Saturday 20 - Sunday 21, February, 2016. Weekend Edition.

weekend.peoplesdailyng.com

Saturday, February 20, 2016 Jimadal Awwal 11, 1437 AH

pmlonline peoplesdailyng

. . . P utti ng the p eop l e fi r st

N150 Vol. 4 No. 81

Court okays EFCC to seize Tompolo’s properties Page 6

L-R; President Muhammadu Buhari ; Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Abike DabiriErewa; and FCT Minister Mohmmed Musa Bello, when the President departs for Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt for Africa Business Forum, yesterday at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport Abuja.

e n i z a ag

Page 21

PeoPles Daily WeeKeND, saTURDay — sUNDay, FeBRUaRy 20 - 21, 2016

677 Days after Will the abducted Chibok schoolgirls ever be rescued?

N E W S

FG to pay N20bn pension arrears —PENCOM >>PG 18

N E W S

Boy 8, dies M in soakaway pit

d

en Week ent

Entertainm

Fashion

s

Beauty Tip

d Kannywoo

Hollywood

Bollywood

I’m not pregnant for Jude…Cynthia Morgan speaks

PG 36

>>PG 10

Ex-President Jonathan’s abducted cousin found dead >>PG 18

Ini Edo becomes brand ambassador for Slim Tea Nigeria

PG 37

Kanye West loses $10m due to pirated copies of his album >>Pg 36

Page 2

Interview Ministries’ merger will cut high cost of governance —Bldr Yakubu

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Bldr. Musa Yakubu is a private professional building practitioner based in Abuja and the National Publicity Secretary of Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), in this exclusive interview with Peoples Daily Weekend, the image maker shares his thoughts on government’s wisdom in merging ministries.

Bldr. Yakubu argued that apart from the administrative convenience it offers, it will also help government to cut cost as well as reduce the over bloated cabinet that had hitherto increased government spending in recurrent expenditure.

He also spoke on other issues

A

s a professional in the built environment, what do you think is the wisdom in merging ministries of Power, Works, and Housing and Urban Development by the incumbent administration?

One of the important things I want you to understand about merging ministries is to first of all look at the wisdom behind what the action of government intended to achieve in this era of positive change. To start with, merging the ministries does not entail reducing the professionals in the ministries.

What government did was just to streamline administrative procedures. What do I mean by administrative procedures? If you go to each of the ministries that were merged into one for instance, you will find out that all the departments, directors and professionals in the ministries were still maintained. The only difference now is that you have only one administrative head which is the minister. I believe that the wisdom behind the government’s action in this matter is its attempt to cut cost in running government and reduce the over bloated cabinet for the benefit of the country. The president believes that it is not how large the government is but how efficient.

Is the new minister not a square peg in a round hole as some industry watchers had insinuated?

The new minister of Power, Works, Land and Urban Development Barr.Fashola is a seasoned administrator who had governed one of the most challenging and problematic states in the country and at the same time performed tremendously well.So as far as I am concerned he is a square peg in a square hole. As governor of Lagos State, he changed the face of the state to a modern and mega city in Africa. His records at least speak for him; therefore it is not about professionals occupying certain positions but competent person who is a technocrat, has broad idea and technical capacity in administration.Ministerial position is not a rocket science that requires the services of rocket scientist, it is more of administrative in nature so he does not need to be an engi-

neer or architect or builder to function effectively in a position that is largely policy driven. The minister is a policy formulator while the directors and other retinue of staff carry out the major technical task in the ministry.

As a professional, don’t you feel short changed to see professional from another field come to head a ministry that is largely construction driven?

Well, a minister like I said earlier is more of an administrator who helps to formulate policies, show leadership direction and coordinates the activities of professionals in a ministry.Besides, it is not only in the built environment that the right professional was not appointed to head the sector.

There are other ministries that professionals that are not in that ministry are there. Will you say that they are also short changed; in my view, government is trying to balance governance. A professional in a particular sector may feel that he knows too much and may not give the best to the sector because he will not want to see things from other people’s perspectives whereas an administrator who wants to succeed sees every opportunity as a platform to learn and make impact with a view to improving the system. An administrator will accommodate new ideas, suggestions and inputs synthesize them and come up with the best of the ideas that will help solve a particular problem in the sector.

The current administration is planning to re-introduce toll gates in the nation’s roads with the view to generating revenue from road users, are you for or against the plan?

Personally, I am in support of government’s plan because I do not see anything wrong in collecting toll from road users as far as the funds generated from the toll will be used for the purpose it was collected. If you remember very well, it was because the proceeds from tolling were being diverted into private pockets that the administration of President Obasanjo decided to cancel the tolling system.

Meanwhile the original intention of tolling system as is obtained in other climes is for maintenance

of the road network which in turn enhances the durability and good state of the roads. Don’t also forget that all these heavy duty vehicles that ply the roads with heavy loads contribute in no small measures to the deplorable state of the roads yet, those who haul goods to different parts of the country with these trucks contribute nothing to the maintenance of the roads. So they need to contribute to the maintenance of the road network that they contribute to spoil. Therefore I see nothing wrong in government looking inwards to raise funds from road users as is done elsewhere in the globe to fix many of those roads begging for attention.

Nigerians should learn and cultivate the habit of appreciating the services that government renders to the people. It is just like saying we make calls free without buying airtime from telecom companies, how will they continue to render services? Therefore the road users should also pay for using the road so that the road can be put in a better shape to serve the public better.

In what ways will you want the new minister to partner with your institute so as to succeed in his new assignment?

It is very important for every administrator to understand that he needs professional bodies to be able to succeed well. As an administrator, you need advice from those persons that have the specific knowledge, understanding and technical knowhow of the field he is superintending over. I think that the minister should create a platform where he will bring together all the professional bodies relevant to his ministry and have a forum of interaction with them so as to seek and tap from their reservoir of knowledge. He is just an administrator who may not have the technical knowhow of how to go about certain issues in the ministry. We at the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) are available to work with him. This is because our input in housing development is very crucial considering the huge deficit that already exists. We well be delighted to contribute our quarter in whatever capacity that will be required to solve the problems of quackery and infrastructure decay. We want the new minister and

Yakubu the administration of President Muhamadu Buhari to succeed in delivery dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

It is on record that no professional builder had ever been involved or indicted on the issue of building collapse in Nigeria despite their crucial role in the built environment, how were you able to maintain such clean record?

I am very happy about your observation and that shows that Nigerians especially the members of the press are taking account of happening in the construction industry. It is true that there is no collapse building that had happened in the country that a builderhas played any role in the construction. We are proud about that but that is not to say that there are no bad builders. The ethics of our profession is fashioned in such a way that put every builder in check and compels them to always discharge their duties diligently. It is also true that builder play crucial role in the construction environment.

A builder is actually responsible for the management and production process of any building project. He is a “jack of all trades and master of all” as he must understand the role and work of all other professionals in the built industry to be able to interpret their designs and put them into reality. However, lack of awareness on the part of the public and the clients on the roles expected of each professional in the built environment is encour-

“

aging many professionals to accept jobs made for other professionals.

But if clients understand that an architect’s role ends in the design, just like a structural and mechanical engineer’s role also has to do with the engineering and mechanical designs, they would not be engaged to manage the construction of his building. He will engage the relevant professionals at every stage of the construction. However the regulatory agencies of government are not also helping matters because they lack the capacity in terms of adequate manpower to function effectively in addition to paucity of fund to move round every site in the country to enforce compliance as they are the police of the industry. If they are living up to their responsibilities, professionals will not encroach into other duties other jobs and quackery will be eliminated in the industry.

What is your assessment of the current administration?

Well, the administration is moving in the right direction, even though there is hardship in the country; we are beginning to witness the promised change. Meanwhile there is nowhere in the world where you will witness a change from bad to good without witnessing some temporal pains that will eventually give way to blissfulness.

A lot had gone wrong and it will take time for those anomalies to be corrected.You can see the level of corruption that is being exposed by this administration.

If they are living up to their responsibilities, professionals will not encroach into other duties other jobs and quackery will be eliminated in the industry.

Page 3

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

FEATURE Preventing Lassa fever infection in Nigeria

By Muhammad Tola

T

he Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, recently confirmed reported cases of Lassa fever infection in Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau,Taraba, Rivers, Edo, Delta, Kogi, Ebonyi, Zamfara, Ekiti, Lagos State, Gombe State, Oyo State, Bauchi State, Kano State, Ondo State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

At a meeting of the National Council of Health in Abuja recently to adopt strategies for combating Lassa fever and other viral diseases in the country, he warned that health managers should not deceive executives by keeping silence on the spread of the disease.

The minister alleged that Ebonyi denied reporting five suspected Lassa fever cases and one death arising from the disease, describing the development as conspiracy that would hinder various precautions aimed at preventing the disease.

Adewole, nonetheless, assured the public that the Federal Government would maintain high level of alert to eliminate the disease soon. ``With the resources available, we will collectively eliminate the disease in Nigeria soon; we have special facilities around us and we have adequate human resource to address the challenge. ``We will strengthen the primary healthcare centres across the country to enhance the surveillance mechanism,’’ he said.

The minister promised Nigerians that 5,000 primary healthcare centres would be activated before December. ``A committee had been set up to map out healthcare centres across the country that would benefit from the programme; at least one primary healthcare centre will be functional in a ward,’’ Adewole said.

The minister further announced that six most affected states -- Niger, Nasarawa, Taraba, Plateau, Bauchi and Ondo -- would have Lassa fever diagnostic centres in addition to the six existing Lassa fever treatment centres.

The existing centres are located in Irrua in Edo, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano,Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, University College Hospital, Ibadan and the National Centre for Disease Control, Asokoro, Abuja.

He said the ministry had directed immediate supply of adequate quantities of anti-viral drug for Lassa fever to all the affected states.

Adewole added that the ministry had also deployed rapid response teams to all affected states to assist in investigating and verifying fresh cases of the disease.

He also said relevant healthcare workers had been sensitised and mobilized to provide effective healthcare to patients in the affected states.

He advised family members and healthcare workers to always be careful and avoid contact with blood and body fluids while caring for the sick infected by the disease.

He warned Nigerians against the use of rat poison to eliminate rodents, observing that it could result in food poisoning.

He, however, solicited the use of traps and drying of food items in protected environment to stop rats and other animals from invading homes.

He said effective collaboration with states and local governments on prompt information on the outbreak of any disease and dangers posed by Lassa fever would go a long way in

curtailing the virus.

The minister directed health facilities in the country to emphasise routine infection prevention and control measures and ensure that all Lassa fever patients were treated free. ``Government had also raised a four-man expert committee, led by Prof. Michael Asuzu, to visit Kano State, Niger and Bauchi State. ``The committee will embark on a fact finding mission, assess the current situation, document response experiences, identify gaps and proffer recommendations on how to prevent future occurrences,’’ he said.

According t him, the task of the committee is to document lessons learnt for better planning of an affective responsive.

Beside this, he said the Federal Government had also given the Committee on the Eradication of Lassa fever in Nigeria, headed

by Prof. Oyewale Tomori, President, Nigeria Academy of Science, a mandate to provide a one-health approach to the complete elimination of the disease in the country.

Adewole said the committee and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) would design an effective response plan for fighting and preventing the spread of Lassa fever in Nigeria.

He enjoined the committee to offer

“

professional advice to the NCDC and the ministry to arrest current and future Lassa fever outbreaks in the country.

He advised the committee to use the fund provided for the assignment judiciously, promising that the ministry would provide enough funds.

In his response, Tomori pledged that the committee would do the needful to ensure the eradication of Lassa fever in Nigeria.

For the benefit of hindsight, 63 persons have died of Lassa fever out of 212 reported cases from the affected states as at Jan. 19.

Medical experts note that Lassa fever is an acute febrile illness involving bleeding and subsequent death in severe cases. It is caused by the Lassa fever virus with an incubation period of between six and 21 days.

The onset of the disease is accompanied by fever, general weakness, depression, headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea and vomiting.

Other symptoms are diarrhoea, cough and bleeding from the mouth, nose, vagina or gastrointestinal tract and low blood pressure.

The host of the Lassa virus is a type of rats that has many breasts and lives in the bush and around residential areas.

The virus is shed in the urine and droppings

Beside this, he said the Federal Government had also given the Committee on the Eradication of Lassa fever in Nigeria, headed by Prof. Oyewale Tomori, President, Nigeria Academy of Science, a mandate to provide a one-health approach to the complete elimination of the disease in the country.

of the rats and can be transmitted through direct contact, touching objects or eating food contaminated with these materials or through cuts or sores.

Person to person transmission also occurs most especially when a person comes in contact with the virus in the blood, tissue, secretions or excrements of an infected individual.

For effective prevention against Lassa fever spread, Dr Olutayo Haastrup, the spokesperson of the National Hospital Abuja, said that the hospital had designated isolation wards for the management of any suspected Lassa fever outbreak in Abuja and its environs.

According to him, the hospital had prepared four isolation wards and introduced standard precaution in handling any outbreak. ``The hospital is fully prepared, measures have been taken and as soon as we have any suspected case of Lassa, we will be proactive in handling it. ``We have created isolation wards in the hospital and all the necessary kits and facilities have been procured,’’ Haastrup said.

He said the hospital management had trained 200 health personnel in the hospital to raise more awareness on the treatment and management of the virus.

Further to these measures, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Nasarawa State said it had embarked on a statewide sensitisation to educate the people on ways to prevent the spread of Lassa fever in the state.

Mr Elisha Iyakwari, the Acting-State Director of the agency in the state, said the sensitisation was to educate the public on measures to adopt in the event of any suspected cases of the disease.

All in all, stakeholders in health sector commend the Federal Government on its response to the outbreak of the disease, observing that the government has demonstrated the will to prevent the spread Lassa fever and other virus diseases in Nigeria.

(NANFeatures)

PAGE 4

Special Report

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Yelwa: Source for alternative to crude oil

Nigeria’s rural areas provide the most peaceful atmosphere for living; thus, they remain to a large degree, more serene places to live in, especially when provided with the basic necessities of life like roads, schools, healthcare facilities, potable water, electricity and others. Yelwa is a village in Plateau State

Cable bridge

T

his is a settlement located in the northern suburbs of Jos, popularly known as Yelwa Mr Bow; it is an ancient village of more than three centuries. It is a settlement of an estimated population of 5,000+ inhabitants according to the last head count, most of whom are Hausa, Kanuri, and Fulani that engage in tin mining and farming for their economic viability.

The place is a five-kilometre drive from the Jos city centre, but has a very bad road that leads to the village with a single-line carriage wooden bridge.

This makes it absolutely impossible for more than one vehicle to pass across at once, and was said to be constructed by the military in the 1980’s. It is from around the bridge that plantation of irrigated farms being practiced would give a rousing welcome to any person approaching the village from that end.

Prior to the construction of the wooden bridge, there used to exist a pedestrian bridge (Gadar langa langa) in the same position, made of iron cable and a wood floor said to be constructed

which inhabitants have against all odds, remain quite productive especially on their farms. Peoples Daily Weekend correspondent was there and reports with additional information from agency reports that the village could provide an alternative to the crude oil for Nigeria.

Part of the village by the colonial masters in the 1900’s to convey tin that was mined and also allow for passage to neighbouring communities of Narkuta and Jos. Signs of tin mining activities that had taken place are glaringly traceable in the community, as one can simply sight pit holes that characterized such activities, though little quantity of the product is still found as people still take time to dig the soil in search of the product till date.

The village was said to have predated Narkuta and even Jos for several years. This was according to an aged man Malam Baba believed to be about one hundred and twenty years old. He told our correspondent that, “ Yelwa existed longer than Narkuta which later also gave birth to Jos; and that the people of Yelwa specialize in tin mining even before the advent of the British who came and met our fore fathers and fathers mining.”

