Peoples Daily Newspaper, Monday 18, February, 2013

www.peoplesdailyng.com

Vol. 10 No. 36

Monday, February 18, 2013

. . . putting the people first

16 killed in Jigawa auto crash

Death sentence against me miscarriage of justice- Al Mustapha >> PAGE 3

>> PAGE 3

Rabiul Akhir 8, 1434 AH

N150

2015 Guber: Akwa Ibom community opposes zoning formula >> PAGE 3

I had 9 surgeries in 1 month, says Patience Jonathan

By Abdurahman Abduraheem

F

resh information emerged yesterday when first lady, Patience Jonathan, admitted for the first time that she almost died following nine surgeries she underwent in one month during her controversial medical trip to Germany last year.

Mrs. Jonathan, speaking at a special thanksgiving service at the Aso Rock Chapel in Abuja, said

she underwent multiple surgical operations and at some point her doctors lost hope after she apparently “passed out for more than a week.”

“It was not an easy experience for me,” Mrs. Jonathan said before the congregation which included top government functionaries. “I actually died. I passed out for more than a week. My intestine and tummy were opened.”

“I am not Lazarus but my experience was similar to his. My

doctors said all hope was lost. It was God himself in His infinite mercy that said I will return to Nigeria. God woke me up after

seven days,” she narrated.

Mrs. Jonathan’s remarks at the church service, was the first time the presidency would admit

I actually died. I passed “ out for more than a week.

My intestine and tummy were opened

the First Lady was seriously sick as widely speculated in 2012.

Mrs. Jonathan was on admission at the Horst Schmidt Klinik in Germany for an undisclosed ailment although multiple reports suggested she was treated for lungs and abdominal problems.

While the news circulated, the presidency ensured an anxious public remained in the dark about her condition, repeatedly Contd on Page 2

” Gunmen kill 1, kidnap 8 foreigners in Bauchi From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

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unmen yesterday attacked a police station, killed one security guard and kidnapped eight construction workers suspected to be expatriates working with SETRACO in Jama’are, head quarters of Jama’are Local Government area of Bauchi State.

The Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Mohammed Ladan, confirmed the attack to news men in Bauchi. He said “there was an attack on Police station in Jama’are and Kafin Madaki but our policemen repelled it. The gunmen also attacked a Prison Service in Jama’are and the Contd on Page 2

PD INDEX

15th Feb., 2013

CBN RATES $ £ EURO CFA RIYAL

BUYING 154.74 239.72 206.11 0.2954 41.26

SELLING 155.74 241.27 207.44 0.3154 41.52

PARALLEL RATES EURO £ RIYAL $

BUYING 208 254.50 42 157

SELLING 210 257.50 43 158

Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Mobolaji Johnson, CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor Kashim Shettima, the Speaker, Borno State Assembly and SSG, Amb. Baba Ahmed Jidda at the flaggoff of pilot scheme of CBN-Bankers' Committee National Financial Inclusion Strategy held in Maiduguri on Friday.

PAGE 2

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

CONTENTS News

2-10

Editorial

12

Op.Ed

13

Letters

14

Opinion

15

Metro

16-18

Business

19-22

S/Exchange S/Report Law

23 24-25 26

Education 27-28 Health

29-30

Boko Haram attacks cripple northern Nigeria’s economy, Page 4

Int’l

31-34

Strange World 35 Digest

36

Politics

37-40

Sports

41-46

Leisure

47

Columnist

48

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

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

Phones for News: 070-37756364 09-8734478

How pilots’ error, weather killed Sultan, 95 others in Abuja, AIB reports From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

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erhaps, for their failure to heed to warning of adverse weather condition on 29th October, 2006, pilots of the Aviation Development Company, ADC Boeing 737-2B7 would have arrived Sokoto safely together with 3 crew members and 100 passengers aboard.

The reports of the accident, which happened at Tungar Madaki, a village under the administration of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, show that among the contributing factor was “the pilot’s decision to take-off in known adverse weather conditions and failure to execute the proper windshear recovery procedure resulted in operating the aircraft outside the safe flight regime, causing the aircraft to fly very close to the ground from which recovery was not possible.”

The document released by the Accident Investigation Bureau, the government’s aviation agency responsible for investigation incidents and accidents in the aviation sector also blamed the operating company ADC for lack of adequate documentation and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority NCAA for improper conducts of its oversight responsibilities.

The reports, which includes that of Bellview Airlines, Sosoliso, ADC and five others is coming six years after the Nigeria airspace witnessed multiple crashes that

Blames NCAA for negligence claimed about 213 lives between 2005 and 2006.

The report also touched on an aircraft operated by DHL, Aerocontractor, Tampico Club planes and Bristow Helicopters.

According to the 92 pages document, a synopsis of the accident shows that the aircraft took off from Calabar on Sunday morning the 29th of October, 2006 and landed in Lagos. It then proceeded to Abuja where it landed at 1020hrs. There was adverse weather at and around Abuja airport at the time the aircraft departed for Sokoto with 105 persons on board comprising 2 cockpit crew, 3 cabin crew and

100 passengers.

“Soon after the aircraft was airborne, several warning signals/ sounds of “Wind shear” were recorded by the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR). In addition, the CVR recorded several “Terrain, terrain….pull up, pull up” sounds from the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) as the aircraft was losing altitude. In the process of recovery, the aircraft was operated outside the safe flight envelope, which resulted in a stall close to the ground and crashed.

Out of the 105 persons on board, there were 96 fatalities and 9 survivors with minor injuries; there was no casualty on ground,”

the report read.

Other contributory factors are the inability of the flight crew to apply windshear recovery procedures and the use of inappropriate equipment for windshear recovery procedure during simulator recurrrecncy.

Lack of company Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for flight operations in adverse weather conditions.

The coordination of responsibilities between the pilot-flying (PF) and pilot not flying(PNF) during their encounter with adverse weather situation was inconsistent with Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the duties of the pilotflying (PF) and pilot not flying(PNF) resulting in the inadequate control of the aircraft.”

...Bellview says AIB report speculative From Suleiman Idris, Lagos

T

he report of the Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB which documents remote causes of air accidents and incidents released on Saturday has received its first knock from one of the companies whose aircraft was involved in the crash report.

Bellview Airlines Limited, owners of Boeing 737-200 BLV flight 210 which crashed landed killing all 117 persons on board at Lisa village in Ogun state on October 22nd 2005 few moments

when the aircraft departed Lagos airport said the report has been doctored four years after a draft copy was released.

A statement by Terver-Uzer Luke of the Corporate Affairs of the defunct airline said “We remain absolutely committed to finding the true cause of this tragic accident through open and transparent process as we have nothing to hide.

We however, do not agree with the findings and conclusions of AIB. AIB allowed internal politics within it to distort and biased their interpretation of the material facts of the accident.”

It said “AIB circulated a draft final report reference 2/2009 (BLV 2005/10/22) to the relevant authorities including the state of design and ourselves in 2009. This report has now been doctored four years thereafter without inviting us to comment on the fundamental alteration to the original report in accordance with ICAO Annex 13.”

The report according to the airline is geared to make Bellview the scapegoat with the ulterior motive of abandoning further investigation to find the true cause of the accident.

I had 9 surgeries in 1 month, says Patience Jonathan Contd from Page 1 insisting Mrs. Jonathan traveled for a “deserved rest”.

The thanksgiving service was delayed for two months, after the initial schedule was moved due to the deaths of former governor of Kaduna state, Patrick Yakowa, and the former National Security Adviser, Owoeye Azazi, in a helicopter crash.

President Goodluck Jonathan, ministers and top government functionaries attended the event on Sunday.

During a stirring session, the

First Lady narrated how she went through “hell” while in hospital and said she has dedicated her life to serving the needy.

“It is the Lord’s doing that I returned alive,” she said. “When God says yes, nobody can say no.

People are always afraid of operation (surgery). But in my own case, while my travail lasted, I was begging for it after the third operation because I was going to the theatre every day. It was God who saw me through. I did eight or nine operations within one month.”

While she lay dying in

Germany, friends and associates who hoped she will not be making it back to Nigeria with life, scrambled for her properties, selling those they could,” Mrs. Jonathan said.

She accused some of those she trusted of leaking information to the public that she had passed on.

“I know that some people somehow leaked the information that I was dead. They are people that I trust and rely on. To them, I was dead and I would never return to the country alive,” she said. “Some of them even sold my things off. “I won’t say everything

here.”

She said she believed she had not completed her assignment on earth, which was why God spared her.

“It was not an easy one. The day I came back, I said God I have nothing to say, I offer myself to you. I will be doing things that will touch the lives of the less privilege.

God gave me a second chance because I reached there. He knew I had not completed the assignments He gave me that was why I was sent back,” the First Lady said.

Gunmen kill 1, kidnap 8 foreigners in Bauchi Contd from Page 1 security men at the prison yard also repelled the attack.

According to him, they burnt two vehicles in Jama’are Police station, and attacked SETRACO Construction Company where they killed a local security guard of the company and kidnapped Six people” Ladan did not disclose the identity of the people kidnapped.

He however said the Police has commenced investigations into the separate attacks, adding that he will only give details of the kidnapped workers of the company after investigation.

The Chairman of Jama’are Local Government Area, Alhaji Adamu Aliyu, in an explanation confirmed that the eight people

kidnapped in SETRACO were expatriate workers.

Alhaji Adamu Aliyu stated this while speaking with newsmen in Bauchi. He said “among the workers kidnapped, there was one from Britain, one came from Greece, one Italian while the remaining five were Lebanese among them a woman and a girl” Aliyu described the attack as unfortunate and advised residents of the area to remain calm and cooperate with the security operatives in order to fish out the culprits.

A resident of Jammare who pleaded anonymity also confirmed to our correspondent that the kidnapped construction workers were expatriates who were working on the construction site of the Kano- Maiduguri dual carriage

way.

Meanwhile, the Army and State Security joint patrol in Buchi state has demolished house suspected to be hideout of the insurgents at anguwan Abujaan Kwata behind Federal Government Girls College, a suburb of Bauchi metropolis.

Residents of the area said they saw two armored personnel carriers with soldiers that told them to remain calm. Later, in the night, they said they heard several gun shots and loud sounds of explosives, but were afraid to come out.

The Residents claimed they did not know the occupants of the house because they occupied the residence two weeks ago and did not interact with people.

A security source in Bauchi State confirmed the incident to newsmen in Bauchi , He said “Friday night, we had a joint operation Army and the SSS , we received intelligence information about the hide outs of some criminals. We traced the place and we cordoned the area around 1;30am last Friday in the night , when the hoodlooms sighted our men they started throwing explosives, and shooting , we made effort to enter the place but because of the wall that surrounded the house we were not able to enter it until part of the house was destroyed, and the hoodlooms escaped through the back yard but we recovered many explosives and we also draft our men to pursue the suspects.”

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 3

Death sentence against me miscarriage of justice- Al Mustapha Wants court to reverse judgment From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

T

he Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos has fixed April 29 for the hearing of the appeal filed by Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to late Sani Abacha; and Lateef Sofolahan, former Personal Assistant to late Kudirat Abiola.

Presenting the appeal last Friday, Al-Mustapha’s lawyer, Mr Olalekan Ojo, in his 112-page written address, said the prosecution’s evidence on the

defendant’s conviction was not supported by law.

The appellants contended that the death sentence by the lower court was “unwarranted, unreasonable and a manifest miscarriage of justice.”

Mr. Al-Mustapha’s four grounds and Mr. Shofolahan’s five grounds of appeal faulted the judgment of the lower court in admitting the testimonies of Ore Falomo, as well as the contradictory statements of Barnabas Jabila (a.k.a Sgt. Rogers)

and Mohamamed Abdul (a.k.a Katako).

He urged the court to acquit and discharge his clients.

A Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere on 31 January, 2012 convicted Major Hamza AlMustapha, the former Chief Security Officer t over the murder of of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election.

The defendants have been sentenced to death by hanging.

Kudirat Abiola’s murder

case is adjudged to be the longest criminal trials in the nation’s history, lasting more than 12 years with five successive judges during which time the accused persons were held in detention.

The time spent in prison calendar by the defendants is equivalent to 20 years.

The prosecution counsel led by Lawal Pedro had accused AlMustapha of ordering Sergeant Barnabas Jabila (Sgt. Rogers), who was then a member of both the Strike Force and Body Guards – military units within the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, to kill Mrs Abiola.

Kudirat Abiola was shot dead on June 4, 1996 along the Lagos/ Ibadan Expressway, Lagos toll

gate, opposite Cargo Vision, Ikeja in Lagos.

The prosecution also accused Mr Shofolahan, who was said to be Kudirat’s protocol officer, to have revealed the deceased’s itinerary to her assailants.

According to the prosecution, Mohammed Abdulof was alleged to have driven the car Jabila and Sholohan used to trail and killed Mrs Abiola.

Mr Shofolahan, however, denied that he ever worked for Kudirat in any capacity throughout her lifetime.

The prosecuting lawyers in their 34-page final written address, at the close of the trial on November 10, 2011, urged the court to convict the two accused persons as charged.

FoI suit: Shema floors ex-SSG From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina

A

Commuters along Jos Abuja road were held up for several hours yesterday after one of the drivers of a truck was allegedly beaten by the police at Hawan Kibo, along jos Abuja road and his colleagues decided to block the road as seen here.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

2015 Guber: Akwa Ibom community opposes zoning formula

By Julius Ogar

T

he Akwa Ibom Community in Abuja has stoutly opposed zoning formula as a consideration in the choice of a governorship candidate in the 2015 election in the state.

The community conveyed its opposition in an exclusive interview with People’s Daily at the weekend saying zoning the governorship slot will undermine good governance and service delivery to the people of the state.

The Vice Chairman of the community, Comrade Tommy Okon who spoke on behalf of the community said the governorship election must be open to all aspirants to create a level playing field that will throw up the best candidate. This, he said, is in line with the usual tradition since 1992 when aspirants from the three senatorial districts in the stateEket, Ikot Ekpene and Uyo

participated in the governorship primaries without restrictions of zoning.

He said Akwa Ibom is not a tripod state consisting of Uyo, Eket and Ikot Ekpene alone, adding that if zoning is adopted, it will undermine the interest of other tribes in the three senatorial districts like the Oro and Eastern Obolo in Eket Senatorial district who have never had a shot each time emphasis is given to their senatorial district for the election of governor of the state.

“The Ibibio tribe, for example, are present in all the senatorial districts and zoning will mean that they will have an undue advantage, upper hand and supremacy in the power equation in the state,”he said.

He said in 2015, Akwa Ibom people should be allowed to vote candidates based on their conviction of track record of

performance, competence and experience, arguing that if zoning is introduced in any of the political parties, it would deny the electorate the freedom to chose their leaders without undue interference.

He said for instance, that when the current governor Godswill Akpabio, an indigene of Ikot Ekpene, stood for the governorship primaries in 2007, other aspirants from the other senatorial districts ran with him without anybody making a case for zoning, and that there is no reason why it should be introduced now.

“In order for Akwa Ibom to continue to enjoy the existing peace and harmony which came about on account of the exceptional transformation efforts of the current government, we all must bury selfish interests and allow the best candidates to emerge rather than putting obstacles on the way of those who may have the capacity to sustain the progress already achieved, ” he said.

higher court sitting in Katsina has struck out a suit filed by a former secretary to the state government, Alhaji Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa over the failure of the state government to furnish him with records of some ministries under the Freedom of Information Act, FOI. Delivering judgment on the suit yesterday in Katsina, Justice Sunusi Tukur ruled that the National Assembly could only legislate for the federal government while only the state assembly is in a position to legislate for the state government.

It further argued that the issue of records is in the concurrent lists

were it was made clear that the federal government is solely in charge of federal, archives and the state government in-charge of the state archives.

The Ex-SSG had earlier sued the State Governor and four ministries of the state over their alleged failure to furnish him with information regarding some records of the state government.

Speaking after the judgement, counsel to the state government, Barrister Uyi Igunma has described the court judgment as significant on the Freedom of Information Act, FOI. Also the counsel to the applicant, Barrister Ernest Ogunnadike has stated that they would appeal the judgement, ‘ we are ready to go as far as Supreme Court over the issue.

16 killed in Jigawa auto crash From Ahmed Abubakar, Dutse

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o fewer than 16 people from Birnin kudu local government of Jigawa have been confirmed dead in a ghastly motor accident along Kano road.

The people, all household members and indigenes of Waza village in Birnin kudu local government of the state were Saturday confirmed dead after a head on collision involving a Ford and a Toyota buses along Kano road.

Reports from the state indicated that the accident occurred at Durbundai village in Takai local government area of Kano state, some kilometers from the border town of Jigawa state.

According to an eye witness, the two vehicles from opposite directions had a head on collusion involving a Toyota Seana and a Ford bus and eleven people died on the spot while sixteen were in critical condition at the Rasheed Shekoni Hospital in Dutse.

The eye witness further stated that, "there were only two occupants in the Toyota, a male

and a female", adding that, "I cannot say the number of occupants in the Ford bus but they were over loaded with people coming from Birnin Kudu".

When contacted, the Birnin kudu local government council Chairman, Alhaji Khalid Ibrahim confirmed the accident saying that, " the victims were on their way to Tsangaya village of Albasu local government area in Kano state to attend a wedding Fatiha of their relation".

Alhaji Khalid Ibrahim explained that, "when the accident occurred 11 people died on the spot but later three more casualties died at the hospital same Saturday and this morning (Sunday) two also passed away".

The Birnin kudu local council boss further stated that the nine out of the first eleven dead bodies received mass burial at Waza village while two were buried at unguwar Bashe village few metres to Waza.

The Chairman had promised that his council would be responsible for all the medical bills of the casualties admitted at the Rasheed Shekoni Specialist Hospital.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Boko Haram attacks cripple northern Nigeria’s economy

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ommercial activities in the northern trade hub of Kano are down by half since 2010 because of the campaign of violence waged by militant group Boko Haram and government efforts to curb it, says the Kano traders' union.

"The north is losing heavily due to the violence. When you destabilize Kano, which is the commercial nerve centre of the north, you are threatening the socioeconomic well-being of the north," Nigeria's Information Minister Labaran Maku told reporters in February 2012.

Danbature Abdulazeez, head of the National Harmonized Traders' Union, estimates trade in Kano is down by half due to closed borders with Niger, Cameroon and Chad; businesses shutting down or moving south for fear of violence; forced relocations; dusk-to-dawn curfews; and a ban on motorcycle-taxis, the principal means of transport in Kano.

Boko Haram has waged a campaign of violence in northern Nigeria, killing 3,000 people since the beginning of 2009, according to Human Rights Watch. The violence has largely been concentrated in northeastern Nigeria with Maiduguri, Damaturu and Potiskum hardest hit, but on 20 January 2012 it spread to Kano when coordinated bombing and shooting attacks killed 185 people, making it Boko Haram's deadliest attack to date.

Since then, city residents have suffered regular violent shootings and bombings linked to Boko Haram, forcing people to hunker down in their homes or abandon the city. Over the past year hundreds of businesses have closed or relocated.

"Business has been slow in the last one year and it is increasingly difficult to make ends meet," said a textile trader at Kantin Kwari market, Yahuza Salisu. "Sometimes I spend the whole day in the market without making any sales because traders are no longer coming in due to the [Boko Haram] attacks. I use whatever little sales I make to feed my family."

President Goodluck Jonathan

IGP Abubakar Muhammed

Salisu plans to pull his children out of private school and put them in a state school as he cannot afford the fees.

"People I know have been killed in Boko Haram attacks and I don't want to be next" Pius Uche, a furniture-maker in Kano, told IRIN: "I have moved my workshop to Abuja because I feel it is no longer safe to continue to stay and operate here. People I know have been killed in Boko Haram attacks and I don't want to be next."

Liti Kulkul, head of the Kwari Textile Traders' Association, told IRIN his annual turnover had dropped by 62 percent.

Shops, factories close For Kano's few remaining factories - most of them processing food and beverages, animal hides or plastic goods shifts have dropped from two per day to one because of recently introduced curfews following Boko Haram attacks, leaving production at about 30 percent of capacity, estimates Ali

“

Getting around Kano is also much more difficult due to military and police checkpoints around the city, a city-wide curfew, and a dusk-to-dawn ban on taxi mopeds (`achabas'), the most popular form of inner-city transport. Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Lagos and Rivers states have imposed similar bans.

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau Madugu, vice-president of the Manufacturers' Association of Nigeria (MAN).

Businesses near police stations were forced to shut down in January 2012 because of terrorist fears.

Ahmad Musa owned a grocery in a row of two dozen shops attached to the headquarters of Nigeria's antiriots police (Mobile Police) in Kano's Hotoro neighbourhood. "I lost all my capital because I and all the other shop owners were barred from opening our shops, not even to pack up our stock," he told IRIN. Kano's high production costs and power cuts were already hurting the estimated 100 factories left in the city, said

Badamasi Usman, an economics professor at Kano's Bayero University. Some US$15 billion used to flow through Kano's markets each year, and two million traders used to arrive daily from Nigeria and neighbouring countries (Niger, Chad, Cameroon and the Central African Republic), selling goods from factories in the south or imported from Asia.

Motorbike ban Getting around Kano is also much more difficult due to military and police checkpoints around the city, a city-wide curfew, and a dusk-to-dawn ban on taxi mopeds (`achabas'), the most popular form of inner-city transport.

Borno, Yobe,

Adamawa, Gombe, Plateau, Lagos and Rivers states have imposed similar bans.

The ban has cost `achaba' drivers US$9 million a day, according to Chairman of Kano's Amalgamated Commercial Owners and Riders Association (ACOMORAN) Muhammad Sani. Each of Kano's 1.5 million `achaba' drivers used to earn on average $12 per day, according to ACOMORAN. Local authorities in Kano imposed the ban following a 19 January 2013 attack on traditional and spiritual leader Ado Bayero, emir of Kano, by a group of gunmen on motorbikes.

Five people were killed, including the emir's driver and two guards, but not the emir.

Growing unemployment among traders, taxi drivers and others will only fuel more violence, warns Usman. "These frustrated youth can turn to crime and add to the security nightmare we are facing."

Ceasefire?

On 28 January self-professed Boko Haram commander Mohammed Abudlazeez Ibn Idriss announced the group would cease attacks because of the difficult humanitarian situation the violence had caused.

He called on the Nigerian government to release all detained sect members to give room for dialogue and lasting peace. Some Kano residents welcomed the announcement, while others say they do not trust it.

The Nigerian military said it needed a one month's peace guarantee before it takes the ceasefire seriously.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 5

APGA not involved in merger of opposition parties, says party caucus

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he All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) said yesterday that it was not involved in the merger talk by some opposition parties in the country.

This is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the party‘s national caucus emergency meeting in Abuja, read

by Dr Tim Menakaya, member, APGA Board of Trustees (BoT).

The meeting, according to him, is to holistically review the Feb. 8, court judgment on the party‘s leadership and the recent merger by some opposition parties.

The meeting, Menakaya said, was also to proffer the way forward for the party.

The High Court in Enugu had on Feb. 8, removed Chief Victor Umeh, APGA National Chairman and his National Working Committee (NWC) members.

The court had ruled that Umeh‘s election as the party‘s National Chairman contravened Article 18 of the party‘s

constitution.

“The party has accepted the judgment of the High Court in good faith and will abide by it in order to move forward.

“Our great party, APGA, has never been consulted or participated in any discussion about any merger, alliance or whatsoever union with any political party or parties.

“We state categorically that APGA is not part of any merger arrangement,’’ Menakaya said.

He announced the appointment of Mr Maxi Okwu and Alhaji Sani Shinkafi as Acting National Chairman and Acting Secretary of the party, respectively, pending the conduct of a national convention.

He said that the appointments were based on majority vote of

stakeholders at the meeting.

Menakaya also said that all former NWC and National Executive Committee (NEC) members of the party had been unanimously elected to serve in the interim NWC and NEC of the party.

Speaking to newsmen, Gov. Peter Obi of Anambra, stressed that APGA would rather remain a minority party where its voice would be heard than join the majority.

“We want something that will allow our voice to be heard in this enterprise called Nigeria and we believe that APGA will give us that opportunity,’’ he said.

He added that the people of South East in particular, held APGA in high esteem and would not give it out for “negotiation.’’

Obi denied the alleged division in APGA, adding that although everybody in the party had sympathy for the merger arrangement “APGA as a party is not in the merger arrangement’’.

“There are no two APGA, there is only one indivisible APGA and that one indivisible APGA is not involved in any merger talk or any merger plan,’’ Obi said.

He added that APGA, as a political party, was not ready to surrender its identity and logo which was one of the conditions for a successful merger by political parties.

On why Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo was not at the meeting which was attended by APGA stalwarts, Obi said, “I had quality meeting’’ with him earlier in the day. (NAN)

Insecurity: Kwara OPC wants Nigerians to go back to their roots From Olanrewaju Lawal,Ilorin

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he Kwara State chapter of Odua People’s Congress(OPC) has urged Nigerians to re-trace their origin and cultures if incessant killing and corruption in the country must be a thing of the past.

The State Coordinator of the Congress,Mallam Maruf Abdulsalam who stated this during a monthly meeting with members of the group across the state in Ilorin at the weekend said adulterated cultures among Nigerians have changed orientation of people and damaged core values of Nigeria.

He explained that Nigeria’s cultures forbid shedding innocent blood, disregarding traditional institutions or attacking royal fathers stressing that many unacceptable, strange incidents have crept into Nigeria from foreign land.

“We must go back to our origin, we must re-trace our cultures if Nigerians must overcome these insecurity, corruption and adulterated life styles adopted by Nigeria women. This nation is in disarray; no peace, there is poverty and hardship while leaders continue to enjoy at the detriment of citizens.

“In the past, each family in Yoruba land has it culture, tradition and whoever goes against it know the implication.

In other part of the country, it was also like and that is why we had relative peace in the past.”

Abdulsalam who condemned the recent attack on Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero said the incident was barbaric and could not be attributed to Islam.

Stakeholders brainstorm in Lafia on long term immunisation plan From Ali Abare Abubakar, Lafia

A

technical committee comprising the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and stakeholders including international donor partners, have converged on Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital, to develop the 2013/15 Routine Immunisation Strategic Plan and also granulate the agency’s 2013 Routine Immunisation Work Plan.

Dr. Emmanuel Abanida, Director, Disease Control and Immunisation at the NPHCDA, made this known Friday when he led a delegation to pay a courtesy call on the Nasarawa state Deputy Governor, Hon. Dameshi Barau Luka in his office.

Representing the Executive Director of the agency, Dr. Ado Mohammed, Dr. Abanida, decried the situation on ground where health workers from different ministries control the immunisation programme across the country, harping on the need to bring these workers under one roof.

“Bringing these workers under one roof is a mechanism where all primary health care workers, be it immunisation, HIV/Aids, water and sanitation, will be operating under a single control mechanism. This will allow for the maximum utilisation of both human and financial resources, as well as making coordination easier,” he observed.

Railway workers want management to evolve pragmatic leadership

M L-R Adamawa State Governor Admiral Murtala Nyako walking in to the Presidential Villa with Bauchi State Governor Alhaji Isa Yuguda during their meeting with Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo at the State House Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye.

Ekweremadu hails peace, democratic progress in Guinea Bissau

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he Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, on Sunday in Abuja commended the peace and democracy rebuilding process in Guinea Bissau.

This is contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media), Mr Uche Anichukwu.

Ekweremadu described the reconciliation process in Guinea Bissau as “satisfactory and commendable’’ The statement said that Ekweremadu stated this at a meeting with the Interim

President of Guinea Bissau, Manuel Nhamadjo in Bissau.

