transfer round-up is Korea Republic, where Korea DPR international Jong Tae-Se has proved there are no boundaries on Planet Football by joining Suwon Bluewings. Born in Japan to a North Korean father and a South Korean mother, the 28-year-old forward has made the move from Cologne, the Bundesliga outfit he joined last year, and is the fourth player from north of the Korean border to play in the south.

Rolando Schiavi

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 45

Table tennis: After dinner palour game

By Augustine Aminu with Agency report

T

he game originated as a sport in England during the 1880s, where it was played among the upper-class as an after-dinner parlour game. It has been suggested that the game was first developed by British military officers in India or South Africa who brought it back with them.

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 golfball 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 popularity of the game led game manufacturers to sell the equipment commercially.

Early rackets were often pieces of parchment stretched upon a frame, and the sound generated in play gave the game its first nicknames of "wiffwaff" and "ping-pong". A

number of sources indicate that the game was first brought to the attention of Hamley's of Regent Street under the name "Gossima". The name "ping-pong" was in wide use before British manufacturer J. Jaques & Son Ltd trademarked it in 1901. The name "ping-pong" then came to be used for the game played by the rather expensive Jaques's equipment, with other manufacturers calling it table tennis. A similar situation arose in the United States, where Jaques sold the rights to the "ping-pong" name to Parker Brothers.

Table 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.

Table tennis is governed by the worldwide organization International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), founded in 1926.

ITTF currently includes 217 member associations.

The table tennis official rules are specified in the ITTF handbook. Since 1988, table tennis has been an Olympic sport, with several event categories. In particular, from 1988 until 2004, these were: men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles and women's doubles. Since 2008 a team event has been played instead of the doubles. In 2007, the governance for table tennis for persons with a disability was transferred from the International Paralympic Committee to the ITTF.

PAGE 46

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

Busy Body

I

t can only happen in the Banana state where all caution is often thrown to the wind before things are done or undone. Government, in the Banana state, is of the first family, for the first family and by the first family. That means, according to Busy Body’s information, all the juicy contracts are undertaken by the first citizen, the first lady and the first children, directly or through fronts (individuals and or companies).

Only recently, his son was awarded the contract to supply official cars, Toyota Avensis, to all the chairmen of the 30+ local government councils in the state.

He did, at the cost of N8million each.

The traffic light in the state capital was contracted by the son as was the solar street light in all the local government headquarters.

The wife, not long ago in the

The Banana State news for the wrong reason, has the landscaping contract of the new heaven under construction in the state capital.

As for oga patapata, he is being ably fronted for, so Busy Body heard, by a Chinese company, an Italian company and a Nigerian company, not necessary in that order.

The lord of the manor is often heard boasting that being a lawyer, he has covered his tracks so well that even the combined might of all the world’s anti graft agencies are unlikely to be any the wiser about the abracadabra he had performed on the state’s funds, and the local governments’, also. For instance, whenever there is need to release money to the local governments, about 70% is added over what

each is to receive, after which they are verbally directed to return the excess to the government house as a “donation” to you-know-who.

However, Busy Body has learnt that the man, who has placed his kinsmen in strategic offices in the state, is now in a dilemma over who to pass on the baton to at the end of his tenure, because it has got to his ears that his anointed successor and friend of long standing has voiced his distaste (into the wrong ears, of course) at some of the governor’s daring dirty deals. A fake member, the anointed successor is said to have said that there was no way some of the governor’s shenanigans could remain undetected ad infinitum, or forgiven for that matter.

Not long ago, the man came out with the harebrained idea of building an aircraft hangar in the state “where African countries can repair their aircrafts” (a clear white elephant project, if there is ever one), but abandoned it when news got to him that the opposition had vowed to go to court to stop him the moment he announces the scheme.

Two days ago, in what is clearly an attempt to cut the sail off the recent report from the office of the Statistician-General of the National Bureau of Statistics which rated the state as one of the top poverty stricken in the country, N20, 000 was given to 10 people in each ward in all the local government areas as subsidy

empowerment fund. As for the rest of the people in the state, they are on their own.