Baba explained that apart from tin mining, Yelwa people are also good in farming both in the rainy and dry seasons but most specifically irrigation

system of farming. This according to him is as of today, the major economic activity that keeps the people moving.

“Noman Lambu, (irrigation) is today the major work that our people do with little tin mining; even though some of the youths are now into mechanic work and other trades. While some of them had left the village because there are no amenities due to government neglect.”

To the old man, the punctured peace that used to disturb the mutual coexistence of Jos which by extension affected the surrounding villages was a major cause for concern.

Majority of the vast land that made up the village is either put into use as farm land or left fallow, with trees and other plantations surrounding the village thereby attracting other people that usually visit to relax and enjoy its quietness and serenity with natural air blowing devoid of contamination.

The village often has quiet and scanty features most especially during morning through afternoon period of the day, with its riverside experiencing

the bubble and bustles of its inhabitants as they go about their irrigated farming activities.

Vegetable and other plantations that range from carrots, cabbage, onions, citrus, tomatoes, cassava, guava, mango, maize, millet and many others, are grown and harvested in commercial quantities in and around Yelwa throughout the year.

Our reporter was able transverse the riverside where irrigation farming is taking place; and sighted harvest of some of the products.

Malam Danladi, a full time farmer born and brought up in Yelwa village, narrated that even his grandfathers were farmers and apart from the period of his school days, he had also never left the village neither had he done anything else apart from farming.

“I have no other business in my life apart from farming. I teach Islamic studies in the school we have, upon request by the PTA, but farming has been my way of life. The occupation Contd on Page 5

PAGE 5

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Special Report

Source for alternative to crude oil Contd from Page 4

T

his is a settlement located in the northern suburbs of Jos, popularly known as Yelwa Mr Bow; it is an ancient village of more than three centuries.

It is a settlement of an estimated population of 5,000+ inhabitants according to the last head count, most of whom are Hausa, Kanuri, and Fulani that engage in tin mining and farming for their economic viability.

The place is a five-kilometre drive from the Jos city centre, but has a very bad road that leads to the village with a single-line carriage wooden bridge. This makes it absolutely impossible for more than one vehicle to pass across at once, and was said to be constructed by the military in the 1980’s. It is from around the bridge that plantation of irrigated farms being practiced would give a rousing welcome to any person approaching the village from that end.

Prior to the construction of the wooden bridge, there used to exist a pedestrian bridge (Gadar langa langa) in the same position, made of iron cable and a wood floor said to be constructed by the colonial masters in the 1900’s to convey tin that was mined and also allow for passage to neighbouring communities of Narkuta and Jos. Signs of tin mining activities that had taken place are

Harvest time

glaringly traceable in the community, as one can simply sight pit holes that characterized such activities, though little quantity of the product is still found as people still take time to dig the soil in search of the product till date.

The village was said to have pre-dated Narkuta and even Jos for several years. This was according to an aged man Malam Baba believed to be about one hundred and twenty years old. He told our correspondent that, “ Yelwa existed longer than Narkuta which later also gave birth to Jos; and that the people of Yelwa specialize in tin mining even before the advent of the British who came and met our fore fathers and fathers mining.”

Baba explained that apart from tin mining, Yelwa people are also good in farming both in the rainy and dry seasons but most specifically irrigation system of farming. This according to him is as of today, the major economic activity that keeps the people moving.

“Noman Lambu, (irrigation) is today the major work that our people do with little tin mining; even though some of the youths are now into mechanic work and other trades.

While some of them had left the village because there are no amenities due to government neglect.”

To the old man, the punctured peace that used to disturb the mutual coexistence of Jos which by extension affected the surrounding villages was a major cause for concern.

Majority of the vast land

Vegitable farm that made up the village is either put into use as farm land or left fallow, with trees and other plantations surrounding the village thereby attracting other people that usually visit to relax and enjoy its quietness and serenity with natural air blowing devoid of contamination.

The village often has quiet and scanty features most especially during morning through afternoon period of the day, with its riverside experiencing the bubble and bustles of its inhabitants as they go about their irrigated farming activities.

Vegetable and other plantations that range from carrots, cabbage, onions, citrus, tomatoes, cassava, guava, mango, maize, millet and many others, are grown and harvested in commercial quantities in and around Yelwa throughout the year.

Our reporter was able transverse the riverside where irrigation farming is taking place; and sighted harvest of some of the products.

Malam Danladi, a full time farmer born and brought up in Yelwa village, narrated that even his grandfathers were farmers and apart from the

Harvested tomatoes

period of his school days, he had also never left the village neither had he done anything else apart from farming.

“I have no other business in my life apart from farming.

I teach Islamic studies in the school we have, upon request by the PTA, but farming has been my way of life. The occupation is today only manageable because the harvest therefrom is rather very low with little profit coming out of it due to lack of sufficient capital to acquire farm implements and fertilizer on time to meet market demands.”

He said students from the

Page 6

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

News

Rickey Tarfa explains payment of N225,000 to judge

A

senior lawyer, accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of bribing a judge, yesterday denied the allegation, insisting that the N225,000 he paid to Justice Mohammed Yunusa was to cover part of the funeral of the judge’s father-in-law.

Rickey Tarfa stated, in an affidavit he filed before a Federal High Court in Lagos, that the money was a contribution by some friends of Mr. Yunusa towards the funeral rites of his father-in-law, Audi Damasa.

“The applicant (Mr. Tarfa) did not on 7th January, 2014 bribe Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa with the sum of N225,000 or any other sum at all,” the lawyer

stated in the affidavit deposed to

by John Odubela, the head of his chambers.

“It was common knowledge in the legal circles that Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa lost his father-in-law, Alhaji Audi Garba Damasa on the 28th December, 2013 in Maiduguri and travelled there to attend to the funeral rites.

“The applicant and some friends of Honourable Justice M.N. Yunusa made some donations towards the said funeral rites and to commiserate with the judge since they could not physically go and commiserate with him in Maiduguri, where he was and stayed for a while.

“The contributed monies amounted to N225,000, which

sum was given to the applicant with the responsibility to get same across to the bereaved judge.

“The applicant consequently made arrangements to forward the sum N225,000.

“I know as a fact that it is common in Nigeria for friends and well-wishers to contribute gifts in cash and kind to people who are celebrating or bereaved.”

The EFCC had alleged that‎ Mr. Tarfa made phone contacts with Mr. Yunusa in a case before the judge.

The commission provided phone numbers of Mr. Tarfa, the judge, and bank documents detailing money transfer from the lawyer to Justice Yunusa. ”Based on intelligence report

available to the Commission that the Applicant in a desperate bid to pervert the cause of justice in earlier proceedings involving the suspects on the subject matter was using his GSM ….. to communicate with Honourable Justice M. N. Yunusa in a case before His Lordship, the 1st Respondent requested the Applicant upon his arrest to respond to the allegation and surrender his mobile Apple I-Phone 6, colour black with MTN No. …..,” the EFCC stated in a counter affidavit deposed to by Moses Awolusi, an EFCC investigator. ”That based on investigations and data analysis of the Applicant’s mobile phones startling revelations about secret,

unhealthy communications between the Applicant and judicial officers emerged.”

The Commission had arraigned Mr. Tarfa before a Lagos High Court, last Tuesday, for allegedly obstructing two of its officers from arresting Gnanhooue Sourou and Nazaire Odeste, the owners of Rana Prestige Industries.

In response, Mr. Tarfa filed a N2.5 billion fundamental rights action enforcement suit against the EFCC protesting his arrest and detention by the Commission.

In addition to seeking N2.5 billion as damages, Mr. Tarfa is also seeking a public apology from the EFCC for his alleged arrest and detention.

NCC boss, Danbatta unveils agenda

By Justine Imowo he Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta has unveiled an 8-point agenda for the commission, covering 2015 to 2020.

Prof. Danbatta who disclosed this at a press conference in Kano, said the new vision is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s change mantra.

He said the 8-point pillars rest on a tripod of ‘A’s which includes Availability of Service, Accessibility of Service and Affordability of Service in line with the Buhari change agenda.

The agenda according to him includes among others, “to facilitate broadband penetration through provision

and optimization access to and use of affordable fixed and mobile broadband in Nigeria.

“Improve quality of service by promoting the availability of reliable, interoperable, rapidly restorable critical ICT infrastructure that are supportive of all required services.

“It is to promote innovation, investment, competition and consumer empowerment in and on top of communications platforms of today and the future, maximizing the power of information and communications technology to grow our economy, create jobs, and enhance national competitiveness through the deployment of broadband infrastructure to facilitate roll out of broadband services that will hold out opportunities and higher network quality of service for all Nigerians”.

Palace and any other moveable and immoveable property discovered by the EFCC, belonging to the 1st accused person.

Keyamo asked the court to separate the charge so that the matter can proceed as the 1st accused person has remained elusive.

Tompolo was billed to be arraigned by the EFCC alongside a former director general of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Mr. Patrick

Akpobolokemi and eight others, on a 40-count charge for alleged conspiracy and diversion of over N34,000,000,000 (Thirty Four Billion Naira only), belonging to NIMASA. While Akpobolokemi and others appeared in court, Tompolo failed to do so, forcing the court to issue a warrant for his arrest.

Justice Buba granted the request of the prosecution to separate the charge and fixed a date for the arraignment of the nine other suspects.

T

Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Hassan Bello with Director, Maritime Services of Federal Ministry of Transportation, Mallam Sani Umar Galadanchi and Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, during a one day sensitization seminar towards the successful take-off of the Kaduna Inland Dry Port organised by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (Nsc) and Inland Containers Nigerian Limited, in Kaduna.

Court orders EFCC to seize Tompolo’s properties

J

ustice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court, Lagos, yesterday February 19, 2016 granted the request of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to seize all properties of former Niger Delta militant, Government Ekpemupolo (aka Tompolo) who has been declared wanted by the Commission following his refusal to heed court summons to answer to fraud charges.

At the resuming hearing today, prosecuting counsel, Festus Keyamo informed the court of the

warrant of arrest issued in respect of Tompolo. He said despite the warrant of arrest and efforts of security agencies, the suspect has not been found.

Keyamo then brought an exparte motion to authorise the EFCC to attach and seize property belonging to Government Ekpemupolo pending his arrest or appearance before the court.

The properties are: No. 1 Chief Agbamu Close, DDPA Extension, Effurun, Delta State; Mieka Dive Limited and Mieka Dive Training Institute Limited

situated at No. 77, Lioth Street, ODPA Ugborikoko, Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State; Muhaabix Global Services Limited; a River Crew Change Boat named MUHA -15; the property known as “Tompolo Dockyard”, by the end of Enerhen Road, Effurun; the property known as “Tompolo Yard”, at the end of Chevron Clinic Road, next to Next Oil, Edjeba, Warri; the Diving School at Kurutie, at Escravos River; the property know as “Tompolo House” at Oporaza Town , opposite the

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Page 7

Cover

Revisiting NCC, NESREA clash over masts

S

ome time ago, two federal agencies- the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), tried to educate each other on the best ways to put mobile communication installations to effective use within our country’s earth’s surface. While one agency seemed to follow a moral and ethical pathway, the other looked at its profit margins in the course of doing business on the environment. According to industrial dispute indicators, the two agencies were heading to the courthouse to validate their claims.

The struggle came to the fore after the sealing and unsealing off of an MTN mast and base station located at EFAB Estate in the nation’s capital around 2012, where NESREA argued that the site of the mast fell short of the required distances from the perimeter fencing of any residential building.

According to a representative of NESREA, “masts and base stations must stand at least ten metres away from any residential quarters in order to protect inhabitants of the area from chemical emissions and noise pollutions emanating from such base stations. But as you can see, this mast here is only 1.2 meters away from that house. And of course, it is dangerously too close and we can’t allow it to continue to stand there in the interest of the health of people living in that house.”

In their own submission, authorities of NCC argued that, “It is the inalienable right of NCC to determine where telecom masts and base stations should be sited in this country for the success of mobile telephony, and not NESREA’s. We have approved the location of masts many years before NESREA came on board and our telephone companies have not caused any bodily harm to anyone in the course of their business operations.

NESREA is simply whipping up sentiments and meddling in the affairs of this commission and we won’t take it.”

It is no gainsaying that since then, both of them have exerted substantial strengths in trying to determine which of them is the ultimate judge in the dayto-day human interactions on the environment which has, no doubt, earned them front-burner attention with ordinary Nigerians asking if at all the chief executives of the two agencies actually know their onions in their constitutionally-assigned roles to the masses of this country.

As a matter-of-fact, Nigerian people have wondered if the two warring government departments were alien agencies who have no business carrying on their public service jobs under one federal authority.

In the not so recent past, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), fiercely engaged in a show of supremacy over how to use or how not to use Nigeria’s environmental space for telecommunication business purposes. Peoples Daily Weekend with additional information from agencies, relates some expert opinions on the issue

Dr. Lawrence Anukam, Director General/CEO of NESREA Since then, too, concerned Nigerians, have tried to find out which of the agencies has been overstepping its bounds. They have tried to find out if NESREA, the federal agency charged with the responsibility of regulating hu-

“

Prof Umar Garba Dambatta, Executive Vice Chairman of NCC

man actions on the environment is the one exceeding the limits or boundaries of its authority. Or NCC, the federal agency formally instructed to supervise how telecommunication operators carry on their businesses in Nigeria the one

As a matter-of-fact, Nigerian people have wondered if the two warring government departments were alien agencies who have no business carrying on their public service jobs under one federal authority.

stepping outside of its assigned roles.

On the other hand, critical observers also tried to find out if either of the two agencies was even being overzealous, altogether. But before any informed opinion could be reached on this vexed issue we tried to properly understand the various subsets of the mandates of the two agencies from their chief executives.

First, according to NESREA source, “The NESREA Act of 2007, empowers our agency to regulate and enforce, where necessary, all standards of social and economic operations undertaking by every inhabitant of this country’s biosphere insofar as such operation might affect the health and wellbeing of other inhabitants. And of course, this includes even unwholesome discharges into the atmospheric commons.”

At this point, if we understand the subset of its constitutional mandate properly, it means that NESREA over Contd on Page 8

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 8

Cover

Revisiting NCC, NESREA clash over masts Contd from Page 7

S

ome time ago, two federal agencies- the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), tried to educate each other on the best ways to put mobile communication installations to effective use within our country’s earth’s surface. While one agency seemed to follow a moral and ethical pathway, the other looked at its profit margins in the course of doing business on the environment. According to industrial dispute indicators, the two agencies were heading to the courthouse to validate their claims.

The struggle came to the fore after the sealing and unsealing off of an MTN mast and base station located at EFAB Estate in the nation’s capital around 2012, where NESREA argued that the site of the mast fell short of the required distances from the perimeter fencing of any residential building.

According to a representative of NESREA, “masts and base stations must stand at least ten metres away from any residential quarters in order to protect inhabitants of the area from chemical emissions and noise pollutions emanating from such base stations. But as you can see, this mast here is only 1.2 meters away from that house. And of course, it is dangerously too close and we can’t allow it to continue to stand there in the interest of the health of people living in that house.”

In their own submission, authorities of NCC argued that, “It is the inalienable right of NCC to determine where telecom masts and base stations should be sited in this country for the success of mobile telephony, and not NESREA’s. We have approved the location of masts many years before NESREA came on board and our telephone companies have not caused any bodily harm to anyone in the course of their business operations. NESREA is simply whipping up sentiments and meddling in the affairs of this commission and we won’t take it.”

It is no gainsaying that since then, both of them have exerted substantial strengths in trying to determine which of them is the ultimate judge in the dayto-day human interactions on the environment which has, no doubt, earned them frontburner attention with ordinary Nigerians asking if at all

the chief executives of the two agencies actually know their onions in their constitutionally-assigned roles to the masses of this country.