“My impression before coming on this mission was that people were finding it difficult to move around; that there was tension in Guinea Bissau.

“However, I am going back with a different impression which is that of a country that has finally found peace and that ECOWAS has done extremely well in Guinea Bissau,’’ he said.

He appealed to the people of Guinea Bissau to support the transition programme and

cooperate with ECOWAS to resolve all other outstanding issues.

“The ECOWAS Parliament and indeed ECOWAS will continue to support the people of Guinea Bissau to resolve all their problems and help the country achieve their potentials.’’

The Speaker who is also the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, also commended the National Parliament of Guinea Bissau for “standing firm for democracy when it mattered most.’’ (NAN)

r. Martin Adeyanju, the General Secretary, Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NURW) has urged the management of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to inform the government of their needs to make the rail transportation effective.

Adeyanju told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos yesterday that railway transportation was in need of some infrastructure that would make it serve the people better.

“The infrastructure, if put in place, will also restore public confidence in effective and reliable rail transportation in Nigeria, which is key to President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda, “ he said.

The Secretary said it was regrettable that the management had yet to state all its problems to the government and “these have discouraged more customers as well as corporate organisations from using the rail service.”

“Let us stop living on deceit.

It is good that we tell the government our needs. (NAN)

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Kebbi international airport to be completed by 2014 From Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

T

he Kebbi state government has reiterated its readiness to speed-up the completion of the upgrading work at the Birnin Kebbi airstrip to International standard next year to commence full operation within the same period.

Addressing newsmen weekend in Birnin Kebbi, the state chairman Bureau of Public Procurement and Price Intelligence (BPPPI) known as Due process, Barrister Aminu Usman disclosed that works on the sites has since commenced in earnest and the three contracting firms had mobilized to site.

He explained that the state government found it necessary to establish a befitting airport of international standard, adding that what it used to have before was just an airstrip that only some lighter planes landed and take off with a lot of danger in the whole process especially at nights as many aviations safety regulating

equipments were not put in place.

He added that “it has to be rebuit all over and to standard because to every sensible government, the safety of lives of its citizens is paramount and it must do everything possible to safeguard it”.

Aminu Usman further said that the state government has already secured approval from the federal ministry of aviation

for the upgrading, similarly all the aviations regulatory authorities had given their specifications and guide lines right from the initial stage and are been followed strictly.

According to him, the jobs now carried out at the airport includes the renewal of the runways and thunderstorm sensors, construction of a six storey control tower with all the

modern communication equipments while a new terminal with departure hall, VIP lounge, restaurant, shops and resting rooms of international standard would be constructed.

He disclosed that all gadgets meant for aviation were ordered and would soon arrived the state capital Birnin Kebbi for their onward installations at the

airport and assured that the state government under the leadership of Saidu Usman Dakingari would leave no stone unturned until it is sure that the airport is very safe for operations.

He called on the people of the state to shunned unconstructive criticisms by some quarters and mischief makers who are ignorantly given the project a different interpretations.

Lagos moves to boost Nigerian film industry From Adesoji Oyinlola, Lagos

T

he Senior Special Assistant to Lagos State Governor on Tourism and Intergovernmental Relations, Mrs. Ranti Alebiosu, yesterday restated the commitment of the State Government to move the film industry to the next level.

She made the remark during the visit of top officials of the Ministry of Tourism and Intergovernmental Relations to Ground Zero Integrated Services at Cemetery Street, Ebute-Metta to launch the first Nigerian Yoruba movie in 3D Dimension (3D) film titled (“AWURE-ENI”).

She stated that the government would render necessary support for viable projects whenever the need arose.

According to her, the film industry is one of the most vibrant industries that can help to correct societal ills, hence the need for practitioners in the industry to be up and doing in the discharge of their duties.

She observed many flaws in title of films and translation of Yoruba words into English and said that all these needed to be addressed before films were released into the market.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Ashamu Fadipe, urged film practitioners to work on the possibility of translating their movies into other international languages, such as in Brazilian, Spanish, French and Greek so that they could have a wider range of audience.

Notable popular Yoruba actors at the event included Kareem Adepoju (a.k.a) Baba Wande and Yinka Quadri.

Yobe State Deputy Governor Engr. Abubakar D. Ali (right), Senator Ahmad Lawal (middle) and Senator Alkali Jajere in a chat during a stakeholders meeting of Yobe State branch of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) to affirm the party's merger in the new All People's Congress (APC) in Damaturu, at the weekend.

Ex VC Counsels Imams to exploit Media, Research for knowledge From Ahmed Kaigama, Bauchi

F

ormer Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano and the Chief Imam of Emir of Kano Juma’at Mosque, Professor Mohammed Sani Zahraddin, has counseled imams to intensify efforts in quest of knowledge through research and the media.

The University Don gave the advice at the weekend in Bauchi while speaking at the Workshop for 200 different Jumaat

mosques imams organized by the Bauchi State University in collaboration with the State ministry of Religious affairs and community Relations.

According to him, listening to news and getting information about what is happening in the world, why it is happening and the background behind current events is necessary to have first hand information. This, he said, could be achieved by reading daily newspapers and listening to television either online or in print

in order to keep up to date.

Professor Mohammed Sani, guest speaker at the occasion said that imams should carry out research that will enable them impact knowledge to the young ones by propagating good morals.

Professor Zahraddin who is a lecturer at the Department of Islamic Studies Bayero University Kano urged the participants to make the best use of the workshop to update their knowledge for the spread and development of Islam.

CBN gov lauds Shettima’s development initiative From Mustapha Isah Kwaru, Maiduguri

T

he Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN), sanusi Lamido Sanusi, at the weekend, commended the giant initiative of Governor Kashim Shettima for the development of Borno state.

Sanusi made the observation while speaking at an occasion, marking the commissioning of a National Entrepreneurship Development Centre for the north- east zone held in Maiduguri.

According to him, Governor Shettima deserved kudos for the concrete steps taken to move the state forward by embarking on aggressive capital projects, less

than two years of assumption of office.

The apex bank’s chief noted that he was impressed with the series of human developmental projects executed by the government, despite the security challenges confronting the state.

He, equally lauded the governor for adopting solid measures for reviving socioecomonic activities, through jobs and wealth creation.

These steps, he said have helped a lot in tackling poor socio-ecomonic development strategies and unemployment among teeming youths.

Sanusi, while attributing the incessant insecurity confronting

various parts of the country to bad economic policies which plunged many into abject poverty, described that Shettima’s approach as the best solution to the problem.

In his remarks, the governor said the center was esatablished in partnership with CBN to offer enterpreneurship trainings for unemployed graduates across the six states of the north-east geo-political zone, in order to be self reliance.

Shettima added that his administration will offer maximum support to the center to realize its objectives, so as to bring a lasting solution to the menace of unemployment and idleness among youths.

In his remark the Emir of Bauchi Alhaji Rilwanu Suleyman Adamu has advised imams of Jumaat Mosques to promote peaceful coexistence among people of different religions and to intensify effort in praying for the unity of Muslims in Nigeria.

Alhaji Rilwanu said the advice became necessary because of the numerous security challenges in the country and advised people to tolerate one another and be their brother’s keepers.

Also speaking Vice Chancellor of the Bauchi State University Professor Ezzuddin Mukhtar commended the Bauchi State Government for bringing imams from different places together and advised them to make the best use of the opportunity for the benefit of the Muslims Ummah.

Governor Isa Yuguda who was represented by the State Commissioner of Information Engineer Mohammed Damina restated government commitment to give priority to Islamic education and urged the scholars to make use of the gatherings to promote unity and understanding among their followers.

Yuguda urged the scholars to pray for peaceful coexistence in the state and the country in order to have meaningful development.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

M

r Umar Manko, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, said yesterady that his command had arrested a fake army officer who specialized in snatching cars in the Lagos metropolis.

Manko made this known while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

He said that the suspect, who

PAGE 7

Police in Lagos arrest fake army officer was widely known as “Lt. Sule’’ in his neighbourhood, was arrested in his girlfriend’s house in Ogudu after a tip-off.

The commissioner said that suspect was arrested, following series of complaints about car snatching by residents, who claimed that the syndicate was led by an army officer.

Manko said that operatives from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad launched a massive manhunt for the suspect, who was eventually arrested in his girlfriend’s house.

He said that four pairs of army uniform with different badges of various ranks, two army identification cards and boots

were recovered from the suspect.

The police boss said that that other items recovered from him included a Honda Civic car with Reg. No. PQ 786 KJA and Honda CRV Jeep with Reg. No. BU 277 FST, which were stolen in Lagos and Imo states respectively.

Manko said that police investigation revealed that the

suspect had never enlisted in the Nigerian Army, adding that he was just a member of a criminal syndicate that wanted to tarnish the image of the country’s security institutions.

He called on the members of public to always be wary of such criminals on the roads, adding that they should promptly report them to the nearest security agency.

Manko assured the people that the command would strive to reduce crime in the state to the barest minimum. (NAN)

Projects: Wada lied, says ACN From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

A L-R Minister of Housing and Urban Development Ammal Pepple, the FCT Minister Bala Mohammed and Minister of Power Garius Ishaku discussing during the FEC meeting at the State House Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye.

From Olanrewaju Lawal, Ilorin

K

wara State Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN) Chieftain and party gubernatorial candidate in 2011 general elections, Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN) has expressed disappointment over attitude of Kwara government in preventing flood in the state ahead of 2013 raining season.

Belgore said the Kwara government, as a matter of urgency, should take concrete steps to avoid another flooding across the state with the warning from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).

Belgore noted that the government has not taken “any serious concrete and aggressive measures” to prevent a reocurrence of the 2012 flooding which claimed lives and destroyed properties and farmlands in many parts of the state.

Belgore in a statement by his media aide, Rafiu Ajakaye expressed concern following the Nigerian Meteorological Agency’s (NIMET)flood alert in which Kwara state was listed among states most prone to heavy flooding in 2013.

“As another rainy season beckons, we call on relevant authorities in Kwara State to as a matter of urgency take concrete steps to avoid another flooding across the state,” “NIMET, in our opinion, has done its statutory duty of raising flood alerts in states believed to be prone to flooding this year. It is therefore the responsibility of the governments concerned to address this credible threat while it still can to prevent needless loss of human lives and properties.

“Indeed, we are disappointed to note that the Kwara State

NIMET flood alert: Belgore Decries Kwara govt poor preventive measures Government has not been taking any credible and aggressive measures to prevent a repeat of last year’s disastrous flooding because we cannot point to any new drainages, canals or waterways constructed to ease passage of water anywhere in the state especially those areas ravaged by the 2012 flooding.

“Besides, beyond the new drainage on Fate road (Ilorin) linking the (long constructed) underground drainage at GSS round about and skeletal evacuation of the drainage along Offa road (also in Ilorin)

sometimes ago, we do not know of any serious (executed or ongoing) evacuation of various blocked drainages across the Ilorin metropolis or elsewhere. Yet the state got N300m as its share of the federal intervention, aside its share of the federal Ecological Fund.

“Although the state government distributed relief materials reportedly to victims of flood, which is not a bad idea, we contend that a chunk of the money (which we understand was ‘used’ for rural electrification) should have been

used to erect anti-flood barriers in key parts of the state especially areas most prone to flood.

“We therefore advise the government to do something urgently to prevent a repeat of last year’s flooding, because the people are tired of government issuing condolence messages in the aftermath of avoidable casualties or destruction of properties.

“Also, we urge Kwarans to keep clean environment and to avoid dumping of materials capable of blocking the waterways.”

The commissioner said before now, people in the state do not really have good place for relaxation but now, “we have a place where the cultural items are collected together for people to take time and go round at their pleasure.”

Commenting on the partnership with foreign organisations to boost tourism potentials in the state, he said “The state has had security challenges and people outside the country find it difficult to believe that the state is safe for them because they have been briefed by their embassies in Abuja but recently we had a meeting with officials of Korean government who came to Jos and they developed interest in some of the facilities we have.

“Currently, there is a

negotiation between them and the management of Hill Station Hotel. They were taken round to Kura Falls, one of the tourist locations and discussion is going on, on how we can improve electricity in the state to attract foreign investors” he stated.

The Tourism Boss said that the State has concluded plan to partner with the Korea Government to resuscitate Tourist locations and improve power supply to enable the state host National Council on Art and Culture.

He said “For long we have been battling to have council of Arts and Culture in Plateau State and because we don’t have an edi fest but have a structure that can accommodate that we are pushing to host the event.

Plateau to complete abandoned Luka Bentu Theater

By Musa Pam

P

lateau state Government has awarded another contract for the completion of Luka Bentus Indoor Theather amounting to N671 million to resuscitate the abandon structure.

The Commissioner for Tourism Development in the state, Hon. Sylvanus Dongtoe stated this in an interview with Peoples Daily in Jos. Hon. Dangtoe applauded the gesture of Governor Jonah Jang for his effort to see that the tourism sector is well revived in the state.

He said the project, if completed, would give the state the right to host the National Festival for Arts and Culture which will further boost and redeem the image of the state.

chieftain of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN in Kogi state, Dr Goodman Umar has said the projects Captain Idris Wada, the Kogi state governor claimed to have executed in his one year in office is a complete fallacy, saying few of the listed items were in existence since the previous dministration.

Dr. Umar who is also spokesperson of Kogi Success Initiative (KSI), the structure coordinating merger harmonisation of opposition parties in the state, spoke to journalists in Lokoja, yesterday, saying that the governor’s claims was likethe proverbial moonlight tales.

He said the endless list of governor Wada’s acclaimed projects are those things that all the governors that governed kogi state from 1991 to date have done, noting that the people are yet to feel his impact.

The former Secretary of the ACN in the state who agreed with governor Wada that government is a continuous exercise stressed that his administration in one year of office has only installed looters at the Local government without check where even salary of council workers could not be paid by them, not to even talk of executing project that has bearing on the poor people at the grass roots.

“As I speak to you, the flood victims in kogi state are yet to access the N500million palliative fund released by the federal government to the victims. The affected farmers are going about with cap in hands as nothing has reached them from both Local or State government, even the hundreds of millions donated

by Dangote and other well meaning Nigerians are nowhere to be found”, he said.

Dr Umar however pointed out that the only thing governor Wada has done which drew the accolades of everyone is the curbing of thuggery which was more or less a state policy prior to his coming to the corridor of power reiterating that the governor should better wake up to the challenges facing the state.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY, 18, 2013

PAGE 10

Students, staff organize recovery prayers for Gov. Wada From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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taff and students of Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja have organised an all-faith-based prayer session for quick recovery of the state governor, Capt. Idris Wada.

Governor Wada was involved in ghastly auto accident on December 28, 2012 leading to untimely death of his police orderly.

The students defied the early morning sun on Friday to gather in their numbers to offer the special prayers for the governor who is recuperating in Abuja.

In her opening prayers, Emmanuella Abba, an SS-2 student prayed God to grant the Governor speedy recovery to enable him return to the state to continue with his good works saying that he had impacted positively on the school.

She said the governor within one year in office, had provided the students with water and good classroom blocks as she prayed God to grant him quick recovery to keep more of the promises he made to the school and the people of the state.

Abdulmalik Musa, also an SS-2 student led in Muslim opening prayers and made his supplication for quick recovery of the governor in Arabic Language.

Pastor Taiye Paul, leading the Christian the prayers prayed God to touch the governor in every ailing part of his body and restore him to perfect health to enable him return to the state in good health.

He said that the governor needed “Our prayers especially in his present condition” adding that it behoved on everybody to pray for the leaders that all might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty, quoting from I Timothy 2:1.

A Muslim staff of the School, Mallam Usman Busari prayed Allah to console the governor and grant the soul of his ADC, Mohammed Idris who died in the ghastly accident, Aljana Fidau and recited various sections of the Holy Qur’an.

Mr David Adah, principal of the school, said the prayer session for the governor had become imperative because “It’s only God that grants perfect healing and the grace to lead people.”

Adah said though the Transformation Agenda of the governor was in progress even in his absence, his presence would accord it more speed adding that with the support of the governor, the school aimed to score 99 per cent in public examinations.

Executive Director of the state Science, Technology and Technical Education Board (STTEB), Mr Simon Momoh also graced the occasion and urged the teachers to take the children as their own biological children.

Other staff and students of the school also prayed for the governor and for God to remove whatever might constitute a clog in the wheel of progress of the state and its people.

PDP crisis in Adamawa over - Nyako From Umar Dankano, Yola

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overnor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa said the crisis that engulfed the State’s chapter of the People’s Democratic Party( PDP) been resolved .

Nyako who was fielding questions from Journalist at the Yola International Airport on his return from Abuja said that the other faction has agreed to join the Mijjinyawa Kugama led faction for the development of the party in the state.

The governor stated that

the crisis in the party in the state is totally over, and that, the stakeholders are presently forging ahead for the development of PDP and the tenet of democracy.

“There seems to be some degree of crisis but rapid changes have been effected as the present thing is that the crisis as it affects the party is now over. Now we are Ok in Adamawa as far as the crisis is concern. The other faction has agreed to stay in a single party, which is good for democracy and good for the collective interest of

Adamawa Project. But more importantly, the issues were resolved for the party to be one under the leadership of Alhaji Mijjinyawa Kugama.”

Nyako said The Governor advised the people to realise that democracy is a peaceful business whereby people should do it with etiquette and decorum and abide by the dictate of the constitution that guides the party.

It will be recalled that Adamawa State chapter of the PDP has been engulfed in crisis since last year, culminating in

the dissolution of the state executive of the party by the national working committee (NWC) of the party.

The NWC went ahead to constitute a caretaker committee headed by Ambassador Umar Damagum to oversee the affairs of the party in the state.

The same NWC after due consultation went ahead to re instate the dissolved Kugama led executive, the move that has not gone down well with the executive constituted by the caretaker committee.

L-R Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Abia State Governor Theordore Orji and Kogi State Deputy Governor Chief Yomi Awoniyi during their meeting with Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo At the State House Abuja.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Rumbles in Kogi House of Assembly over two members From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

T

he crisis which engulfed Kogi House of Assembly leading to the impeachment of the former Speaker, has again shown its ugly head in the Assembly as the members. are prepared for another showdown.

At Thursday plenary the House went into a rowdy session over allegation that the Speaker, Hon Lawal Momojimo had declared Yagba East and Mopa

Muro state constuencies’ seat vacant.

The crisis started when at the plenary the member representing Mopa/Muro constituency, Hon Funsho Daniel complained that despite the resolution of the House of Assembly restating the seat of two members earlier declared vacant by their party, a letter from the office of the Speaker was purportedly seen at Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. in Lokoja, Kogi state.

The letter, according to the lawmaker, indicated that Hon Henry Ojuola, Yagba East and Hon Funsho Daniel, Mopa/Muro seat in the House of Assembly were allegedly vacant.

At the heat of the rumbles which led to the removal of former Speaker, Hon Abdullai Bello, a letter from Mallam Odaudu, Chairman All Nigeria Peoples Party ANPP had declared the duo as non members of ANPP. The two factions during the crisis in November, 2012, which

consumed the Speaker, Abdullahi Bello, are back to the trenches, but this time with a drama as other parties have taken sides against Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. It would be recalled that Hon Henry Ojuola of ANPP contested alongside Prince Abubakar Audu on Action Congress CAN during the governorship election, while Hon Fusho Daniel defected to PDP after wining on ANPP ticket to the state House of Assembly

Catholic Church provides free health check

By SondeAbbah

A

s part of her community services and Corporate Social Responsibility (CRS) of sorts, St.Sylvester's Catholic Parish, New Nyanya in Nassarawa State, is set to provide free health check- up for its members and inhabitant of the community alike.

The programme, which

commences today, will be witnessed by a host of prominent personalities, including the Senate President, David Mark. According to the Parish Priest of the church, Rev. Fr. Lawrence SojaAnyembugu, the two-day programme is part of St. Sylvester Parish's way of contributing to the quality of life of members and host community.

This is even as the Priest, who mounted the saddle five years ago, is making preparations to celebrate his fifth anniversary as head of the parish and also launch his new book in the first week of March 2013 According to an elder of the church who spoke to our reporter over the weekend, "the free medical check -up is motivated by our desire to ensure that the people's health is

in good shape, particularly as prevention is better than cure".

The church elder, who pleaded anonymity, added: "high blood pressure and other such potentially fatal diseases are better defected and treated early. That's why we decided to offer the people this vital service for two consecutive days (Monday and Tuesday) free of charge."

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY, 18, 2013

Is it time to refinance your mortgage?

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ow might be just the right time to refinance your mortgage. Even if you already have a low interest rate mortgage, you could still benefit, thanks to the record-low rates that are present right now.

Indeed, even someone with a 5 percent interest rate on a mortgage could save money, since rates on 30-year fixed mortgages are even lower.

Consider an adjustable rate mortgage, and you could end up with an even lower interest rate.

With financial policymakers still trying to keep interest rates and treasury yields low, there is a good chance that you will be able to take advantage of low rates for some time. However, since no one truly knows what’s coming, it helps to consider your options now.

Just remember: If you have costs associated with closing your refinance, you want to make sure that you will be in the home long enough for your interest savings to matter.

Fixed rate mortgage When refinancing your mortgage, you will have to decide whether you want a fixed rate mortgage, or whether you want an ARM. Some might argue that an ARM is always a bad idea, but this is not so. In some cases, refinancing to an ARM can be smart and save you money. If you can afford to pay a little more if interest rates rise, an ARM can give you big savings right now.

It is also possible to apply for a hybrid ARM. You will have a low fixed rate for the first three to seven years, and then have a variable rate after that. As long as you pay down your loan principal, you should be able to refinance to a fixed rate before rates rise too much.

However, if you know that you might not be able to handle a higher interest rate later, or if you are concerned about an

adjustable rate affecting your finances, a fixed rate mortgage with a known amortization schedule that lets you know exactly how much you will have to pay each month might be preferable.

Mortgage term Before you refinance, you will also need to decide on a mortgage term. While you can lower your monthly payment by refinancing to a longer term (for example, refinancing a loan with 18 years left for 30 years), you could end up paying more in the long run, and you will be in debt for longer. With mortgage rates as low as they are right now, it is quite possible that you could refinance to a shorter term and pay only a little more each month. It’s a way that can help you save thousands in interest, and be done with your mortgage that much sooner.

Qualifying for a refinance While lending standards have eased somewhat in the last couple of years, they still aren’t as loose as the standards seen prior to the 2008 financial crisis.

I

Are you just on a recession diet?

f you are a chronic dieter, you know that long term, diets don’t work. You do really well for a while, pushing to lose the weight, but once you reach your goal, you gleefully go back to the habits that got you in trouble in the first place.

I know. I’ve been there. In order for a diet to work, it has to be more than a, well, diet. It has to be a healthy lifestyle change.

And that sometimes means that you make more gradual changes that you can live with, developing long term habits that stick with you long after you have reached your goals.

The recent recession has prompted many to save more and spend less. However, the worry is that this is more of a

Quote Quotations: The only honest measure of your success is what you are doing compared to your true potential.

Paul Meyer

“recession diet”, rather than a long term lifestyle change.

Which means that as the economy comes back online, people will slip back into their old ways? If you don’t want this to be you, the key is to look at things you have been doing to create a better financial foundation during this recession and hold on to them.

Here are two of the major concerns associated with the end to a recession diet, and how you can combat them: Spending more As signs of economic recovery emerge, it is likely that you will feel more confident. This means that you could start feeling more comfortable with spending more money again. The fact that this is the holiday season only reinforces the idea of opening one’s wallet a little wider. It doesn’t mean that you

Indeed, you will need good credit and sufficient equity in your home to qualify for a refinance.

Some homeowners can get help from government programs like HARP, but many need to bring up their credit scores and reduce their mortgage debt before gaining approval.

If you want to refinance, it’s best to consider your options and plan ahead. It’s especially important to make sure your finances are in order, and your credit score is sufficient to allow you access to the best interest rates.

Now might be the time to refinance. You can’t earn a high yield on your cash, but you can 2. Now is time to review your finances…

It’s that time of year again, already time to make your New Year’s resolutions – believe it or not!

This time of year is a time for reflecting on the previous year, so that you can look ahead to a new and better year, with everything from your diet to finances.

can’t do a little extra spending on occasion, but you do need to keep the impulse under control.

Below are some suggestions for keeping your spending under control as the economy improves: Set aside “splurge” money: Once that money is gone for the month, it’s gone.

Avoid places that are more tempting to you. Once your splurge money is gone, stay away from temptation and focus on less expensive excussions.

Think of what you could do with the money instead.

Consider how you could grow the money for retirement; help your child pay for college or going on a nice trip in six months. Set goals so that the “extra” money you feel comfortable spending has a purpose.

Saving less

Starting out the year with the best of intentions gives an air of excitement and hope that makes it easy to turn the old calendar to the new with a buoyant spirit.

Yet, for most people, that hope fades around March. By starting now, you can have your new goals set firmly in place so that when January rolls around, you’re already well ahead of all your friends who are only starting to record their goals, rather than marching toward them a day at a time.

Why do we need resolutions?

The year has been crazy.

You’ve let your financial statements get out of control, and you don’t know where you’re spending your dollars. You can’t make the mistakes from last year, spending more than you have as you head into the holidays.

This year you can take it a step at the time, getting everything sorted and in order so that when the end of the year finally arrives, you’ve improved your money habits and made it through the hardest part of the spending year, establishing a control that will give you the confidence to know you’ve got the coming year covered.

Spend the month tracking your spending.

Use Mint.com, a spread sheet of your own, or the software of your choice to track everything you spend during the month. At the end of the month, take a look at where you’ve needlessly spent and make it a point to find another solution immediately.

Make sure to analyse your spending habits at the end of each month, so you can tweak and conquer the next.

Bonus assignment this month – Use one of the popular calculators online to help you calculate your retirement’s financial needs so you can start saving for them immediately.

Meet those needs each pay period,

With high unemployment, less hours and open enrolment for health insurance reminding you that things are a bit tight, it’s easier to remember to save.

But as the economy improves and you feel more financially secure, you might be tempted to put a little less away. In order to avoid this, consider making your savings

starting now.

Organise your files too.

You will need a couple of tools for this, starting with a shredder and a couple of three ring binders with folders or page protectors.

Sort through your money paperwork, and move as much as you can online. For those things that can’t be moved, create a three ring binder (this might include retirement fund statements, insurance, stock paperwork etc.)

Shred everything else.

If you’re really serious, invest in a Neat Digital Filing system so you can scan and file your paperwork once finished. Make it a point to handle the paperwork as it arrives, rather than letting them lie around and consume space you don’t have.

Note: You will want to continue the month’s habit of recording your expenses while getting into the habit of sorting paperwork as it arrives in the mail. Make sure you’re filing it in its proper place immediately to prevent the molehill from turning into a mountain. Don’t forget to set aside your necessary savings that you calculated with the online retirement calculator.

The end of the year is gift time!

But, you have a plan. You want your finances to be in the best possible shape for the coming year, which means being smart through the biggest spending month of the year. Give the gift of you. When you offer your time, you’re giving a special gift that can’t be bought in a store. This eases the burden on your wallet while strengthening the quality of your relationships.

Prepare attractive cards and trinkets at home, and then attach a simple note that sends the message: “I’m thinking of you today, but I want to spend time with you tomorrow.” Recipients will love the simple gesture more than the scarf that you thought of getting them.

automatic. Have a portion of your pay check automatically deposited into a savings and/or retirement account. That way, the money is not even considered as part of your discretionary funds.

Realize that economic cycles are natural. Every time there is a boom, it is followed by a bust. Things can’t go on growing forever.