For a state that has for long been production line of sorts for shakers and movers, including Heads of state, in the country, Banana and those who consider themselves its and the nation’s leading lights have become a disappointment for many within and without its borders. Cowed by the governor, whose notoriety for tightfistedness is second to none, the so-called leading lights have been reduced to only whispering to one another how the state came to be saddled, and how to deal, with the haughty one. One of them recently approached an irritant opposition figure in the state and sounded him out on how to “take on” the haughty one, to which the later retorted that “you and your party forced him on the state, so you should be man enough to bear your cross without whining”.

People

The rising political profile of Tambuwal at 47

By Mohammed Isa

P

rior to his dramatic, albeit rebellious emergence as Speaker of the House of Representatives in June, 2011 against the well laid mines, very little was hitherto known about Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who clocked 47 years on January 10.

However, his little known political status was overnight shot into national prominence after his colleagues in the House, shortly after their inauguration defied all the pressure and subtle blackmail from both the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the presidency, who were averse to the emergence of independent minded presiding officer of the Green Chamber, overwhelmingly elected the Sokoto born lawyer cum politician as their speaker.

Since then, Tambuwal has never disappointed, nor looked back in his zeal to fulfill his promises to his colleagues and Nigerians to restore the lost glory of the House, ensuring good governance, accountability, probity and restoration of the hope of Nigerians in government and the country.

His actions and utterances had so far yielded positive results considering the level of goodwill, appreciation and awards he garnered from across the broad spectrum of the nation in the last one year.

Shortly after his election, Tambuwal left no one in doubt about his determination to make a difference in discharging his mandate, when he said in in his acceptance speech: “We acknowledge that the dignity and integrity of this Honourable House have been

called to question. We must possess the humilitv that commands introspection. We accept responsibility for our failures and ask Nigerians for their forgiveness.

“Mindful of lessons of the past, we will open a new chapter. We will commence a new era for responsibility. This House will act responsibly in all its endeavours. We will be responsive, transparent and accountable in all we do. We must recognize one common truth — we are the people’s representatives.”

With this mindset, Tambuwal hits the ground running by conducting the affairs of the House in a manner never witnessed since the return of democracy in 1999, by ensuring and jealously guarding the independence of not only the Green Chamber, but the entire legislature as an institution, without minding whose ox is gored.

Not only that, the present House had since its inauguration, apart from exposing massive corruption in several government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), also intervened and ensure the reversal of some government policies it viewed as anti-people.

Some major achievements of the House under the leadership of Tambuwal are investigations into the fuel subsidy scam which discovered a fraud running into more than one trillion Naira, investigation into the rot that bedeviled the nation’s capital market, insistence of the National Assembly on full implementation of the 2012 budget; the list is endless.

However, the main achievement recorded so far is the early passage of the 2013

budget last December, the first of such feat since 1999. There was a time a budget was passed six month into the fiscal year.

The sterling leadership qualities of Tambuwal which so far kept the House rancour-free have not gone unnoticed, as the Speaker in 2013 was honoured by several organizations, institutions, governments and the media.

On November 12, 2011 the Speaker was conferred with the national honor of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) by the Federal Government and in 2012, the Sokoto state government, his home state recognised him with a Merit Award.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Sokoto State Governor, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, extolled the virtues of the Speaker and described him as an illustrious son of the caliphate that impressively lived up to the expectations of not only his colleagues but indeed fellow Nigerians.

According to him, Tambuwal had exhibited calm and responsible leadership require at the House of Representatives in a manner that strengthened the current democratic dispensation and deepened the relationship between the three arms of government.

He said: “He is straight forward, humble, tolerant, progressive and a team player.

I must say without equivocation that we are deeply proud of this public officer particularly for being a worthy ambassador of the culture and traditions that defined the enduring legacies of the seat of the caliphate in the evolution of the nation.”

As if the recognition at home was not enough, his alma

mater, the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, where he graduated from in 1991, on December 1, 2012 conferred Tambuwal with a honorary degree.