As a matter-of-fact, Nigerian people have wondered if the two warring government departments were alien agencies who have no business carrying on their public service jobs un-

“

der one federal authority.

Since then, too, concerned Nigerians, have tried to find out which of the agencies has been overstepping its bounds.

They have tried to find out if NESREA, the federal agency charged with the responsibility of regulating human actions on the environment is the one exceeding the limits or bound-

aries of its authority. Or NCC, the federal agency formally instructed to supervise how telecommunication operators carry on their businesses in Nigeria the one stepping outside of its assigned roles.

On the other hand, critical observers also tried to find out if either of the two agencies was even being overzealous, alto-

Whatever the answers though, an Abujabased social analyst said that how each of the agencies succeeds in the execution of their national mandates should simply be a matter of synergizing. He, however, thinks that NCC has no business carrying on property developments on the environment without first, clearing with the environmental standards enforcement agency.

gether. But before any informed opinion could be reached on this vexed issue we tried to properly understand the various subsets of the mandates of the two agencies from their chief executives.

First, according to NESREA source, “The NESREA Act of 2007, empowers our agency to regulate and enforce, where necessary, all standards of social and economic operations undertaking by every inhabitant of this country’s biosphere insofar as such operation might affect the health and wellbeing of other inhabitants. And of course, this includes even unwholesome discharges into the atmospheric commons.”

At this point, if we understand the subset of its constitutional mandate properly, it means that NESREA oversees how all humans interact with the whole areas of our country’s environmental space which include the atmosphere and our sea areas inhabited by living things in order to ensure sustainability of all life forms on the environment, namely; sustainability of the human environment and the ecosystem.

For full understanding of NCC mandate, a top official in the commission who spoke to us on grounds of anonymity, maintained that it is his agency’s responsibility to approve licenses for telephone companies and other communication outfits as well as oversee the development and rational use of telecom masts and base stations and their efficient operations for purposes of improving telecom services in Nigeria.

He concluded that, “in all this, we make sure that all telecom equipment are put to their best uses and are readily available to the general public while we are at the same time making sure that the actions of phone companies are coordinated in order that they may attain their economic potentials.”

Here, the subset in NCC’s mandate is clear and suggestive. That is to say, in addition to making sure that telecom properties are developed and made available to the public, such installations must also be positioned in such a way as to earn maximum profits for the telephone companies.

Now looking at the divergence or rather, the amount of difference in the mandates of the two agencies, it might not be out of place to state here that they are purely and unreservedly parallel lines that might never meet; while one should try to oversee and preserve the purity and sanctity of our natural environment the other should oversee or rather, coordinate the use of telecommuni

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 9

Saturday Column

Dangers of excommunicating Muslims from Islam Contd from Back Page

someone worshiping upon monotheism is a serious mistake.

The mistake of leaving a thousand (dangerous and non-peaceful) unbelievers to go free is lesser than shedding the blood of a single Muslim.” (See Fath ul-Bari, 12/314) This is the case of the wrongful killing of a single Muslim believer accused of apostasy. How much greater, then, is the case of those who declare whole cities, towns, countries, and societies full of Muslims to be unbelievers? Indeed, it is an incredibly disturbing phenomenon we are witnessing that an entire country and all of its Muslim citizens are declared to be apostates and heinous violence is justified against them.

The caution we must have in this matter becomes all the more clear when we understand the important distinction between acts of unbelief and unbelievers themselves. A Muslim might commit an outward act of unbelief due to ignorance or misinterpretation, yet Allah considers them to be believers. This is proven in the following tradition (Hadith): Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “A man had indulged himself in sin, so when death approached he enjoined his sons saying: if I die, then burn me, pulverize me, and scatter me to the winds over the sea, for by Allah, if He is able He will punish me in a way He has not punished anyone else. So they did that to him, and when he stood before his Lord, He said to him: what made you do that? The man said: Fear and awe of you, O Lord.

So Allah forgave him because of that.” (See Sahih Muslim, 2756) My people!

This man did not believe that Allah had the power to resurrect and judge him, a clear act of unbelief according to the consensus of Muslim scholars. Yet, Allah pardoned this act of unbelief due to man’s honest ignorance. The man’s righteous fear of Allah, based upon his faith, out weighted his act of unbelief.

Ibn Taymiyyah comments on this Hadith, saying:

“

“So Allah forgave him. This man doubted the ability of Allah to resurrect him when he was turned to dust. Rather, he believed Allah could not resurrect him and this is unbelief by the consensus of the Muslims but he was ignorant.

He did not know that and he was a believer who feared that Allah would punish him and so Allah forgave him for that.” (See Majmu’ Al-Fatawa, 3/231) Likewise, Ibn Al-Qayyim writes: “If one of these matters of faith is denied out of ignorance or misinterpretation, then he is excused and the one who did so does not become an unbeliever, as in the narration in which the man denied the power of Allah and he commanded his people to burn him and scatter his ashes in the wind. Despite this error, Allah forgave the man and had mercy upon him because of his ignorance.

The knowledge about the power of Allah that had reached him was not denied out of stubbornness or an intention to lie.” (See Madaarij As-Salikeen, 1/347) Hence, we must not declare an individual Muslim to be an unbeliever due to an act of unbelief, let alone an entire Muslim society.

A Muslim can only be considered an unbeliever when they declare themselves to be such. Their declarations of faith should be taken at face value and their lives protected by due process of law.

At-Tahawi writes in his important work on Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaa’ah creed: “A person does not leave faith except by disavowing what brought him into it.” (See Aqeedah AtTahawiyyah) Furthermore, Ash-Shawkani writes: “Know that with regard to the ruling upon a Muslim man for leaving Islam and entering into unbelief, it is not befitting for a Muslim who believes in Allah and the Last Day to apply it unless with a proof that is clearer than the light of day.” (See Sayl Al-Jarrar, 1/978) As such, it was the practice of the righteous predecessors (salaf as-salih) to refrain from excommunicating the heretics who opposed them, as it is the right of Allah alone to determine that a Muslim has become an unbeliever.

Ibn Taymiyyah writes:

“The scholars and people of the Sunnah would not excommunicate those who oppose them even if their opponents declared them to be unbelievers, for the matter of unbelief is a legal judgment and a person may not punish with the like of it, such as if someone lies against you or commits adultery with your family it would not be permissible for you to lie against him or commit adultery with his family. Fornication and falsehood are unlawful by the right of Allah.

Likewise, excommunication is the right of Allah, so we do not excommunicate anyone except those whom Allah and His Messenger have declared to be unbelievers.” (See Ar-Radd ‘ala AlBakri, 1/381) Perhaps our greatest example in this respect is the distinguished Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal who stood strong against the persecution of the Mu’tazilites. The extremist Mu’tazilitte sect fabricated their doctrine of the “creation of the Quran” and they were charging with unbelief and oppressing anyone who publicly disagreed with them.

Imam Ahmad was taken prisoner

Such is the excellent example of the patience, forbearance, and mercy of Imam Ahmad in stark contrast to the violent rebels and excommunicators of today.

by them and brutally flogged, yet he refrained from excommunicating them, cursing them, or calling for violent rebellion. Instead, Imam Ahmad understood that they were confused by misinterpretations and he prayed for Allah to guide and forgive them.

Ibn Taymiyyah writes: “Imam Ahmad, may Allah be pleased with him, prayed for mercy, guidance and forgiveness for his persecutors because he knew it was not clear to them that they were denying the Messenger and disputing what he had brought. Rather, they had a misinterpretation and they were mistaken and imitated and followed those who told them that.”

(See Majmu’ Al-Fatawa, 23/349) Such is the excellent example of the patience, forbearance, and mercy of Imam Ahmad in stark contrast to the violent rebels and excommunicators of today.

Following in the footsteps of Imam Ahmad was Ibn Taymiyyah who also took a strong stance against excommunication (Takfeer).

Ibn Taymiyyah writes: “Those who always sit with me know that I am the strongest of the people to forbid declaring an individual to be an unbeliever or a sinner, unless it is known that the legal proof has been established against him that he is an unbeliever or sinner. I affirm that Allah will forgive this nation for its mistakes, whether it is mistakes in narrating or practice. The righteous predecessors continued to debate many of these matters and none of them testified that another among them was an unbeliever or a sinner.” (See Majmu’ Al-Fatawa, 3/229) Indeed, despite the persecution he endured at the hands of

opposing scholars, Ibn Taymiyyah vowed never to excommunicate a single Muslim.

Adh-Dhahabi reported: Ibn Taymiyyah said near the end of his life: “I will not declare anyone from this ummah (nation) to be an unbeliever.” (See Siyar A’lam anNubala, 15/88) In the same manner, we must take a principled stance against excommunication and those who use illegitimate violence against the Muslim community. We must be clear that declarations of faith and the offering of peace by anyone must be taken at face value and that such peace offerings immediately invalidate violent action.

And lastly, the Prophet (SAW) said: “Beware; do not return to unbelief after me by killing each other.” (See Sahih Bukhari, 121)O Allah! Make us among those who earn your forgiveness and acquire safety from the Hell fire, Ameen.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. Prayers, peace and Mercy are upon our beloved Master, Muhammad (SAW), his family and companions.

And success comes from Allah, and Allah knows best.

This Khutbah (Friday Sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Raby’ al-Thaany 11, 1437 AH (22 January, 2016), by Imam Murtadha Muhammad Gusau, the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’at Mosque and Alhaji Abdurrahman Okene’s Mosque, Okene Kogi State Nigeria. He can be reached through: +2348038289761.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Page 10

News

Boy, 8, dies in soak away pit

T

Minister of water resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu; Managing Director, Salini Nigeria Ltd., Dr Piero Capitanio, and project Manager, Mr Paolo Campawecca, during the minister ‘s inspection visit to Gurara dam at Azara-jere , yesterday in Kaduna state

NSE official urges FG to repair bad roads in Apapa

M

r Olalekan Taiwo, the chairman of Apapa branch of Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), on Friday urged the Federal Government to repair the roads in Apapa, Lagos.

Taiwo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the gridlock in the area was as a result of the deplorable state of the roads among other factors.

Cue in audio ``For some time now, the traffic gridlock in Apapa is not only about these articulated vehicles and other trucks coming to either load fuel or bring things out from the ports or returning containers. ``Before now, I have tried to look at why we have traffic, not only in Apapa, but in Nigeria generally, and I have been able to come out with about three key issues. ``One, the issue of drivers, people who are not certified or who do not know how to drive or who don’t even know road signs. ``They get drivers licence, they are on the road; they are problems to themselves and to other road users. ``Secondly, bad roads; in the past we used to hear of pot-holes, but today maybe, trenches. ``This will result into snarl on the highways and of course, thirdly, the position of traffic wardens and their clusters in some parts of the road or highway is also a cause for concern. ``Looking at Apapa, bad road is a major challenge. `` I will seize this opportunity to implore the present Minister of Works, Housing and Power, (Mr Babatunde Fashola) to put the roads in good condition. ``Then secondly, we should begin to use modern techniques for some of our operations.’’

ragedy struck late on Thursday in Alapere, Ketu, near Lagos when an eightyear-old boy fell into a soakaway pit and died.

The Director of the Lagos State Fire Service, Mr Rasak Fadipe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the deceased identified as Kehinde Toba, died before fire fighters could rescue him.

Fadipe said that the incident happened at No. 34, Alapere Str., Alapere, Ketu, adding that the body of the victim had been handed over to the Lagos State Environmental and Health Management Unit. ``The soak away was recently evacuated but not cemented. ``Residents should be safety conscious and be watchful over the movement of their children,’’ Fadipe advised.

AEDC Surcharges Niger, generates 300 mw monthly- Unionist From Yakubu Mustapha,Minna.

T

he Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC has been accused of surcharging the people of Niger State despite its adequate power generation for distribution to the people hence the revenue accrue to the company was appreciable.

An activist and labour leader in the state, Comrade Abdullahi Shaba Gbara made the declaration at the weekend in Minna while speaking with our reporter, insisting that AEDC generated not less than N500 million in a month in the state accused the distribution company of not being fair.

The union leader explained that every month, Suleja alone generated about N200 million, Minna N150 million while Bida and Kontagora generated N5 million each, added that there is adequate power generation but challenged with the distribution unit of the company.

Gbara was optimistic that the company was surcharging the state following the epileptic power supply despite that between 200 - 300 Mega Watts was been generated only 33 Mega Watts was distributed in Niger state.

He further disclosed that Minna has 15 mega watts instead of between 70 - 100 mega watts, Suleja 10 mega watts, Bida 5 mega

watts and Kontagora 3 mega watts which he described as grossly inadequate noting that only Shiroro dam can afford to give adequate power to the state while that of Kainji and Jebba dams can be distributed out of the state.

He further accused the company for its immediate disengagement of over 200 most experienced staff when they bought over Power Holding Company of Nigeria PHCN, which he described as a major setback in the company’s current predicament in the country.

The activist who has worked for about 33 years in the generation and distribution company said that no reasonable impact of

AEDC was felt since it took over the company hence they needed to invest vigorously into the system in the areas of manpower, equipments and appliances for effective and efficient service delivery.

Comrade Gbara alleged Niger State House of Assembly conniving with AEDC to dropped his letter of complaint to that of the company who urged the Regional manager to appeared before the house earlier, noting that he was with the Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Marafa and his deputy for a briefing which was inconclusive and they never deem it fits to invite him again, cautioned them of youths attack because this is affecting everybody in the state.

Farmers seek FG’s support on organic farming

S

ome farmers on Friday called for the Federal Government’s support in acquiring virgin lands for farming maize and cassava to promote organic farming.

The farmers told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that organic farming was the way to go in developing the country’s food self-sufficiency drive.

Mr Bayo Gboyega, a maize farmer, said that as he prepared for the 2016 farming season, he was preparing a land that had not been farmed on for two years.

Gboyega said that he had previously planted cassava on the land and left it to regain its lost nutrients. ``Two years ago, I farmed on two plots of land located in OkeAro area of Ogun which I left after harvest.

``I wanted the land to regain its lost nutrients; so, when I use it for maize this year, it will be like a fresh land. ``Organic farming do not require fertiliser and that is what most farmers are working toward because that will give a face-lift to agriculture in the country,’’ Gboyega said.

According to Mrs Temitayo Ganiu, a cassava farmer, organic farming will require much more land and that is where the farmers need government’s support. ``At this point, it will be profitable for government to give us lands so that when we farm it, we can move to another part of the farmland the following year. ``The government should support organic agriculture because it is the best and it will give the original taste to the foods pro-

duced,’’ Ganiu said.

The farmers also called on the government to evenly allocate lands to farmers’ associations.

Meanwhile, the Managing Director of HighHill Moringa Farm, Mr Adeniyi Sola-Bunmi, on Friday said that farmers were facing hardship due to harsh weather condition.

Sola-Bunmi said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

According to him, the harsh weather is delaying planting and no reasonable farmer will dare to put anything in the ground now, following the 2015 bitter experience. ``It will either spoil or get burnt. What most farmers are doing now is clearing their fields and waiting for the first rain, to start plowing.

``Those who are doing real planting now are farmers who have irrigation system on their farms. ``But how many farmers can afford to irrigate their farms,’’ he asked.

Sola- Bunmi said that if there had been first and second rain, farmers would have started planting by now.

According to him, it will cost about N300, 000 or more to put irrigation system on one hectare of land.

Sola-Bunmi said that the situation would reduce the food output in 2016, which would cause prices of foodstuff to soar.