Remind yourself of this recession, and prepare for the next. You don’t have to stop enjoying yourself, but you shouldn’t abandon the good habits you have started developing. Make the shift to a lifestyle of good financial choices, and you will find that when the next recession hits, you won’t be as susceptible to the money problems that come with it.

S o u r c e www.moneyning.com

:

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 12

EDIT ORIAL EDITORIAL

A

Lessons of Lent

head of Good Friday and Easter, Christians all over Nigeria, like their counterparts the world over, began the season of Lent on Wednesday last week. This season, which will last for 40 days, is dedicated to sober reflection, meditation, fasting and prayer.

Lent, in brief, embodies the sufferings, trials, and eventual crucifixion of the founder of the Christian faith, Jesus Christ. Although a blameless man, his traducers went for his jugular with gusto and eventually sentenced him to death by crucifixion after a sham trial.

By marking Lent every year, Christians, particularly those of the Catholic denomination, not only commemorate Christ's chequered travails but also seek to learn from the lessons embedded therein. These include long-suffering, forbearance, humility, tolerance, compassion, love, understanding, and forgiveness.

Given the hard times the world over, and in Nigeria in particular, it goes without saying that Lent's lessons are desperately needed by all and sundry now more than ever. Indeed, things have fallen apart in the family, in the community, in the nation, on the continent, and at across the globe.

Witness, for example, the horrific crimes being committed all over the place every second due to ethnic and religious differences, petty jealousy, envy, prejudice and hatred.

No less disturbing is the schism that has afflicted Christendom in recent times. A vivid example is the conflict that has been rocking the

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) lately, with the integrity of the leadership headed by a Pentecostal church pastor, being questioned by the Catholic Church's hierarchy. This followed the lavish display of wealth by many a supposed man of God, including acquisition of private jets.

For leaders of a faith, whose founder, Jesus Christ, had embodied modesty while on earth, such extravagance by

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Given the hard times the world over, and in Nigeria in particular, it goes without saying that Lent's lessons are desperately needed by all and sundry now more than ever men of God is, to say the least, worrisome.

The irony of our situation is that adherents of Nigeria's two major religions - Christianity and Islam constitute about 99 percent of our population. And, not surprisingly, churches and mosques - particularly churches - are found in virtually every nook and cranny of the land. Yet, alas, the nation has never had it so bad in terms of the citizenry's criminal indulgence, despite the intimidating

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prevalence of religion. The fault, obviously, does not lie either in our stars or in the religions we practice.

Rather, the problem is us as a people, hence the need for us (Christians and non - Christians alike) to be a little more introspective during this Lent and beyond.

This wake-up call applies to not only religious leaders and church members but also our political leaders, more so as virtually all of them are known to be "strong" adherents of our two dominant religions. One of the enduring contradictions of our life as a people is the spectacle of so-called pious Christians and Muslims indulging in monumental fraud or corruption running into billions of naira on week days, only to go to God's house on weekends to "worship" the same God whose laws strongly condemn such indulgence.

In this respect, and to put the matter in a proper perspective, that statement by the essayist, Francis Bacon, is pertinent here: "It is not what men eat but what they digest that makes them strong; not what we gain, but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; not what we preach but what we practice that makes us Christians".

We at Peoples Daily enjoin all and sundry to act accordingly. The grace, spirit and lessons of Lent should be allowed to transform our lives for the better. Isn't it about time we as a people started practicing what we preach, or walked our talk?

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

By Joseph Amenaghawon

H

ave you been on any domestic flight in Nigeria? Do you often hear the cabin crew ask passengers to switch off phones and other electronic gadgets when the aircraft begins its take-off routine?

Similar instructions are also meted out during the craft landing routine, when the cabin crew says 'all electronic gadgets must remain switched off until the plane has come to a complete stop" Does it bother you that after listening to pre-take off instructions, some passengers simply refuse to switch off their phones and would continue to fiddle, speak and engage their phones until they are possibly shouted at?

That was exactly what happened while I was on a domestic flight out of Lagos to Abuja on Sunday, February 10, 2013.

The aircraft was already on its pretake off routine when I was jolted out of the little doze of sleep I was beginning to enjoy by the noise of some passenger sitting on roll 6 who was threatening to deal with some other passenger on roll 7 when the craft gets to Abuja. This fellow, despite the intervention of two cabin crew members actually got off from his seat and turned to attempt hitting the passenger on roll 7.

I learnt that the aggressive passenger had been told by the roll 7 passenger to switch off his phone as the plane was already on its take-off routine. The aggressive passenger may have found the tone of the admonition offensive and sought to use loud, abusive and threatening language to beat down the other fellow. The

By SOC Okenwa

T

he Super Eagles of Nigeria 'shocked' the world by lifting the African Cup of Nations trophy in Johannesburg, South Africa, last Sunday soundly defeating Burkina Faso to achieve the epochal feat nineteen years after triumphing in same manner in Tunis. The Chief Coach, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi was the captain of the winning team in Tunisia in 1994. Keshi made history as the second African to have lifted the continental diadem as both captain (player) and coach after the late Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary. Greatness was knocking on the door of Keshi for sometime but the bi-lingual gentleman waited for the right moment to grab the spotlight. That moment came last Sunday night as his boys made history.

Like millions of soccer-loving Nigerians who religiously followed the championship on television I felt patriotically excited as the disciplined squad fought their way to continental glory by demolishing the almighty Drogba's Cote d'Ivoire in quarter finals, Keita's Mali in semi finals and Kabore's Burkina Faso in the final.

Keshi's triumph brought home the need for indigenous coaches to be considered and respected. He dedicated the victory to his colleagues in the continent neglected and treated with disdain by the hiring and firing authorities.

While we salute the Super Eagles for bringing back the glory days to our dwindling soccer fortunes we must register our

PAGE 13

Irresponsible citizens on board attempts to hit the passenger in roll 7 jolted and stirred up all manner of comments in the plane. The cabin crew continued with efforts to manage the situation by also reading out the aviation rules concerning unruly passengers that may include the payment of a fine in the sum of N50, 000.

A lot of passengers murmured their protest about this and some preferred the removal of the unruly passenger instead.

Initially, I assumed the craft would continue its take-off routine, but I think further discussions between the flight and cabin crew resulted in our returning to the plane's parking spot on the tarmac. On return to the parking spot, the entrance of the craft was immediately surrounded by airport security and the disembarking facility was mounted. It was thus clear, that some removal was going to be effected.

The aggressive passenger and another passenger (probably a friend of his) who was sitting next to him looked the obvious choices for immediate removal. But the airport security, possibly on the advice of the cabin crew, also wanted to remove the passenger that had been threatened with a possible beating up in Abuja. The reaction of passengers in the craft to this was mixed, some protested vehemently against removing him from the craft, since in their estimation he hadn't behaved in an unruly manner but was the one that was being threatened by the

aggressive passenger. Another set of passengers, however, felt that if the aggressive passenger and his co-traveller were to be removed, then the same action should be taking against the third passenger too.

Some other dimension to this whole saga was the "quality" of comments that was ventilated by passengers. One passenger on hearing the native language of the aggressive passenger and his cotraveller made a sly remark (in his own native tongue, which I understand) about people from that section of the country. He was suggesting that such behaviour was not unexpected. Other passengers including myself who were sitting about two rolls behind him, cautioned him against continuing in that line of thought.

Interestingly too, some passengers who were from the section of the country as the about to be removed fellows, seemed sympathetic to the dilemma that they were faced with and their interventions were against any removal.

I recall too, that one prominent business class passenger intermittently joined in the intervention efforts and at some point did remind the cabin crew to resolve the matter timely as the issue was already 'eating' into projected travel time of passengers.

The aggressive passenger and his co-traveller were eventually removed and led away (as I joked with passengers on the same roll with me) like VIPs escorted by airport security. For a flight that was originally

scheduled to leave at 1.50 p.m. we eventually left at about 3.00 p.m.

About one hour wasted sorting out an issue that wouldn't have arisen if the aggressive passenger had simply abided with the instructions of the cabin crew about switching off all telecommunication and electronic gadgets.

On many domestic flights, I have wondered why it seemed so difficult for some passengers to adhere to the cabin crew instructions regarding use of telecommunications gadgets.

Often times, the plane has only just landed and the instructions are clear "all gadgets switched off until the plane has reached a complete stop". But, this means absolutely nothing to some passengers, they eagerly switch on their phones and begin to announce their arrival to their love ones, friends etc. You hear statements like "we have just arrived, but we are still in the plane".

What is so difficult about enduring the few minutes it would take for the plane to come to a complete stop? Passengers, who do this, cut across all cadre of the society. I have seen highly placed Nigerians and supposedly knowledgeable citizens "violating" these simple instructions. Is this a reflection of their attitude to law and order? Are they simply not convinced about the negative impact that activating their telecommunications gadgets can have on the plane's navigational systems[1]? What exactly is the excitement in announcing their

The 'Moses' of our time

consternation at the shabby way officials at the sports ministry handled matters of sports in the country. That coach Keshi, the level-headed "Big Boss", was rumoured to have resigned hours after the stunning victory by the Nigerians sent out the wrong signal to the world of our disorganization and tactlessness.

According to the veteran coach the Minister of Sports and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) President had threatened him with sack in the middle of the competition unless he delivered the trophy; whereas Keshi was owed a backlog of unpaid salaries and match bonuses; the official car promised him was never delivered etc.

Now that the presidency has waded into the matter and resolved same one hopes that the corrupt greedy elements running (sorry ruining) our sports affairs would change their crude mentality and embrace the positive 'transformative' era sweeping the entire landscape. Stephen Keshi is a professional international coach who has been tried and tested (by even foreigners) and found to be competent. He must be given his dues and allowed to take the Super Eagles to greater heights. His boldness and patriotism must be saluted and encouraged!

There is a certain 'Moses' in the Super Eagles line-up who did great things during the AFCON championship in the rainbow nation. Victor Moses -- his story

rings a bell and challenges our collective hypocrisy as a nationstate. It is one hell of a tale that exposes our religious zealotry and calls to question our patriotism. The story could be called a 'zero-to-hero' moving tale told to prick conscience, to arrest the development of religious intolerance in our embattled society. It is a story of determination to overcome a personal grief, one that appeals to our basic instincts seeking elusive accommodation of our compatriots irrespective of tribe, tongue or creed.

Victor Moses is an orphan whose parents were brutally burnt to death in Kaduna during a religious conflagration in the north in 2002 during the Miss World riot. Late Pastor Austin and Josephine Moses were working in their church when uncircumcised Islamic fanatics murdered them by burning down their church premises! The young Moses was only eleven years old when this gory incident happened! He escaped the tragedy because of his love for football, something that has brought him fame and fortune now! He was out playing soccer with his peers when the tragedy struck leaving him orphaned!

Faced with the gruesome circumstance of his parent's murder the young lad was taken to London by his Uncle to seek asylum.

Today, he seems to have coped with his childhood trauma; today

this same Victor Moses betrayed by his country's failure at nationhood and lack of love among the many competing religious and ethnic groups is standing tall among the other Super Eagles having aided the team to reach the African soccer summit. This same Moses that would have been killed by religious bigots up north is the same guy now donning the greenwhite jersey proudly, waving the green-white-green flag and singing 'Arise-O-Compatriots' in Jo'burg to honour his home country that never cared about him and his troubles. Thousands had been slaughtered in the north by hatemongers and Boko Haram elements just because they were Christians but Christianity cannot be defeated in Nigeria!

Apart from Victor Moses and his amazing story of survival and belief in self and country we have other heroes that made South Africa 2013 a memorable soccer event. One of them is 'Ogbuenyi' Sunday Mba who plays in the local league, Warri Wolves; he must rank as the greatest revelation of AFCON this year. ('Ogbuenyi' in Igbo language simply means: "the slayer of the elephant"). Mba decapitated the 'Elephants' of Ivory Coast and went ahead to score the magical trophy-winning goal that saw the Super Eagles crowned as the Champions of Africa. No doubt the victory has greatly lifted the spirit of Nigerians and the tempo must be sustained in this season of bloodletting and corruption.

arrival when they are still locked in a plane taxing to its final stop? It smacks of deep irresponsibility for anyone to consider a set of safety instructions irrelevant and not to be adhered to.

Why jeopardise the safety of others because of your own obstinacy and lack of regard for rules? Perhaps, some of these Nigerians feel that they have no part to play in air travel safety?

They think the entire responsibility falls with the airline operators, the air travel regulatory bodies, and the flight and cabin crew.

Everyone who boards a plane in my view voluntarily submits to the rules and instructions of the operations of the craft in question.

One hour or more on a domestic flight isn't too much to give in terms of respect for rules especially when it concerns the collective safety of all. There is a role for everyone to play. The levels of irresponsibility often exhibited by some persons on board are somewhat baffling. Is it that airlines now need to conduct "psychiatric" tests on would be passengers to determine their ability to understand, absorb and adhere to simply flight instructions? I don't think that's the way to go. But, the onus falls on the passenger to behave appropriately while on board and that includes simply adhering to simple in-flight safety instructions. It is that simple.

Joseph Amengawhon is reachable on amenaghawon.html The 'villains' of SA AFCON 2013 included the deposed defending champions (Zambia) who crashed out of the tournament in the first round failing to advance to the quarter finals! Coach Herve Renard and the Chipolopolo boys proved that their victory of last year was at best a fluke, a flash in the pan! They included the coach of Burkina Faso, Paul Put, a Belgian fugitive who was linked to match fixing in his home country. They included the infamous referee from Tunisia who officiated the semi-final match between the Black Stars of Ghana and the Stallions of Burkina Faso. The suspended Slim Jdidi later admitted that the red card he had issued to the Burkinabe attacker, Jonathan Pitroipa, was done in error!

Nigeria, the conquering African soccer Champions, seriously needs a 'Moses' to deliver her from self-inflicted national malaise, a 'Moses' to heal her of the wounds inflicted on her by combined forces of terrorism, religious violence, corruption and leadership otiosity. The 'Moses' of our time may be on his way but he is not here yet! With the opposition organizing themselves and forming a merger party (APC) our hopes and dreams are ignited again for a new dawn! What is required now is for the mobilization of our short-changed people to be intensified and individual sacrifices to be made to save Nigeria from imminent collapse.

SOC Okenwa can be reached on soco_abj_2006_rci@hotmail.fr

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 14

What I saw at my daughter's university in Keffi

By Jamila Mohammed

F

rom the handful of universities we had a decade ago, the number has soared significantly over the years. The result is that wherever you go across Nigeria these days, a private or federal or state university is bound to be somewhere nearby. It is, however, one thing to have a varsity; having a university that stands out in terms of good governance, infrastructure, laboratory, and high academic standard is a different ball game.

I travelled to the Nasarawa state University, Keffi i, recently to visit my daughter-in-law, Patience, that weekend. "Mama Williams", as we call her, had gained admission into the institution after a rigorous process; a process that had kept all of us in what an old "customer" of JAMB once called "suspended animation".

Although I had been to the school once or twice before now for sundry reasons, I hadn't paid much attention to the place. But now that I am a stakeholder of sorts, by virtue of my daughter-in-law being an undergraduate here, it became imperative to take a closer look at the institution.

Located on the Keffi - Akwanga highway, Nasarawa state University (NSU) occupies a relatively wide expanse of land on the outskirts of Keffi town. As you drive through the gate, with the ultra-modern lecture theatre by the left and the Administrative section by the right, you couldn't but admire the well laid-out, conducive and spacious environment. Trees and flowers

By George M. Shaba

I

t is high time Governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu of Niger state was told the truth about the history of Minna. This is a Gbagyi town whether the governor likes it or not.

It is obvious why the Mu'azu family to which Babangida Aliyu (Talban Minna) belongs has been working very hard to distort the history of Minna town.

Malam Mu'azu, the first person in the Mu'azu family to arriveMinna, hailed from Sokoto and he was an Arabic scholar and was known as Malam Tsubbu.

Before his arrival, Minna's traditional institution was already well established. Malam Mu'azu's arrival in Kaduna along with others was facilitated by the construction of a rail line between 1900 and 1926.

We have it on record that between 1864 and 1901 Minna, a Gbagyi town, was ruled by 14 chiefs; they were Esu Gbakun , Esu Dubedna, Esu Shegbe I, Esu Yakwonko, Esu Tuku, Esu Baba, Esu Diko I, Esu Shago, Esu Diko II, Esu Bewoda, Esu Shegbe II, Esu Musa Kpotu, Esu Gadaima and Esu Makun Gadaima.

Another proof of the Gbagyi ownership of Minna for over 200 years is the presence of the baobab trees on Minna and Bosso hills.Those gigantic baobab trees on those hills were planted by our forefathers when they were living on the hills to escape from the tribal wars that were common at that time.

With the way and manger the

the condition of a r e one of the strategically governmentplanted all over o w n e d the place, universities in a Peoples Daily welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text enhancing the neigbouring aesthetic messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written state: despite the appeal. contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 i m p o s i n g In terms of words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and buildings and size, NSU is, in a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed impressive my view, not all to: facilities that that impressive. litter that school, Particularly most of them are The Editor, when compared in derelict with a number Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, conditions, even of other 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. as nobody seems universities Email: opinion@peoplesdaily-online.com to give a damn. that one has SMS: 07037756364 Like any been privileged other parent or to visit in recent years. But when you realize that the institution is relatively young, lack of maintenance culture is at student, however, want concerns even as it grows in leaps and the root of the rot in many a public me most is the quality of academic bounds, it becomes obvious that it institution in 'Naija', including work available (or otherwise) here. needs time to develop according to office buildings, residential When I sought her opinion, my girl expectations. After all, as they say, apartments, vehicles, furniture, said, in her usual melodramatic Rome was not built in a day. More and the like. This malaise seems to manner, that: "they are killing us so as a journey of a thousand be less at NSU, what with virtually o." To which I inquired: "Killing all the buildings and facilities in a you? How?" Her response: "The kilometres begin with a step.

Bearing in mind that the size of reasonable condition (as opposed to lectures are too demanding; there a school has little or nothing to do the run - down, derelict condition is hardly any space to breath or with its academic prowess (as of the typical public school facility). time to rest; it's lecture, lecture, all evidenced by the unimpressive Compare this, for instance, with the time." What about strikes, riots, performance of many high profile private and public schools in national examinations) your attention now shifted to the lecture theatre, classrooms, facilities, and Based on what I witnessed at my sundry other infrastructure. In daughter's university that day, one dare say these areas, judging by what one witnessed here live that day, I dare that Prof. Shamsudeen Onche Amali, has say without fear of contradiction that NSU is ahead of its time, "transferred" his inimitable leadership and particularly when compared with administrative acumen to Nasarawa State some other public institutions of higher learning that are of the University same age.

It is common knowledge that

WRITE TO US

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cultists and the like, I prodded. She shrugged: "So far, at least, I haven't witnessed any such things here; I heard that the Vice Chancellor is a no-nonsense man who doesn't allow such things happen here."

That, to those who know the NSU helmsman, Prof.

Shamsudeen Amali, is hardly surprising, given that he had conjured a similar feat at his old duty post - the University of Ilorin.

The story is told of how, at a period when discord and industrial crises reigned supreme in most varsities, Prof. Amali had, through a dint of visionary leadership, exemplary human relations and deft shuffles, ensured thal UniIlorin remained largely unaffected by the chaos and madness of these seasons.

Maintaining an open-door policy and acting like a father to both students and staff alike, he was said to have effectively tamed the monster of industrial crises in the hitherto restive school.

Indeed, based on what I witnessed at my daughter's university that day, one dare say that Prof. Shamsudeen Onche Amali, has "transferred" his inimitable leadership and administrative acumen to NSU. With such a tested, trusted and proven academic at the helm of affairs here at Nasarawa state University, I went back home after spending some time with my daughter, convinced that "Mama Williams" and the hundreds of other students are in good hands.

Hajiya Jamila Mohammed is the Executive Director of Destiny Youths International Forum, Abuja (08068231314)

Let nobody destroy Minna's history Talban Minna has been working to distort the history of Minna town, it is clear that the Mu'azu family has a agenda. 1. When the beautiful Minna Juma'at mosque was to be built, people who owned houses around the mosque area were asked to relocate and everybody did so except the Malam Mu'azu family and up to date the family house is still there, untouched. Does it mean that Malam Mu'azu's family members above the law?

On January 20, 2001, a Saturday, His Royal Highness, the Emir of Minna, Alhaji Dr. Umaru Faruk Bahago, performed the turbaning of Dr. Mu'azu

Babangida Aliyu as Talban Minna.

The Hausa edition of the Newsline, "Tauraruwa", published an article "Tarihin Kafuwar Garin Minna" by one Alhaji Ahmed Mu'azu, Alkalin Kotun Yanki, Mai Ritaya (the writer is another member of Malam Mu'azu's family). The article was not only false but malicious and capable of breaching the peace, if not that the Gbagyis are peace loving people.

One Mr. Shehe Abaze G. Shekwogaza responded to that false publication in a book Minna As Gbagyi Land: The Truth Must Prevail.

In October, 2012, the day the

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In October, 2012, the day the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, visited Niger state the governor said in an NTA interview that Minna came about as a result of the railway. And January 5, 2013 the Talban Minna was interviewed by Saturday Sun in which interview he announced that Minna was a creation of the railway line

Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, visited Niger state the governor said in an NTA interview that Minna came about as a result of the railway. And January 5, 2013 the Talban Minna was interviewed by Saturday Sun in which interview he announced that Minna was a creation of the railway line.

Few years back instead of the Chief Servant using the state funds for developmental projects that have a direct bearing on the people he was busy celebrating Minna's centenary.

I want to appeal to the Talban Minna to stop misleading the public about the history of Minna town.

It is obvious that a "chicken born on a raining day does become a fish". Even if Dr. Aliyu was born in Minna, he has no right to tamper with the history of Mina.

Politically, the Talban Minna is trying to reopen the old wounds of the Gbagyis. In the 2007 general elections, everybody knew that it was a Gbagyi man that won the gubernatorial election under the platform All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) but it was rigged. However, the Gbagyi people kept their cool and did not resort to violence.

Today Nigerlites are disappointed by the administration of Aliyu. The few roads he claims to have dualized are no more than 30 kilometres and were started almost six years ago. Every day, Talban Minna keeps talking about free education, but let someone

apolitical come to Niger state, especially its rural areas and see the types of public schools we have.

In the public schools children sit on bare-floor and in some cases the floors are not cemented. The buildings have no doors, no windows.

Today, his government has not implemented fully the N18,000 national minimum wage in the state. Water problem in Niger state is beyond a solution. Nigerlites drink un treated water garuwa, the jerry can-truck pusher.

Hospitals are mere consulting centres; there are no drugs.

Governor Mu'azu Babangida Aliyu is not focused on development projects. Take the ultra modern market in Minna, built by Governor Abdulkadir Kure. The Talban Minna met the market and started demolishing Minna's old market without providing an alternative. It was after forcing people to the new market that the Talban Minna realized that the new market needed a road network. It is now that the government is constructing the roads thereby subjecting the traders to untold hardships.

It is lamentable that of being the chief servant that he claims to be, the Talban Minna is busy distorting the history of Minna town.

Comr. George M. Shaba can be reached at chiahemba1@yahoo.com

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 15

New Orleans: The disaster resilient city

By Yushau A. Shuaib

S

ometime in 2011, this writer got an invitation to attend the annual International Disaster Conference and Expo (IDCE) which takes place every year in the city of New Orleans in the United States. For decades, New Orleans was reputed to be a city of good music, tantalizing cuisine, rich culture and friendly dwellers who welcome visitors from across the globe with open arms until the arrival of Hurricane Katrina, which on August 29, 2005 washed away the city and devastated the Gulf Coast. Thousands of people fled their homes as huge sections of the city disappeared under floodwaters. The disaster in this city of mostly black people has been described as one of the deadliest, costliest and most destructive of the 2005 series of Atlantic hurricane in the United States of America.

The over 1,500 people that died in the disaster were mainly those who refused to heed the early warning.

It was also estimated that over $80 billion was lost due to damages to property.

The incidence also exposed the weakness of humans in relation to technology. The hurricane surge protection failures in New Orleans are considered the worst civil engineering disaster in U.S. history and this prompted a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), who were the designers and builders of the levee system. There was also an investigation of the responses from federal, state and local governments, resulting in the resignation of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

By Ahaoma Kanu

I

f you are still getting to know about the passing on of the Nigerian musical artiste, Oluwabimpe Susan Harvey, popularly known as Goldie, you are either too busy in your work or travelling thousands miles by road or,simply put, you are not a fan of the Nigerian music industry.

The 31-year-old singer who represented Nigeria last year at the popular TV reality show Big Brother Africa (BBA) last year died recently at Reddington Hospital in Victoria Island after landing from the USA where she attended the Grammy Awards which held on Sunday along with duo of Kennis Music Kenny Ogungbe and Dayo Adeneye.

Maverick TV presenter, Denrele Edun, is very prominent to be among those that were with the deceased in her last moments.

While the wait for the autopsy result expected to be carried out to ascertain the cause of death lingers on, so many writers, bloggers and journalists have turned to speculating what the cause of death might be; I have written one and suggested it may be Thrombosis, a condition leading to the formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel thereby obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system.

That is not the only suspicion for the cause of death; sources from Reddington hospital where Goldie

director, Michael D. Brown and of New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Superintendent Eddie Compass.

While first timers in the city could have anticipated an excursion into sites of ruins and traces of destructions from Hurricane Katrina, it was amazing that New Orleans is not only bubbling with full of side attractions is a great example of disaster resilient city that have recovered faster than expected.

From the well-tarred road networks, magnificent structures and uninterrupted utility services, Katrina disaster story is now in the past tense. New Orleans is reenacting its old reputation as one of the most popular convention and leisure destinations in USA. It wasn't surprising that the annual IDCE is designed to always take place in New Orleans with a mission to unite public and private sector professionals from around the world for discussions regarding policy, lessons learned, best practices, and forward thinking, resulting in the mitigation of loss of life and property when catastrophic events occur. Though conferences on disaster management are held in various cities of the world, IDCE is reputed to be the only event supported across a broad spectrum of industry perspectives: Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Emergency Response, Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity, Resilience, Global Security, Large Loss / Claims, academia and many more.

During a breakout session at the IDCE Conference, participants were told of how within six months of the Hurricane Katrina,

government declared that every parts of New Orleans had become safe as no soil was contaminated and the air quality was pure, while, water and sewage systems were gradually restored.

Involvement of the residents and the community in the planning effort also ensured rapid transformation of the city. Relief agencies and volunteer groups helped many returnees especially in the provision of hot meals, packaged food, bottled water and other supplies.

The U.S. military and other relevant security agencies were involved in the reconstruction of the damaged buildings and structures. Faith-based and community-based organisations as well as individuals all volunteered in providing necessary relief to the displaced people while some non-profit organisations played active roles

in mobilising funds in rebuilding houses of the poor and low-earners.

Philanthropic organisations involved in financial services also made donations of cash with some providing soft loans to enable victims to return to their businesses. The USA has an effective, reliable, integrated, and comprehensive system to alert and warn the American people. This writer was fascinated by the sophistication of Early Warning Alert System being regularly utilized to warn residents of looming disasters which contributed to minimal loss of lives during Hurricane Katrina.

The Director for the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Antwane Johnson told participants that beyond local alerting system, his agency is integrating public alert and warning systems so that

“

The success of the rapid recovery of New Orleans from the catastrophe resulted from the massive support from various institutions, groups and individuals who volunteered to sacrifice in the recovery processes. The great lesson here in disaster management is that while we cannot prevent or even anticipate all disasters, we should plan and prepare for any eventuality that could occur due to nature or human error

warning messages could reach the target audience as soon as possible through various channels including television, radio, online media, mobile phones and public signage simultaneously. The system has collaboration with various institutions, including telephone operators, media owners and volunteers in its successful implementation because it facilitates single emergency alert message delivery to all available public dissemination channels.