Even the media, as critical to public office holders as it is, appreciated the sterling leadership qualities of Tambuwal as he emerged the Leadership newspaper Politician Of The Year, while the Sun Newspapers few days ago capped it with its Man of the Year 2012 award on the Speaker.

The success recorded by the Speaker was driven mainly by his all inclusive leadership style devoid of ethnic, religious or partisanship consideration, just as he pledged during his inauguration, when he said: “In intra-House affairs, dialogue shall be our most potent weapon.

Our administration’s modus operandi shall be partnership and not partisanship. You elected me to be the Speaker of the whole House.

“All of you, my Honourable Colleagues, are my immediate constituency. I shall be a Speaker of and for all. Every voice in this House must be heard and respected. We can disagree without being disagreeable. Our decisionmaking process shall he predicated our rivers of ideas and robust debates.

“I choose unity of purpose over conflict and discord. We may be of differing political persuasions but we are one people and we serve one country. In accepting this challenge, l commit to work with all the parties ill this Honourable House, for the greater benefit of our people.

Your overwhelming support for us to lead this House irrespective

of our partisan divide represents a promising new beginning for the independence of the legislature.

Yes, so far so good, the Speaker has kept to his words and proved to be indeed Honourable.

Born in Tambuwal town of Sokoto state on January 10, 1966 into the royal family of Waziri Tabuwal, young Aminu attended Tambuwal Primary School, and Government Teachers’ College, Dogon-Daji also in Sokoto State where he obtained the Teachers Grade 11 Certificate in 1984.

He then proceeded to Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, where he studied Law, graduating with an LLB (Hons) degree in 1991. He did his one year compulsory legal studies at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, obtained BL and was called to the Bar in 1992.

Tambuwal was first elected into the House of Representatives in 2003 to represent Kebbe/Tambuwal federal constituency of Sokoto state under the platform of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) before he was re-elected in 2007 and 2011 under the ticket of PDP. He was at various times Minority Leader, Deputy Whip before finally ascending the throne of the Speaker.

As Tambuwal celebrated his 47th birthday last Thursday, it is gratifying to note that, so far, based on the testimonies of Nigerians across the divide, he and the entire 359 members of the House have kept their part of the contract they entered with Nigerians.

Happy birthday to the People’s Speaker.

Mohammed Isa is the Snr Special Assistant to the Hon Speaker on Print Media.

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

PAGE 47

From the Pulpit Controlling Your Temper (I)

T

GREEN PASTURES

e m p e r is another word for anger. Prov 14:29 says, "Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes." (NLT) The ability to control your temper is a proof thatyou have greatunderstanding.Fools easily act in rage. Many people have destroyed their careers, marriages, families because of lack of control of their temper. Uncontrolled anger dissipates your energy, injures your health, and closes doors against you.

Needless to say that "righteous anger" is inevitable, an expression of resentment against disobedience of God'swords,commandment,principles.

The Bible talks many times about God being angry. In Matt 21:12-13, Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves - those who were exploiting God's people. Jesus did not sin. There are other cases of what you can call holy anger in the Bible.

We can get angry at sin but not the sinner. But even at then, we must be carefulthatrighteousangerdoesnotturn tosinorisnotadisguiseforourpride,lack of love or lack of self-control. "But I say, if you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone anidiot,youareindangerofbeingbrought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell." (Matt 5:22 NLT) Everyone needs to destroy the stronghold of anger in his life. The beginning of victory is a sincere admission of your condition.

The evil of uncontrolled anger David said to Jonathan concerning the plan of his father, Saul, to kill him

(David): "If your father asks where I am, tell him I asked permission to go home to Bethlehem for an annual family sacrifice.

If he says, 'Fine!' then you will know all is well.Butifheisangryandloseshistemper, thenyouwillknowhewasplanningtokill me."(1Sam20:6-7NLT)Didyouseethat phrase? - Angry and loses his temper.

What was Saul's reaction after enquiring about David's whereabouts from Jonathan? "Saul boiled with rage at Jonathan. 'You stupid son of a whore!' he swore at him. 'Do you think I don't know that you want David to be king in your place,shamingyourselfandyourmother?