He said that the weather was so hot that if farmers planted vegetables without irrigation, ``everything would just wither away’’.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Page 11

News

Gurara Dam to irrigate about 4,000 hectares-FG

By Mohammed Usman

T

he federal government has said that Gurara Multipurpose Dam Project will generate about 4000 hectares Agricultural land.

This was made known when the Minister of Water Resources, Engr.

Suleiman Adamu, went on assessment visit to the Dam Project in Kaduna State.

The Minister who earlier promised tour to key projects of the Ministry on assumption of office declared that he was satisfied with what he has seen so far at Gurara Dam. “With the design of this scheme to

irrigate about 4,000 hectares of agriculture land that would drive business activities in this area to a higher heights, government has by this, demonstrated its strong political will for agricultural revolution that would guarantee food security for all”, he said.

In a statement signed by the ministry’s Director of Information, Mrs. M.E. Umoh, while inspecting the Project, Engr. Suleiman stated that the agricultural potentials of the dam seen so far showed that government can develop a modern system of irrigated agriculture with the estimated 14,000 hectares of irrigated land in the Gurara villey in

mind. He added that in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture in tapping the potentials, job activities would be generated and would provide vast employment opportunities and economic self-sufficiency for the population.

Speaking further, Engr. Suleiman stated that the power component of the dam would generate electricity for the national grid with 30 MW. The electricity to be generated would be transferred to the city of Abuja.

Earlier, the Minister inspected the Azara-Jere Irrigation Scheme. He said that the scheme would optimally har-

ness the full potentials of Gurara multipurpose dam development to boost agriculture and improve food security for the country.

“With the design of this scheme to irrigate about 4,000 hectares of agriculture land that would drive business activities in this area to a higher heights, government has by this, demonstrated its strong political will for agricultural revolution that would guarantee food security for all”, he said.

He therefore called on all commercial and other farmers that have commenced work to pay for water and land uses as it would help government

generate resources to maintain the project.

The Project Manager of the Dam, Mr. Paolo Campawecca said that the dam was constructed to, interconnect the Gurara river with Usman Dam, form part of integrated systems of regulated catchments raw water to the lower usman treatment plant and reservoir which is located near the capital city of Abuja, provide water to meet Abuja demand for the next 50years, generate electricity for the national grid with a 30 MW and lastly, provide a 14,000 hectares irrigation scheme downstream of the dam.

Man faces trial over alleged N10m fraud

A

Inspector-Genera of Police, Mr Solomon Arase handing over a plaque to Governor Rochas Okorocha, when the I.G. Paid a courtesy call on the governor, yesterday at the Government House Owerri.

3 in court over N2.8m fraud

T

he Police on Friday in Lagos arraigned three unemployed men who allegedly obtained N2.8 million under the pretext of counterfeiting 100 dollar bills.

The accused - Temitope Ibrahim, 19; Udo Chukwu, 56; and Omokaro Iyobo, 26 – were docked in an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on a three-count charge of obtaining by false pretenses, conspiracy and stealing.

At their arraignment, the Prosecutor, Insp. Simon Imhonwa, told the court that accused com-

mitted the offences on Dec. 31 2015, at Powerline Area, Egbeda, a Lagos suburb.

Imhonwa said that two of the accused, Iyobo and Chukwu, conspired with Ibrahim, who was an employee of one Mr Moses Odikhena, to obtain N2,789,000 needed for the operation from his employer’s business.

He said that Ibrahim supplied the gang with the funds needed to purchase certain chemicals to reproduce dollar bills.

Imhonwa said the case was reported to the

police by Odikhena, who discovered irregularities and missing funds.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the all charges.

The offences, according to the prosecutor, contravened Sections 285, 312 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

The Magistrate, Mrs Bola Osunsanmi, granted them bail in the sum of N200,000 with two responsible sureties each in like sum.

She adjourned the case till April 11 for trial.

Boko Haram: CITAD urges FG to tackle unemployment From Mustapha Adamu, Kano

T

he centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has urged the federal government to address the issue of youth unemployment as they continued to provide the recruitment base for Boko Haram insurgents and urban violent gangs.

The programme manager of CITAD, Abdulganiyu Rufa’i stated this during a policy brief titled Beyond Winning the Minds: Youth, Peace Building and Entrepreneurship, held at

Murtala Muhammad Library in Kano State yestyerday.

According to him, tackling the problem of unemployment among youth would prevent them from being recruited into joining extremists group or engaging in violent activities in the society, noting that engaging the youth would make them productive and legitimate economic actors in the society.

He said, “government should introduce mainstream entrepreneurship programme as part of winning away youth from extremists ideas. The

government should also leverage the vast potentials of outsourcing an IT-based business to create jobs for teeming unemployed youths in the country.” He advised He noted that the state governments need to review their youth policies in line with the modern democratic era.

Rufa’i also called on the civil society groups to advocate and monitor the implementation of the provisions of various youth related policies, adding that the NGOs should engage out of school youth in peace building and entrepreneurship.

46-year old businessman, Taoreed Kafo, was on Friday arraigned in Lagos for allegedly obtaining the sum of N10 million under false pretences.

Kafo, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Kafo, who resides at No. 4 Macaulay St., Lagos Island, Lagos, appeared at a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on a two-count charge of obtaining under false pretences and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Roman Unuigbe, told the court that the accused committed the offences sometime between April 3, 2013 and Dec. 29, 2014 at No. 161 Tokunbo, Off Freeman St., Lagos.

Unuigbe said that the accused obtained the sum of N10 million from the complainant, one Basirat Oredoyin, under the pretext of using the money for a project.

He explained that the complainant, who is a former wife of the accused, sold her house to help the accused build a hotel which he successfully accomplished.

The prosecutor said that the accused had since 2014 failed to repay as promised.

He said that the complainant’s efforts to get her money back from her ex-husband proved abortive.

According to the prosecutor, the offences contravened Sections 285 and 312 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 312 prescribes seven years imprisonment for anyone found guilty of obtaining by false pretence.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr P.A Ojo, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

He adjourned the case till March 16 for substantive trial.

PAGE 12

Photosplash

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Kaduna state university-computer centre gutted by fire yesterday in Kaduna

L-R: Wife of the Special Assistant (SA) to Akwa Ibom Governor on grassroots mobilization, mrs Helen Inyang; her husband, Mr Emmanuel Inyang and the president, Akwa Ibom community Abuja,, Comrade Tommy Okon, during the community’s reception ceremony for the Governor’s SA, recently in Abuja.

Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps(FRSC), Mr Boboye Oyeyemi (R), Deputy Corps Marshal, Motor Vehicle and Administration FRSC , Mr TheophilusCharles, ( L) Chief Marketing Officer, Nicon Insurance Limited, Mr Samson Davies (M) and Director, Road Traffic Service, Vehicle Inspection Office, Federal CapitalTerritory, Mr Danjuma Garba duringa one day capacity building workshop for chief vehicle inspection officers I, on Thursday in Abuja

The new ultra modern Electronic Library , build and Equip by Universal basic Education Commission (UBEC), through Federal Government Intervention, at the foremost Barewa College, Zaria in Kaduna State

Cultural troupes performing during a reception by the Ooni of Ife for African Ambassadors and other countries that claim Yoruba decent, at the Cuban embassy on Thursday in Abuja

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE13

News

Senatorial re-run: Over 6,000 police officers, others deployed to Benue From Uche Makurdi

Nnorom,

O

ver 6000 police officers of the Benue State Police command have been deployed for the re-run senatorial election in Benue South district, between erstwhile Senate President, Sen. David Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Donald Onjeh of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The election holds today in the 9 local government areas which make up the district.

Disclosing this to PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND on phone, the State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Moses Yamu said 6 units of mobile police officers from the state in addition to undisclosed number of policemen from neighboring states including Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi and Enugu States have also been drafted to complement their effort in ensuring adequate security during the polls.

“Our counterparts from the Civil Defense, Road Safety, Department of State Security (DSS) as well as officers of the 72 military battalion will also assist in providing security during the election. We are assuring the electorate of adequate security during the re-run election”, Yamu stated.

L-R; President Muhammadu Buhari ; Senior Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa; and FCT Minister Mohmmed Musa Bello, during the President’s departs for Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt for Africa Business Forum, yesterday at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport Abuja.

Farmers/herdsmen clashes: ASSAPIN advocates establishment of ranches From Uche Makurdi

Nnorom,

T

he National Coordinator of the Association of Small Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria (ASSAPIN), Mr. Charles Adu, has advocated for

the establishment of ranches across the country by the federal government as a panacea to stemming the bloody clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen in many parts of the country.

Charles Adu stated this

yesterday at a three day sensitization meeting on the Right to Food Bill, organized by his association in collaboration with the Farm Infrastructure Foundation (FIF) and Oxfam Nigeria, held in Makurdi the Benue state capital.

Ex-President Jonathan’s relative, abducted with uncle, found dead

By Mohammed Usman with agency report

F

ishermen in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, on Friday recovered the body of a cousin to former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was abducted alongside the former leader’s uncle, Chief Inegite Jonathan, witnesses said.

Relatives said the body of

Samuel Oki, 35, was found floating on Otuoke river, two days after the abduction.

The police spokesperson for Bayelsa State, Asini Butswat, told PREMIUM TIMES he was aware of the report, but could not immediately confirm its details. He said he was working to receive briefings from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area.

Armed gunmen had on Wednesday abducted 72-yearold Chief Inegite Jonathan, President Jonathan’s uncle and foster father, but the kidnap of Mr. Oki was not immediately noticed until several hours later.

Fishermen in Otuoke community on Friday discovered his decomposing body, raising fears about the

safety of the former president’s 72-year-old uncle, whose whereabout was still unknown

by Friday afternoon.

A family member of the deceased, Igbogamini Paul, said both men were kidnapped on Wednesday.

Mr. Paul said they believe that a gunshot they heard during the abduction was targeted at Mr. Oki.

Ebonyi governor suspends local government chairman for demolishing Church

T

he Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi, has suspended the caretaker committee chairman of Ikwo Local Government Area, Joseph Orogwu, for allegedly demolishing a church.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Emmanuel Onwe, disclosed this yesterday.

Onwe, who said the suspension was immediate and indefinite, noted that the chairman had been directed to hand over to the next senior officer in the

council.

It was reliably gathered that a branch of Believers Love World INC aka Christ Embassy Church in front of the Federal University, Ndufu Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), was demolished recently by some agents of the government.

The governor is a staunch member of the Christ Embassy Church and one of its major financiers in the state.

When contacted, the chairman denied involvement in the

demolition.

He said on the day of the demolition he received a call that some people were demolishing the church.

“I quickly dashed to the scene and when I got there I met some men carrying out the demolition,” the suspended chairman said.

“When I accosted them, they said they were staff of Abakaliki Capital Territory Development Authority (ACTDA) and were doing their duty.”

He said he tried calling the Chairman of the Board of ACTDA, Fred Udogu, but his phone was switched off.

Udogwu refused to comment on the issue.

“I am yet to get details of what transpired so I can’t comment until I get the full details”, he stated.

Mr. Orogwu’s suspension is the fourth suspension of a government official by the governor in his about nine-month old administration.

The ASSAPIN national coordinator who lamented that agro farmers in the country were losing hundreds of millions of naira worth of farm produce to the activities of Fulani herdsmen, averred that ranches would provide a permanent solution to the incessant crisis.

Represented by the Benue state Coordinator of ASSAPIN, Mrs. Janet Odejo, Adu cautioned that the volume of food being produced in the country was fast depreciating owing to the endless farmers/ herdsmen clashes in parts of the country.

According to Adu, “The unending crisis between herdsmen and agro farmers is taking its toll on food production in the country and the earlier ranches are established for herdsmen in the country, the better for that sector.

“We also urge the government to take necessary steps to check the unrestricted inflow of herders from other West African countries into Nigeria because these groups are largely responsible for the destruction of farmlands in parts of the country and the crisis that trail such actions.”

The ASSAPIN national coordinator, who maintained that with the right policies and incentives, Nigerian farmers were capable of feeding the nation, urged state governments to establish marketing boards to check the exploitation of farmers by middlemen.

PAGE 14

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Crime Cycle

Mashe Umaru Gwamna pmlcrimecycle@gmail.com 08138559513

Child trafficking: The modern day slavery in Nigeria

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

A

mina is a younger girl of 12 years old who hails from Kano state , shared her ordeals , fears and anxiety to the police .

Who looks beautiful , calm , quiet and naive. With many dreams about the future , ever though she too will be among the victim of child trafficking .

But she thanks her stars when the Kano state police command rescued in the hands of their adopters .

Amina story is not different from others stories of many children who their parents have been lured by cheap psychological lies and manipulative emotional 419 of selling their children in to unknown slavery of crystal “green pasture” outside the villages or towns.

However, Peoples Daily Weekend revealed that the trafficking of children for the purpose of domestic service, prostitution and other forms of exploitative labour is a widespread phenomenon in Nigeria for a very long time now.

However , there are classification of age range some are from ages 5- 10, 11- 18 and 18 above these Children are recruited with promises of well-paid jobs in urban centres within the country or abroad, realising

too late that they have been lured into a debt bond.

Violence, coercion and deception are used to take victims away from their families, since most of them are desperate for quick and easy way to get wealth .

Unfortunately , Nigeria is a source, transit and destination country for trafficked women and children, Prostitution, domestic and exploitative labour continues to fuel this modern from of slavery.

Meanwhile, Human trafficking is said to be the third largest illegal trade after drug trafficking and arms trade.

There is yet no reliable estimate of the number of children trafficking internally and externally

by United Nation Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) primarily this is because of the clandestine nature of the phenomenon.

The causes of child trafficking are numerous.

They include poverty, desperation to escape violence, corruption, unemployment, illiteracy and ignorance.

Further more,these children lives under the mercy of those traffickers , in those countries they took their victims to country like Gabon, Togo, Cameroon, Niger, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Benin Republic, Saudi Arabia and South Africa.

POLICE DIARY Security is a collective responsibility. Partner with the Police command to fight and provide security for all. Promote Community Partnership in preventing and controlling social disorder in the society

Police Emergency Numbers in the FCT

08032003913, 08061581936, 07057337653, 0802840883

Lately, children are reported to be trafficked from Nigeria to Dubai.

In reality, those who attempt to sell children into slavery or sexual exploitation do not seek their prey in comfortable suburbs; they look in the poorest shanty towns or the most underprivileged rural areas, where grinding poverty can heighten children’s vulnerability to protection abuses.

A cross section of resident give an insight on how most of these children suffering mental, psychological and emotional trauma and they children passed through.

A resident at Wuse 2 Jonathan Ibrahim said that most of these rich in United Kingdom , the adopted a child in Africa by agencies for black market organ trafficking after using keeping them for a month or when a child reach a certain age for their organ harvest, blood, labour because they are children and strong .

Another painful thing , is that after all inflicting pains on them ,killed or abounded them on the mercy of one .

And most of those agencies have not been

monitored .

Similarly ,Mrs. Omehi David emphasized that parents needs to be conscience of greed and selfishness of wealth . And most of those parents do not equally known the true situation of what is happening to them.

To fight child trafficking, the Government passed the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition and Administration Act and established the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related matters (NAPTIP) in 2003. Since then, investigation of cases, prosecution of criminals, rescue and rehabilitation of victims have been successfully carried out by the Agency.

Mrs. David reiterated that even of a recent media have been reported such cases and more grace to them.

Another resident , in utako market Miss Beverley Ben, decried the increasing rate of children who are being made vulnerable due to family and socio-economic hardship in the country maintaining that the experience effects the psychology and the

social well being of the victim especially those with poor education and lack of social amenities of life had contributed to the increase of child trafficking. She also observed the need to equip and educate Nigerians in the war against child trafficking in the country.