After losing billions of dollars in tourism business due to Katrina, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau successfully embarked on a rebranding campaign to reposition the potential of the city. The outcome of the crisis and reputation management campaign has propelled the tourism industry of the city to become taller and stronger than expected.

The success of the rapid recovery of New Orleans from the catastrophe resulted from the massive support from various institutions, groups and individuals who volunteered to sacrifice in the recovery processes.

The great lesson here in disaster management is that while we cannot prevent or even anticipate all disasters, we should plan and prepare for any eventuality that could occur due to nature or human error. Nigeria and other developing countries, especially in Africa have a lot to learn from the disaster resilience and recovery strategies employed during and after Hurricane Katrina in the United States.

Yushau A. Shuaib can be reached on yashuaib@yahoo.com

Now that Goldie is dead

died last night postulated Pulmonary Embolism while what would be regarded a "negative" revelation made headlines in the publication, PM News, which claimed she may have died as a result of doping complications.

Well, the good development is that an autopsy will be carried out as it is necessary as contained in the laws guiding Lagos State where she passed on but whether the result will be made public will be another issue to be dealt with. With the kind of influence being wielded by some music labels over the entertainment writers' leaves one to be afraid that should the autopsy report prove otherwise, chances that it would be reported credible are slim; there is bound to be conflicting reports.

Traditionally, as no evil is not supposed to be said about the dead, the media show do what is right; you decide that. Goldie is dead and she will be remembered in the coming weeks, months and maybe the rest of the year by some friends, fans, colleagues and all sorts but be sure that the government will in no way be among those that would be visible in this category.

First among what you will start noticing and which has started is that Goldie's twitter account would have more followers; her Facebook page would

witness more likes to the extent you will start asking; where the hell were all these people? As of the time of penning this piece, it stood at 86, 610 and still counting.

Many will post some ugly tweets and make reference to her BBA moments and also try to measure her career in the negative but, she will have fighters that would attack every silly comment; trust artistes, they protect their own.

If Google could be kind enough to furnish us with the frequency of downloads and searches done on Goldie since the announcement of her death, then you will see that Goldie became more popular in death than she was when she was in the Big Brother House. Her picture has since replaced those of many as display pictures (dp) on Blackberry Smartphone's BBM app and her songs and interviews have hit the highest since she came on stage as an artiste in both print and electronic media including the internet not to talk of ringtones across Nigeria.

Her albums will start selling and Alaba marketers may have started mass-producing the albums including the present three singles from her forthcoming African Invasion album entitled Skibo, Miliki and Got to Have it; the pirates are

already seeing a gold mine in Goldie's work and they will surely smile to the bank and rob her of her royalties. The regulatory bodies for copyright infringements will send their investigators and collectors out to all hotels, joints and relaxation spots with calculators and all to start tabulating the amount accruing from the airplay of her songs which has risen astronomically since her Valentine Day demise.

Fellow artistes are already trying to get their voices heard with tributes for her and they would be calling themselves and planning on a splendid way to have a befitting burial ceremony; a committee will be formed, Nollywood stars of course will be involved and they may toy with the idea of visiting the Ekiti Ssate governor to donate some fund towards what they may call A Golden Farewell to Goldie.

The artistes are all going to start recounting their relationships with Goldie and then, you will see some collabo videos staring Goldie that may have been dropped some years back on your entertainment channels. Also, tribute songs especially in the form of singles will soon start hitting the airwaves and the lyrics will speak so much of what an Angel Goldie was; the kind of praises always

reserved for the dead never for those living.

The media is already digging and will keep nosing. Soon stories about Goldie's escapades in the BBA would dominate the stage and the main focus will be Prezzo who she was romantically attracted to and said officially that she was in love with. Then, more stories will come out; soft sells will be digging and they would be asking a question nobody ever asked; who is Leo Harvey? A brother, a husband? I rather not go there. There would be some music video collaboration by artistes in tribute to Goldie; it may be haphazardly done and presented and some of the stars would sing about their love for Goldie and all she did not do for them while alive.

The burial will be a celebrity show, whether in Lagos or her home state of Ekiti state. It will sure be a show for the best of the best in the industries. All classes of artistes will be there, whether A,B,or CList and wannabes will not be left out. Goldie might have a golden casket and be sure to see some ladies that would dress up like her; blonde hairs, extra long eye lashes and tight fitting diva apparels, just to immortalize Goldie.

Ahaoma Kanu is reachable on www.facebook.com/ ahaoma

PAGE 16

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

FCTA earmarks N500 million for new transport policy palliative Minister

S

enator Mohammed has announced that the FCT Administration has earmarked the sum of N500 million from SURE-P for palliative to take care of those to be affected by the new transport policy of Federal Capital Territory.

The FCT Minister, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed (CON) made this revelation, while receiving the report of the Ministerial Committee on the Implementation of Mini-Bus Feeder Routes and Traffic Regulations on Friday in his office at Area 11, Garki I District, Abuja.

The Minister, who accepted all the recommendations of the committee, immediately lifted the suspension earlier declared for the implementation of routes delineation for high capacity buses, mini-buses, taxis and the Keke-Napep but with a grace period of three weeks that will give room for further publicity and adjustment on the parts of all stakeholders including the commuters.

He emphasized that the FCT Administration is not implementing this new land transport policy to inflict pains on any mode of transport operator or commuters but to reduce transportation time.

Senator Mohammed reiterated that all the decisions being taken are not for personal interests but are in the overall interest of the country and in particular residents of the Federal Capital Territory.

The Minister restated the commitment of the FCT Administration to sustain the Abuja Mass Transit Policy particularly as his administration implements the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan; noting that the minibuses will have more work to do now than before as other nooks and crannies of the city formerly not serviced have been provided to them for their operation.

The Minister said that the FCT Administration would talk with some banks including the African Development Bank as well as Toyota Motor Company to provide credit facility to buy brand new buses at high rate purchase.

His words: " We are not making anybody jobless as speculated, indeed, people will be more empowered under this policy because what the FCT Administration is doing is restricting their operations to certain areas of the Federal Capital City and allowing them to operate more broadly on other routes".

Woman pounding yam at Lugbe village.

Photo Joe Oroye

Man sues wife for abandonment

A

businessman, James Onyike, on Monday sued his wife, Patricia, a nurse, for allegedly abandoning him and their children since 2008.

Mr. Onyike told a Customary Court in Garki, Abuja, that he had paid for a higher degree in the United Kingdom for his wife on the understanding that she would return after one year.

“But on expiration of the programme, my wife decided to stay back and enroll for another programme.

“On completion of her second course, she refused to come back to Nigeria. I continued to beg her to return, but she refused.

“Till date, she is still in London. She has practically abandoned me and the children,” he said.

He said his wife is abusive and conducted herself in a manner unexpected of a married woman.

“When I visited her in London, she was so hostile to me and the children. She never cared for the children as a mother would.

“When I told her to try spending a little time with the children, she told me that she does not have time and that I should look after them.

“She kept avoiding me all through our stay, we never related like husband and wife should. In fact, she even threw me out of her room,” he said.

Mr. Onyike said that the love, affection and trust expected to exist between couples evaporated almost immediately after the wedding.

“On our wedding day, my wife’s real father showed up, but my wife had lied to me that her father was dead.

“She made me pay the bride price to someone whom she said was her brother.

“Even when she visited Nigeria in 2010, though we

stayed under the same roof, she was always keeping to herself.

“She was no longer exhibiting that motherly love and affection,” he said.

Mr. Onyike prayed the court to dissolve the marriage, grant him custody of the children and restrain his wife from entering his home.

On her part, the wife, Patricia, who was represented by a counsel, Temitope Joshua, said they had enjoyed love and affection for each other.

“There was never any serious quarrel between us; he even encouraged me to travel for further studies.

“When I finished the first course, he visited U.K. and encouraged me to enroll for another course, which he said would make me a better qualified nurse,’’ she said.

She said that her husband and the children always visited her in London on every vacation, adding that

“whenever they could not make it, I visit.

“I have never been hostile in any of their visits. I try my best to take good care of them and we stay together happily until the vacation is over.

“So, I am surprised to hear that my husband has leveled accusations against me,” she said.

Patricia said her husband never informed her that he was no longer comfortable with her studies in the U.K. She said she still loved her husband and her two children.

She also said that the marriage had not broken down irretrievably and could be redeemed in the interest of the children.

She begged the court not to grant her husband’s prayers, adding that she is still interested in the marriage.

The Judge, Suleiman Ismaila, gave them four weeks to reconcile; and adjourned the case to March 7. (NAN)

Husband responds to wife’s divorce request by SMS

A

n estranged housewife, Aisha Bello, on Friday told a Kubwa Upper Area court in Abuja that her husband responded to her divorce request through a Short Message Service, SMS. Ms. Bello had filed a suit for the dissolution of her marriage to her husband, Yusuf Jaho, on January 28.

She told the court on Friday that her husband responded to its summons by sending a text

message to her.

Ms. Bello told the court t0000000000000hat her husband’s message informed that he too was no longer interested in the marriage.

“In the text message he sent on February 13, he wrote that he had irrevocably divorced me and that I am relieved of all responsibilities of marriage to him,’’ she said.

Ms. Bello had said in her petition that the marriage,

contracted on December 17, 2011, had been bedeviled with unending misunderstandings.

“I have not known peace in this marriage since inception, and the union lacks trust and understanding.

“We have differences that are irreconcilable and so I pray this court to dissolve the union,’’ she pleaded.

She also told the court that the marriage had not been blessed with children.

The Presiding Judge, Munir Lawal, said that the text message could not be admitted in evidence.

“The new Evidence Act allows for electronic evidence, but it is difficult to admit a message in a party’s phone in evidence.

“I, therefore, issue hearing notice to the respondent so that he can personally affirm the content of the text message,’’ Mr. Munir said.

He adjourned hearing in the case to March 5. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 17

R-L: Niger state Governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu presenting a slate to Malam Musa Muhammad Nda, during the 1st executive Walimatul Qur’an of Al-Habibiya Academy, held at the Idris Legbo Kutigi Hall in Minna, at the weekend.

Honourable Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide (left); Chief Imam of National Mosque, Ustaz Musa Muhammed and other member the board, during a courtesy visit by the Board members of Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board to the Minister in Abuja.

L-R: Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, President, Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama and Pope Representative in Nigeria (Papal Nuncio), Most Rev. Augustine Kasujja, during the Opening of 2013 First Plenary of the CBCN, yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-Owo

Kwara State Governor, Ahmed Abdulfatah (left) briefing newsmen at the State House on the Agricultural Development in his state during his courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa Abuja recently.

R-L: Vice-President Mohammed Namadi Sambo receiving documents from the Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Tageisir Mohgovb during the country visit to the vice-president at the State House, Abuja, recently.

PAGE 18

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Al-makura’s pragmatic approach to conflict resolution

By Ali Abare Abubakar

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or an administration that is barely one year and a half in office, coupled with the plethora of development challenges seeking to be addressed amidst paucity of funds, the sudden and unexplained eruption of communal strives across the state has the potential of derailing the effort of any administration lacking in determination. But not so with Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura of Nasarawa state, who since his inauguration, has had to tackle one communal clash or the other, along the way portraying his capacity for deep emotions as he pursues his innovative, pragmatic community based conflict resolution strategy.

From the Bassa uprising which led to the killing of Maimuna Katai, a commissioner under former governor Abdullahi Adamu, to the Tiv mutiny in Azara, through to the more recent skirmishes in Kadarko, Assakio, Agyaragu, Agbashi, Bassa again and Kwandere, the clashes have been spontaneous reactions to perceived injustices, with the perpetrators resorting to violence rather than the civilised conduct of seeking redress in the court of law. May be these people no longer have faith in the system which altogether serve the purpose of the strong and mighty in the society, to the detriment of the down trodden.

Thus what have previously being confrontations between herdsmen and farmers, involving the deployment of primitive, unrefined weapons, mostly bows and arrows, knives and machetes, have with the passage of time assumed a more deadly nature, with sophisticated weapons being used by a segment of the society mostly afflicted by the twin evils of poverty and ignorance, casting doubts as to how these people come to acquire such costly merchandise of death to prosecute their vendettas.

This proliferation of weapons among rural dwellers, who are highly vulnerable to the manipulations of selfish individuals exploiting ethno-religious sentiments to achieve desired ends, gives room to various interpretations seeking to unravel the unexplained frequent resort to violence by a people previously living together peacefully.

Accusing fingers are easily pointed at individuals or groups that stand to benefit from the crises politically, rather inadvertently ignoring the root cause responsible for the rising resort to violence to settle disputes among a segment of the society that is finding it difficult to integrate properly into our fast changing world. By allowing politicians to exploit the unfortunate occurrences, focus is often shifted from the failures of past leaders, who should have prepared the masses for the inevitable social change, through the provision of a sound educational system, improved agricultural methods and sustaining indigenous technology, through which the people can find expression for their lives.

Be as it may, Governor Al-makura has been left with the arduous task of not only nipping potential skirmishes in the bud but also of pacifying a tensed society under siege, a Herculean responsibility that may well put paid to the good work embarked upon by his administration across the state.

So from the peace initiative in Yalwata, a border community, in collaboration with the Benue state government, which saw to

Nasarawa State Governor

UMARU TANKO AL-MAKURA a truce between Fulani herdsmen and Tiv farmers, through a concerted effort to bring the warring parties together and making them understand the necessity for peace, Al-makura has all along preached the gospel of peace, cementing relations between sworn enemies while appealing for the sheathing of swords in exchange for dialogue.

Even after the communal clashes have taken a new twist, with the skirmishes assuming an alarming dimension, with glaring accusations of an ethnic vendetta levelled against a prominent tribe in the state, the governor remains adamant as he sustained the effort at dialogue, shying away from the popular refrain to resort to the use of force to quell the uprisings. He continue to hold meetings with community leaders drawn from trouble spots across the state, with the essential message of peace and dialogue a recurrent theme in all the discourses.

Quite unlike most leaders who would chose the comfort and security of the Government House to operate, Al-makura, despite being cautioned by his security against visiting scenes of skirmishes, was variously in Kadarko, Assakio, Jenkwe, Nasarawa-Eggon, Igah, Bassa, Barikin Abdullahi, Agbashi and virtually all the trouble spots, sympathizing with the victims, conducting on the spot assessment, as well as preaching his gospel of peace and tolerance.

In Agbashi, headquarters of Ekye Development area, while lamenting the level of devastation of the town, the governor, appealed to the people not to be discouraged and not to lose hope but to console themselves believing that there is always light at the end of a dark tunnel. He announced the commitment of his administration to stand by the people, protect them from further attacks and give them the necessary support to live normal lives.

Most importantly, he stated that as the governor of the state, the protection of lives and property remains a cardinal objective, adding that with the level of destruction in Agbashi, he vowed to do more to protect the people against further crises, announcing

the immediate deployment of members of the Joint Task Force to secure the area, as well as a surveillance team to provide protection to neighbouring villages.

Al-makura was however quick to point out that even though government would provide the necessary protection, what would bring about enduring peace, stability and harmonious living in the area, is "for the people to convince themselves, impose certain self values of understanding on themselves", or, according to him, "all the security will not be able to contain the kind of problem that we may have."

He stated that the provision of security towards securing lives and property is only a first step to ensure enduring peace, with the people requiring some form of interface with their perceived enemies, who have been living in the community over time but who suddenly became foes.

"There is a need for us to sit together and dialogue so that we can finally put at bay those factors, those indices that provoke these problems," Al-makura observed.

At the palace of the Abaga Toni, Dr. Sylvester Agi, the paramount ruler of

“

That is why it behoves on all and sundry to cooperate with the governor while he prosecutes his community based conflict resolution strategy, particularly, politicians, who may want to seize on the opportunity to cast needless aspersions on a pragmatic leader doing his best within the limited resources to turn the course of history

Garaku, headquarters of Kokona local government area, while on a visit to Bassa, Governor Al-makura reiterated his commitment to a peaceful resolution of the crises ravaging parts of the state, stressing that coupled with the cooperation of security agencies in the state, "an enduring solution to the problem is in the offing."

While appealing to the people from the affected communities of Ruwan Doma, Yalwa, Bassa, Agwada, etc, he urged them to remember their short past when they used to live in peace and harmony, stressing that civil disturbances and the resulting deaths, does nobody any good.

He however warned that his administration is ready to checkmate any disturbance and that there will be no delay in taking action against anybody who tries to bring any threat to peace or disturbances.

As a fallout of these peace initiatives, based on community participation, several meetings were held with various community leaders where the governor urged for understanding and tolerance among the people, harping on the need for peace to allow government bring about much needed development.

It is on record that it is only the administration of Governor Al-makura that was able to sum up enough courage to make public the white paper submitted by the commission of inquiry set up to investigate the Assakio crisis. In a chat with journalists recently, the governor dismissed insinuations that the report has been doctored to serve a premeditated ends, adding that while government will fatefully implement the recommendations contained in the report, the entire process is however guided by a procedure. As according to him" there are properties to be seized, people to take to court and all these processes take time."

To many pundits who argue that the governor is threading softly in the manner he is handling the situation, choosing to appeal to the people rather than wielding the big stick, enough examples abound, across the country that would suggest that after all, confronting one violence with another, does not always bring peace. Rather when the warring parties accept wholeheartedly to live in peace with each other, an enduring harmony is built.

That is why it behoves on all and sundry to cooperate with the governor while he prosecutes his community based conflict resolution strategy, particularly politicians who may want to seize on the opportunity to cast needless aspersions on a pragmatic leader doing his best within the limited resources to turn the course of history and to engender a thriving and prosperous Nasarawa state.

Even with the commission of inquiry set up to investigate the Agyaragu uprising yet to complete its assignment, a much wider peace conference seeking to bring community leaders from across the state under one roof, with a view to putting heads together to evolve a means of checking the raising spate of communal clashes, is expected to kick off within the week, further buttressing the governor's resolve to employ peaceful means to end the skirmishes.

Only recently, Al-makura appointed Major-General Asotan T. Umar (Rtd), formerly of the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), as his Special Adviser on security, underscoring once again his commitments to bringing about peace in the state.

BUSINESS

PAGE 19

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Email: aminuimam@yahoo.co.uk

INSIDE

- Pg 20

Again, First Bank emerges Nigeria’s top banking brand

Mob: 08033644990

2013 budget: Presidency seeks legal interpretation of veto threat by National Assembly Stories by Abdulwahab Isa

T

he Presidency has sought legal advice from the Attorney General of Federation on constitutional provisions and implications of vetoing a budget.

The step is informed by a threat by the National Assembly to veto budget 2013 to override the President’s assent following the protracted delay by the President Goodluck Jonathan to append his signature due to noticeable grey areas.

Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Dr. Nwanze Okeidegbe who confirmed the development over the weekend in Abuja said in

the interim, the Executive and Legislative Arms have reached an understanding on how Government would continue to function pending the resolution of the contentious issues and subsequent signing into Law by the President.

He said: “I want to start by stressing that President Goodluck Jonathan wants to sign the 2013 Budget as soon as possible if our discussions with the National Assembly lead to a resolution of

certain key issues. Remember that the Executive submitted the Budget to the NASS in October 2012. Nigerians were very happy about this because it was a refreshing difference from the delays we had got used to. We worked very hard to achieve this.

So we definitely want budget implementation to begin as soon as possible so that Nigerians can start enjoying the many benefits in the budget”.

According to Chief Economic

Adviser, “the NASS returned the budget in December 2012. Upon review by the Executive, some grey areas were identified and needed to be resolved. Since then we have been working in partnership with the NASS to resolve the issues around the budget. The President wants the issues resolved in a manner that will protect the best interest of the Nigerian people. He supports a collaborative approach in the discussions with the National Assembly”.

He said the Presidency was doing everything to address the current challenge posed by the 2013 budget as according to him “We don't want the current situation surrounding the Budget to degenerate into an impasse because Nigerians people want results not disagreements. That is why we have asked the Attorney General of the Federation to furnish us with legal advice on the constitutionality of a Veto and its application.

ALSCON: BFI accuses BPE of insincerity

T

he Chairman of BFI Group Dr. Reuben Jaja has a c c u s e d Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) of aiding and abetting in the entire controversy that has mired the takeover of ALSCON by BFIG. Jaja said the BPE has refused to give a fair resolution of all matters relating to the Supreme Court judgment. He spoke with journalists over the weekend in Abuja.

The Supreme Court had in July 2012 ruled that BFI Group, the Nigerian-American consortium that emerged the preferred bidder for the Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) Ikot Abasi, Akwa Ibom State, in 2004, but was disqualified in controversial circumstances by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), was the valid winner of the bid.

Also, the Group has gone ahead to the Federal High Court in Abuja to institute a $2.8billion suit against UC Rusal in a bid to ensure that the Supreme Court judgment is enforced.

According to Jaja, the Federal Government should have ensured that the judgment was enforced by getting UC Rusal out, constituting an interim management and finding ways of taking over the plant.

“We are not doing this to blackmail government, but they have denied us fair hearing and rather gave us a document to execute and return payment.

This is causing our national asset to rot and could have put thousands to work, empowered the people and reduce environmental issues among others” he said.

When contacted on phone yesterday BPE spokesperson, Chuckuma Nwokoh said he had no comment on issues raised by BFI leader.

L-R: President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote discussing with the Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, during a recent visit by the Dangote team to Edo State.

Dangote urges developed countries to invest in Africa …up investment in Zambia to $800m

By Abdulwahab Isa

P

resident/Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote has urged developed countries to promote investments in Africa rather than providing Aids for the continent.

The business mogul argued that through investment in the real sector the continent can achieve real growth and development.

Dangote, who was speaking at a recent event in Lagos, added that African businessmen should increase the tempo of their investments across the continent

as to spur growth and development in Africa. Africa, he insisted will be better developed through investments by Africans.

He explained that most people do not seem to know much about Africa, but have only a notion of the continent that is based on history or hearsay. He enjoined the western nations not to “give any more aid to Africa” but to partner with businesses there and invest. He said “You will make money and we’ll make money and it’s better for

everyone, and the continent will experience real growth and development” Dangote, who has investments in about 14 African countries acknowledged that business risks exist in Africa but are no major consequences.

According to him: “Before, there was the risk that governments might nationalize assets but now we have investment agreements in the country that says if it does get nationalized, they’ll have to pay us”.

Dangote argued that few

Management Tip of the Day Defuse difficult people

D

ealing with tough personalities can make you feel powerless. What can you do if your client is a being a jerk or your colleague is criticizing your presentation? You can improve the situation by doing three things: Shift the attention. Focus on your own feelings. Say something like, “I feel terrible

because I know this meeting is critical and I really believe in my proposal.” This helps you to keep the criticism external so you can respond thoughtfully.

Respond with a nonjudgmental observation.

Attacking back only escalates the situation. A statement like the one above disarms the other person and often he’ll back off.

Ask a thoughtful question.

For example, if a client keeps taking calls during your presentation you might say, “I know you’re busy — is there a reason I’m not capturing your attention?” A question helps the other person become more aware of his behavior, and he might change it.

Source: Harvard Business Review

people know much about Africa and instead rely on historical information or hearsay for its facts. “I am not saying it is as good as elsewhere but investment in the continent comes with almost the highest ROI in the world. In Zambia for instance, it used to be that Zambians had to hold 51% of any business operating in the nation.

Today, the law has changed.”

Dangote practices what he preaches as Dangote Cement is set to open another $400m cement plant in Lusaka in 2014, bringing its total investment in Zambia to $800m.

According to sources from the group, “The opening of the Dangote Ndola plant, which is situated in Masaiti, will make Dangote the biggest cement producer in the country producing 3000t/day. The local cement production scenario will never be the same again with the coming of Dangote, which has now entered the Zambian market. Plans to open another 1.5Mt year capacity plant in the capital city after the completion of the Ndola plant in 2014 have reached an advanced stage.”

PAGE 20

COMPANY NEWS Lafarge Cement WAPCO

F

or its consistent contributions to the development of the Nigerian society, cement manufacturing company, Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc has received awards for excellence from different stakeholders and organisations in the past year.

The awards span different keys areas in which the company has made significant impact. The company came tops as the Best Risk Management Business Unit among the 64 countries of the Lafarge Group at the Annual Global Cement Awards Competition.

The award came on the heels of a thorough implementation of Health and Safety Risk Management during the construction of Lafarge WAPCO’s new 2.5 million metric tons state-ofthe-art Plant, Ewekoro II with a landmark safety record of eleven million man hours with just five (5) lost time incidents(LTIs).

UBA Plc

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Again, First Bank emerges Nigeria’s top banking brand

By Aminu Imam

F

irst Bank of Nigeria Plc has again, emerged the number one banking brand in Nigeria in the Top 500 World Banking Brands Ranking just released by The Banker and Brand Finance in the United Kingdom.

As published in the current edition of The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group

London, First Bank emerged top in Nigeria, closely followed by Guaranty Trust Bank, and Zenith Bank.

It would be recalled that First Bank also emerged number one banking brand in Nigeria last year among the four banks that made the 2012 ranking.

According to a release by the Country Representative – Nigeria of The Banker, the publication that carried out the

Addax Petroleum

A

ddax Petroleum Development (Nigeria) Limited, a subsidiary of China’s Sinopec Group, has honoured Kaztec Engineering Limited, a 100 per cent indigenous company in Nigeria, with the Nigerian Content Development Award 2012 in recognition of its outstanding performance and delivery.

Kaztec, a subsidiary of the Chrome Group, is a leading indigenous company in the fabrication of drilling and production platforms and other specialised structures for the oil and gas industry.

countries of the world.

The top ten bank brands in the world remains in the United States of America (USA), Europe and Asia. The 2013 number one bank brand in the world is Well Fargo of the USA. It is followed Chase (USA), HSBC (UK), Bank of America and Citi (both from the USA), Satander (Spain), ICBC (China), American Express (US), BNP Paribas (France) and China Construction Bank (China).

...introduces new product for MasterCard users

F

irst Bank of Nigeria Limited has introduced a new card product that gives customers the freedom to design their debit naira MasterCard with favourite pictures.

The bank said during the First Bank Expression Cards Campus Storm at the University of Lagos on Monday that with the new product, the bank’s customers assumed control of the look and design of their MasterCard by exercising the freedom to print images of their loved ones and favourite moments of their lives on their cards.

The Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, First Bank, Mrs. Folake AniMumuney, said, “At First Bank, we know no two customers are

alike and that’s why we are introducing a cool new feature that allows you to customise your MasterCard. Now you can personalise your debit card with pictures of yourself, loved ones or your favourite things and still enjoy the benefits that come with the MasterCard.”

She added that the bank would be moving the campus storm to other universities such as University of Ibadan, Enugu State University of Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri and Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.

The Head, E-Business Group, First Bank, Mr. Chuma Ezirim, said rewarding the bank’s esteemed customers with the freedom to determine the design

U

BA Plc, one of Africa’s leading financial institutions with over 700 business offices in 19 African countries has formally launched its new staff uniforms at its CEO Awards night in Lagos, weekend.

The uniforms which were designed and produced by Nigeria’s leading clothing company, Okunoren Twins limited will soon be seen worn by the front desk staff at all UBA’s branches nationwide.