As long as that son of Jesse is alive, you'll never be king. Now go and get him so I can kill him!" (1 Sam 20:30-31NLT) Did you see how angry Saul was? Did you notice the type of language he used on his son which showed how much he had lost his temper?

But Saul wasn't done yet with his rabid show of anger. "'But what has he done?' Jonathan demanded. 'Why should he be put to death?' Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. So at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David. Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat all that day, for he was crushed by his father's shameful behavior toward David." (1 Sam 20:3234 NLT) DidyoualsonoticethattheBiblesays in that passage that Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat all that day? Jonathan's anger may be described as a righteous anger. He was angry that Saul was actually planning to commit murder - a violation of God's word. He was crushed by his father's shameful behavior towards David. But

"L

The Christian woman and her unbelieving husband FAITH DISCOURSE

ikewise ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any will obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation coupled with fear." (1Pet. 3:1and2) These are the verses of scriptures we are looking at today. The Lord is talking to us about the family.

What does a family look like? The family is made up of, the husband and a wife both joined together by the will of God, by the word of God and then they live together until death do them part. Any thing outside this is an abnormality and not according to the word of God. Now, as two people come together, they need to live together and they need to be able to have fellowship together, understanding together and live their lives in such a way that both will be happy and both will have fulfilment in that marriage.

Because the man and women are coming from different background, they may have different understanding, different world view, and different perspectives. As a result of these, they sometimes talk differently. Think differently, plan differently, yet they need to align everything together and be in agreement together in fellowship and in love.

Here is a Christian woman, the Christian wife that wants to still fulfil her duty in the family and she wants to be dear to the Lord as a child of God, but the husband is not born again and is causing some problems, opposition, persecution, contradiction and attacks against her faith. What is that woman to do?

That’s what we are learning today.

It says wives be in subjection to your own husbands. That if any of those

husbands, if your husbands in particular obey not the word, they also may be won by the conversation of the wives. While they behold, while those unbelieving husbands behold and see and they look at, and they can tell that your life is very different, ... your chaste conversation- that is, your manner of life, your character, your conduct, your lifestyle as you are now a new creature in Christ - coupled with fear. That word 'fear' is not slavish fear. But reverence and honour for the husband. Some people have a three part, kind of principle – Force, Fight and Fret. (1) They force issues. They say yes I am born again, but I am not going to take any nonsense from you. We are going to fight it out. If you do that, you become a backslider like your husband. Force will not win the day, and force will not win the game. If you are going to win your husband to the Lord, it is not by force. (2) It is not by fighting. That is not a good fight of faith, that is a bad fight and the grace of God is not going to be available in that kind of fight. Other people just (3) Fret. They worry, get anxious, nag, complain and give excuses all the time. In their fretting, they develop High Blood Pressure. The Lord is telling us then, if you are going to solve the problems in the family it is not by force, not by fighting, and not by fretting. But by the Precept.

What is the precept? Be in subjection to your own husbands.

The Purpose. What is the Purpose?

Why are you in subjection to your own husbands? That they also may

did you notice that Jonathan did not do anything destructive though he was angry? As a human being, you may be angry sometimes but control your anger.

Don't let your anger at the wrong somebody has done make you do something equally sinful.

Saul didn't succeed in killing David and his son but Cain succeeded in murdering his brother, Abel. Gen 4:5 says, "But He [God] did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry,andhiscountenancefell." (NKJV) Did you see that it was anger that provoked Cain to kill his brother just becauseGodhadacceptedAbel'ssacrifice but rejected his?