Adding that “I can recalled that the National Assembly passed a Human Trafficking Law to end the nefarious activities of the merchants, whether it is in trafficking of children or women. “But I have not seen or heard any conviction of perpetrators since the human trafficking bill was signed into law at the federal land,” she added.

If the government and agencies involved in combating child trafficking Put more effort, with their outstanding effort . Soon Nigeria will be curb the menace of child Trafficking , in as much as more enlightenment both in television , radio , newspaper and billboard adverts are involved in different languages in Nigeria , citizens will be enlightened and report any attempt of such evil act to the necessary authority .

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 15

Politics

The change APC promised Nigerians unrealistic - Tanko

H

ow prepared is the PDP to face the formidable APC in the forth coming area council polls in Federal Capital Terri-

tory (FCT)?

Well, we are fully prepared because the All Progressive Congress (APC) to me and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not a threat. We are working hard and mobilizing our people and we believe that the confidence that our supporters have on the party is still evergreen, especially now that the people have realized that the change which APC were preaching and promising is not change for progress but change for poverty and retardation. If you can make your inquiries very well, you will get to hear the feeling and frustration of the people as well as the disappointment that the people are expressing over the way and manner that APC administration is being run. So to me, I think it is an advantage to PDP because most of those who voted for APC are regretting for ever working and voting for APC. The AMAC administration under your party had concentrated two much effort in urban centers, thereby neglecting the rural communities in FCT. If elected, are you going to give priority attention to the rural areas?

Well, I beg to disagree with you on that, I think that the successive administrations in AMAC and other chairmen in PDP controlled area councils in FCT had done well in the areas of rural development. If you visit most communities in AMAC, the villagers will be confident and proud to point out to you various projects that were executed by AMAC under PDP leadership. When you talk of rural electrification, our party had provided that to most rural communities in FCT. When you talk of construction of schools which is education, we had done well in that, is it in the areas of health, agriculture, roads, and provision of clean and potable water, we had provided all that to the people at the grassroots. These are the reasons why they are still appreciative of PDP in the territory and I can assure you that they are really longing to vote for PDP again and again.

Which areas of the economy will you give priority attention if elected?

I believe in continuity because I had observed that our major problem as a nation in terms of provision of infrastructural facilities and basic amenities to the people is lack of maintenance culture. So I will continue from where the present administration is going to stop and ensure that the infrastructures that they had put in place are properly maintained before I think of embarking on new projects. One problem we have is absence of maintenance culture and lack of continuity on the part of our leaders.

If we do not maintain what we have, we will lose it to dilapidation and you know that it is more costly to build new infrastructures than to maintain existing ones. Therefore I will lay more emphasis on maintenance of public infrastructure. However education will be given priority attention it deserves because it is the bedrock of every development. Without education, there will be no development and peace. This is because if

Hon. Bitrus Kura Tanko is the immediate-past Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the chairmanship candidate of the party in the forth coming area council election in the territory.

In this interview with Peoples Daily Weekend, Kura alleged that the fight against corruption by the present administration is a direct witch-hunt against the opposition in the country. He noted that the promised change of the ruling party is not change for progress but change for poverty and retardation. He also spoke extensively on the coming election.

share and I feel that there is no reason for a state government to hijack local government allocation in the guise of joint account.

I will not seat and watch a situation where local council funds are diverted by the state government for other uses. Because these chairmen are accountable to the people who elected them into office and if these funds are diverted, they will not be able to fulfill their campaign promises to the people. I will challenge it to any level even though such ugly practice is not obtainable in FCT. What is your view on the ongoing fight against corruption by the federal government?

In fact, I believe that the fight against corruption is selective. Selective in the sense that we are all Nigerians, our behavior and thinking pattern is almost the same. Either in All Progressive Congress (APC) or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a Nigerian is a Nigerian. We think and behave almost the same way. You cannot tell me that it is only the PDP members that are corrupt. The president is surrounded by corrupt people and he is pretending not to be seeing what they are doing or what they seem to have done in the past. Take the issue of Dasuki for example; everybody in Nigeria knows that the President is on a vendetta mission, I want to tell you that this fight against graft

by APC administration is bound to fail. If truly the president is serious and sincere about this fight, let the fight be holistic.

This is because our people say that charity begins at home; therefore let him begin with his party, APC. Come to think of it, how did he get his campaign funds? Even when he openly told Nigerians that he borrowed money to buy his expression of interest form, but he ran a multi-billion naira campaign at the end of the day. Where did he get the money from? Let him come out and tell Nigerians how he raised his money?

Who are those that sponsored him? Who are those that financed his campaign and what was the source of their funds? You can fool some people sometime but you cannot fool all the people all the time.

“ Hon. Bitrus Kura Tanko

people are ignorant, problems and restiveness are bound to thrive; therefore, education will be given good attention. Health care delivery will also not be left out. We also need to go back to agriculture to ensure food security. I will also introduce programmes that will make our youths to be self employed by partnering with local and foreign NGOs to train our youths in contemporary skills that will make them self reliant. Government cannot employ every graduates but every graduate can be self employed if they have the zeal and are well trained. These are some of the few areas out of so many I intend to give priority attention if elected.

Your call to the electorate as the election draws nearer?

The call I have for the electorate is to remain resolute, to remain committed to the ideals of democracy, to vote according to their conscience and to come out in their numbers to vote for candidates of their choice.

What is your view on the local government joint account system with states in Nigeria?

There is no doubt that the constitution has recognized that there shall be a third tier of government which are the local government areas. And in terms of revenue allocation, local governments also have their own

The call I have for the electorate is to remain resolute, to remain committed to the ideals of democracy, to vote according to their conscience and to come out in their numbers to vote for candidates of their choice.

Page 16

News Extra

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Court sentences 2 to 7 strokes of cane for street fight

A Gudu Upper Area Court in Abuja on Friday, sentenced two youths to seven strokes of the cane each, for engaging in a street fight.

The Judge, Umar Kagarko, gave the sentence after the

convicts begged for leniency.

Emeka Dim and Igbudu Joseph, both of Area 1, Garki, Abuja, had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge.

The convicts, who were friends, said they had forgiven

each other and pleaded with the court to forgive them.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Mr Augustine Urom, told the court that both men were arrested by Gulf II Patrol Team and brought to the police station on Feb. 18.

Urom said that the patrol team, attached to Garki Police Station, were on patrol within the Garki axis when the incident took place. ``The team saw them engaging in a fight on the street

and arrested them.’’

According to him, during police investigations, they admitted to the crime.

He said that the act was contrary to sections 113 of the Penal Code. (NAN)

Deputy Comptroller of Prisons debunks Badagry jail break rumour

M

L-R: Dean of students affairs, University of Lagos Prof. Tunde Babawale; human right lawyer, Mr Femi Falana; Chairman, office of international relation, partnership and prospects, UNILAG , Prof.

Akin Oyebode, and minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Muhamed, at the annual Gani Fawehinmi students chamber symposium, yesterday in Lagos,

r Oye Famoyegun, the Deputy Comptroller of Badagry Meduim Prisons, on Friday confirmed that a vehicle conveying some prisoners to court in Lagos was involved in an accident.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there were reports of some prisoners escaping from a bus conveying them from Badagry to a court in Lagos.

Famoyegun told NAN that the incident happened around Mile 2 in Amuwo Odofin Local Government area of Lagos State He, however, said that it was not an escape attempt as reported in some quarters, but an accident.

The deputy controller said that the driver conveying the prisoners to court rammed into a students’ union vehicle where about seven casualties were recorded. ``The driver conveying the prisoners was at fault because he rammed into a students’ union

Ports decongestion: Kaduna Dry Port takes off soon-Amaechi From Muhammed Ibrahim, Kaduna

T

he Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has given assurance that the Kaduna Inland Container Deport project will take off soon as part of government’s resolve to decongest the ports.

The Minister gave the assurance at the one day seminar towards the successful take off of the Kaduna inland dry port.

The seminar was entitled, “The Emergence of Inland Dry Port in Promoting International Trade and Enhancing Hinterland Shipping”.

The seminar which was organized by the Nigerian Shippers Council in collaboration with Inland Container Deport Nigeria Limited brought together relevant stakeholders who brainstorm to see to the actualization of the Kaduna inland dry port.

In his address at the opening ceremony of the seminar, Minister of transportation, Amaechi lauded the NSC for promoting Dry Port and Truck Transit Park ( TTP) in Kaduna State and across the country.

Amaechi said the project will

provide stimulus to the economy of the State and the country at large.

The Minister maintained that the Dry Port and TTP projects were conceived as part of solution to the problem of hinterland shippers’ inadequate access to seaports and frequent congestion.

He added that frequent congestion at seaports had led to loss, carnage, and accidents of cargo in transit on land mode.

“It is pertinent to note that for this and similar projects to succeed, there must be an administrative as well as operational collaboration with the stakeholders.

“I am happy to observe that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council is already collaborating with Nigerian Railway Corporation, Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Customs Service to ensure that it succeeds” Amaechi added.

Earlier in his speech, the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of NSC, Hassan Bello commended the Kaduna State Government for its active role in the successful upgrading and gazetting of the bonded terminal to Inland Dry Port with full status of Port of Origin and

final destination.

“This laudable achievement came within one year of the current administration and we have confidence that all efforts would be made to support the Federal Government in actualising the benefits of the project to the business community in the State and it’s environ. ”We complement the effort of the State Government for providing the infrastructure in the Port, the dual carriage road, electricity, water and also providing a safe and secured environment for the business to operate.

“May I stress that the Inland Container Depot ( ICD) and TTP projects were both conceived to facilitate efficient Cargo delivery to our hinterland importers and exporters, provide access to port services, provide employment opportunities and increase revenue generation to the State”.

Bello stated.

“It may interest the participants to note that the Federal Government’s Inland Dry Port Project was conceived as part of Governments reform programme in the Transport sector designed to decongest the seaports and bring shipping and. Port services closer to importers and exporters in the

hinterland.”

He reiterated that the concept will boost export activities through production of cash crops thereby revitalizing the Agricultural sector and consequently reduce the overdependence on oil.

“It will encourage the establishment of Agro-Allied Industries for the export of semiprocessed and manufactured Agricultural products, contribute in the reduction of transportation and transaction cost.

“Attract various international and regional developmental services and improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the State Government.”

Declaring the seminar open, Kaduna State Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai, expressed gratitude to the NSC for the role it played in recommending to the federal government the need to establish Inland Dry Port in Kaduna and the promotion of TTP. Governor El-Rufai who was represented by his Deputy, Barnabas Bantex said, “Kaduna State is open for business and intends to do our best to support the ICD by providing the enabling environment for the project to succeed.”

vehicle so there was an accident. ``There was nothing like prison break or attempt by prisoners to escape,’’ he said.

Famoyegun, however, said that the situation had been brought under control and that the casualties were responding to treatment in hospital.

RRS nabs 15 suspected cult members

T

he Rapid Response Squad (RRS) in Lagos has arrested 15 suspected cult members terrorising Agege area of the state, the Police said on Friday.

A statement by the Lagos Police spokesperson, SP Oladapo Badmos, said that the suspected cultists were believed to be members of a notorious group called `Awawa Confraternity’. ``The police team invaded their hideouts with seven response vehicles; they picked up members of the dreaded group at different locations of their jurisdictions around Agege axis. ``The policemen responded to tip-off arising from incessant complaints of the residents alleging that some groups of young boys were making life difficult and disrupting the peaceful atmosphere in the area,’’ the statement said.

It said that members of the “Awawa Confraternity” had been linked to some nefarious activities including rape, robbery and looting of properties in the area. ``Residents should be courageous enough to report any suspicious movement and criminality in their neighbourhood to the police,” the statement said.

It said that the suspects had been handed over to the Environmental Task Force, Alausa for prosecution.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Page 17

News Analysis

Controversy as Onyeka Onwenu defies presidential directive to hand-over, threatens to sue Buhari

L-R: Minister of transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi; Managing Director, China Civil Engineering construction company, li jian hui, and Director of rail transportation, Federal ministry of transportation, Mohammed Babakobi, during inspection of Idu railway station on Thursday in Abuja

By Isioma Nwabasha

M

inister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Senator Jummai Alhassan on Tuesday, averted an impending riot by staff of the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), when sacked Director General, Lady Onyeka Onwenu refused to hand over to the next most senior executive in the establishment as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, more than 24 hours after the announcement.

Sensing palpable trouble from feelers at the centre, Senator Alhassan called chairman of the staff union, Malam Musa Murtala Mohammed on telephone and spoke through the speakers, pleading for calm and understanding on the part of the aggrieved staff while her ministry sorted out the issues.

A source at the centre said Onwenu who was relieved of her appointment as Director General on Monday, after serving for a period of two years and five months, threatened to sue President Muhammadu Buhari for sacking her before the expiration of her tenure, arrived office on Tuesday and convened a management meeting, claiming her appointment was still valid until officially served with a letter to the contrary.

“This morning, a letter arrived from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and served on the former Director-General”, Union chairman, Murtala Mohammed said.

Trouble started when Ms. Onwenu, in defiance of presidential directive to hand over to the most senior executive in rank, allegedly avoided the Director of Estate and Maintenance, Mal. Abdulmalik Dauda, who is the most senior ranking officer and opted instead, to hand over to Director, Planning and Research, Mal. Sadiq Umar.

But the minister, Senator Alhassan in a letter on Tuesday afternoon, directed the out-going Director-General, Onwenu, to avoid controversy and hand over to the most senior officer, Abdulmalik Dauda.

In defiance of this directive, Ms Onwenu who remained in her office till 7:40 pm, was said to have left the

hand-over notes on her table without a proper ceremony and stormed out of her office into a waiting official vehicle and zoomed off amid boos and insults from the staff.

The Issues Speaking to our reporter, Mal. Abdulmalik Dauda said, “She maltreated me for more than a year and I didn’t take action so I believe she was not comfortable to face me and hand over. She was more comfortable handing over to somebody else, but there was an instruction. She has refused to hand over appropriately in the sense that she was supposed to directly handover to me but she did not. The correct thing would have been to sit down, sign together.

“Onwenu’s tenure had brought serious hardship to the staff, and contractors. Tempers were high because of the high-handedness with which she ran the centre, just like in Jonathan’s administration, with a lot of impunity.

Therefore, she is not feeling secured and she believed that she still had one year and half and she even threatened to take President Buhari to court,” Dauda said.

In spite of the proper hand-over, Mal. Dauda said, “I intend to do what the government said. I will go to the ministry tomorrow, rise and continue the work because the government said. I intend to begin running the centre until such a time when they will appoint a substantive chief executive because this is the directive by government”.

Leader of the staff union, Musa Murtala Mohammed said, “the former DG really treated us badly, especially the staff, because since she came to the centre, there was no training for staff. Anything money, she will just keep it in her office and if there is money for training, she will just take it and travel out. Even the contracts she’s been giving out, but at the end of the day, she had problem with the contractor who now took her to ICPC. The case is still at the ICPC involving N17million. That is the reason we are here and we refused to go, because by the announcement of President Muhammadu Buhari, he said they should hand over to the most senior person in each organization, but this woman refused to hand over.

“That is the reason we are here to make sure that she

must hand over. She can’t just be matching people anyhow. We have been waiting to hear the announcement removing her, because she knows nothing pertaining civil service work. We are begging Mr. President, anytime he is sending somebody to an organisation like this, please, he should bring someone that knows the work”, he said.

Her Response In her reaction, Ms. Onwenu in a text message to this reporter, alleged plans by the Hausa/Fulani workers at the Women Centre to harm her. In a forwarded text message she had sent to the Special Assistant (SA) to the Women Affairs minister by 5:45 pm, Onwenu said, “I am waiting to hand over things to the most senior officer but I think that you should be aware that some people have seized the keys to my official car, even with my personal effects and are planning to harm me. I have informed the police who are on their way. I do not want to make this a national issue but the minister should be aware. This is the situation we are dealing with”.