The partnership, according to industry watchers is expected to re-define corporate dress code in Nigeria and across the continent. Though the suits were designed by the creative principals of Okunoren Twins themselves, they were produced by their sister company Industrial Tailoring & Company.

ranking in association with Brand Finance, Kunle Ogedengbe, First Bank came top amongst the Nigerian banks as number 414 in the world, followed by Guaranty Trust Bank (number 415) while Zenith Bank was ranked 454 on the global scale.

Only Nigeria and South Africa are the African countries that made the Top 50 banks by total brand value among the

of their card was the bank’s way of appreciating their patronage and restating commitment to constantly seeking creative ways of delighting customers.

He said, “The freedom to choose is probably one of the best known and celebrated freedoms, especially when it relates to how we spend our money or what we do with instruments that yield money. Now, consider the freedom to design your electronic card with pictures of your child’s first steps, your wedding day or that moment you most cherish.

“That freedom to capture your individuality on your debit naira MasterCard card is what First Bank is offering customers through ‘expressions’, a new card

Fall in corporate tax brings down non-oil receipts by 30%

By Abdulwahab Isa

N

Inflation rates from Jan, 2012 to Dec, 2012 Max = 12.9 %, Min = 11.3 % for period in display.

Current Inflation rate = 12 % Source:CBN

product. Talk about a card you can really call your own, that’s what ‘expressions’ is all about.”

Ezirim said that ‘expressions’ card product had security features powered by an embedded microchip and a four digit PIN, stressing that the naira denominated card could be used for domestic and international transactions wherever the MasterCard logo was displayed.

“In addition to designing their electronic cards, customers with ‘expressions’ still enjoy the safe, secure, and convenient service the bank provides via its alternative channels including Point of Sale machines, the Internet and Automated Teller Machines globally,” he added.

on-oil receipts of N589.98 billion fell below the proportionate budget estimate by 22.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012 and the receipts in the preceding quarter by 30.3 percent, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said.

The decline in non-oil revenue relative to the preceding quarter, reflected, largely, in the drop in corporate taxes, Federal Government independent revenue and Customs and Excise duties during the review period.

As a percentage of projected fourth quarter 2012 nominal GDP, oil and non-oil revenue were

Earnings Report for Banks Source:Pro-share Nigeria

17.2 and 5.6 per cent, respectively.

On the other hand, gross oil receipts of N1,823.6 billion, which constituted 75.6 percent of the total, exceeded the proportionate 2012 budget estimate by 9.9 percent and the receipts in the corresponding period of 2011 by 151.2 percent, but declined by 5.8 percent below the receipts in the preceding quarter.

According to the CBN’s Economic Report for the fourth quarter of 2012, the rise in oil receipts relative to the proportionate budget estimate was attributed, largely, to the improvement in the receipts from petroleum profit tax, royalties and domestic crude oil and gas sales during the period.

Meanwhile, the gross federally-collected revenue of the sum of N1.313 billion (after accounting for all deductions and transfers) during the review quarter was transferred to the federation account for distribution among the three tiers of government and the 13.0 percent derivation fund.

The Federal Government received N620.75 billion, while the states and local governments received N314.85 billion and N242.74 billion, respectively.

The balance of N135.33 billion went to the 13.0 percent derivation fund for distribution by the oil-producing states.

Also, the Federal Government received N26.47 billion from the VAT pool account, while the state and local governments received N88.24 billion and N61.77 billion, respectively.

PAGE 21

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Equities end week negative, ASI dips by -0.17% on profiteering Stories from Ngozi Onyeakusi, Lagos

M

arket witnessed increased pessimistic trading in the week as investors engaged in consistent profit taking activities while the key benchmark indices traded southward in the face of mixed market turnover posture amid weak breadth.

Equities experienced continued moderate bargain position on Monday, extending uptrend by +0.59% to open the week on positive note as investors remained optimistic.

However, the key benchmark indices slipped on Tuesday by 0.07% on the back of increased

speculative trading. The AllShare Index (ASI) fell further on Wednesday as investors increased pessimistic trading, plunging by -0.40% while the profiteering continued on Thursday to close market with a margin loss of 0.04% as Dangote Cement cushioned the sell pressure.

Subsequently, equities lost breadth on Friday as market succumbed to increased volatility to end the week with aggregate loss of -0.17%.

Further analysis on acquiring banks since transaction date showed that the share price of Access Bank Plc has recorded +136.36% gains with FCMB recording +33.26% gain

while Union Bank Plc leads the chart with +349.28% gains.

Also, Sterling Bank Plc recorded +120.47% gains and ETI closed positive with 18.42% gain recorded.

However, the All-Share Index in the week under review fell by 0.17% to close at33,258.45 as against a p p r e c i a t i o n by +2.78% recorded last week to close at 33,313.49.

In the same vein, the market capitalisation in the week depreciated by N16.07 billion (US$100.44 billion) to close at N10.64 trillion (US$66.51 billion) as against appreciation by N267.43 billion (US$1.67billion)

recorded last week to close at N10.65 trillion (US$66.61 billion) The total volume traded in the week closed at 3.57 billion units valued at N22.69 billion (US$154.32 million) compared with 3.57 billion units valued at N22.69 billion (US$154.32 million) exchanged in 39,321 deals last week.

The volume transaction in the week when compared with the previous week data moved up by +18.97% as against uptrend by +26.48% recorded last week.

Weekly value also went down by -6.14% as against positive position of +11.27% recorded last week.

NSE to reduce transaction charges on corporate bond

T

he Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, may review transaction charges on State/ Local Governments/ Corporate bonds following complaints from stakeholders in the capital market.

The NSE had from February 1, when retail bond trading commenced, set N1 charges on buying or selling of securities worth N1 million on Federal Government bond and N5 charges on State/ Local Governments/ Corporate bonds of the same volume.

Market operators told our correspondent that with the Federal Government bond currently enjoying reasonable patronage, even at the OTC market, while state bonds and corporate bonds were not, there was need for lower transaction

charges to attract liquidity to these bonds.

A market operator with Vetiva Securities Limited, Mr. Biodun Adeniran pointed out that the Federal Government bonds were enjoying investors’ patronage but the state and corporate bonds were not.

He said: “Why the different in the transaction charges? To stimulate the bonds (state/local governments and corporate), there is need to take another look at the transaction charges and reduce that of the state or corporate.”

According to the Managing Director of Keystone Investment Limited, Mr. Sunny Obazea, one of the ways to encourage investors is to ensure that those who buy state/corporate bonds pay lower fee than the Federal Government

bonds.

He said: “We have to develop people’s interest in state/corporate bonds.

“For a state to issue a bond, it has to write a letter to the Accountant- General of the Federation on irrevocable standing payment order. But we discovered that there are some state governments that manipulate the letter. So, the risk is higher.”

In his reaction, Head of Product Management at the NSE, Mr. Dipo Omotosho told our correspondent that the transaction fee structure was arrived at by all stakeholders, saying that it was not a unilateral decision by the Exchange.

“However, it is subject to review in the near future. Besides, the fees are minimal compared to

the volume of transactions,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government will offer N105 billion bond for subscription by way of public auction on Wednesday.

The government is offering N35 billion worth of five-year bond maturing in April 2017 with an annual coupon rate of 15.10 per cent and N35 billion worth of seven-year bond maturing in June 2019 with an annual coupon rate of 16 per cent.

According to the notice pasted on the Debt Management Office (DMO) website, the government is also offering N20 billion worth of 10-year bond maturing in January 2022 with an annual coupon rate of 16.39 per cent and N15 billion worth of 20- year bond maturing in July 2030 with an annual coupon rate of 10 per cent.

Savannah Sugar acquisition lifts Dangote Sugar’s share price

S

hares in Dangote Sugar Refinery (DSR) Plc closed firmer yesterday as investors reacted positively to the company’s acquisition of 95 per cent stake in Savannah Sugar Company Limited (SSC), which is expected to boost the revenue of the leading sugar manufacturing company. DSR’s share price rose by N0.14 to close higher at N7.60 per share on a day the bulls overran the stock market to keep indicators green.

The board of DSR had last

week announced that in line with its desire to attain the status of a fully integrated sugar company (via backward integration plan), it had executed a Share Sale and Purchase Agreement with Dangote Industries Limited in respect of the acquisition of 2,143,281,975 ordinary shares of N1.00 each in SSC representing 95 per cent of the company.

“DSR is confident that the acquisition of SSC will provide the company with a solid

platform to supplement its existing sugar refining capacity, reduce input cost and substantially scale its business with new business opportunities (including the generation of bioethanol fuel from the production of molasses and development of a bagasse-based coal generation plant), increase margins, boost its export potential as well as provide a valued basis for further profitable growth of the company as well as enhanced shareholders’ value,” the

company said.

The principal business activities of SSC include growing and processing of sugar cane with product offerings spanning white crystalline refined sugar (finished product), molasses (byproduct), bagasse (consumed for company-owned boilers) and filter press mud (used as manure in the fields). The company has a cane crushing capacity of 4,000 metric tons of cane per day and 32,000 hectares of land for cultivation of sugar cane.

Source:Pro-share Nigeria

INVESTORS NEWS BITS

SEC

T

he Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may have appointed First Bank of Nigeria as a Securities Lending Agent (SLA) for equities and bond transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

With the appointment, First Bank has joined UBA and Stanbic IBTC as lending agents on the NSE. The two banks were appointed SLA’s for Equities and Bond transactions at the Nigeria’s Exchange in August, 2012.

The borrower (investor) is only required to put up collateral, either in cash, security or a letter of credit to obtain the facility.

UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust

T

he UPDC Real Estate Investment Trust (UPDC REIT) has expressed optimism that the public offering that kicks off on February 19 would generate immediate income for shareholders, as well as give investors opportunity to diversify their investment for more returns.

The REIT, which is sponsored by UACN Property Development Company Plc, seeks to raise N30bn by way of IPO of 3,000,000,000 units of N10 each at par for investors and closes March 28, 2013, is an investment that will generate income from the very first day.

The Managing Director of UACN Property Development Company Plc (UPDC), Hakeem Ogunniran, explained that the REIT is a very unique investment vehicle with complete assets that have history and has performed over the years.

Renaissance Capital

R

enaissance Capital (RenCap), a unit of the Russian investment bank controlled by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, recommends investors are overweight in Nigerian stocks as growth in the country surges.

In Africa, “It’s the largest and most attractive market to us,” RenCap chief executive officer, John Hyman, said in an interview in Lagos, according to Bloomberg.

“We would say to any longterm investors: you should have some Nigeria in your portfolio, you overweight Nigeria”, he stated.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 22

Best Beach Hotels 2013 eautifully balanced on the south coast's dramatic limestone cliffs, this is an awe-inspiring temple to sybaritic pleasure. It's wonderfully smart and strikingly contemporary, with walkways and bridges linking a series of pools, pavilions, seating areas and 64 villas on stilts.

Rather fantastically, doors and even walls can be removed to make the most of the sea breezes and sparkling light; the rooms all have private linear saltwater pools, sun decks and cube-like cabanas (where the gentle Balinese staff will bring

you anything from sun block to a cooled bento box of chocolates).

The hotel takes full advantage of its setting with an infinity pool and the Sunset Cabana, which serves killer cocktails from a platform overhanging the cliff edge. The Indonesian cooking at Warung restaurant is sensational - this is one of the island's best sports for sublime dishes such as grilled fish with colo colo sauce or steamed prawn parcels with a spicy Balinese paste.

Do not miss the spa. If you're in full deity mode, book one of the magnificent three-bedroom villas with 24-hour butler service and its own spatreatment room.

direct 70-minute flight from MalĂŠ. Here you'll find Villingili, nearly two miles long, with bouffant Indian Ocean sunsets and a five-star, 132-villa resort run with impeccable efficiency.

You can stay by the beach, in a tree house or over the water, but what makes it soar above the 100-plus pit-stops now dotting the Maldives is the bags of space (every guest is given a bicycle to pedal through the palms to breakfast, freewheel to the Chi spa for a massage and wobble home under the stars after

lobster and cocktails).

Another unexpected bonus is that a short boat ride away lie four islands linked by a 10-mile causeway; you can cycle through local villages and nose about an old RAF station complete with 1960s buildings and an Astra cinema. Then there's the wreck-diving and dolphin adventures, children's clubs and 68ft yacht...And a nine-hole golf course where you can tee off 40 miles south of the Equator. Bored in the Maldives?

Not here.

Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

B

Uxua Casa Hotel, Trancoso, Brazil Trancoso is a tiny settlement on Bahia on a red sandstone bluff overlooking wonderful beaches and the deep-blue Atlantic. Here nothing moves faster than a bicycle pedalled across the springy grass on the village green.

The hotel owns four little casitas among the brightly painted fishermen's shacks around the green, and another six in tropical gardens behind.

The owner, Wilbert Das, is a

former creative director at Diesel and he's got a mean eye for detail: all is rustic simplicity and laid-back charm, with hammocks and palm thatching, adobe plasterwork, feather headdresses, local ceramics and wood carvings.

The little houses are very cute and slightly crazy: Casa EugĂŞnia has palm trees sticking through its roof; Casa Da Arvore is actually a tree house. Kick back around the pool and order Bahian specialities (moqueca is a sensational seafood stew), then

Soho Beach House, Miami, USA Some 25 blocks north of fading South Beach stars such as the Delano and the Raleigh, Soho Beach House gave Miami a much-needed shot of glamour when it opened in October 2010.

And it still checks every sexyweekend-by-the-beach box: just ask the droves of vitamin-D starved New Yorkers who descend each winter.

The exhaustive list of attractions includes two pools (one on the roof); spot-on steaks and pizzas at leafy Cecconi's restaurant; three hopping bars; and a colossal Cowshed Spa with a beachwear boutique (snag your Lisa Marie Fernandez swimsuit here).

The decor - retro Latina with an occasional Brit flourish -

makes a refreshing change from all that minimalism down south, but it's the details and service, too often delivered with a sneer on South Beach, that make the House such a hottie.

Loungers have red watering cans for foot-rinsing, the bathroom stash includes hairstraighteners, and if the supersized Art Deco bar in your room doesn't persuade you to whip up a Mjoito, order 'One While Changing' and a handsome bartender will do it for you.

Only Soho House members, their guests and hotel guests are allowed in, so this tends to be a Speedo-, silicon- and shriek-free zone - or in the words of Soho House group founder Nick Jones, 'Miami matt'. Which is just as we like it. (Source: National Geographic)

stroll past the whitewashed 16th-century church and down a narrow path to the beach.

Red-clawed crabs scubble for cover beneath the wooden walkway threaded through a mangrove thicket.

The sound of breakers reaches you before the folaige clears to reveal a stunning strip of sand, crunching underfoot like golden muscovado sugar, where everyone lounges under reed parasols that look like fishermen's floppy, broadrimmed hats. If only life could always be this simple.

Shangri-La's Villingili Resort & Spa, Maldives

T

he Maldives is famous for offering luxury on a lily pad, but many of us wonder what on earth we will do there by day three. The answer lies in the heart-shaped lagoon of Addu Atoll, hidden at the southern tip of this 500-mile island chain.

The atoll's little-known international airport, Gan, can be reached by whooshing in on your private jet or by taking a

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 24

PAGE 25

Abuja: Rising incidence of car theft in the nation’s capital Did you wake up one morning to discover that your car had disappeared from the garage where you had parked it the previous night before going to bed? You were not alone. The problem is what to do about the city’s rising cases of car theft.

R

esidents of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, are becoming increasingly worried about the alarming rate of car theft in their neighbourhoods. This is perhaps, putting it mildly.

They say hardly does a day pass without a case of missing car being reported to the police.

Cars, especially Honda cars, are cleverly removed from where they are parked while their unsuspecting owners are busy at work, in a meeting or doing any other transactions. Some other times, the cars are snatched at gunpoint on the highway.

Many victims say the most disturbing situation is that the stolen cars are

hardly recovered, while there is often no trace of their whereabouts.

Some of the victims are particularly irked by the inability of the police and other security agencies to stem the rising menace of car theft in the FCT. Mr Paul Ikeodo, a lawyer whose Honda CRV Jeep was stolen outside a guest house in Kubwa where he was attending a meeting, says that the police ought to wake up to their responsibility.

He bemoans a situation, in which cars get missing every day, while the police have yet to ascertain those behind the theft.

“I believe there is a car snatching syndicate in FCT and that makes their operation smooth and seamless.

“From all indications, these guys have ready buyers; they bring the cars and get paid immediately;

that’s why the cars are hardly recovered. “‘It is left for the police to nose around and bust this syndicate,’’ Ikeodo adds.

Sharing similar sentiments, Mr Anselem Nze, a civil servant, believes that there is a secret location in Kubwa where stolen vehicles are packed and temporarily kept before their disposal.

Nze, whose car was once stolen, says that car thieves often mill around, keeping a close watch on cars and their unsuspecting owners.

“Once they discover you are not within your car, your car is gone.

“When my Honda CRV was stolen, I drove around Kubwa immediately but there was no sign of it.

“I have these feeling that stolen cars are refurbished right inside Kubwa and then sold.

“Anyway, I am only speculating; it is left for the

FCT Commissioner of Police, Aderenle Shinaba

Arrested car theft suspects

police to conduct their investigations, as I have lodged my complaint with them,’’ he says.

Mr Muyudeen Ayuba, a civil servant, whose car was removed from where it was parked at Kado Estate, recollects that the whole incident was like a dream to him.

He recalls that he visited a house at the estate where he did not stay long, only to come out and discover that his car was no longer where it was parked.

“That was the way my car got missing; I reported the theft to the police but I am yet to hear anything since then,’’ Ayuba says.

In the case of Mrs Paulina Abhiwase, another civil servant, her Honda

Academy car was removed from where it was parked at Area 3, Garki.

She claims that she has reported the matter to the police, adding that the

officers then assured her that they would make efforts to recover the car.

“The last time I called, they told me they had recovered some cars but

“

I appeal to the residents of the FCT, especially those in the satellite towns, to fix security devices in their cars. The devices can be pedal lock, steering lock or even the more sophisticated car trackers

mine was not among the recovered cars.

“All the same, I still believe in God that the car will be recovered,’’ Abhiwase says.

Nevertheless, the FCT Police Command says that it is doing everything within its capacity to curb the growing menace of car theft in the territory, even as it advises car owners to equip their cars with security devices to safeguard them from theft.

Mrs Doris England, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the FCT, however, says that the police have intensified its fight against car theft.

She, nonetheless, notes that most victims of car theft had no form of security in their cars.

“I want to advise car owners in the FCT to install one form of security or the other in their cars.

“Most times, when victims of car theft are asked if they had security gadgets in their cars, the answers are always in the negative.

They don’t even have the locally made pedal or steering lock.

“I appeal to the residents of the FCT, especially those in the satellite towns, to fix security devices in their cars. The devices can be pedal lock, steering lock or even the more sophisticated car trackers,’’ she says.

England explains that a car tracker makes it easy for people to trace a car’s movement; thereby making recovery of stolen cars easy for the victims and the police.

She, however, rejects the notion that the rate of car theft in FCT is becoming alarming, saying that it is only the police that are in a position to make such declaration.

She insists that all the divisions of police command have patrol cars that are used in patrolling all areas to check criminal activities, including car theft.

“There is a robust patrol in the FCT. Apart from that, the FCT command has a section under the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), whose duty is to check the activities of car thieves; the section is known as the Anti Car Theft Section,’’ she adds.

England says that

whenever a car theft is reported, a signal is promptly sent round, while all patrol vehicles in the FCT are connected to the central communication hub.

She stresses that once the information about the particulars of a stolen vehicle is passed out, all patrols teams in the FCT would be on the lookout for such cars.

The PPRO says that more than five stolen vehicles in the FCT have been recovered in the past two weeks.

Apart from car thefts, there have been some instances in the FCT, where cars snatched from their owners at gunpoint.

Some of the victims say

that even the installation of security devices in cars could not save the cars from the grasp of the armed robbers, as the owners are often forced to disconnect the cars’ security apparatus before the cars are taken away.

Miss Catherine Obande, a journalist, recalls that her father’s was snatched by an armed man at Wuse Zone 6.

“My father said that about three young men were milling around the area, pretending to be making phone calls.

“As he was opening the car, one of them approached him and pointed a gun at him and pushed him into the car.

FCT Commissioner of Police, Aderenle Shinaba

“Then, the others also boarded the car; they held him in there and asked him to start the car, as they discovered it had a security device.

“After driving with him for about thirty minutes to make sure the car didn’t stop, they dropped him off at a spot,’’ she recounts.

Perspective analysts are of the view that more needs be done in the fight against carjacking and car theft.

They urge the police to step up their intelligence gathering capacity so as to apprehend the masterminds of carjacking and car theft in the FCT and bust their syndicate.

(NANFeatures)

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013 08028402920 sbejike@gmail.com

Lawyer calls for overhauling of EFCC

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

A

n Abuja based lawyer, Barrister Max Ogar has called for total over-hauling of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if Nigeria must record appreciable success in the fight against corruption.

Ogar told Peoples Daily lawthat the performance of some EFCC lawyers while prosecuting corruption cases in court has not being impressive.

In his words: “Am yet to see an in-house counsel of the EFCC who has truly impressed me. I am yet to see anyone of them who has truly impressed me.

“I think the reason is not farfetched from the manner in which they are being recruited. Is only those who are connected to one big man or the other that are recruited into the legal department of the EFCC”, he added.

The legal practitioner said if the trend is allowed to continue that way, the country will not go far in the fight against corruption, pointing out that: “I can count for you the number of cases where EFCC secured conviction on a merit. Those cases are those that were prosecuted for and on-behalf of EFCC by private legal practitioners who are given a fiat”.

“Legal practice is not for everybody, there are people who have the steam but because they do not have people behind them, EFCC and other government agencies are not ready to engage their services.

They recruit people on the basis of sentiment and the people they know and when you have serious minded cases, you get people from outside and you pay so much money; this is counterproductive”, he added.

Ogar who pointed out that he is yet to be upstaged by EFCC inhouse lawyers in the cases that are being prosecuted by the EFCC, which he is involved and pointed out that many other lawyers have similar experience.

“I can tell you authoritatively that even some people in the operations department of the EFCC are conscious of the lawyers in the EFCC legal department who they want to prosecute cases they investigated, because it is frustrating if you put in your best as an investigator, come up with a water tight case, then someone goes to court and spoils it”, he noted.

On the way forward in positioning EFCC for better performance, he said: “If you nominate a man to head an antigraft agency like the EFCC and ICPC and you subject that man to be screened and his appointment approved by politicians who themselves are involved in one corrupt practices or the other, then you compromised that man.

He recommended further that EFCC appointment should be done based on merit and that the agency be allowed to operate independently.

Court slates Feb 21 to hear suit against Jonathan’s Aide, FCT Minister

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin

A

n Abuja High Court has asked the Political Adviser to President Jonathan, Ahmed Ali Gulak and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Mohammed top file and serve all the necessary processes in the suit brought against them by Adi Ali International Limited before or on February 21, 2013.

They were dragged to court alongside Allah Properties Limited, a firm belonging to Mr. Gulak, Alhaji Awwal Muhammed, and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) over an alleged misappropriation of a lot of land belonging to the Plaintiff.

The Plaintiff, in an originating summons filed on his behalf by his counsel, Aliyu Musa Yauri prayed the Court to order the return of the ownership of the disputed land to Adi Ali, among other reliefs.

Adi Ali claims that the disputed piece of land located at No 8 Cadastral Zone DO1 Karsana District, Abuja was originally allocated to him but later unilaterally transferred by the FCT Minister having been misled by Gulak without adhering to due promise.

The Plaintiff asked the court to, among other things, declare that the transfer of the right of occupancy of the land to Gulak’s company, vests no proprietary interest in Gulak’s company and that he remains its beneficial owner.

The Plaintiff seeks, “a

Ahmed Ali Gulak, Special Adviser to President on Political Matters

mandatory order compelling the FCT Minister to cancel the purported offer of the right of occupancy of the said land and a consequential order returning the ownership of the land to him”.

In a 6-page affidavit deposed to

by Aliyu Salihu, the owner of Adi Ali International, stated that ownership of the disputed land was issued to his company by the FCT in 2011 but was later reallocated to Mr. Gulak.

A statement of claim averred that Alhaji Awwal Mohammed, a staff of Duhu Guest Inn, Wuse, Zone 4, Abuja, asked for the original letter of acknowledgement from the

plaintiff under the guise that he would help him process the collection of the title deed of the land.

The plaintiff later learnt that Awwal had collected the original deed and refused to return the acknowledgement letter to him. This prompted him to petition the police and also file a criminal complaint.

“In the course of the Police investigation, the first defendant (Gulak) who boasted of being an influential member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caused the transfer of the complaint from the Zonal Police Command to

the Monitoring Unit of the Police Headquarters at Louis Edet House, Area 11 Garki, Abuja,” the statement of claim alleged, adding also that Gulak in connivance with Awwal misled the FCT minister into changing the name on the title deed of the disputed land to their own, thereby leaving the plaintiff in the cold.

The plaintiff’s attempt to seek justice through the police failed compelling him to complain to the Chief Judge of the FCT, Lawal Hassan Gumi who, in an attempt to mediate in the matter, invited the parties to the land claim and was told by the FCT minister that Gulak had informed him that plaintiff’s firm was his “which had some problems and that the minister should change the name on the statutory right of occupancy to that of his other company namely, Na-Allah Nigeria Limited.”

Thereafter, the minister pledged to allocate another land to the plaintiff, “in order to ameliorate the great injustice” done to him by Gulak, but “to date the minister is yet to redeem his pledge.”

The Plaintiff accompanied the suit with the application for grant/ re-grant of a statutory right of occupancy in respect to the land, receipt of payment of land application processing fee of N100, 000 by AGIS, letter of offer of statutory right of occupancy by FCT and a letter of acceptance of the said offer of grant of right of occupancy in respect of the land.

Akume dragged to court over alleged certificate forgery

T

he former governor of Benue state and the Senator representing Benue NorthWest Senatorial District of Benue state, George Akume have been dragged before a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged forgery of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) certificate.

The Plaintiff, Phillip Agbese had, through his counsel, Amobi Nzelu wants the court to declare that Akume did not possess the certificate number SCO 39633 allegedly issued to him by Government Secondary School

Senator George Akume

Oturkpo, Benue State in 1971.

Joined in the suit are WAEC, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as second to fifth defendants.

Agbese is also praying the court for a declaration that the result allegedly issued to Akume by WAEC does not belong to him and that the defendant did not obtain any degree from the University of Ibadan or any recognized University in Nigeria.

The plaintiff wants the court to

declare that whatever documents that were presented to INEC by Akume consequent upon which he was cleared to contest the gubernatorial election in Benue state especially the West African Certificate No SCO 39633 and the University of Ibadan certificate and NYSC discharge certificate No. 043655 are false.

He also wants a declaration that the senatorial seat of Benue NorthWest senatorial district of Benue state being occupied by Akume is vacant having not possessed the requisite qualification to contest for the said position and prayed the court for an order directing WAEC to produce the duplicate copy or certified true copy of the certificate No. SCO 39633 allegedly issued to Akume.

The Plaintiff also wants the court to order NYSC to produce the certified true copy of certificate No. 043655 issued to Akume and to declare the senatorial seat of Benue North-West senatorial district of Benue state currently being occupied by him.

Agbese also ask the court for an injunction restraining Akume from parading himself as a Senator representing Benue North- West senatorial district of Benue state.

In a 24 paragraph affidavit

deposed to by the plaintiff, he averred that the document submitted to INEC by Akume for clearance for the gubernatorial election were not made known to the public as required by law to enable people raise claims and objections.

He also averred that the documents submitted to INEC by Akume consequent upon which he was cleared to contest the election were fake and forged.