Prov 14:17 says, "He that is soon angry will deal foolishly." (ASV) Therefore,youmustlearntoalwaysbring your temper under control so that you don't say what you shouldn't say or do what you shouldn't do. Do not be quicktempered or easily provoked. (Titus 1:7) Simeon and Levi Two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, were people given to anger. Hear what their father said: "Simeon and Levi are two of a kind - men of violence. O my soul, stay away from them. May I never be a party to their wicked plans. For in theirangertheymurderedmen,andthey crippled oxen just for sport. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce; cursed be their wrath, for it is cruel. Therefore, I will scatter their descendants throughout the nationofIsrael."(Gen49:5-7NLT)Jacob was referring to the brazen murder of Hamor and Shechem, his son, with the sword and plundering of the city of Shechem because of their sister, Dinah, who had been defiled by Shechem. Gen 34:25-29 records this wickedness of

By Pastor T.O. Banso cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 Simeon and Levi.

After the incident, Jacob expressed his resentment. "Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, 'You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I."' (Gen 34:30 NKJV) But Simeon and Levi showed no remorse. "But they said, 'Should he treat our sister like a harlot?'" (Verse 31 NKJV) This wickedness of these sons was so painful that Jacob didn't forget in time - the issue came up again when he was blessing his children. He cursed their anger (not them) and pronounced that their descendants would be scattered throughout Israel, and that was exactly what happened. Be careful that you don't allow your anger to make you do what will attract the displeasure of God, your parents, your boss etc.

Permit me to stop here today. I believe God has spoken to you already.

Be a doer of the Word and not a reader alone. Control your temper. I shall conclude this message next week, and show you Samson's anger and how to overcome anger.

TAKE ACTION! If you are not born again, I urge you

WITH

Pastor W. F. Kumuyi without the word be won by the conversation. How do you win him or her back? (1) By Faith: You present this husband that the Lord who has given you grace will give him grace as well. The time will come, the day of joy and a moment of joy in your life when this man will realise the way he has been going and turn around. (2) Forbearance.

You know between the time of his unbelieving act and the time he comes to believe on the Lord and becomes saved you have to endure quite a lot of things without complaint, without compromise, without worry and anxiety. You carry the cross with a smile and the joy of the Lord will be your strength.

(3) Forgiveness: Whatever the man does, forgive knowing that he is not born again. You make up your mind whatever he says and whatever he does there is only one thing I am going to do. I am going to forgive. (4) Faithfulness. You will not say because he is unfaithful to me, I am going to show him something. Do not show him anything. You just be faithful. You have your soul to keep. You have

your salvation to guard and you have Heaven to gain. (5) Freedom. You must be free from the things that he is doing. (6) Fellowship. Do not turn your face towards the wall.

Turn your face towards him. Your husband is still your husband.

Therefore, you fellowship together in conversation, decision making and in just being happy together. (7) The Fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Gentleness and Long suffering, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance. Do him well all the days of his life. The meekness, the faithfulness, the fidelity and then; the temperance.

What a glorious day that will be when your life has such a great impact on your husband that now he comes to know the Lord, and has real Christian experience with the Lord.

The character of an unbelieving husband Likewise ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands...

The next phrase describe those husbands that ... if any obey not the word, when you find that in the scriptures, “if any obey not the

to take the following steps:*Admit you're a sinner and you can't save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life - your relationship with thedevilandhisworks.*InviteJesusinto your life. *As a mark of seriousness to matureinthefaith,starttoattendaBiblebelieving, Bible-teaching church. There you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God. Kindly say this prayer now: "0Lord God,Icomeuntoyoutoday.Iknow I am a sinner and I cannot save myself.IbelievethatJesusistheSon ofGodwhodiedonthecrosstosave me and resurrected the third day. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviourandsurrendermylifetohim today. I invite Jesus into my heart today. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God" I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where you will be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May the Lord make you a Cedar Christian. May you grow into Christ in all things becoming all God wants you to be.

word”. Who are those being referred to; (1) they are the defiant men. Those who defy the commandment of God, and they defy the plan of salvation. (2) They are disobedient. They obey not the word deliberately. (3) These are the impudent men. They deceive themselves. Sometimes, the husband will tell you, “You think I am not going to Heaven? I will tell you that, I’m going to get to Heaven before you” (Romans 10:16). "But they have not all obeyed the gospel". The only way is by your character, by your meekness, humility, by your life in the Lord.