According to Onwenu, in another text message to the minister’s SA by 6:38 pm, she said all management staff were in her office for the hand-over, however, the alleged planner of the riot, the former acting DG, who she alleged had tried to destabilise the centre since she assumed office was there with the ‘thugs’ briefing them, she reported thus: “We have a riot on our hands, even with four policemen. They are uncontrollable.”

In yet another text message, the former DG who accused Mal. Abdulmalik of lacking qualification to run the centre, said, “Every derogatory word were used on me for daring to bring discipline and accountability to the centre. This atmosphere was provided by some people who convinced the ‘thugs’ that an Ibo woman is not welcome as DG of the Women Center”.

In an elaborate electronic mail, Ms. Onwenu denied threatening to sue President Muhammadu Buhari, saying, “At no time during this melee did I threaten to sue Mr. President for asking me to disengage. Why would I?”, she queried.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Page 18

Politics

Pregnant woman dies aboard Arik Air A 39-year-old pregnant woman was yesterday confirmed dead on board an Arik Air flight from Port Harcourt to Lagos.

The deceased, identified as Ijeoma Nwokedi, was confirmed dead on arrival by the medical personnel at the Murtala

Muhammed Airport Domestic Terminal One, Lagos.

A reliable source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), that Mrs. Nwokedi was travelling with her husband and a cousin.

The source said the deceased had developed complications mid-

air and was attended to by some medical personnel on board the flight.

Arik Air, in a statement by its spokesperson, Ola Adebanji, confirmed the incident.

“A female passenger on board Arik Air’s Port Harcourt-Lagos

flight was confirmed dead by medical personnel on arrival this morning at the Murtala Muhammed Airport Domestic Terminal One, Lagos.

“The lady boarded the flight from Port Harcourt in company of her husband and cousin. The cause

of death is yet to be ascertained,” the statement said.

NAN recalls that another unidentified female passenger died on Thursday in one of the toilets of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport. (NAN)

Nigerian armed forces committed to child protection – CDS

By Osby Isibor

T

he Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin has said that the Nigerian Armed Forces are committed to protection and welfare of children.

A press statement signed

by Acting Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, said the CDS made this declaration when a group of representatives from the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) paid him a courtesy call at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

General Olonisakin, who was represented by the Chief of Administration at the Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral Babalola Egbedina, pointed out that the Nigerian military always pay special attention to children and their well being, even at critical theatres of operations.

He stated that the Nigerian Armed Forces always handle

children in accordance to the United Nation protocol and with careful observance of the law of armed conflict to safeguard the children and the vulnerable.

The CDS assured the United Nation, especially the UNICEF that the Nigerian military would continue to work together with the world body and always ready to coordinate and collaborate with the UNICEF for the overall benefits of the Nigerian children, many of who were orphaned as a result of Boko Haram activities in the North East.

Earlier in her remark, the

leader of the team and country representative of UNICEF, Ms Jean Gough, appreciated the difficult circumstance the troops are operating in the North East.

She noted that fighting insurgency has always been a difficult task worldwide and commended the Nigerian Armed Forces for tackling the challenges of insurgency and children matter professionally and for giving the UNICEF officials opportunity to interface with them in the course of their duties.

Ms Jean Gough solicited for

more robust and harmonious working relationship with the military towards protecting and integrating the estranged children and the captured child terrorists back to normal and purposeful lives. She thanked the CDS for all the cooperation the UNICEF had enjoyed from the military and pledged to continue working with the Armed Forces towards achieving the aim and objectives of Operation Safe Corridor set up by the Armed Forces.

Among other senior officers that received the UNICEF

Representatives to Defence Headquarters were the Director of Civil Military Relations at Defence Headquarters, Major General Richard Duru, Director of Administration, Major General Fatai Alli, the Director of Information Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar and the Director of Legal Services Air Commodore ME Ahmed. Other officials of the UNICEF at the occasion included the UNICEF Country Chief of Child Protection Ms Rachel Harvey and the Country Child Protection Specialist, Mr Samuel Manyok.

30 candidates jostle for 6 chairmanship seats in FCT

T

he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said 30 candidates are vying for the six chairmanship seats in the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils elections scheduled for March 19.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the Commission, Augusta Ogakwu in Abuja yesterday.

According to the statement, 13 political parties would field candidates to contest the chairmanship seats in Abaji, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Bwari, Gwagwalada, Kuje, and Kwali Area councils.

The political parties, according to the statement, include All Progressives Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, and Alliance Accord.

Others are All Progressives Grand Alliance, Citizens Popular Party, United Progressives Party and the Social Democratic Party, among others.

It added that the voter register for the polls was published and officially released to the political parties and contestants last week.

(NAN)

L-R: Executive Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje President,Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasi; former Governor of Kano State, Dr. Ibrahim Shekarau; and Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, during the investiture of ¬Ahmed Yakasi as the new President of PSN in Abuja

FG to clear N20bn pension arrears – PenCom DG

T

he Director General, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu yesterday said the Federal Government would soon clear about N20 billion pension arrears it owed public servant retirees.

Anohu-Amazu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the commission was working assiduously with government to pay the arrears owed civil servants in 2015.

She expressed regrets that some of retirees had not been able to access their pension even at presentation of bonds issued to them by government.

“This is so because there aren’t enough resources from the Federal Government to meet the obligation,” she said.

She said the commission had started advocating for the need by the Federal Government to prioritise pension payment, to ensure that retirees got their entitlements “Though we are aware of competitive demand on Federal Government’s dwindling resources but pension payments must be given priority.

“But with the outcome of the meeting with Federal Government last week, our hope is raised.

“We don’t mind if Federal Government go borrowing; the

pension arrears must be paid because the pensioners are vulnerable than those presently in employment. The government must pay these accrued rights once and for all,’’ she said.

She explained that the commission had requested N91 billion for civil servants that would retire in 2016, ‘’but to our surprise, we only see N50 billion in budget, this means there will be N41 billion deficit.

“This does happen only in public sector, it doesn’t happen in private sector. This is the reason we are advocating that Federal Government must prioritise pension payment.”

Anohu-Amazu said that the

commission was extending the same gesture to all the 36 states in the country.

Reacting to the recent proposal by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to use part of the pension fund to build the required infrastructure for rapid development in the country, AnohuAmazu said PenCom had guidelines on investment decisions.

She said PenCom would not operate outside the guidelines. The director-general urged Nigerians to believe in the resilience of the commission to them.

NAN reports that the total pension fund now stands at N5.3 trillion. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 19

Tourism

Tinapa Business Resort: A marriage of business and leisure

S

ituated by the Calabar River, Tinapa is a business and leisure resort conceptualized to be an integrated business resort. It is a four phased development promoted by the Government of Cross River State, under a Private Public Partnership (PPP), and very close to Calabar Free Trade Zone.

It is the realisation of an exciting dream – the first integrated business and leisure in resort in Nigeria. Tinapa Free Zone has world class facilities that enable visitors to engage in retail and wholesale activities as well as leisure and entertainment.

Tinapa has lettable space for retail and wholesale, several line shops, warehouses etc. It also has an open exhibition area for trade exhibitions and other events, a movie production studio commonly referred to as “Studio Tinapa” or “Nollywood”, an entertainment strip that comprises of a casino, an Eight-Screen Cinema, a children’s arcade, restaurants and a mini amphitheater, a night club and pubs.

Features and facilities The Tinapa Free Zone and Resort which is also Africa’s Premier Business Resort, is composed of world Class facilities that allow for retail and wholesale activities as well as leisure and entertainment.

Some of these facilities are as follows: • A total of about 80,000m2 of lettable space for retail and wholesale made up of Four Emporiums of 10,000m2 each, several Line Shops, Warehouses, and so on.

• An Open Exhibition Area for Trade Exhibitions and other events.

• A movie Production Studio commonly referred to as “Studio Tinapa” or “Nollywood”. It is set to become the most modern film production studio in Nigeria.

• An entertainment strip that comprise a Casino, an Eight-Screen digital Cinema, a children’s acade, international standard restaurants and a mini amphitheater, a night club and pubs.

• An artificial tidal lake that feeds from the Calabar River • A Two Hundred and Forty Three (243) Room international three start Hotel christened “Amber Tinapa” being operated by African Sun Limited.

• A Water Park/ Leisure Land • Parking Space for about Four Thousand Cars • A truck Terminal • An independent power plant Cometonigeria.com

Tinapa is a leisure resort conceptualized to be an integrated business resort

Tinapa Lakeside Hotel, entrance to the craft village area and on insert Tinapa Water Park

PAGE 20

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Homes

Make your bathrooms bold and brilliant

the same time, elegant. Applying bold colour, on interior walls, and across decoration and accessories within the space, will provide a strong sense of composition.

Power to the pastel Pastels are not often thought to be bold colours. However, combining sweet pink tones, with musk yellow, results in a sugar sweet pop of daring colour. To avoid pastels looking prudish, combine contrasting colours. The effect will be cheeky and modern. Use colour across different bathroom elements to enhance the contrast further. Creating contrast will also ensure a potentially pale interior, sustains depth and animation.

Sometimes less is more While it is completely in order to support and encourage liberal applications of attention seeking colours, sometimes, less is more. If you are drawn to an extraordinarily dynamic hue, such as a florescent,

A

nyone who remembers the seventies, or has lived in a house from the decade, will no doubt shudder when it is suggested that bright and bold colours should be used in the bathroom. Unfortunately, mustard yellow wallpaper and lime green linoleum floors scared many and significantly damaged the reputation of bold colours in bathroom dĂŠcor.

Today, it’s time to bury your fears, and, to put it bluntly, move on. Bold colours, when applied in the right way can transform the bathroom into a memorable feature. The first golden rule, select a colour you are going to like in ten years. This is a difficult prediction, and no one has a crystal ball, but if you have any hesitation towards a colour scheme now, in a couple of years, you will truly hate it. Robust colour is a different design game, compared to working with shades. Bold colours will be dominant, before we go any further, make sure you are prepared to love your chosen colour scheme for many years to come.

If the above warning has not scared you, and all this colour talk is making you experience a decorating buzz, here is some inspiration and advice.

Lush Lemon Avoid a flashback to peeling mustard wallpaper, work with lemon yellow. Lemon is very much on trend at the moment, and when teamed with a complimentary crisp white, it will create a refreshingly cheerful interior. Bathroom tiles are a manageable way to applying bold colours. Using the shower cavity as a colour zone is an effective way to create boundary. Make sure you install a framed glass shower screen instead of a curtain. This will ensure your colour application is always in view. A Pivotech shower screen is perfect for the job.

Navy never goes out of fashion If you are nervous about bold colour application, navy is a style safety zone.

Navy, like black, is always in fashion.

Navy is easy on the eye and easily complimented by other colours. When applied liberally, the result is audacious, but at

it will be most effective if you strategically select the area of application. Below, the dominant green bathtub is effective and fashionable, because it is not challenged by other colours, nor is green applied across multiple surfaces. If you want to be so bold as to design with fluorescent colours, be discerning and you will achieve a smart looking bathroom.

Balance If you want to go all out, applying colour across almost every bathroom surface, there must still be a balance within the interior. Use mirrors and glass to relieve colour application and avoid needing to increase your palette. Mirror frames and shower screens from Pivotech are an effective solution to achieving a subtle break in colour. www.pivotech.com.

d n e k e e W

a g a

e n i z

M

ent m n i a t r e t n E

Fashion

s Beauty Tip

d Kannywoo

Hollywood

Bollywood

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 21

I’m not pregnant for Jude…Cynthia Morgan speaks

PG 36

Ini Edo becomes brand ambassador for Slim Tea Nigeria

PG 37

Kanye West loses $10m due to pirated copies of his album >>Pg 36

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Page 22

Your Body, Image & U

Capturing youths in the right focus

Youths in industrial training

W

atching daily how Nigerian youths roam the streets searching for the wrong priorities of life is becoming worrisome to a lot of people who understand what ‘’living well’’ stands for.

It is not enough to blame the society for all the woes and ills happening. Who makes up the society you are blaming? Are you not part of this society thet you blame for your failings and disappointments? What have you done for the society to make it work for you?

As we all know, the youths are the most vibrant in every society and their population is always higher. Have you taken note of how Nigerian youths pursue the wrong things of life?

Chasing the wind rather than building their lives in the right directions?

Why is it that most youths prefer channeling their skills and talents into negativity? The great talents and skills hidden in our youths are so numerous that if they are ready to build a good life for themselves, this country will over take most super powers of the world.

Is the grass greener outside Nigeria? If yes, who made them so? Same human beings like our youths. Recently , we were told that Nigerians are the highest users of social media, especially Facebook in the entire Africa.

Is there a youth in Nigerian without mobile phone that can

“

Having money is good because we need it to live well. What is wrong about putting strutures and facilities on ground that can empower our youths. The worst part is that, whatever you do to make fast money hardly lasts. The things people do that add value to humanity are not driven by the greed for wealth and fast money.

surf the net. Even those who claim to be hungry and jobless carry the most sophiscated smart phones yet, they claim to be joblesss and have no money.

Facebook, that most Nigerian youths are crazy about was created by a couple of American youths out of trial and error.

Do not tell me that these youths never came across some bad ideas they can use to rip off the world, but they decided to focus on the positive side. They were not driven by the greed for money, wealth, material things like our youths here, but were interested in making a name and creating something that can benefit mankind. Not that they were millioniares then, they were not even university graduates when they came up with FACEBOOK. Their focus was for the good of mankind

and today, they are billonaires and still keeping a low profile.

We have more intelligent and creative youths than the ones that made FB and other social the media that our Nigeria youths are crazy about, spending their money on, month after month, patronizing them. We have youths who complain of being jobless yet they recaharge their phone with internet data weekly with nothing less than N10,000 just to browse, especially facebook/ twitter/whatsapp etc.

Do we not have youths who can do better than what youths in other countries have done?

How did we get to this crazy age of --- I must be a millionaire overnight...no matter which way...any how...any how?

Why can’t we get our youths focused on being positive

and creating things that can benefit them and mankind and not putting money first? Our youths materialistic focus has been and is still destroying a lot of things in this country. Is it not high time we find a way to youths from making fast and quick money?

Everyone has a role to play in this----individuals, corporate organizations, religious institutions, government, educational systems, family etc.

Having money is good because we need it to live well.

What is wrong about putting strutures and facilities on ground that can empower our youths. The worst part is that, whatever you do to make fast money hardly lasts. The things people do that add value to humanity are not driven by the greed for wealth and fast

With Jacqui Iwu bwreforms@gmail.com 08184825606 (sms only) money. Ironically, such good ventures still turn out to be money spinning machines/ avenues/sources for those who created them.

I doubt if the creators of most popular social media we have now had in mind that they were going to make thrillions from the entire world including African countries whom they see as still living in the dark ages? They just wanted to touch lives, turn lives around, change the world for good, be innovative, but at the end, money turned up for them in ways they never expected it.

Why can’t our youths and do likewise?

The brains they use to hack emails, defraud foriegners can be used to create positive ideas and inventions as well. These youths who are gifted in these areas know this but because they are driven with greed for fast money, they feel they will make easy money by turning to fraud, they turn their focus into negative tendencies instead of positive ideas, thereby missing creativity that can make Africa proud.

Have you not seen youths selling books and teaching people how to trace mobile calls.

Teaching people how to monitor this and that from other users of mobile phones? Teaching people how to know fake/original mobile phones before buying phones?

Why can’t these youths have patience, spend more time in such initiatives/creativity/ intelligence and create/invent things that can make our economy boom?