Furthermore, he averred that in 2002, an extract was given from the 4th defendants stating the loss of certain documents by the 1st defendant and advising him to go to the place of issuance of replacement and that after eight years of the issuance of the said police extract to the 1st defendant, he swore to an affidavit on September 23, 2011 alleging in the said affidavit the missing documents with numbers.

He also averred that both the police extract and affidavit were procured by the 1st defendant as a cover up, as he does not possess those certificates mentioned in both the police extract and the affidavit.

Agbese also averred that the 1st defendant at all material times to the said elections (Gubernatorial and Senatorial elections) was not qualified to contest the said elections.

PAGE 27

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY, 18, 2013

AUN co-hosts first deaf education workshop

By Maryam Garba Hassan

T

he American University of Nigeria (AUN) in collaboration with the Nigerian National Association of the Deaf (NNAD) has successfully co-hosted northeast Nigeria's first workshop for deaf education.

A statement issued yesterday by the institution's spokesman, Abba Abubakar Tahir, stated that the workshop titled "The Role of ICT in the 21st Century: A Challenge for Deaf Education and Socio-Economic

Development", drew participants from all six states of the country's northeast area.

The statement added that the association's Public Relations Officer, Mr. Timothy Adejumo, who described the challenges of the deaf in Nigeria as ‘pathetic’, said inaccessible technologies for special education, societal influences, unemployment, and the news media's misunderstanding of the issue posed impediments to deaf education.

He however appealed to relevant agencies to support NNAD and ensure

the welfare of the hearing-impaired, the statement said.

According to the statement, AUN's spokesman, Abba Abubakar Tahir, urged the public to learn more about the hearing-impaired and to desist from discriminating against the individuals adding that AUN is development-oriented and community-based with a focus on problem solving by using the latest technology.

Dean Mathias Fonkam of the School of Information and Computing at AUN observed the role

played by Information Communication and Technology in connecting people. "Technology is making it possible for us to withstand some of our challenges," he said.

AUN Chief Information Officer, Mr. Julius Ayuk Tabe, challenged the audience to utilise the tools that are available in ICT as AUN is prepared to work with NNAD to discuss areas of partnership, specifically in the area of ICT training.

The statement further said that the Assistant Dean of Students, Abdullahi Bello, who spoke about

AUN's community-involvement initiatives, said the Centre for Special Education, designed for physically challenged students in Jada area of Adamawa, will soon welcome five special-education teachers from the US. It added that Bello said the Rotary Club of AUN is facilitating arrangement by Rotary International to sponsor five teachers two from Jada in Adamawa state and three from other special schools in Ibadan and Lagos to the US on exchange.

Shema reduces Katsina Varsity fees From LawalSa'iduFuntua, Katsina

G

overnor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of Katsina State has announced a 25 per cent reduction in the fees to be paid by students admitted into the Umaru Musa 'Yar'adua University, Katsina.

Governor Shema who was also a visitor to the university made the announcement at the maiden convocation ceremony of the university where he was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree in Law. He said with the new gesture, the students would only pay 75 percent of the fees while the government would shoulder the responsibility of paying 25 percent of the fee, adding that this would encourage indigenes of the state to seek for higher education.

According to the governor, the state government has spent at least N11 billion on the commencement of academic activities at the permanent site of the university, promising that government would soon commence work for the second phase of the university.

He disclosed that from 2007 to date the state government has spent the sum of over 140 billion on its higher institutions, while the sum of N1 billion was spent on the Federal University, Dutsin-ma.

Shema who reiterated the commitment of his administration in supporting indigenes of the state to further their education, noted that government has released the sum of about N472 million on the payment of students scholarship.

In his remarks, the ViceChancellor of Federal University, Dutsina-ma, Katsina, Professor James Ayatse, who represented President Good Luck Jonathan at the ceremony, stated that the new federal universities were established to assist potential students to have access to university education.

L-R: Vice-Chancellor, Nigerian Turkish Nile University, Huseyin Sert, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Burhanettin Usta, and Director, Centre for Life long Learning, Nigerian Turkish Nile University, Mr. Mehmet Ali Vural, during the facility tour of the university by the media, recently in Abuja.

Photo: Mahmud Isa

Staff, students organise prayer session for Wada's quick recovery From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

S

taff and students of Government Science Secondary School, Lokoja, have organised an all-faith-based prayer session for the quick recovery of the state governor, Capt. Idris Wada from his December 28, 2012 fatal auto crash.

The students defied the early morning sun on Friday to gather in their numbers to offer the special

prayers for the governor who is recuperating in Abuja.

In her opening prayers, Emmanuella Abba, a SS-2 student prayed God to grant the Governor speedy recovery to enable him return to the state to continue with his good works saying that he had impacted positively on the school.

She said the governor within one year in office, had provided the students with water and good classroom blocks as she prayed God to grant him quick recovery to keep

more of the promises he made to the school and the people of the state.

Abdulmalik Musa, also an SS-2 student led in Muslim opening prayers and made his supplication for quick recovery of the governor in Arabic Language.

Pastor Taiye Paul, said the governor needed "Our prayers especially in his present condition" adding that it behoved on everybody to pray for the leaders that all might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and

honesty".

A Muslim staff of the School, Mallam Usman Busari prayed Allah to console the governor and grant the soul of his ADC, Mohammed Idris who died in the ghastly accident, Aljana Fidau and recited various sections of the Holy Qur'an.

Mr. David Adah, principal of the school, said the prayer session for the governor had become imperative because "It's only God that grants perfect healing and the grace to lead people."

FG plans Federal Polytechnic for A' Ibom From Mike Etim, Uyo

P

lans are underway by the federal government to establish a Federal Polytechnic in AkwaIbom State.

As a move towards that, officials of both the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Board for Technical Education (NABTEB) visited three institutions in the state with a view of selecting which of the schools were appropriate for the take-off of the Polytechnic.

The institutions visited were,

Secondary School Ibiaku, Presbyterian Senior Science College both in IbionoIbom local Government and the AkwaIbom State Polytechnic, IkotOsurua.

Addressing the federal government delegation led by Arc. OjoAimola, who represented the executive secretary of NABTEB, the AkwaIbom State secretary to the state government Mr.UmanaOkonUmana who stood in for the governor expressed delight at federal government's decisionto establish a Polytechnic in the state.

He assured the delegation of the state's government cooperation by providing a conducive environment for the smooth take off of the institution.

In his remark, The facilitator of the visit Senator ItaEnang, representing AkwaIbom North East and chairman Business and Rules Committee in the National Assembly,stressed the importance of technical education in the development in the country adding that the decision of the federal government in citing the

Polytechnic in the state was to address the low admissions of candidates of AkwaIbom State origin in federal Institutions.

In his part, the leader of the government's delegation Arc. OjoAimola said a 10 member team was set up on the instruction of the Education Minister to visit the state and inspect all facilities on ground and present a technical report on the suitability of all the facilities for a take-over by the federal government for the purpose of establishing a Federal Polytechnic in the state.

PAGE 28

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY, 18, 2013

‘Our institution provides social services to communities’ –Rector C

an you tell us more about your 4 point agenda?

When I was appointed as the Rector, I had what I called the 4 point Agenda for the institution and these were for us to create harmonious working environment where we will have freedom to operate without strikes and disharmony between workers and students, to improve and sustain academic excellence which is our major mandate.

The third was for us to improve the institution's existing infrastructure and provide new ones so as to keep pace with the recent development in the area of research and teaching. Finally, our intention was to ensure that we cultivate and nurture a very good or cordial relationship between the institution, stakeholders and members of the immediate communities.

When I say members of the community around the institution, I don't mean only the villages around us but also the social stakeholders of the polytechnic including the state government, local government, all the law enforcement agencies and any interested parties.

What will you consider your achievement as the Rector of the Polytechnic in the last two years?

I would enumerate my achievements based on `my vision for the polytechnic at the time of my appointment.

I will start with the issue of the creation of industrial harmony and working environment which includes having a robust administrative structure and the use of the committee system. We restructured the administrative structure of the institution in such a way that it will enhance productivity and in this regard, I can say that we have so far, restructured the committees in the institution as well as strengthened them by injecting new members. The second component is the issue of timely provision of welfare, rights and privileges of all staff, such as promotions of staff and payment of any allowance that is due to any staff. It was during my time that promotions of staff come as at when due and also staff get their arrears paid and the promotions are almost immediately implemented. Right now we don't have any outstanding arrears to pay either for promotions or for any allowance that the staff are entitled to, even our pensioners are getting their pensions paid as at when due.

We also disseminate relevant information at the right time and we operate an open door policy such that any information that is supposed to be disseminated to all staff is done at the right time through circulars and our news bulleting as well as upload most of our news items on our website for the public to know what is going

Dr. Shu'aibu Musa is the Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi. In this interview with Ahmed Kaigama, he talks about his four-point agenda, achievements in the institution and the relationship between the school and the communities among others. Excerpt

Dr. Shu'aibu Musa on in the institution. These are some of the achievements we have attained in the area of creating an industrially harmony and working environment.

What kinds of researches do your students and staff carry out as the institution was established to teach and conduct researches?

Yes, because the institution was established to teach and conduct research in the areas of science and technology, business and commerce so as to create excellent academic culture. We promote research and development that involves the staff and the students; here we have various sub- components which involve issues relating to organising workshops and conferences where they will present their research results to their colleagues and superiors at national and international conferences so as to improve their academic culture.

Similarly, we have organised in-house capacity building workshops in conjunction with the registry of the institution. In fact, in the last 12 months we organised an in- house workshop for all our newly recruited staff to build their capacity in terms of the roles they are to play as well as for our newly appointed Heads of Departments, because as heads of departments, they are the pillars of the institution. The

polytechnic has participated in several exhibitions where we displayed some of the research products of our staff and students in the various fields that we teach such as the last polytechnic expo that took place in Auchi and the national educational exhibition in Abuja last year November. We have been able to display quite a lot of prototype machines, products ranging from brick making machines and some of the things that we have produced are ready to go into commercial production for the use of the general population.

Recently, in collaboration with the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTA) we established what we call the intellectual property and technology transfer unit, this is a unit that encourages staff to bring out their innovation and obtain patterns so that any commercial manufacturer can produce these prototypes for mass distribution or sale and the inventor will have commission on whatever sells that are made out of his own invention.

Within the institution, we encourage the Academic Staff Union of the polytechnic (ASUP) as well as other bodies to hold their conference in the school. Last year, we hosted the Nigeria Institution of Agricultural Engineers, which

is an umbrella organisation for all Agricultural engineers in the country; they held their annual conference and annual general meeting in the polytechnic.

Is there any physical project implemented in the school during your tenure?

Yes, because we believe that to achieve academic culture in the institution, there must be proper infrastructure so as to facilitate the conduct of these research, the delivery of lectures and so on.

The mandate of the institution is to ensure that the curriculum is delivered effectively and in doing that our libraries and laboratories are well equipped and functional with the necessary books and journals and equipment required for practicals. We also have quite a number of computer laboratories that are well equipped with computers and their accessories.

Right now we have a polytechnic portal that is operating 24 hours a day for 7 days; you can have access to the portal at any time through the wireless internet system all over the campus. Now our operations including admissions are done through the portal.

In our quest to improve the existing infrastructure and provide new ones, we have worked in the area of provision of additional classrooms laboratories and staff offices, specifically we have been able to rehabilitate a number of existing structures on the campus, we have also constructed and furnished new ones as the population is increasing and the demand for additional infrastructure is increasing also. The construction of the central administration block has been completed and it will soon be occupied by the office of the Rector and the Registrar.

Presently, we are building the school of environmental technology, the first phase of the school has been completed and we are in the advance stage of the second phase.

A new departmental complex for the department of Agricultural Engineering is almost completed.

The department of Mass Communication is one of the beneficiaries of the programme.

We already provided one block of four additional classrooms and a 510 seats lecture hall which is under construction, 750 twin lecture theater that will accommodate 1,500 students is under construction. These are all projects facilitated by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFUND) but there are other structures we have provided,

many of them using our internally generated revenue.

The issue of road network and drainage is one of our major problems on the campus during the rainy season, we have succeeded in containing most of these gullies by constructing a new drainage network on the campus and we are also about to construct new roads as contract has already been awarded to Triacta to construct at about 1.5 kilometer of road on the campus and we hope we will continue with that project using our capital grants from the federal government.

How does the institution relate with the community?

We created cordial working relationship between the school and the social stakeholders of the institution. This, we have been able to achieve through the inauguration of what we call the town and Gown committee, the committee is made up of the principal officers of the institution as well as traditional leaders of the villages around us, the public security service agents, that is the Nigerian Police, the SSS, and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps. We also have representatives from the Local government and by extension, the state government. We have regular meetings of the committee to help us work out modalities that will ensure that we maintain peace and security on the campus. We have also done quite a number of community development activities in those villages in conjunction with the Students Union Governments.

Last year, we constructed two boreholes in Gwallamejii village to alleviate the problem of water as well as made significant contributions for the installation of a transformer in the village.

In addition to that of course, we give them some considerations when we are recruiting, especially for very low cadre staff. And we have also provided social service to the community as people in the villages are free to visit our clinic within the campus and consult our medical personals and of course, we have a fire fighting machine that is free to be used in case of fire accident. We try to do some kind of enlightenment campaigns for the people to appreciate the existence of the institution in their midst and to take advantage.

Maintenance of structures, especially in schools requires a lot of funds. What machineries have you put in place to sustain their maintenance?

Well, what we do here requires little finance and we ensure that we make judicious use of our resources as well as plan well ahead of time and save our income to execute such projects because if we don't plan and don't save, then we are cannot execute most of the projects.

PAGE 30

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY, 18, 2013

Polio in Kebbi: Need for more enlightenment programme

By A'isha Biola Raji

N

ations cup has come and gone, everybody is happy that Nigeria emerged as winner for the third time since its commencement in 1957. Football is a game loved by majority of people irrespective of tribe, religion political view or social status.

While enjoying the game of football, most parents have one wish, that one day, they will probably watch their sons and daughters take part in such glorious outing.

It must not necessarily be in the game of football, every parent would like to see his/her children excel in whatever field they find themselves, this feat can be limited or hard to achieve when such children have become incapacitated by a preventable disease like polio.

Polio extinction, is a challenge that needs to be overcome in Nigeria as matter of urgency, it is imperative that, Nigeria as a nation should find a way of writing its name in green as soon as possible when it comes to poliomyelitis status.

It is no longer news that, Nigeria,Pakistan and Afghanistan are theonly three remaining countries in the world still battling polio.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are war torn countries hence might be a reason why they are found on the list. Nigeria on the other hand, does not have any justification, if a country like India with her large population could exit polio.

Despite dedication by government and stakeholders involved in providing an end to the menace of polio in Nigeria, there are still loop holes especially in the area of enlightenment and gaining the confidence of people which will in turn eradicate the problem of non-compliance.

The last round of ImmunisationPlus Days (IPDs) commenced during the heat of nation's cup, it is expected that, such tournament, in which Nigeria later emerged as winner should be used as tool for mobilising the people, in order to know the beauty of having a polio free nation.

In Kebbi state, there is need to improve on the level of information. According to our reporter, a lot of people still lack basic information especially as it concerns routine immunisation.

A lot of people still complain of 'so many rounds'. According to Mallam Bako, he does not see any reason why his children should be frequently immunised. "I told my wife not to allow vaccinators into the house this time around since I

do not understand why my children should be taking polio vaccine all the time."

A lot of households share the same view with MallamBako.

In Gwandangwaji, BirninKebbi local government area for instance, there was low turnout and high level of noncompliance also involving civil servants.

Also, it is important to carry along, village Heads, who traditionally stand as intermediary between the vaccinators and the people.

Some of the villageHeads still do not understand the importance of polio vaccine. In NgwanDoga, a village refused to allow vaccinators, access to his community claiming that, other village Heads must have been given money.

There is also the need to carry along schools especially Islamic schools. For instance, the Head teacher at an Islamic school MadrazatulDarul IslamBirninKebbi, requested for a cover letter from vaccinators before he could allow the children take polio vaccine.

Children attending Arabic schools also constitute most of the missed children during polio round hence the need to address the issue as to achieve compliance.

Reacting to issues raised at the review meeting during the IPD exercise, the Chairman of BirninKebbi local government area,Alhaji Musa Ibrahim Dan Illela accompanied by his deputy, AlhajiSani G/Gaji said the local government council members have become part of the immunisation team and it has gone a long way in resolving most of the noncompliance cases.

"We are able to visit Angwan Dago where it was reported that, the village head, refused to allow his people to be immunised," he said.

According to him, on arrival at the community, they were able to dialogue and convince the community Head to see reason why children in his community should be immunised against wild polio virus.

He said, "After our discussion with him, most of the people gathered at his house with their children for immunisation, we found out there is also outbreak of measles there. We treated those with measles and they were also administered with polio vaccine."

The Chairman however commended the understanding of the other village Heads. He said the vaccinators, couldn't have succeeded without the cooperation of the village Heads.

In his quest to rid

Minister of state for health, Mohammed Ali Pate Birninkebbi of polio virus, the Chairman however demanded for the list of all the noncompliant communities in order to strategise on their resolve.

He said, "I request for the list of all non-compliant areas so we can plan on how to resolve them."

Speaking further, he condemned areas that recorded highest number of non-compliance, describing the situation as unexpected as they are areas mostly occupied by educated and the elites in the society.

He said, "What is surprising is seeing teachers and other elites living at Nagari college arearefusing polio immunisation for their

children. This is unexpected. I decided to go there but my wife had been there before me and had personally immunised all the households there.

"With my deputy, we will continue to go round together in order to resolve cases of noncompliance."

He called on the need to review laws concerning immunising children in schools and along the streets.

According to him, the major problem is theQuranicschools, "I don't know what the law saysbut it may not be right for us to go immunising children along the roads or in schools without their parents' consent."We are trying to see what we can do in western public and private primary schools," he said.

“

“Church members are selected to work as part of immunisation team so there is no need for non-Christian vaccinator to move into Churches for security reason and also to avoid rejection.

“Before we realised this, it has brought about rejection so we thought of using church members as team members to vaccinate children in the church.”

He said the council will enact laws where compliance to immunisation will be included in school forms.He said, "We are going to make a law; it will be included in school forms that, before any child can be admitted into any private or public school, he/she must be allowed to receive immunisation right in the school during rounds so we can avoid this problem of missed children."

Stressing further, he said the law will also cover Quranic schools. "We will also apply this method in the Quranicschools; we are taking censors of all the Quranic schools in the local government so that we provide a form and know the number of children as such that, whoever is going to enroll his child in the school will agree to the immunisation condition in the form."

He said there is no way anybody can keep his children at home without having western or Quranic education hence a lot of progress in terms of coverage.

However there is a major challenge facing implementation in BirninKebbi local government, delay in funding has become a major setback.

The Chairman said, "One of our problems is delay in funding, it has become a standing order to delay the release of fund, and most times we have to go sourcing for fund in order to meet up with the implementation program. "We go as far as taking credit for plus."

Before now in BirninKebbi, there were many noncompliance cases recorded in Churches. This was attributed to use of non-Christian vaccinators deployed to immunise children in Churches.

This problem however necessitated the need to include members of Churches as part of immunisation team.

According to Alhaji Yusuf SaniKamba, Director, Primary Health CareBirninKebbi local government,he said there are about 77 Churches in Birnin Kebbi and members of these Churches have been trained to be part of immunisation team.

He said, “Church members are selected to work as part of immunisation team so there is no need for non-Christian vaccinator to move into Churches for security reason and also to avoid rejection.

“Before we realised this, it has brought about rejection so we thought of using church members as team members to vaccinate children in the church.”

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY, 18, 2013

PAGE 29

Protective twin concerned about his sibling born with half a face

By Anna Edwards

F

or most mothers, the moment when they first see their child after giving birth is filled with love and affection.

But for Charlene Machin, it was a moment of terror for her son;he had been born with half of his face missing.

The 33-year-old had given birth to twin boys Oliver and Harry but doctors discovered baby Harry had been born with a severe facial deformity.

Mrs.Machin, recalled how when her sons were born seven years ago, she kept apologising to husband Mark after hearing the news.

She said, "I'd only just recovered from giving birth by caesarian to the twins.

"Doctors had whisked Harry straight off after his birth and I hadn't been able to see him.

"The doctor lifted his hand to his own face, and made a sweeping gesture across the left side.

"It's as though his face has been erased completely," he told me. He has no eye on that side, no ear or nostril."

"I started crying and kept saying I was sorry to Mark. I felt like it was my fault "I saw him the following morning and I was so shocked.

"Half of his face was missing, it just wasn't there. It was like it had been rubbed out.

"As I cuddled him for the first time, waves of terror swept over me. How could I possibly love this little boy when he looked like this?

"People assume that maternal instinct kicks in as soon as you hold your child for the first time.

"But mine didn't. I didn't feel anything, just emptiness. I fixed a smile on my face, but behind the smile, I was in pieces.

"I just couldn't love my son when he looked like this.

Instead I just felt grief - grief for a life that I felt had been taken from me, a normal life that should have been Harry's."

The Machins had been thrilled when they had found out Charlene was pregnant with twins.

At 32 weeks, Mrs.Machin's waters broke and she had to have an emergency caesarian to deliver the boys as Oliver was in a breech position.

The boys were born weighing 3Ib9 each, and they were taken off by doctors to assess them.

It was four hours later when doctors returned and explained to them about Harry's condition.

The baby was transferred to Hope Hospital in Salford, Manchester, where scans ruled out any kidney, spine or heart

The Machins says occasionally adults stare and whisper and sometimes children scream and run away from Harry

up to look at the twins, and I felt like the Pied Piper as I walked through the store with them behind me, staring and pointing.

The Machins say that Oliver and Harry are close, and Harry will always have Oliver to rely upon "I'd had enough. It was time to help Harry face the world. I swung the buggy round.

"This is Harry," I said. The children asked what was wrong with him. So I told them. And afterwards I felt stronger.

"Instead of trying to hide my son away, I'd faced it head on, and I felt better.

"From then on I got more confident taking the twins out.

It still isn't easy.

"I can't predict how people are going to react to him.

Adults stare and whisper and sometimes children scream and run away from him.

The boys are firm friends, and Oliver stands up to anyone who stares or makes comments about Harry," Mrs. Machin said, "It is difficult for Oliver to deal with and my heart goes out to him.

Recently we were a child's attraction in Birmingham and I heard Oliver say to a group of children "He's my brother. It doesn't matter what he looks like."

"It breaks my heart to hear him. I'm pleased that Harry will always have Oliver there to help him through, but it's a lot for Oliver to take on.

"It has knocked his selfconfidence, but he's so protective of his brother. I'm very proud of them both.'

Harry has had three operations on his face, to reposition his eye socket and in July last year he had a tenhour operation at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool to remove the front of his face and skull and to reposition his brain.

This year he is due to have his eyelid stretched and a prosthetic eye fitted. "Harry and I have such a close relationship now. www.dailymail.co.uk

The pair is now firm friends and Oliver defends Harry from anyone who thoughtlessly stares of points

with Oliver fiercely protective of his twin brother.

She has learned to overcome her initial horror at her son, and accept him for the loveable, brave boy that he is.

"I just went through the motions with him, feeding and changing him. But still I couldn't feel anything for him.

"And I couldn't bring myself to take them out in the double buggy.

"The occasional time that I did dare to venture out, the double buggy attracted attention. People came over to ask about the twins, and when they saw Harry, some even ran away screaming.

"It took me a long time to start loving my little boy. It was two years before I finally loved him properly, like I'd always imagined that I would love my children. "I gradually came to accept what he looked like.

"The turning point came for me when he was 18 months old and I took the twins out to Mother care shopping.

"As soon as I walked in the store, children came running

Harry has had three operations on his face, and is due to have a prosthetic eye fitted this year

Charlene, with son Harry, says that initially it took her years before she could love him

problems and stayed under medical care before he was allowed home.

Now, seven years later, Mrs.Machin has overcome the

dread and sadness she felt when she first heard the news about Harry.

Her sons are energetic, adorable and the best of friends

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 31

February 15, 2003: The day the world said no to war ANALYSIS

By Phyllis Bennis

T

en years ago people around the world rose up.

In almost 800 cities across the globe, protesters filled the streets of capital cities and tiny villages, following the sun from Australia and New Zealand and the small Pacific islands, through the snowy steppes of North Asia and down across the South Asian peninsula, across Europe and down to the southern edge of Africa, then jumping the pond first to Latin America and then finally, last of all, to the United States.

And across the globe, the call came in scores of languages, "the world says no to war!" The cry "Not in Our Name" echoed from millions of voices. The Guiness Book of World Records said between 12 and 14 million people came out that day, the largest protest in the history of the world. It was, as the great British labour and peace activist and former MP Tony Benn described it to the million Londoners in the streets that day, "the first global demonstration, and its first cause is to prevent a war against Iraq". What a concept - a global protest against a war that had not yet begun - the goal, to try to stop it.

It was an amazing moment powerful enough that governments around the world, including the soon-famous "Uncommitted Six" in the Security Council, did the unthinkable: they too resisted US-UK pressure and said no to endorsing Bush's war. Under ordinary circumstances, alone, US-dependent and relatively weak countries like Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, Mexico and Pakistan could never stand up to Washington. But these were not ordinary circumstances.

The combination of diplomatic support from "Old Europe", Germany and France who for their own reasons opposed the war, and popular pressure from thousands, millions, filling the streets of their capitals, allowed the Six to stand firm. The pressure was fierce. Chile was threatened with a US refusal to ratify a [quite terrible - but the Chilean government was committed to it] US free trade agreement seven years in the making. Guinea and Cameroon were threatened with loss of US aid granted under the African Growth & Opportunity Act. Mexico faced the potential end of negotiations over immigration and the border.

And yet they stood firm.

The day before the protests, February 14, the Security Council was called into session

As many as 10 million people turned out across the globe February 15, 2003 in one of the world's biggest displays of anti-war sentiment against US threats to invade Iraq [AFP] once again, this time at the foreign minister level, to hear the ostensibly final reports of the two UN weapons inspectors for Iraq. Many had anticipated that their reports would somehow wiggle around the truth, that they would say something Bush and Blair would grab to try to legitimise their spurious claims of Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, that they would at least appear ambivalent enough for the US to use their reports to justify war. But they refused to bend the truth, stating unequivocally that no such weapons had been found.

Following their reports, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin responded with an extraordinary call, reminding the world that "the United Nations must remain an instrument of peace, and not a tool for war". In that usually staid, formal, rule-bound chamber, his call was answered with a roaring ovation beginning with Council staff and quickly engulfing the diplomats and foreign ministers

themselves.

Security Council rejection was strong enough, enough governments said no, that the United Nations was able to do what its Charter requires, but what political pressure too often makes impossible: to stand against the scourge of war. On the morning of February 15, just hours before the massive rally began at the foot of the United Nations, Harry Belafonte and I accompanied South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu to meet with then Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on behalf of the protesters. We were met by a police escort to cross what the New York Police Department had designated its "frozen zone" - not in reference to the bitter -8 degrees Celsius or the biting wind whipping in from the East River, but the forcibly deserted streets directly in front of UN headquarters. In the secretary-general's office on the 38th floor of the United Nations, Bishop Tutu opened the meeting, looking at Kofi across the table and said, "We are here today on behalf of those people

“

marching in 665 cities all around the world. And we are here to tell you, that those people marching in all those cities around the world, we claim the United Nations as our own. We claim it in the name of our global mobilisation for peace."

It was an incredible moment.

And while we weren't able to prevent that war, that global mobilisation, that pulled governments and the United Nations into a trajectory of resistance shaped and led by global movements, created what the New York Times the next day called "the second super-power".