When he is able to behold that every time and knows that this must be the grace of God in your life. That will bring this man down eventually. Not by force, not by fret, not by fighting. Romans 5:2–8 “but unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth. They are contentious, very much argumentative and you know when you are talking to your husband and it degenerates into argument. You must have the grace of God to stop discussion right at that point once argument begins, when temper begins to rise, the facial appearance is changing and once the fellow is saying well mind yourself don’t let me go beyond this. Better to stop it there, and go on your knees and present the husband unto the Lord, so that the husband will really know the Lord.

Just be in subjection that if any obey not the word, by your good conversation, by your Christian life and by Christian comportment, you will be able to win them to the Lord.

BIG PUNCH “What transpired in Abuja was a decision taken by a faction of the NWC and it’s a manipulation by few people. ” – Chief Joel Madaki, Chairman, Adamawa PDP

SATURDAY 12 — SUNDAY 13, JANUARY, 2013

North’s reverse progress

W

e have, in the last discourse, made a brief reference to what Malaysia is doing to Tabung Haji, its equivalent of our National Hajj Commission, in order to show the what can be achieved when the institutions of Islam are applied with intelligence, diligence, foresight determination and sincerity. Tabung Haji, it can be recalled is involved, apart from its primary task of organizing Hajj — a job it does to perfection — in extensive nation building to the point in which it has become integral to Malaysia’ National Plan. We have also briefly indicated the unlimited opportunities for economic growth and human development in general that are there to explore if Nigeria, for instance, were to approach Hajj intelligently and seriously.

Hajj is a transformative process, in economy, in politics, in education, in human advancement.

If you add Hajj to Zakat, to Waqf, to Sadaqa, you are approaching a unique form of developmental process aimed at achieving a higher level of social justice in society. Zakat is both a practice and a philosophy, the philosophy being that wealth must spread to the entire society, vertically and horizontally in such a manner that in the words of the Quran [59:7]:’wealth may not be [a benefit) going round and round among such of you as may [already] be rich’; the practice being to maintain, in both the society and the state, social and economic equilibrium. Waqf aims to harness individual resources for economic and social development on a voluntary, fraternal and humanitarian basis in a way that no one is left out in progress of the society.

Every person is called upon to give out a portion of what their wealth voluntarily and without coercion or blackmail for the common good. Some may establish educational institutions; others health, industrial, housing, or infrastructure; others yet may set up programs for the eradication of diseases, provision of essential needs such as water, financial assistance to small scale enterprises, eradication of illiteracy, eradication of poverty or general

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empowerment of the less privileged.

If properly harnessed, waqf may outstrip government in the provision of welfare services and human needs in general. In some countries waqf accounts for about 40% of GDP. Sadaqa takes care of many of the subtle and hidden problems, a brother taking care of a less endowed brother, a neighbor helping a neighbor with food, medicine, water or even such simple commodity as salt, a relation taking responsibility for another relation, near or distant, an orphan, a widow, an infirm, or one stricken by a blow of fate: all these are done in confidence, without exposure. Sadaqa cements the society, and removes resentment and rancor among those who are brought together by blood, marriage, profession or location.

The performance of the North in all of these institutions of Islam is no where near even the minimum. The social, humanitarian and economic potentials of Islam are not being harnessed and the results of this monumental failure are there for everyone to see. The whole society is poor and dysfunctional, and the good that should come out of Islam to benefit all people, Muslims and Non-Muslims alike, is absent; benevolence and compassion, mercy and magnanimity which should flow freely from Muslim to Muslim and from Muslim to all fellow human beings are blocked. And so the whole of society is denied the real fruits of piety and goodness: ‘truly pious,’ says the Quran [2:177], ‘is he who...spends his substance - however much he himself may cherish it - upon his near of kin, and the orphans, and the needy, and the wayfarer, and the beggars, and for the freeing of human beings from bondage; and is constant in prayer, and renders the purifying dues.’ Without sharing of wealth and prosperity, without cushioning and mutual support, the arteries of society will be blocked, and the entire fabric of society will be permeated by tension, perplexity, depression, atrophy. The society, in short, progress only in reverse order.