I ask Nigerian youths to give government a breathing space and look inwards on how to grow economically and make Africa proud. We have what it takes, but the problem is the greed for quick money and not lasting virtues/services for the good of mankind. Unless our youths change their foucs entirely, life in Nigeria will become more unbearable in the years to come.

Jacqui IWU is a Life/ Career/Business Coach A Stress Management Expert &Conference Speaker Media Relations Personnel BLOG: http:// bluntjacqui.blogspot.com F A C E B O O K : b e a u t i f u l w o m a n . column TWITTER: @ JacquiWORLD

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

A

woman of dignity, Mrs. Emmanuela Abimbola Fashola is a symbol of genuine humility. She has an uncommon capacity for hard work and a burning passion to motivate youths to actualize their potentials. Her unassuming carriage and disarming simplicity belie her status as the First Lady of Lagos State, one of Nigeria’s most populous and economically viable states. In her characteristically simple and unobtrusive style, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, has been working assiduously behind the scenes to complement the efforts of the Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), and add value to governance in Lagos State.

In pursuit of her commitment to “grooming tomorrow’s leaders to be confident, self-sufficient and socially responsive through education, vocational skills acquisition and recreation”, she has established a unique NonGovernmental Organization, the Lagos Empowerment And Resource Network (L.E.A.R.N).

As Chairman of the NGO, she has been diligently overseeing the systematic implementation of its strategic vision of establishing resource centers in the five administrative divisions of Lagos State as a basis for thereafter exporting the L.E.A.R.N. model to other jurisdictions.

Within its very short period of existence, L.E.A.R.N. has begun to impact positively on the lives of tomorrow’s leaders through various creative programs targeted at students. Between August and September, 2007, for instance, L.E.A.R.N. successfully organized a 6-week free Summer Skills and Training Camp on basic leadership principles and vocational skills for 485 students from both public and private schools.

L.E.A.R.N. is also currently organizing After School Revision Classes for 3,850 senior WAEC students spread across 19 educational zones in Lagos State.

This program will provide a scientific basis for ascertaining the impact of after school revision classes on student performance in WAEC examinations.

With the emergence of China as a global economic power, L.E.A.R.N, through the pro-active leadership of Mrs. Fashola, has initiated the L.E.A.R.N./SinoCulture Exchange Programme to prepare Nigeria’s future leaders for productive interaction with Chinese society and culture. Under this programme, 25 students from five public primary schools in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area are participating in Chinese language coaching and the best student will have the opportunity of watching the Olympics in Beijing.

Apart from her work among students and youths, Fashola’s wife is passionate about environmental cleanliness.

She has been at the forefront of the campaign for Lagosians, particularly women, to embrace environmental cleanliness and keep the surroundings of their homes and markets clean. She religiously participates actively in the monthly sanitation and weekly market sanitation days showing by personal example the pivotal

Page 23

Womanhood

Mrs. Abimbola Fashola: Equipping the youths through learning

Mrs. Abimbola Fashola role of women in maintaining a hygienic environment.

Mrs. Fashola’s accomplished and cultured style is no doubt a reflection of her roots as a daughter of the illustrious Ojo’Badan family of Ibadan. Her grandfather, who died in 1952, was the Ekerin Olubadan of Ibadan. He fought in the First World War and as the first African Sergeant Major in the

“

Army, he won several medals for bravery in battle. Her great Uncle, Mr. J. Ade Ojo was among the first students of Kings College, Lagos, when it was established in 1952; he was Science Tutor and Games Master at the school for 33 years.

Another Great Uncle of her’s Chief S. Ade Ojo, was the first Nigerian Clerk of the Legislative Council established in 1941, the

first Clerk of the Nigerian House of Representatives in Lagos, the first President of the Western House of Assembly and first Chairman of the Western Nigerian Public Service Commission. He died as the Maye Olubadan of Ibadanland.

Her Great Aunty, Chief Mrs. Adepeju Wuraola Esan, was the First Educated Iyalode of

Mrs. Fashola’s accomplished and cultured style is no doubt a reflection of her roots as a daughter of the illustrious Ojo’Badan family of Ibadan. Her grandfather, who died in 1952, was the Ekerin Olubadan of Ibadan. He fought in the First World War and as the first African Sergeant Major in the Army, he won several medals for bravery in battle.

Ibadan land and the first Female Senator in Nigeria. Another Uncle of Mrs. Fashola’s, Professor O. Adewole Ojo, was the First Nigerian Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Her own father, Chief Emmanuel Adewinsi Ojo, was a distinguished lawyer who served as the First African Director of Texaco PLC and died as the Ekarun Olubadan of Ibadan land.

It was into this eminent family of many “Firsts” that the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola was born on 6th April, 1965. She began her formal education at Kotun Memorial Nursery and Primary School in Surulere and obtained her secondary school education from Marywood Girls Grammar School, Ebutte-Metta and Yejide Girls High School, Ibadan. She received her professional training at the Lagoon Secretarial College, Adisa Bashua, Surulere, where she obtained a Diploma in Secretarial studies and followed this up with an Advanced Computer Certificate from the Computer Department of the University of Lagos.

Mrs. Fashola had a brief stint as a trainee Journalist with the Daily Sketch before joining the British Council in 1987.

Whilst in the employment of the British Council, she served in various capacities from Front-of-House Operations, Technical Cooperation and Training, Projects and Overseas Development Support, Arts & Gender Relations and Examinations Officer/IELTS Administrator responsible for managing various examinations on behalf of several UK institutions and boards for over 10,000 candidates yearly before resigning her appointment in 2006.

She has attended various training programmes and courses both locally and overseas on Customer Relations, IT Skills, Managing people and Effectiveness in the work place.

As the First Lady of Lagos State, Mrs. Fashola is the Chairman of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), a community based gender organization established by the wife of the first military governor of Lagos State to complement the efforts of the state government in improving the socio-economic conditions of the people.

Mrs. Fashola is married to Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), the Governor of Lagos State, and the marriage is blessed with children. tundefashola.com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 24

Kiddies World

ABCDE

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

HIS AND HERS CORNER

Gamji Gate [Kofar Gamji]

The crocodile pit

G

amji Gates is one of the places worth visiting in Kaduna; the crocodile city in the northern part of Nigeria. The place is serene with local attractions and an amusement park; an ideal place for families with kids and lovers. Gamji also features a mini zoo with few animals. Kaduna means(Kada meaning, Crocodile, hence Kaduna City of Crocodiles) used to be the colonial and immediate post-independence capital of Northern Nigeria. It is situated on the Kaduna River and has a cool temperate weather. It has an airport, railway station and is an important junction with roads branching in five different directions. It is also a major commercial and industrial base in the north. It is now the capital of Kaduna State.

Although Kaduna is a nice place, it does not have many tourist attractions.

There are a few things to do however. For instance, the “General Usman Katsina Gate”, known locally as Kofar Gamji, or Gamji Gate. Gamji Gate was once a great park by the River Kaduna that cuts through its serene and simple landscape and crocodiles of course.

The park, has bars and restaurants, a swimming pool, and a zoo, with camel

“

rides. The Park is sometimes used for open air pop concerts.

Attractions at Gamji Gate The crocodile pit Gamji Gates houses a crocodile pit with five crocodiles. On viewing them for the first time, you would think they are statues until you see their eyes blink or jaws snap shut really viciously. They often keep their mouths open to catch flying prey and snap it shut suddenly, to the amusement of everyone. They often look like they have a grin sitting in the sun with their mouth open.

Building up together

Cartoon Angle

Lovers’ corner There are beautiful painted trees with relaxation points where lovers can relax with a cup of ice cream sold in various canteens within the park. There is also the ostrich cage with two ostriches; male and female.

Amusement park Gamji Gates feature an amusement park with roller coaster rides; horse drawn carts and a small part of River Kaduna that flows through the park. There is also an old bridge that was built by Lord Lugard.

It is housed in Gamji as a historical attraction, but is realistically just an old bridge.

Although Kaduna is quite a nice place it does not have many tourist attractions you should visit. There are a few things to do however. For instance, the “General Usman Katsina Gate”, known locally as Kofar Gamji, or Gamji Gate.

Tom and Jerry

Donald Duck and Daffy Duck

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 25

Kiddies World

ABCDE

AFRICAN TALES

Why the tortoise lives both on land and in water

T

he elephant and the hippopotamus always used to feed together, and were good friends.

One day when they were both dining, the tortoise appeared and said that although they were both big and strong, neither of them could pull him out of the water with a strong piece of tie-tie, and he offered the elephant ten thousand rods if he could draw him out of the river the next day. The elephant, seeing that the tortoise was very small, said, “If I cannot draw you out of the water, I will give you twenty thousand rods.” So on the following morning the tortoise got some very strong tie-tie and made it fast to his leg, and went down to the river. When he got there, as he knew the place well, he made the tie-tie fast round a big rock, and left the other end on the shore for the elephant to pull by, then went down to the bottom of the river and hid himself. The elephant then came down and started pulling, and after a time he smashed the rope.

Directly this happened, the

tortoise undid the rope from the rock and came to the land, showing all people that the rope was still fast to his leg, but that the elephant had failed to pull him out. The elephant was thus forced to admit that the tortoise was the winner, and paid to him the twenty thousand rods, as agreed. The tortoise then took the rods home to his wife, and they lived very happily.

After three months, the tortoise, seeing that the money was greatly reduced, thought he would make some more by the same trick, so he went to the hippopotamus and made the same bet with him. The hippopotamus said, “I will make the bet, but I shall take the water and you shall take the land; I will then pull you into the water.”

The tortoise agreed, so they went down to the river as before, and having got some strong tietie, the tortoise made it fast to the hippopotamus’ hind leg, and told him to go into the water. Directly the hippo had turned his back and disappeared, the tortoise took the rope twice round a strong palm-tree

which was growing near, and then hid at the foot of the tree.

Tired of pulling, the Hippo came up puffing and blowing water into the air from his nostrils.

The tortoise saw him coming up, unwound the rope, and walked down towards the hippopotamus, showing him the tie-tie round his leg. The hippo had to acknowledge that the tortoise was too strong for him, and reluctantly handed over the twenty thousand rods.

The elephant and the hippo then agreed that they would take the tortoise as their friend, as he was so very strong; but he was not really so strong as they thought, and had won because he was so cunning.

He then told them that he would like to live with both of them, but that, as he could not be in two places at the same time, he said that he would leave his son to live with the elephant on the land, and that he himself would live with the hippopotamus in the water.

This explains why there are both tortoises on the land and tortoises who live in the water.

MODEL OF THE WEEK

Gimbiya Rumaisau Yelwa

ACTIVITIES

With the help of the right materials, have fun time this weekend coloring the image below. Show your work to your parents or teacher for correction. Cheers!

CREATIVITY

Make a paper case for your iPad 4

M

any people like the way that iPad looks without a protective case. However, we know it’s obviously inadvisable to carry an iPad without a case, as we will never forgive ourselves

once we crack it if the device has no protective case.

If you’re interested in the cases for your tablet, making a case by yourself is a great way to personalize your device without losing

its original design. It’s even better than the expensive cases from an online shop.

This tutorial teaches you how to use the basic tools and some materials to make a cheaper case. The idea of this tutorial is very simple and it won’t take you much time. Make this iPad case and enjoy your original iPad! Enjoy!

Tools and materials: • A book • Paper Knife • Adhesive and glue • Pencil Step One: Draw the “frame” of the iPad Select a book which has a bigger size than the iPad. Turn the cover page of the book, and then draw the “frame” of the iPad with the pencil on the first page.

Step Two: Hollow out the papers Hollow out the papers that are lying in the frame.

You should clip the interior angle carefully in this step, especially make a great radian.

Step Three: Stick all the interior pages together As the following picture shows, stick all the interior pages together with adhesive while the frame is fit perfectly for the iPad. Attention: In this step, in order to prevent the interior pages from tilting, you should make the cover stand on the table, and position the cover and the pages at a 90-degree angle.

Step Four: Turn the book to the back cover, use the glue to stick the back cover and the

interior pages together, and then place something heavy above the front cover. The cheaper iPad case is finally done until the glue is dry.

If you worry that the side part of the iPad may be scratched by the pages, you can use the thin flannelette to cover the interior part of the pages.

Attention: When working with glue, make sure everything is dry and clean before touching the iPad. When making this case, be very careful towards scratching your iPad’s display.

You need to measure, try, proof, etc. again and again with your iPad, as the case needs to be very precise in order to function well.

PAGE 26

e-Learning

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

What does YOUR voice say about you? People can accurately match a person’s face, height and weight to how they sound

M

any people will claim to have an eye for recognising people’s faces, but it may even be possible to have an ‘ear for faces’, too.

A study has found the majority of us can accurately match how someone looks with how they sound, even with people we haven’t met.

And we make similar judgements about a person’s characteristics regardless of whether we’re talking to them on the phone, or meeting them face-to-face.

For example, judgements of a stranger’s age, height, health and even masculinity were similar whether the person was being judged on their voice or their face.

‘Previous studies have tended to look at judgements of faces and voices separately, but we specifically wanted to investigate whether judgements made from faces and voices were similar,’ said Harriet Smith, a researcher at Nottingham Trent University.

‘We are always making judgements about people based on how they look and how they sound.

‘People talk to someone over the phone and build up an image of what they look like, for instance. We wanted to investigate how accurate this image is likely to be.

Researchers showed 47 people 18 photos of strangers’ faces and 18 voice samples, and asked them to make judgements on their characteristics.

The participants weren’t told that they voices and faces belonged to the same set of people.

Each of the faces and voices were rated on a scale from zero to seven on a number of qualities.

Participants had to rate each stranger’s age, for example, how healthy they were, as well as how tall or overweight they were, and how masculine or feminine they looked or sounded.

When the scores were matched - with 1 being a complete match and 0 being no relationship - the researchers found that strangers judged to have a more feminine face were also judged to have a more feminine voice, likewise for males, scoring 0.94.

The same strong relationship was found for height and health, scoring 0.84 and 0.77 respectively.

On the scales, judgements of face and voice were an average of just one point apart for each characteristic.

And when guessing a person’s age, the ages based on faces and voices were an average of just four years apart.

A second test showed that people were even able to match a stranger’s voice with

their face 60 per cent of the time.

‘We found that we make very similar judgements about people regardless of whether we see their face or hear their voice, and that it’s even possible to match the faces and voices of unfamiliar people,’ explained Smith.

The team at Nottingham Trent believes our ability to link voice and face characteristics so closely could have implications for police.

If someone witnessed a crime, but didn’t see the person’s face, it’s possible they could provide identifiable information just based on how someone sounded.

The researchers are also investigating if there might be any forensic use for police that could be provided by ‘earwitnesses’ statements.

As to why we have this ability, the team believes we need to look deep into our past.

‘It’s possible that there could be an evolutionary explanation behind this,’ explained Smith.

Writing in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, the researchers explained that when we interact we will often hear someone’s voice while not looking at them, such as speaking to someone on the phone, or even in a different room.

They suggest our ability to quickly accept or reject a

Researchers found that judgements of a stranger’s characteristics were similar, whether they were based on their face or just hearing their voice

matching face with a voice helps us shift our attention to the right person at the right time.

Smith added: ‘The rating results suggest that faces and voices are ‘back-up signals’ for characteristics of fitness

“ Participants were asked to rate each stranger’s age, how healthy they were, how tall or overweight they were, and how masculine or feminine they seemed. The study found strangers judged to have a more masculine face (stock image left) were also judged to have a more masculine voice, likewise for females (stock image right)

and quality, which might influence mate choice.

‘Both signal the same information, making it easier for other people to make quick judgements.’