Mid-way through the marathon New York rally, a brief AP story came over the wires: "Rattled by an outpouring of international anti-war sentiment, the United States and Britain began reworking a draft resolution... Diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the final product may be a softer text that does not explicitly call for war." Faced with a global challenge to their desperate struggle for UN and global legitimacy, Bush and Blair

Security Council rejection was strong enough, enough governments said no, that the United Nations was able to do what its Charter requires, but what political pressure too often makes impossible.

threw in the towel.

Our movement changed history. While we did not prevent the Iraq war, the protests proved its clear illegality, demonstrated the isolation of the Bush administration policies, helped prevent war in Iran, and inspired a generation of activists.

February 15 set the terms for what "global mobilisations" could accomplish. Eight years later some of the Cairo activists, embarrassed at the relatively small size of their protest on February 15, 2003, would go on to help lead Egypt's Arab Spring.

Occupy protesters would reference February 15 and its international context. Spain's indignados and others protesting austerity and inequality could see February 15 as a model of moving from national to global protest.

In New York City on that singular afternoon, some of the speakers had particular resonance for those shivering in the monumental crowd. The great activist-actor Harry Belafonte, veteran of so many of the progressive struggles of the last three-quarters of a century, called out to the rising US movement against war and empire, reminding us that our movement could change the world, and that the world was counting on us to do so. "The world has sat with tremendous anxiety, in great fear that we did not exist," he said. "But America is a vast and diverse country, and we are part of the greater truth that makes our nation. We stand for peace, for the truth of what is at the heart of the American people. We will make a difference - that is the message that we send out to the world today."

Belafonte was followed by his close friend and fellow activistactor Danny Glover, who spoke of earlier heroes, of Soujourner Truth and Harriet Tubman, and of the great Paul Robeson on whose shoulders we still stand.

And then he shouted "We stand here today because our right to dissent, and our right to participate in a real democracy has been hijacked by those who call for war. We stand here at this threshold of history, and we say to the world, 'Not in our name'!

'Not in our name!'" The huge crowd, shivering in the icy wind, took up the cry, and "Not in our name! Not in our name!" echoed through the New York streets.

Our obligation as the second super-power remains in place.

Now what we need is a strategy to engage with power, to challenge once again the reconfigured but remaining first super-power. That commitment remains.

Source: AlJazeera

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PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Libyans mark second revolt anniversary

after four decades of authoritarian rule.

Borders have been closed and some international flights suspended amid fears of a new

outbreak of violence.

The anniversary of the uprising that ended with Gaddafi's killing in October 2011 comes as Libya's new

rulers battle critics calling for a "new revolution" and accusing them of failing to usher in much-needed reforms.

It also comes a day after security officials said they had arrested four foreigners in Benghazi on suspicion of being Christian missionaries and printing books about Christianity.

On Friday, thousands of people gathered in the main cities of Tripoli and Benghazi to celebrate the initial February 15, 2011 protest that ignited the revolt two days later.

There is no official programme for Sunday's anniversary, but the authorities have taken steps aimed at preventing any violence on a day when spontaneous celebrations are expected.

Libya's borders with Egypt and Tunisia were closed from Thursday for four days, and all international flights have been suspended except at the airports of Tripoli and second city Benghazi - the cradle of the "February 17 revolution".

Ali Zeidan, the country's prime minister, said the measures were taken to avoid "any bid to undermine Libya's security and disrupt celebrations marking the anniversary of the revolution".

car bomb detonated by remote control has killed two people and wounded two others in Somalia's capital, according to police sources.

Mohamed Hassan, a local police officer, said Saturday's explosion took place in the parking area of a popular beachfront restaurant in the Lido area of Mogadishu frequented by Somali officials and city residents.

The restaurant called Lido Seafood was opened last year following the removal of al-Qaedalinked fighters from Mogadishu.

Hassan said the blast also destroyed cars.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the

blast, but al-Qaeda-linked alShabab fighters have launched a series of guerrilla-style attacks in Mogadishu in recent months.

The fighters have vowed to topple newly elected President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who took office in September after being chosen by the country's new parliament.

But the once powerful alShabab are on the back foot inside Somalia, having fled a string of key towns ahead of a 17,000strong African Union (AU) force, which is also fighting alongside Somali soldiers.

Ethiopian troops are also battling al-Shabab fighters in the southwest of Somalia.

On Thursday, AU troops and government forces seized the towns of Janalle, Aw Dhigle and Barire,

some 80km southwest of the capital Mogadishu, the latest Shebab bases to fall.

A

At the start of the programme, Ms Steenkamp, 29, was seen talking about her appearance on it, shortly before she left Jamaica

to return home: "The way that you go out and make your exit is so important. You have either made an impact in a positive way or a

The anniversary celebrations come as Libya's new rulers battle critics calling for a 'new revolution' [AFP]

S

ecurity forces are on high alert across Libya as the country marks two years since the start of the revolt that toppled Muammar Gaddafi

Deadly blast hits Mogadishu eatery

A

Scene of the blast

TV channel defends Steenkamp show South African TV channel has defended its decision to air a reality show featuring Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend of athlete Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of murdering her.

The producer of the SABC show, Samantha Moon, told the BBC the decision was taken after consulting the family.

Tropika Island of Treasure was broadcast on Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, Mr Pistorius's uncle said on Saturday that the athlete was "numb with shock, as well as grief".

Tropika Island of Treasure was made on location in Jamaica, with several personalities competing for a one million rand ($113,500) prize.

Pistorius weeps after he got the murder charge.

negative way."

Ms Moon said the decision to air the programme had nothing to do with ratings.

She told the BBC's Newshour: "I took it after consultation with her family and the feeling was that this is an amazing woman who you don't have very much in the public domain except for the work she was most well known for... which is her modelling work.

"We felt that it was important for people to know that there was more to the narrative of Reeva than an exceptionally beautiful girl in a bikini, that she was strong and vibrant and funny and lovely and that this is a tragedy on an unspeakable level."

Zimbabwe election chief resigans

T

housands of members of Tunisia's ruling Islamist party Ennahda have protested to support their movement's legitimacy and denounce plans for a government of technocrats aimed at resolving a major crisis.

Protesters, many waving party flags and some holding black Salafist banners, on Saturday thronged Habib Bourguiba Avenue, a Tunis boulevard that was the cradle of the 2011 uprising that ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. "Supporting Ennahda is a duty", they shouted, also jeering ex-premier Beji Caid Essebsi and the secular opposition party Call of Tunisia, which he heads, and which portrays itself as an alternative to the ruling Islamists.

Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from the capital of Tunis, said that the huge crowds were "a show of force and a show of solidarity with Ennahda".

"They're chanting slogans denouncing remnants of the former regime, the seculars and the opposition, saying that they are trying to undermine Ennahda, and that Ennahda has the right to take part in any governing coalition simply because they were the biggest political party that emerged after the October 2011 election," said Ahelbarra.

The mass rally was called by Ennahda to denounce Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali's plan to form a government of technocrats in a bid to resolve Tunisia's worst political crisis since the revolution.

Jebali, Ennahda's number two, announced his plan to form a non-partisan government in the wake of public outrage over the killing of leftist leader Shokri Belaid, who was gunned down outside his home on February 6.

Belaid's assassination sparked bloody clashes between opposition protesters and police and attacks on Ennahda offices.

The violence plunged Tunisia into further turmoil after months of failure to overhaul the government, while also laying bare divisions within the ruling party.

The prime minister has threatened to resign if he fails to get the support he needs to form his new government.

After meeting the leaders of the main parties on Friday, Jebali said talks on the new administration had been rescheduled for Monday and that a previous Saturday deadline for its formation had been cancelled, with no new date set.

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Asia and Middle East

T

he governor of Pakistan's Balochistan province has accused intelligence and law enforcement agencies of being unable to keep the peace after a bomb blast in Quetta killed at least 81.

Nawab Zulfikar Magsi, given

PAGE 33

Pakistan blast: Governor accuse intelligence agencies greater powers after a similar attack in January, told Geo News that agents were either "too scared or too clueless".

Saturday's attack on Shia

Muslims was carried out by a Sunni militant group.

A strike has been called in Quetta for Sunday in memory of the dead.

President Asif Ali Zardari has

spoken to Mr Magsi by telephone and called for concerted efforts to protect members of the Shia group that was targeted - the Hazara.

Mr Magsi was made provincial

Korean unification Church holds mass wedding

NATO vows to respect Karzai's air-raid ban

N

ATO says it will work with Afghanistan's defence leadership to implement a ban by President Hamid Karzai on Afghan forces using NATO air attacks in residential areas.

Sunday's announcement by US General Joseph Dunford, the new NATO commander in Afghanistan, came a day after Karzai said he would issue a decree banning Afghan security forces from requesting NATO air strikes on "Afghan homes or villages".

On Wednesday, a NATO air attack has killed 10 Afghan civilians, mostly women and children, in a raid on a suspected Taliban hideout in eastern Afghanistan.

In his first meeting with reporters since assuming command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) a week ago, General Dunford said he would work out the details of how to implement Karzai's order.

"We got the broad guidance from the president, and we will work out the details in the coming days," he said at the heavily guarded ISAF headquarters, several hundred metres from Karzai's palace.

S The bomb went off in a market area housing grocery stores, vegetable shops, language schools and a computer centre.

Australia demands explanation for deportation

A

ustralia has demanded an explanation from Malaysia for why it turned away an Australian senator from his fact-finding mission to investigate the Southeast Asian country's electoral system ahead of elections due within months, the prime minister has said.

Nick Xenophon, an independent South Australia state senator, returned from Malaysia on Sunday saying he had been deported on the orders of the "highest levels'' of the Malaysian government for his support of democracy reformers.

He told reporters on arrival at Melbourne International Airport after an 8-hour flight that he had become the first Australian lawmaker ever to be deported from any country when he was turned away by on authorities on arrival at Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard revealed that her government made "immediate and strenuous representations" for Xenophon to be allowed to stay in Malaysia.

chief executive in January after another attack on the Hazaras killed 92 people and the government of Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani was sacked.

The couples in "about to wed mood".

President Hamid Karzai

outh Korea's Unification Church has held a mass wedding, with 3,500 couples from 70 countries tying the knot.

The ceremony on Sunday was the first since the death of its leader and founder, Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

About 20,000 church officials and followers gathered at Cheongshim Peace Centre in Gapyeong, south of Seoul, and 7,000 of them exchanged wedding rings.

The organiser said the event was to promote world peace and break down barriers between races.

According to the church, about a thousand new couples tied the knot, while more than 8,500 couples from all over the world participated via a livestreamed broadcast.

The Unification Church claims millions of members worldwide.

Moon, its founder, died of complications from pneumonia last year, aged 92.

His widow, Hak Ja Han, presided over Sunday's ceremony, sprinkling holy water over the couples and delivering a congratulatory message.

The couples from South Korea and abroad hugged each other after exchanging wedding rings.

The church has been derided for its mass weddings because thousands of couples were matched with future spouses whom some of them had just met before the ceremony, and in many cases, did not speak the same language.

The Unification Church considers the Korean peninsula a sacred place.

Its website said Jesus Christ appeared to founder and overall leader as he was praying in the Korea mountains and asked him "to complete the task of establishing God's Kingdom on Earth".

The founder has been a lightning rod for controversy and was once jailed in the US for tax evasion.

He also declared in 1992 that he and his wife were messiahs.

Critics have for years vilified the organisation as a heretica

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 34

Europe and Americas G20 vows to take action against tax avoidance

T

he G20 group of the world's top economies have pledged to crack down on tax avoidance by multinational companies.

The UK, France, and Germany were the main backers of the move, which aims to develop measures to stop firms from shifting profits from a home country to pay less less tax elsewhere under another jurisdiction.

"We are determined to develop measures to address base erosion and profit shifting" the G20 said in a communique after a two-day meeting of finance ministers and central bankers in Moscow.

They vowed to "take the necessary collective action" and awaited an action plan which is set to be put forward later this year by the Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development (OECD).

Online retailer Amazon, Internet giant Google as well as coffee shop chain Starbucks have been under the spotlight for their tax strategies in Britain and other EU countries in recent months.

Starbucks came under particular pressure in Britain following the revelation last year that it has paid just $13.8m in British corporation tax since 1998, despite generating $4 billion in revenues.

It has now pledged to voluntarily pay back millions in extra tax.

"We are talking about something that is fundamentally legal. We need to modify the law," admitted the OECD secretary general Angel Gurria. "Avoiding double taxation has become a way of having double non-taxation."

In a rare joint news conference, the finance ministers George Osborne of Britain, France's Pierre Moscovici and Germany's Wolfgang Schaeuble said while such tax avoidance was still technically legal, laws needed to be changed in a broad global effort.

Schaeuble said it was "unfair that multinational companies should be able to use globalisation as a tool" not to pay their fair share of taxes while Moscovici described the issue as a "matter of fairness for our citizens".

Osborne said that current global tax rules had been developed almost 100 years ago - along principles set out by the League of Nations in the 1920s and few changes had been made since.

"We want businesses to pay the taxes that we set in our countries.

And this cannot be achieved by one country alone. No one country can create an international tax system by itself."

Deportation law: Home secretary indicts Judges

H

ome Secretary Theresa May has accused judges of making the UK more dangerous by ignoring rules aimed at deporting more foreign criminals.

Last year, MPs approved new guidance for judges making clear a criminal's right to a family life had limits.

But in the Mail on Sunday, Mrs May said she now wanted to introduce a law to require most foreigners guilty of serious crimes to be deported.

Some judges were choosing to "ignore parliament's wishes," she argued.

Last year's guidance was designed to put an end to circumstances in which the right to a family life as set out in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights was used to justify granting foreign criminals the right to remain in the UK, rather than being deported.

Last year, Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke obtained Home Office figures suggesting that 177 foreign criminals avoided deportation in the year 2011 to 2012 after convincing judges of their right to a family life in Britain.

At the time, Labour questioned whether the guidance would be sufficient to override the precedent set

by earlier cases and said it would support primary legislation.

The home secretary, in her newspaper article, blamed judges who had "got it into their heads that the ECHR Article Eight 'right to family life' could not be curbed".

"Unfortunately, some judges

evidently do not regard a debate in Parliament on new immigration rules, followed by the unanimous adoption of those rules, as evidence that Parliament actually wants to see those new rules implemented," she wrote.

She noted that one judge had justified his decision on the basis that

the new guidance had been subject only to "a weak form of Parliamentary scrutiny".

Mrs May went on: "It is essential to democracy that the elected representatives of the people make the laws that govern this country - and not the judges.

Theresa May

FARC releases Colombia soldier held for several weeks

C

olombia's main left-wing rebel group has released a soldier it had held hostage for nearly three weeks.

Josue Alvarez was the third person freed in two days by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc).

The 19-year-old was handed over to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in a remote south-western area.

He was captured during a clash between rebel fighters

and soldiers on 30 January in Narino department.

On Friday, the Farc released police officers Cristian Yate and Victor Alfonso Gonzalez in Valle del Cauca department. They had been hostages for several weeks.

Last year, the rebels pledged to stop kidnapping for ransom and released 10 policemen and soldiers who had been part of a group of about 60 hostages held for political reasons since the 1990s.

After the policemen were seized in January, however, the Farc insisted that capturing security forces personnel was still "part of its right" when they "surrender in battle".

Also on Friday, the ICRC said the smaller leftist rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), had separately released five employees of a Canadian mining company kidnapped in January.

The ELN still holds a Canadian and two German nationals.

The Farc and the Colombian government have been holding peace talks in the Cuban capital, Havana, in an effort to end their almost five-decade-old conflict, but the ELN is not part of the process.

The Farc declared a unilateral two-month ceasefire at the start of the talks in November, but ended it on 20 January. The government says it will accept a bilateral truce only when a final peace deal has been signed.

Correa, who first came to power in 2007, with between 48.2 and 61.5 percent support, far ahead of his nearest rival, banker Guillermo Lasso.

That would enable the charismatic, US-educated economist to win another four

year term in the first round of voting on Sunday, and possibly pick up a majority in Ecuador's Congress.

"He needs a reliable, solid and obedient majority," said Simon Pachano, a political analyst. "He has problems now because he does not have a majority in the assembly and has to put it together with alliances."

An outspoken voice of the Latin American left, the 49year-old Correa used his final campaign rally on Thursday to appeal to supporters "to defeat the conspirators at the ballot box and make the citizens' revolution irreversible."

A self-declared foe of neoliberal economics, Correa has taken on big business and media groups, imposing new contracts on oil companies and renegotiating the country's debt while touting his poverty reduction efforts.

After clashing with privately-owned media, which he accuses of backing a police

revolt in 2010, Correa barred his ministers from talking with opposition newspapers.

And while he presents himself as a "defender of freedom of expression," Correa wants to enact a new media regulation law.

Last year, Correa irritated the United States by granting asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at Ecuador's embassy in London after the anti-privacy group released tens of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic reports.

Among his advisers is former hacker Kevin Mitnick, a 49year-old American who spent five years in prison in the United States for hacking into US telecommunications systems.

Critics accuse Correa of scaring away foreign capital, pointing to his friendships with the leaders of Cuba and Venezuela, though the Ecuadoran president has been more pragmatic than his leftist allies.

Ecuador prepares for presidential vote

E

cuadorans are set to go to the polls in national elections with President Rafael Correa the overwhelming favourite to win re-election and possibly gain greater backing for his brand of socialism.

Three private polls show

President Rafael Correa

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

PAGE 35

Giant rabbit scares burglar out of family home K

imberley May, her fiance Martin, and their threeyear-old daughter Olivia were all sound asleep when the thief broke into their house.

But as the raider rifled through cupboards the noise woke up Toby the family's British Giant bunny in his kitchen cage.

The 4.5kg, two-feet long pet began stomping so loudly on the floor that the intruder was caught on the hop and left.

Kimberley said: "We went to bed on Wednesday at about 10pm.

In the early hours of the morning Toby our rabbit did five loud thumps.

"I sort of half woke up then realised he'd stopped and went back to sleep.

"When I went downstairs every single cupboard and drawer were open, there were bits out everywhere, then we started noticing things were missing and we phoned the police."

Kimberley, a nurse, is convinced that two year-old Toby's thumping scared the thief off from their house in Plymouth, Devon.

She found a hoard of items left piled up on the sofa which she thinks the burglar was preparing to take but left behind.

She added: "Because of Christmas and my birthday just gone, I had loads of gift sets and perfumes that they'd laid out across the sofa.

"We think that when the rabbit thumped it scared the burglar off and they left all the stuff they were going to take.

"He's like a little dog, if you whistle him he comes.

"The rabbit was just traumatised in his cage, shaking.

He's usually really friendly but he tried to go for the policeman."

The crook still managed to get away with other valuables including a treasured First World War medal that belonged to Kimberley's great-grandad.

Kimberley added: "They managed to take a laptop, an iPad and my handbag with my purse and everything in, but the worse thing was my great granddad's

medal.

"My gran actually died in 2007, she lived in a council house all her life, hardly had any possessions That was the one thing important thing she had.

"They also took a box which had all our wedding invitations and favours in it, as well as paperwork which I was due to give to the church and reception venue."

Detective Constable Nick Bloom said: "We believe the family was burgled between 10.30pm on

Wednesday February 6 and 7am on Thursday February 7.

"The police are asking for any witnesses or anyone with information to come forward."

Toby still has some way to go before he is fully grown - British Giant rabbits can reach up to 5.9 kg.

Owner Kimberley, 30, said monster bunny Toby was so big he lives in a cage built for a Labrador.

Kimberley and online salesman partner Martin, 33, got

their prized pet from an animal adoption centre who took him in an unwanted pet.

She said: "He's playful, really friendly, and he doesn't mind my three-year-old crawling all over him. He's like a small dog really.

"He has the run of the house and at night he goes in a dog's crate. It's a Labrador-sized cage.

"When he thumps on the floor its incredibly loud - you can hear it echoing around the house."

On the night of the burglary Toby stomped his five-inch long feet so loudly on the plastic floor of his crate that he managed to wake Kimberley up.

She said: "The rabbit had obviously seen the burglar when he went into the kitchen.

"I heard him thump five times on the bottom of his cage and I woke up, sat up, then turned over and went back to sleep.

"As I've done that the bed springs have made a loud creaking sound, so the guy has probably heard movement and made a run for it."

Although the thief managed to take some valuables Kimberley fears the break-in could have been even worse had it not been for Toby.

She added: "If he hadn't been scared off he could have come upstairs looking for things. My daughter was asleep up there - it could have been really dangerous.

"Toby has done the job of a guard dog. We're so proud of him we've rewarded him with a new tunnel to play with.

"It's a cat's tunnel obviously because he needs a big one."

tanning, blonde highlights, manicures and getting dressed up for parties themed around her favourite reality TV show.

She is the daughter of a black cab driver and dreams of one day being a performer in the West End - like Essex celebrity Denise Van Outen.

But her remarkable brain test score means she is now officially

smarter than Professor Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and even Albert Einstein - who all have an IQ of 160.

Miss Marbe has now been enrolled in prestigious society Mensa, which means she is officially in the top one per cent of cleverest people in the world.

The schoolgirl, who is already predicted straight A's and A*'s for her GCSE's, said she was delighted to have "blown away" the Essex stereotype.

Miss Marbe, of Loughton, Essex, said: "It was such an achievement and I got a bit tearful to tell you the truth."

The teenager, who said her parents were surprised at the result, added: "I am blonde, I do wear make-up and I do go out.

"I love my fake tan and fake nails as well so I guess I am a bit of an Essex girl in that sense. I watch TOWIE and I love the programme, it's addictive but now most people do seem to think that's what everyone in Essex is like.

"I love living in Essex and I'm glad that I might be able to show people that we aren't all ditzy and blonde."

Lauren, a pupil at Roding Valley High School, Loughton, Essex, took the Mensa-accredited IQ test earlier this month along with other high achievers at her school.

The dedicated pupil - head girl of her primary school and currently a prefect - was already considered bright after scoring a double A* in her science GCSE, which she took a year early.

She is now aiming to take ALevels in art, physics and maths after her GCSEs, this summer, and would love to study architecture degree at the University of Cambridge.

But she admits she is torn between her academic ability and pursuing her dream of becoming a professional singer and dancer.

The teenager has already performed in the West End for two years as part of the chorus for Andrew Lloyd Webber smash-hit Joseph, with Lee Mead, from 2007.

Lauren, who lives with her family in a ÂŁ350,000 semidetached house, still takes dance classes and singing lessons, records

music and takes part in Stage One drama school.

Her proud parents, father David, 45, and Sue Marbe, 45, deputy head of a primary school, say they will be happy whichever path their daughter chooses.

The couple also admitted they have no idea where her brains come from.

Mrs Marbe said: "Living in this area there is a lot of pressure to be the stereotypical Essex girl but she has a real nice support from the other girls.

"Most of the time Essex gets a bit of a negative press. People think all girls are blonde and all girls are dim.

"Lauren is blonde but it does seem like she has shaken the stereotype that all Essex girls are stupid."

Einstein never took an IQ test as none of the modern intelligence tests existed during the course of his life, but experts believe he had an IQ of around 160.

The IQ test is designed to test a range of abilities to determine the level of intelligence of the student in the UK the average score is 100.

Bunny

Meet teenager has higher IQ than Einstein

A

16-year-old schoolgirl from Essex has been revealed as having an IQ higher than Einstein.

Lauren Marbe, 16, shocked teachers by scoring 161 on the Mensa brain test after she was entered with other pupils from her school for fun.

The "normal" teenager loves fake

Lauren Marbe, 16, from Loughton, Essex, has an IQ of 161 which is smarter than Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, and Stephen Hawking Photo: SWNS

PAGE 36

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

Drinking three cups of tea a day can keep you mentally alert in old age

By Fiona Macrae

I

t's the national drink that millions of us turn to when we need a pick-me-up.

But tea does far more than just help to wake us up.

Scientists say the traditional cuppa can keep the mind sharp into old age.

And the benefits of drinking as little as one to three cups a day in staving off mental decline are especially pronounced among women.

In one study, of almost 1,500 men and women in Singapore, drinking more than four cups a day cut the odds of

memory failing by threequarters.

Even just one to three cups of Ceylon tea a day had an effect, cutting the odds of cognitive decline by 43 per cent.

It is thought compounds in tea may protect against the poisons that ravage the brain in Alzheimer's.

Possibilities include theanine, a plant chemical found only in tea and in mushrooms.

Experts in the US analysed several studies on the effect of caffeinated drinks on memory and mental alertness. The

Tea leaves: Some of the compounds in tea may provide protection against the poisons that ravage the brain in Alzheimer's

thousands of men and women who took part logged how often they drank tea or coffee and did a memory test that is used in the initial stages of diagnosing Alzheimer's disease.

Up to ten years later, they resat the test and any fall in score was noted.

The brain stayed sharper in those who drank tea in all the studies that included the drink, the journal Advances in Nutrition reports.

A study which tracked 4,000 Americans for almost eight years suggested tea to be of particular benefit to women.

The University of California researchers who reviewed the studies said the weaker results for coffee mean caffeine is unlikely to be responsible for the cognitive benefits.

Britons drink 165 million cups of tea every day - making it more than twice as popular as coffee.

Jessica Smith of the Alzheimer's Society said: 'There is building evidence linking a cuppa and a reduction in cognitive decline.

'However, we are a long way from being able to say for sure a regular brew will reduce your risk of developing dementia.

'The best way to reduce your risk is to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly and not smoke.'

Source: Dailymail.co.uk

Brain boost: evidence linking a cuppa with a reduction in cognitive decline

Zinc ‘keeps immune system in check’

By Leon Watson

R

esearchers say they have gained a key insight into how zinc helps the immune system fight infection.

A study shows that zinc stops the immune system from spiralling out of control, as happens when people develop sepsis.

The researchers say the findings could also explain why taking zinc supplements at the start of a cold can stem its severity.

It is thought the finding could have implications for other diseases.

Although research has highlighted the importance of zinc for the immune system, because the mineral has many complex roles in the body it is not understood in any detail how it helps fight off infection.

After previous studies in mice, the researchers from Ohio State University had shown that zincdeficiency could lead to excessive inflammation.

This is what happens in sepsis, when in response to a severe infection, the body goes into overdrive, with potentially fatal consequences.

Feedback loop

Through further experiments in human cells and animal studies the researchers found that a protein called NF-kB lured zinc into the immune cells that responded fastest to fight infection.

Once inside, the zinc then put the brakes on further activity in the NF-kB pathway, slowing

down the immune response and limiting the amount of inflammation, the study, in Cell Reports, indicated.

It was effectively a feedback loop, stopping the process getting out of hand, the researchers said.

Study leader, Dr Daren Knoell, said: "The immune system has to

Zinc has been shown to reduce the severity of the common cold

work under very strict balance, and this is a classic example of where more is not always better.

"We want a robust inflammatory response, which is part of our natural programming to defend us against a bug.

"But if that is unchecked, and there is too much inflammation,

then it not only attacks the pathogen but can also cause much more collateral damage."

He added that the finding narrowed the gap in scientists' understanding of the role zinc had in fighting infection, but that it was too early to make the leap to zinc as a treatment for sepsis.

Intriguing Zinc has been shown to reduce the severity of the common cold in humans and possibly shorten its duration.

"Whether this is because of improved balance in immune function, similar to what we report with sepsis, remains to be proven but perhaps requires further study," Dr Knoell said.

Prof John Beattie, head of the micronutrients group at the University of Aberdeen, said NF-kB cropped up in many processes in the body, including atherosclerosis, which leads to blocked arteries seen in heart disease and has been linked to zinc deficiency.