For wealth to go round it must be created, and the means to crate wealth that can satisfy

311 689 606 327 454

7458 1765 3308 1969 0344

WEEKEND Ibraheem Sulaiman sa427420@gmail.com

Islamic Science University of Malaysia the needs of the citizens in the modern world are well known.

But each of those means, whether agriculture or industry or any other must be anchored on science and technology, which maximizes at minimum cost. Technology makes some nations richer and stronger than others, determine the nations than can take care of their people more efficiently than others, and divides the line between those who succeed and those who fail.

For good or for bad technology matters. Knowledge matters.

And the greatest failure of the North and of Muslims in general is in the pursuit of knowledge, more acutely in the pursuit of science and technology. Lets look farther ahead into the future and ask some questions. The North is a land of agriculture. What will happen if agriculture, for one reason or another, fails? The answer, of course, is that the community disintegrates. The way agriculture continues to be neglected in Nigeria, not to talk of the steady deterioration of agricultural land, the lack of

proper maintenance of dams and rivers and the inexorable encroachment of the Sahara, indicates a possible demise of agriculture in the future. Only a gargantuan, and sustained effort on all fronts will save agriculture and save the North.

And, sadly, such effort is yet to start. The Quran [34: 17-19] has already sounded a note of warning.

When Sheba misbehaved and abused agriculture, the main source of the country’s prosperity, beauty and strength, through neglect and lack of care: ‘We let loose upon them,’ God says, ‘a flood that overwhelmed the dams, and changed their two [expanses of luxuriant] gardens into a couple of gardens yielding bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few [wild] lote-trees....and in the end We caused them to become one of those tales of things long past, and scattered them in countless fragments.’ The plight of Lake Chad gives us a foretaste of the possible fate that awaits its thirty million community. We can also ask another question.

What happens if industry fails,

because of collapse of infrastructure, as a result of corruption?

Answer, the society might collapse, either by explosion or by implosion.

We now return to the point we have raised earlier by way of conclusion, the Almajiri. It is a syndrome, a mindset, an attitude, depicting a society that recklessly squanders its vast and enviable human resource, and imperils is future. Lets go back to Malaysia. It has millions of children whose education begins with the Quran.

Whereas Northern Nigeria raises its millions of Almajirai as cobblers, nail menders or even as pimps and touts, whose lives terminate as an underclass, Malaysia gives them the ladder with which to climb to any height, intellectually, socially and politically to which any other Malaysian may aspire. Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was Prime Minister of Malaysia from1999 to 2003. He was a product of Quran School, and he attained the highest political position in his country.

Malaysia established the International Islamic University, one of the 100 best universities in the world. Its most recent university is the Islamic Science University of Malaysia, dedicated exclusively to the products of Quran Schools. The motto of USIM is: “Knowledgeable, Disciplined and Devout.” Its philosophy is to educate ‘an excellent generation and a knowledgeable society.’ Its vision is to to foster ‘academic excellence and an ummah able to contribute toward human progress, nation building and the advancement of the world.’

Its mission is to be ‘a leading centre of Islamic studies that uses advanced approaches and ICT to explore issues for the well-being and harmony of society and Islam.’ It gives equal emphasis to humanities and science and technology.

This is how Malaysia harnesses its human resources, in contrast to the colossal waste of Northern Nigeria. This also explains why President Barak Obama of United States was quick to acknowledge Malaysia’s ‘astonishing progress.’ The country takes Islam seriously, its achievement are truly immense, truly phenomenal.

Published by Peoples Media Limited, 35, Ajose Adeogun Street, 1st Floor Peace Park Plaza, Utako, Abuja. Kano office: Plot 3, Zaria Road, Opposite Kano State House of Assembly. Lagos Office: No.8 Oliyide Street, off Unity Road, Ikeja, Lagos. Tel: +234-09-8734478. Cell: +234 803 606 3308. e-mail: contact@peoplesdaily-online.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141