"The implications of the work extend beyond the impact of zinc on innate immune function," he said.

Source: BBCNews.com

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

PAGE 37

APC not better than PDP, says Onovo INTERVIEW

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our view on the state of the nation, considering several problems facing Nigerians?

Right now it is very clear even to the blind that Nigeria is in a very precarious situation and this is reflected in the ambiance of hopelessness, the insecurity; where robbery, kidnapping, terrorism have become the norms. A lot of people are giving to use the expression that Nigeria is a failed state but I do not agree that Nigeria has failed. I do not agree that Nigeria has failed but if we don’t prevent the failure, Nigeria will fail because it is very clear that Nigeria is on the pact of failure. We can all see the discounted in the air to the extent that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is calling for a revolution. Obasanjo is the immediate past chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) and therefore for him calling for a revolution shows that even the leadership of the ruling party is discontented.

So, this is not about Marthin Onovo being discontented or any other Nigerians being discontented; the entire country is discontented and that is why some stakeholders in the country decided to found the Movement for Fundamental Change. The Movement for Fundamental Change is going to be a platform for the people to take actions to save this country. If you look at all the indices for development since 1999, you will understand why a Prof. Pat Utomi in 2011 makes an expression that we should crash this democracy. I believe that what we are practising in Nigeria is criminotocracy and not democracy.

There are a lot of crimes being committed in this country, particularly rigging of elections.

Therefore, to save the country from total collapse Movement for Fundamental Change was formed by some stakeholders and presently we are talking to different members of Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), civil society groups, labour leaders and we are trying to get endorsement from all major stakeholders in Nigeria for collective action to save Nigeria.

We are going to extend our activities across political parties and across the geo-political zones.

Through the Movement for Fundamental Change we are going to have a strong platform for Nigerians to decide what they want.

Nigerian people must have a position on how they want the country to be run. Our group is anchored on major three objectives; a change in our values, political change and to check

Chief Martin Onovo was the presidential candidate of Action Alliance (AA) in the 2011 general election and Chairman of the steering committee of Movement for Fundamental Change, in an interview with selected newsmen in Lagos, views the need for a third strong platform to compete against PDP and APC in 2015. Ayodele Samuel was there impunity in the country. We need to re-established and re-enforce our constitutional values, which includes, integrity, honesty, patriotism and dignity in labour.

There is no culture in this country that promotes theft. We need to completely change the political leadership that has led us to this mess. We also need to check impunity by reinforcing the rule of law.

Last week four major political parties merged together to formed All Progressives Congress (APC) to challenge the ruling party in next election, do you see APC as alternative to the ruling party, PDP? If you look at the principal actors of the APC it becomes difficult to identify whether they are PDP or not PDP. In 2011 there was an attempted electoral alliance between the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) but at the die minute the alliance collapse.

When the alliance collapsed something very funny happened and that is why we in the Movement for Fundamental Change think that APC is not the alternative to PDP. The ACN had Nuhu Ribadu as its presidential candidate but when the alliance with CPC failed, ACN did not only abandon its presidential candidate, it abandoned its alliance presidential candidate and endorsed the PDP they said they claimed they want to change.

So, is ACN really an opposition party? Is ACN going to constitute a fundamental change or are they going to embark on cosmetic change? What is happening to us now is what happened to us as Nigerian people when we chased the military away in 1999. We chase the military away our and this is 14 years after we chase the military away and installed civilian government, what has happened to us? The situation of Nigerians is worse than what it was in 1999 before we sent the military away.

So you don’t believe in the APC? Not at all. I don’t believe in APC. Those that formed the alliance are the same with PDP considering there antecedent.

You were the presidential candidate of Action Alliance in last election and many people see you as a front for PDP then…

How can I be a front for PDP? PDP knows that I am its worst antagonist in the whole country.

We have to go beyond semantics and artificial colouration of our

Chief Martin Onovo politics. We must all come together to save our country. If we do not stop the crises in the country, it will one day consume all of us. During the Dana Air crash, the husband of a Minister was there, today she is a widow.

A former Minister of Works once died in a bad federal road cause by accident due to pot holes. So nobody can dodge this calamity if we don’t stop it. This country is sinking deeper into a big mess. In 1999 when we start this criminocracy that we call democracy, fuel was N20 per litre, today we are paying N97 for fuel in Lagos and Abuja while it is being sold for between N120 – N220 in Enugu and some other parts of the country.

Having stressed the need for a positive change in Nigeria, how do you think the change can be achievable?

It is very simple. All the ethical intellectuals in Nigeria; Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Pat Utomi and others agreed that Nigeria problem is leadership, therefore there is needs to change the political leadership. Since there is problem in the leadership, the best thing to do is to change the leadership.

How do you think that can be possible when you believe that the APC is not different from the PDP? Democracy is about the people.

PDP and APC are not the two political parties in Nigeria, why did you limit things to the two? As at today, we have about 33 political parties, so why should elections matter be limited to the PDP and APC alone? Some of the remaining 31 political parties that remain can form a government elsewhere.

Since you believe that PDP and APC are birds of the same feathers, do you see the probability of other political parties coming together to form an alliance or merger against PDP and APC in 2015?

Yes, we are working toward a merger or alliance and there is no question about that. We will seriously working toward the emergence of a third platform to that will compete against PDP and APC. Do you think apart from the four parties that formed APC, other political parties have the clout and political structures to defeat PDP in an election?

If PDP has a clout that can make them to win an election, they won’t be rigging elections. If I am sure that I am going to defect my opponent in an election, why should I rig?

For example, you contested the 2011 presidential election on the platform of the Action Alliance (AA) and lost the election. Many people have attributed the performance of many political parties in an

election to the fact that some parties are not on ground, even at local government level, talk less of making impact at state level?

If you look at it critically, if you know you can defeat your opponent in an election, why should you rig the election? The only reason why they rig election is because they know they cannot win a free and fair election. As at today, AA has a structure across the country.

There is no way people can allege us of not winning election. The first question should be, were there elections? The last 2011 general elections was a scam. We had a very fierce election in Anambra State and about 20 per cent of the registered voters elect Governor Peter Obi. During the last governorship elections in Edo State and Ondo State there were very low turn-out and only about 40 per cent re-elected Governors Adams Oshiomhole and Olusegun Mimiko respectively. But during the 2011 presidential elections 99 per cent of the voters were alleged to have voted during the election in South-East and South-South.

Who voted? We did not lose the election. So, I will not agree that I lost the election.

At present the state of insecurity in Nigeria is giving many people sleepless night.

The situations have even got to a point that foreign health workers are being attacked in the country despite the report that the Boko Haram had seized fire. As a security expert, what do you think went wrong in the country that has led this country to the present state of insecurity?

Because of the level of corruption, impunity, poverty and unemployment in the country, government has not been able to curb crimes. Boko Haram is one of the terrorists in the nation.

It is not Boko Haram that is kidnapping people in Niger Delta.

Anambra State is the centre of kidnapping in South-East and Boko Haram is not the one kidnapping the people. Before the insecurity problem can be solved there is need to understand where it is coming from. Many people are involving in crime because the political leadership has inflicted them with terrible hardship and lots of pains.

There are so much social tensions in the country as a result of unemployment, corruption, impunity and poverty. People are getting angrier on daily basis and that is why there is high level of insecurity in the country. So if there is good governance, crimes will be reduced.

PAGE 38

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

‘Don’t blame us for Yoruba marginalization’, ACN tells PDP From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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ction Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said the PDP is exposing its own folly by blaming the glaring marginalisation of Yorubas by the Jonathan Administration on the ACN. The ACN said PDP has nothing but total contempt for the Yoruba in particular and Nigerians in general.

Reacting to the allegation by Dr Doyin Okupe that the ‘’Yoruba people in the ACN conspired against the Yoruba’’ to scuttle the election of a Yoruba as House Speaker, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday that ACN is not bound by the shifty and phoney zoning

formula of the PDP. ’’If the PDP had indeed wanted a Yoruba as Speaker, the party should either have won enough seats in the South-west or used its majority in the House to push through its anointed candidate. Failure to ensure the election of its candidate is a reflection of the insincerity of the PDP about the zoning of the post to Yoruba and the gross indiscipline in the party of tattered umbrella. ’’In any case, the last option open to the PDP would have been to support any other Yoruba for the post across party lines. We the ACN have very capable members in the House to serve as Speaker. But the truth is that the ruling party wants a PDP member, not a Yoruba, for the post.

’’Therefore we are not surprised that the PDP easily acquiesced to the defeat of its Yoruba candidate for the post of Speaker of the House. The PDP zoning formula is pivoted on convenience rather than principle, After all, the zoning was easily jettisoned to pave the way for Jonathan to contest as President,’’ it said.

ACN said even if the PDP had not succeeded in giving the post of House Speaker to Yoruba in accordance with its so-called zoning formula, it could have rewarded them with some choice ministries or other top appointments, instead of totally relegating a whole people into irrelevance in its scheme of things.

The party slammed the PDP for

playing the ethnic card, and rejected the cheeky and devilish move by the PDP to pigeon-hole the ACN into an ethnic cocoon. ’’We are a national party and our spread attests to it. We have shown by supporting the election of Aminu Tambwal as Speaker of the House that our agenda is not sectional but national, and we have no apologies to offer for that ’’Let the PDP continue to wallow in insufferable arrogance and disdain for the electorate, by sharing posts before elections are concluded.

It is like sharing the parts of an animal that has yet to be killed. This is the stuff of which the PDP is made, and that is why it is crumbling now like a pack of cards,’’ it said.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Dr. Aminu waziri Tambuwal in a discussion with a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Dimeji Bankole at the Maiden convocation ceremony of Umaru Musa Yar'adua University, Katsina, recently.

Why Oyo Exco demanded repatriation of money from EFCC - ACN From Inumidun Ojelade, Ibadan

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ction Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Oyo State chapter, has said that the decision of its party to ask the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to repatriate the loots of two former governors currently being tried by the commission was to ensure that the developmental projects being carried out by its administration were not stalled by paucity of funds.

This was disclosed in a release

issued on Sunday by its State Publicity Secretary, Hon Dauda Kolawole, in reply to criticisms of the move by those he described as ‘’surrogates of the former governors’.

According to the ACN, considering the limitless funds available to government and the need to ensure that the projects were not stalled, government had to look within to ensure that all monies belonging to the people, wherever they were trapped, were collected and spent on the people of the state.

He was reacting to one Hon Theophilus Oyewole who alleged, in a recent newspaper publication, that Ajimobi had of recent started attacking Senator Rashidi Ladoja, whom he allegedly helped to stabilize his government .

He said that Ladoja surrogate must have been ignorant of the composition of the council which came up with that resolution that states’ funds trapped anywhere should be repatriated.

“The executive council which made that resolution has

two Accord party commissioners, an Action Alliance and ACN commissioners, former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members and many technocrats. So it could not have been targeted at any individual but the issue concerned repatriating Oyo State money so as to enable it to be expended on the people of the state from where the money was taken in the first instance - was a matter that transcended individuals,” said the ACN.

Church leader urges NASS not to fix elections on Saturdays

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embers of Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA), Nigeria, would like the National Assembly not to fix general elections on Saturdays, a leading member if the church said.

The President, Eastern Nigeria Mission of SDA, Rev. Bassey Udoh, expressed the view in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria

(NAN) in Umuahia on Saturday.

He said elections should be fixed on public holidays as done in most advanced countries of the world to give Sabbath worshippers equal opportunity to participate during national elections.

“Election is a very important event that in developed countries, public holidays are declared for elections and if the Nigerian

Government sees election as important event, public holidays should be declared for days of major elections.

“Our reason is that we have never seen elections fixed on Friday and Sunday because government has taken cognisance of Muslims and Sunday Christian worshippers.

“It is for the above reason that we the members of SDA and other

Sabbath keepers are saying that our right to vote and to be voted for should be respected and that elections should not be fixed on Saturdays, ’’ he said.

“We are not trying to impose our religious belief on Nigerians but we are simply trying to stress the need for the constitutional right of our members and our urge to discharge our civic duties. (NAN)

Mixed reactions trail INEC deregistration of political parties

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ational Chairman of defunct African Renaissance Party (ARP), Alhaji Yahaya Ndu, has said that the deregistration of political parties by INEC was “a right step in a right direction“.

Ndu said this yesterday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

It should be common sense that any authority that has powers to register political parties must automatically equally have powers to deregister them.

So long as there is nothing wrong in INEC registering political parties that meet certain conditions, for so long will there be nothing wrong in INEC deregistering political parties that no longer meet certain conditions, “ he said.

Ndu expressed optimism that his party would re-apply to INEC for re-registration before the end of 2013.

Also in a separate interview, a former FCT Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Sunny Moniedafe, supported INEC continuous deregistration of political parties.

“I am in full support of the deregistration particularly as they have not met the requirements of the electoral act and the constitution, `` he said.

Lagos State Chairman of the now defunct National Action Council (NAC), Chief Gboyega Adeniji, said INEC did well to deregister more political parties.

“INEC is lawful until the Act that gave it the power is successfully challenged in court, `` he said.

He however said that his party would challenge this decision in court.

However, the National Chairman of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Mr Damian Ogbonna, condemned INEC’s action.

Ogbonna said that the action “depicts that of a lawless organisation“.

“The last deregistration of political parties by INEC, parties including PPP made application to court to hold the commission on contempt of court concerning its action, yet it still went on to deregister more parties, `` he said.

Ogbonna said that it was a breach of the 1999 constitutional for INEC to continue to deregister parties, pointing out that so long as subvention was no longer given to parties, they would die a natural death.

NAN reports that INEC within the week deregistered two more parties, thereby making the number of deregistered parties 38. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

PAGE 39

Sango-Ota residents appeal to Gov. Amosun to repair road

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L-R Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters Barrister Ali Gulak in a handshake with Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Abdulfatah during their courtesy visit to the State House, Abuja, on Friday.

Photo: Joe Oroye

Why national dialogue should hold before Nigeria’s centenary- NSG From Ayodele Samuel, Lagos

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he National Summit Group (NSG) led by former Special Adviser to President Shehu Shagari in the Second Republic, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, has given reasons for canvassing for a national dialogue for Nigeria to hold before its centenary anniversary.

The group stressed the need for national dialogue in Nigeria to resolve some of the problems in the country before Nigeria’s centenary anniversary.

NSG in a Statement in Lagos

signed by its Executive Secretary, Mr Tony Uranta, said that holding the dialogue, was imperative task as it remained the most fundamental strategy to protecting the unity and stability of the Nigerian nation, for the next hundred years.

The group appealed to the Nigerian Governors Forum, the National Assembly to be active and visible in their support of the National Summit Group in its advocacy and enlightenment crusade towards enhancing Nigeria’s democracy, unity and federalism premised on mutual

understanding, justice, equity, rule-of-law, and non-violence. ”This conclusion was reached after the expanded National Working Committee Meeting in Asaba, held on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday, 13th February 2013.

“At the end of the keen and deep deliberations, members reaffirmed their commitment to the objective of convoking an allembracing Peoples’ National Conference/National Dialogue” the statement read.

The NSG stressed the need for Nigerians to deliberate on the myriad of challenges facing the

country, with the aim to strengthening its commonalities, and resolving their differences as diverse peoples united by God. The Group however appealed to all stakeholders in the Nigeria project, particularly the elected political office holders, to support the proposed National Dialogue as the plausible option for improving the existing social, economic and political institutions in a united Nigerian federation.

“Holding the dialogue will avoid the dangers that threaten, in many ramifications, the nation’s fabric” the NSG stated.

Rivers has people-oriented projects – Commissioner

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ivers Commissioner for Information, Mrs Ibim Semenitari said the state had executed projects aimed at impacting on the people.

Semenitari stated this in Port Harcourt at the Town Hall meeting of the good governance tour of the state.

She said government had carried out projects that would

make the people feel the impact of democracy dividends.

Ibim said that government had completed 260 of the 750 primary schools earmarked for various communities in the state.

She also said government had embarked on agricultural projects to create employment and feed the people.

“We have new agroindustry village, complete with schools, housing and other amenities.

“Our banana project is on course with more than 300 persons already employed and will take more as the project grows more,” she said.

Ibim said fish farms in Buguma and Andoni Opobo were

already 80 per cent completed and would begin production within the first quarter of the year.

She said that three power stations had been completed with the capacity of 560 megawatts of power.

The commissioner said government would sustain the projects to ensure that the people benefitted from them. (NAN)

Projects execution in Kogi state: Gov Wada lied, says ACN From Sam Egwu, Lokoja

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chieftain of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in Kogi state, Dr Goodman Umar, has said the projects Governor Idris Wada of Kogi claimed to have executed in his one year in office were complete fallacy, as most of the project were executed by preceding

administration.

Dr Umar, a spokesperson of Kogi Success Initiative (KSI) who doubles as coordinator for the merger of opposition parties in the state spoke to journalists in Lokoja, yesterday, stressing that the governor story could be likened to proverbial moonlight tales He said the endless list of governor Wada acclaimed projects are those things that all

the governors that governed Kogi state from 1991 to date had done, noting that the people are yet to feel his impact.

The former Secretary of the ACN in the state agreed with governor Wada that government is a continuous exercise, but stressed that Wada administration in one year succeeded in installing looters at the Local government without check.

"As I speak to you, the flood victims in kogi state are yet to access the N500million palliative fund released by the federal government to the victims. The affected farmers are going about cap in hands as nothing has reached them from both Local or State government, even the hundreds of million donated by Dangote and other well-meaning Nigerians.

esidents of Sango-Ota have appealed to Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun to repair the Sango/Plaza road and construct a drainage system for it.

The residents made the plea yesterday while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sango-Ota. They said that the road’s reconstruction would facilitate the socio-economic development of the people.

Mr Sunday Uwadia, a civil servant, said that the Sango/ Plaza road was a major link road to other communities like Ijoko, Agoro and AgbadoOja. He said that the strategic importance of the road to several communities had made the project expedient, adding that that it was always difficult for people to pass through the area during the rainy season.

Another resident, Mrs Ajibike Lawan, a trader, said that if the government could not repair the bad sections of the road, it could, at least, expand its drainage channel so as to control the incidence of flood during the rainy season.

She, however, said that it would be a futile effort to fill the various potholes on the road with gravel without having a good drainage system in place, adding that the filled potholes could be washed away during rainfall.

Lawan said that the deplorable state of the road had affected a lot of business activities in the neighbourhood in the past five years.

“We do not enjoy good patronage during the rainy season because the whole place is usually flooded,’’ she said.

Mr Oladele Samson, an automobile technician, urged the state government to repair the bad road so as to alleviate the suffering of the people.

He said that the poor state of the road had forced many car owners to incur extra maintenance costs on their cars.

Samson said that commuters indirectly bore the burden of the high cost of vehicles’ maintenance because they were forced to pay higher fares during the rainy season.

Besides, Mr Ademola Bamidele urged the state government to extend its community development programmes to Sango-Ota and the entire Ado-Odo Local Government Area.

He said that the residents were eager to get the dividends of democracy through infrastructural development projects. (NAN)

www.peoplesdailyng.com

. . . putting the people first

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013

SPORTS

LA TEST LATEST Chelsea Manchester City cruise in FA cup

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rank Lampard and John Terry scored in front of owner Roman Abramovich as holders Chelsea overcame stubborn Brentford 40 in an FA Cup replay at Stamford Bridge to set up a fifth-round clash with Middlesbrough.

Juan Mata fired a clinical opening goal after 54 minutes and Oscar, who hit the outside of a post in the first half, tucked in his second goal in four days after 68 minutes.

Mata was the provider for Lampard's 199th Chelsea goal before Terry headed in an 81stminute fourth as last season's Champions League winners stayed on course for a fifth FA Cup triumph in seven seasons.

Sergio Aguero struck twice as Manchester City kept their season alive by breezing into the FA Cup quarter-finals 4-0 at the expense of Leeds.

The championship side was no match for the reigning Premier League champions, who responded to last week's title setback with a dominant display at the Etihad Stadium.

Yaya Toure began the procession early on before Aguero added a penalty and a fine finish either side of a close-range Carlos Tevez effort.

It was just the fillip manager Roberto Mancini needed, with City 12 points behind Manchester United in the title race and amid fresh speculation over his position.

Liverpool wallops Swansea 5-0

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iverpool ended a fivematch winless run in style with a dominant display over a weakened Swansea City.

Steven Gerrard's penalty set Liverpool on their way when Kemy Agustien was ruled to have brought down Luis Suarez.

Suarez then released Philippe Coutinho for his first Liverpool goal, before Jose Enrique finished a flowing move. Liverpool's superiority was rubbed in by Suarez's stylish solo score and a Daniel Sturridge penalty after Wayne Routledge handled in the area.

Top scorer Michu was left on the bench, along with regular starters Ashley Williams, Angel Rangel, Routledge and Nathan Dyer.

ADVERT: BUSINESS: NEWS: LAGOS:

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QUO TABLE Q UO TE UOT QUO UOTE I recall that at the time he was going to declare for the 2011election... it was agreed that Jonathan would serve only one time of four years and we signed the agreement. He also signed it.

— Governor Mu’azu Babangida Alyu on President Goodluck Jonathan’s 2015 fate

2015: Thinking aloud Justice without strength is helpless, strength without justice is tyrannical… Unable to make what is just strong, we have made what is strong just - Blaise Pascal, 1623-62

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recently posted an observation online, lamenting the failure of President Goodluck Jonathan to visit the Emir of Kano while he was on a visit to London.

The Archbishop of Canterbury had visited the Emir, who is recuperating after the failed attempt on his life in broad daylight in a street in the heart of a city he had ruled as a monarch for 50 years. The archbishop went in company of the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida.

He got good publicity and much goodwill, and strengthened bridges between the Anglican Church and an important symbol of leadership in a predominantly Muslim Northern Nigeria. It was a also an additional bonus for the British government, which had not rolled out the drums to celebrate the fact that after he was left for dead by assassins in the streets of Kano, the Emir chose to go to London, rather than stay at home and recover among the people who loved him; or go to Germany the destination of choice among Nigerian elites; or go to Dubai or India or anywhere else that privileged Nigerians go to these days for health tourism.

Could it have slipped the mind of the President that the elderly Emir was within reach in London while he was meeting with the British Prime Minister? Could there have been no one, including the High Commissioner, to remind him or suggest to him that it would have earned him tremendous political capital to have visited with the Emir and commiserate with him over his experience? Is it possible that the Emir had decided he could do without the audience, and no one was there or here in Nigeria to convince him to receive the President? Could the President have visited the Emir secretly, perhaps owing to security concerns?

In any case, Nigerians only saw pictures of our President outside No 10, Downing Street, and later, pictures of the Emir with the Archbishop. But on Friday last week, the papers were full of pictures of the Governor of Kano State, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso visiting an obviously healthylooking and happy Emir in London.

Perhaps Kwankwaso is a better politician than President Jonathan, and has a better nose

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FIFTEEN MINUTES with Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed drbabaahmed@yahoo.com for opportunities?

The reactions I got to my comments shocked me. Large numbers of mostly young people's responses were most uncomplimentary about both the Emir and the President. Most said there was no point shedding tears for the Emir for being ignored by President Jonathan, as he and other Emirs are only reaping what they sowed in supporting him in 2011. Others said the failure to visit the Emir was perfectly characteristic of President Jonathan's administration: it wouldn't know how to pick an apple touching the ground. It was not so much the stereotype assessment of both Emir and the President that was unnerving. It was the depth of passion and anger in the responses.

Above all, it was the numbing feeling that much of the anger and frustration particularly among young people in the North, deriving in part from the 2011, elections and in part from the failure of the democratic process to make life better and safer for them since then, still subsists. Worse of all, the principal accused are the same: northern elites defined as PDP Governors and politicians, Emirs, some Muslim clerics, prominent northern elders, some clergy and INEC. There was another side to the responses which is equally frightening. This side argues that Northerners, defined as HausaFulani Muslim politicians and clerics, long used to running the country, lit a fire in 2011 to express their grievances at losing to Jonathan. That fire is now consuming them and many parts of the North, and far from making the nation ungovernable as they planned, it has now made the North regress into the dark ages, while the rest of the nation moves on. Every attack or criticism of the Jonathan administration is seen as part of this campaign by 'northern' oligarchs, and even the criticism that he had not visited the Emir while he was in London, or visited Kano to commiserate with its people after the attack, or visited Borno or Yobe, is dismissed as deserved treatment.

The standard response from this

side is that all northerners deserve the way the President treats them.

If the Emir of Kano wept openly last year in the aftermath of one of the most vicious onslaught on the city, he should have been told the truth: put out the fire you and or your people lit, rather than cry over its effect.

The very deeply-entrenched sentiments which are the basic stuff on the internet say a lot about perceptions captured from wider opinions and expressed often in abusive, poor and insensitive language. If these sentiments are generated by issues or events the nation has put behind it, there will be a lot less to worry about. But they address the current state of mind of many Nigerians, and they will come into play as decisive issues as we move closer to 2015. Whichever way the planned merger is concluded, the north will be the major target and battleground for 2015. The PDP will dig deep into its bag of tricks and treats to maintain or expand its stranglehold on the North and Nigeria.

President Jonathan may decide to run again, win the legal battle against being sworn in for the third time, and serving for more than 8 years as President, run unchallenged as is the tradition in the PDP and quite possibly square up against a candidate of the new party or other candidates from the north.

All the old ghosts will have new leases of lives. The northern political elite, particularly governors of the PDP will be watched very closely by the same people who think they sold out the north.

Clerics and other community leaders will be scrutinized by the population, and will come under tremendous pressure to toe partisan lines or remain neutral in vicious political contests where neutrality is fiction.

Religious leaders will be watched very closely for hints and directives to followers and adherents over which party or candidates should be supported by simple folks convinced that faith is the major criterion for choosing candidates.

INEC will be placed under tremendous pressure. Those who

exploited its weaknesses and limitations in 2011 will seek to do so again. Those who think they have been cheated by glossing over its weaknesses will take positions to prevent a recurrence. If the political context of the 2015 elections raise issues of faith and region to levels higher than 2011, violence and massive disputes will mar campaigns and the elections themselves. If key reforms that should improve the performance of the electoral process, such as introduction of electronic voting and the manner key election managers are appointed and returning officers selected are not implemented between now and 2014, INEC is unlikely to do better than 2011. Can the nation live with, or survive even larger disputes and their multidimensional repercussions?

The planned merger of political parties will highten tension and raise the stakes towards 2015 if the negotiations do yield a merger, that is. The PDP will most likely go back to the drawing board, attempt to heal major rifts among its leaders and rank and file, and avoid unmitigated disaster which will follow its loss of the presidency and most of the States. Too many people have benefitted from the PDP's dominance of the political stage since 1999 to even contemplate what life will be like without its comforting cover. Too many deals have been struck, and too many transgressions have been committed using the cover of abundant and extensive political power provided by the PDP. Many powerful people today will find life most intolerable without the PDP in control of the political soul of the nation.

Yet millions of Nigerians want a change from a system where elections merely produce governments that are successively worse than those that precede them. They want to see a decisive assault on impunity and corruption, and an end to spreading insecurity and massive and intolerable poverty. It will not be easy to uproot the PDP from the political terrain, and it will be equally difficult to imagine a future under the same party, its policies, failures and personalities. What all these say is that 2015 will challenge the nation more than any other time in its life. The period between now and then should assure Nigerians that it will represent a transition to a more secure and prosperous future, and the elections themselves will reflect popular will. What happens if the nation fails to do both is too frightening to contemplate.

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: +234 805 727 9862. e-mail: contact@peoplesdaily-online.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail.com ISSN: 2141– 6141

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