MAILONLINE

Writing in the journal Evolutionary Psychology, the researchers explained that when we interact we will often hear someone’s voice while not looking at them, such as speaking to someone on the phone, or even in a different room.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 27

Leisure

Compiled By Doyin Ojosipe

The fate of Essido and his evil companions (III)

H

is brother, Eyo I., had supper by himself and consumed all the soup.

In a week’s time he began to feel very ill, and as the days passed he became worse, so he sent for his Ju Ju man.

When Essido saw him coming, he quietly left the house; but the Ju Ju man, by casting lots, very soon discovered that it was Essido who had given poison to his brother. When he told Eyo I. this, he would not believe it, and sent him away. However, when Essido returned, his elder brother told him what the Ju Ju man had said, but that he did not believe him for one moment, and had sent him away. Essido was much relieved when he heard this, but as he was anxious that no suspicion of the crime should be attached to him, he went to the Household Ju Ju,[1] and having first sworn that he had never administered poison to his brother, he drank out of the pot.

Three months after he had taken the poison Eyo I. died, much to the grief of everyone who knew him, as he was much respected, not only on account of his great wealth, but because he was also an upright and honest man, who never did harm to anyone.

Essido kept his brother’s

funeral according to the usual custom, and there was much playing and dancing, which was kept up for a long time. Then Essido paid off his old creditors in order to get popular, and kept open house, entertaining most lavishly, and spending his money in many foolish ways. All the bad women about collected at his house, and his old evil companions went on as they had done before.

Things got so bad that none of the respectable people would have anything to do with him, and at last the chiefs of the country, seeing the way Essido was squandering his late brother’s estate, assembled together, and eventually came to the conclusion that he was a witch man, and had poisoned his brother in order to acquire his position. The chiefs, who were all friends of the late Eyo, and who were very sorry at the death, as they knew that if he had lived he would have become a great and powerful chief, made up their minds to give Essido the Ekpawor Ju Ju, which is a very strong medicine, and gets into men’s heads, so that when they have drunk it they are compelled to speak the truth, and if they have done wrong they die very shortly.

Essido was then told to dress

himself and attend the meeting at the palaver house, and when he arrived the chiefs charged him with having killed his brother by witchcraft. Essido denied having done so, but the chiefs told him that if he were innocent he must prove it by drinking the bowl of Ekpawor medicine which was placed before him. As he could not refuse to drink, he drank the bowl off in great fear and trembling, and very soon the Ju Ju having got hold of him, he confessed that he had poisoned his brother, but that his friends had advised him to do so. About two hours after drinking the Ekpawor, Essido died in great pain.

The friends were then brought to the meeting and tied up to

posts, and questioned as to the part they had taken in the death of Eyo. As they were too frightened to answer, the chiefs told them that they knew from Essido that they had induced him to poison his brother. They were then taken to the place where Eyo was buried, the grave having been dug open, and their heads were cut off and fell into the grave, and their bodies were thrown in after them as a sacrifice for the wrong they had done. The grave was then filled up again.

Ever since that time, whenever anyone is suspected of being a witch, he is tried by the Ekpawor Ju Ju The End

Poem

SMILLING FLOWER The flower smiled at the sun Though, some were kissed by the sun Despite scourge of the sun And the strained relationship The flower smiled at the sun.

Chrysanthernum of nature Smiling at the stern nature Not wearied of its journey so long Coming of hurdles in cradles It smiles at the sun.

Seceding to the zenith The flower cannot be scuttled Like cheetah you have come of the base Cicada in terrorism you now face Yet clad in honour.

The flower cannot seize…

Like right hand cannot spurn its action The base is past now zenith the strife To go in honour to honour For the fight we cannot tell Gazing at the elevated ground To attain but fame.

The flower smiled at the sun When sun lost its strength in pride And snow trampled its face When storm was made friend To give but joy all-long The flower smiled, it smiled at sun.

Get acquainted with Oil and Gas!

BY: JOHN OCHEJE

Laugh out loud (lol)!

AKPOS: Sweetheart, I’m GEJ EKAITTE: You’re kidding, our president is GEJ (Goodluck Ebele Jonathan) AKPOS: I mean, I’m GEJ; “Going on Emergency Journey”!

EKAITTE (Smiles):- Oh! You are not serious! What kind of journey are u going on?

AKPOS: OBJ EKAITTE: To meet Obasanjo?

AKPOS: No, it means On a Business Journey.

EKAITTE: Oh! AKPOS: Yes… IBB EKAITTE: Babangida?

AKPOS: I’ll be back EKAITTE: *smiles* AKPOS: Till then ACN. EKAITTE: - You want to join Politics?

AKPOS: I’ll always call your number.

EKAITTE: Hmmm…

AKPOS: While I’m away, PDP with love.

EKAITTE: What? Akpos: please don’t play with our love.

EKAITTE: you know I won’t BRF. AKPOS: What has Lagos state governor, got to do with all this!?

EKAITTE (smiles): I’ll be Righteous and Faithful!

AKPOS: I trust you EKAITTE: Fool!

AKPOS (Screamed): What!?

EKAITTE: For our overwhelming love!

Have a great attitude…

O

ABUNDANT

HYDROCARBON

PLANKTON

BITUMEN

KEROSENE

POLYETHENE

CRUDE

MICROSCOPIC

REFINERY

DRILL

NATURAL

RESOURCE

ENGINE

NONRENEWABLE

SEDIMENT

FOSSIL

NYLON

SUN

FRACTION

PETROL

FUEL

PETROLEUM

GAS

PHOTOSYNTHESIS

nce a Bird a s k e d a BEE, “after a continuous hard work, you prepare the honey” But a man steals the honey; Do you not feel sad?”

Then the Bee replied, “Never; because a man can only steal my honey, not the art of making honey”

Beauty

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Page 29

TIPS

Compiled by Isioma Nwabasha

How to exfoliate your skin

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 13 - sunday 14, february, 2016

Page 28

E

xfoliation removes dead skin cells, leaving your skin radiant and smooth. If you just want a soft and clean skin, exfoliating from head to toe will make you glow. Many women exfoliate their faces but forget about other body parts.

There are a lot of great benefits and it is very important to exfoliate your skin on a regular basis. But, when you exfoliate your skin you should make sure you don’t overdo it and don’t do it too often. Many women don’t know how to exfoliate and how often to do it, and this is the major reason why many of us end up having severe breakouts.

In fact, it is recommended to exfoliate your skin once or twice a week.

Beneath that rough, flaky outer layer of facial skin lies a lustrous canvas of beautiful and silky skin. But it won’t shine out on its own, you have to give it a little help by exfoliating regularly to regenerate your skin and encourage new cell growth. If your skin is especially stubborn, you can also visit a dermatologist to discuss more dramatic options such as a chemical peel or a microdermabrasion treatment.

Exfoliation items

Here are a few tips to follow to exfoliate your skin without any damage.

Items needed Exfoliating cleanser Loofah, body brush or exfoliating gloves Pumice stone Body lotion Tips: Buy the right exfoliating product: There are tons of exfoliating products available in the market these days and it is extremely difficult to choose the best one. You need to buy an exfoliating product specially made for your body and another for your face.

Before stepping into the shower, brush your dry skin with your loofah, body brush or exfoliating gloves. This will help remove the loose skin and prepare your skin for the exfoliating process. Begin with the soles of your feet, working your way up your body.

Before applying your exfoliating product, get your skin wet. This will allow all the ingredients to sud up for a while and will help make your face and body super soft. Wet your body from head to toe. Don’t exfoliate your skin if you are sunburned or

Woman exfoliating

have any open cuts or wounds.

Start applying your exfoliator in small circular motions to ensure that you do not miss any spot. This way, it will feel like a mini massage, which is incredibly beneficial for your face and body. Begin with your face and work your way down your body, taking care to get every nook and cranny, including the back of the knees and the insides of the elbows. On larger body parts, you can widen your circles and use smaller ones on areas such as the soles of your feet and your face.

Use a pumice stone on your feet to eliminate rough spots and calluses. If your feet are extremely rough, soak them in a basin of warm water mixed with a cup of milk for 30 minutes before getting into starting the exfoliating process.

Use a body brush to exfoliate your back and other hard-toreach places.

Be gentle on your face, particularly around your eyes and mouth. Use an exfoliating product, especially formulated for the face, which is gentler than products designed to be used on the body.

Don’t forget about your hands. You want them to look and feel soft and smooth too!

When you are done, rinse the exfoliator off. Don’t leave it on your skin for too long, or you will end up having dry, itchy skin and no lotion will help you cope with such problems. It is recommended to exfoliate your skin in the shower or bath. Quickly wash it off with lukewarm water and a blast of

cold water to close your pores.

Apply a shower gel to soften your skin, if you like.

After stepping out of the shower, apply a moisturizing body lotion all over. Body lotions and facial moisturizers containing alpha or beta hydroxy acids are ideal choices because these acids continue to remove dead skin cells.

Use a body moisturizer once a day. Exfoliation is drying to the skin, so you must keep your skin hydrated.

After your exfoliating treatment, apply a great dousing of lotion to your skin. Apply a facial cream to your neck, face and hands and use a body cream on your arms, torso and legs.

Make sure you apply your lotion

Exfoliating scrub

right after washing the exfoliator off. This way, you will seal in the moisture and keep your skin hydrated, soft, radiant and healthy.

Select exfoliating cleansers that contain sea salt, sugar, ground almonds, walnuts, seeds or other grainy components.

Do you exfoliate your skin regularly? Exfoliating once or twice a week is usually enough to achieve silky skin; however, women with oily skin should exfoliate more often than those with dry skin. If your skin becomes excessively dry or irritated after exfoliation, don’t scrub so hard. Cut back on how often you exfoliate and explore the possibility that you may be allergic to the products you used.

Fashion

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Page 29

Don’t miss the vintage feel of Ankara boyfriend jacket R anging from Michelle Obama to top Hollywood celebrities etc, Ankara prints are appreciated by everyone, both young and old. You can never go wrong in Ankara prints.

Ankara prints can be sewn as a shirt, blouse, swimming trunks, bow ties, laptop bags, bangles and so on.

Who would have thought that African prints, now known as Ankara, would make headlines in fashion international magazines and even get to be featured in international fashion events? Thanks to the buzzing designers out there.

Ankara prints can make outfits from office to weddings. All types of accessories can be done using Ankara prints as well.

This is what gave Ankara print a

breakthrough. Ankara boyfriend jacket has a vintage feel and at the same time modern-day look. One can wear this jacket to work, church and even weddings when paired with the right accessories. You can pair it trousers or a gown or better still a skirt.

This is a musthave for both men and women.

This jacket can be paired with jeans, straight pants, threequarter pants or even shorts.

For office wear, the Ankara boyfriend jacket can be worn over a little black/ white dress.

A maxi dress worn over with this jacket is also eye-catching.

Whichever way you decide to pair your Ankara boyfriend jacket, you will surely look your best.

PAGE 30

Pots & Pans

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

With Miriam Humbe Yields 10 servings

Millet Pancakes (‘yartsala)

Preparation time 4 hours Cooks for 10 minutes Low Fat, Fat-Free, Low in Saturated Fat, Low Cholesterol, Cholesterol-Free, Trans-fat Free, Low Carb, Sugar-Free, Sodium-Free, Low Sodium

Ingredients 2 cups millet flour buy at a health food store 1¼ cups water lukewarm 1xmargarine or oil 1xsugar to taste 1 pinch salt

Directions The batter for these pancakes needs to stand for about 4 hours before you start cooking.

It helps if you have a flat pancake griddle, but if you do not then use a heavy frying pan.

Sift flour into a bowl and gradually pour in the warm water, stirring and mixing well as you do so to make a smooth, runny paste.

Set aside for 4 hours.

After this, heat the margarine or oil in a shallow pan or griddle plate.

While it is warming. beat the batter with a spoon.

When the margarine or oil is hot, ladle or pour enough batter in the pan to make a saucer sized pancake and cook until crisp.

You can turn it once if you like but it is not essential.

Remove and keep warm.

Cook the others in the same way and serve to accompany a main dish, or a snack with honey or chutney.

Banana, honey, soymilk smoothie With soya milk, bananas, and honey, you can spoil yourself with this smoothie. Ideally, freezing your bananas in advance makes this really creamy. Preparation time is probably the minimum amount of time it would take to freeze bananas. You can leave the bananas to stay in the freezer overnight for best results.

Ingredients Servings: two • 1 1⁄2bananas, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch rounds, frozen (this is an important step!)

• 1 cup soymilk lite (1%) • 1 cup ice cube • 1 tablespoon honey • 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to prepare Combine all ingredients in blender.

Blend until smooth.

Pour into two glasses and serve immediately.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 31

Relationship

How do I identify my real partner?

A

million questions have been asked on this subject matter.

According to Mr. James Peter ‘’the both of you will have true feelings for each other. Some are in lust thinking that they are in love. If it is real both of you will love each other deeply without reasons, not because he is tall, fair and handsome or since he has enough money,’’ he said.

According to Miss Sanni Rafanu, “As a pretty lady guys will come but not all of them are real, how to identify the real ones, please don’t allow sex till the necessary things have been done, don’t show him that you truly love him even when you do please pretend, any guy that cannot accept it is not real, if you can follow this rules I bet you he will love and cherish you, may God help you and grant your heart desires in Jesus name. Amen,” she concluded.

According to Samuel Amos, ”develop a good and strong relationship with God. Because he is the only one who knows the real bone and flesh of whom he used to create you. So, instruction for godly marriage must come from him.

Sincere prayers and fasting will be of help because after your salvation, the other important decision is whom to marry,’’ he said.

According to Timothy Amos, “the first thing you ought to do is to build yourself with materials such as books.

Heaven helps those who help themselves. This practice will help you create a purpose for things. Next thing is to prayer about those things you want.

HUSBAND SCARCITY!!!

By maryam Habu shinga This may not be the best time to write on this because of misinterpretations, but I can no longer resist the push.

‘Husband scarcity’ has become one of the challenges faced by many young girls today. If you go to prayer houses, majority of the intentions are for a life partner. And this calls for concern. Casting our minds back to the time of our mothers and grandmothers, was there really ‘husband scarcity’? Or, maybe there were more men than women then or there was corresponding number of both genders. I don’t think so.

Maybe then, the women had values and were prepared to build a home and not park into a built home.

Then, once a young man

comes of age and can at least feed himself and his wife, he goes out in search of a wife and the woman really appreciates and helps him to build a future.

What am I really trying to say? We created what we now see as ‘husband scarcity’ for ourselves. Today, the reverse is the case. Ask an average girl to define her dream husband and you hear things like “he has to be tall, handsome, fair, and rich, own a house at least and be presentable” and then she adds “God fearing” in order not to sound so worldly.

Then, check the number of girls around you and the number of men that meet that standard and you will see the problem.

You hear girls say, “I

“

cannot suffer in my father’s house and then go and start suffering with a man.” What a wonderful dream! What if from the beginning, you have everything you want and there is no suffering, and later in the marriage, the table turns around, will you run away?

No one prays for suffering, but it is good to start small and end big, than to start big and end small. The problem is that the description majority of girls give of their ideal man is virtually the same. When 50 girls want the same kind of man and the man that fits what they want is just one, and the man can only pick one. Then, what becomes of 49 others?

They simply start lamenting.

Another irony of our time is that it is hard, due to the face of our economy to find a man who is of marriageable age who possesses all those things that most ladies want, legally. Even the number of those involved in internet fraud is not enough to match all those searching for already made husbands.

If you look around, majority of the ladies of substance, of good value and virtue, who are ready to build a home with a man who has prospects, are married and not complaining of husband scarcity. The easiest way to find a husband now is to change your view of who a husband is. A husband is that man God made and then saw that it may be hard for him

Marriage is not a poverty alleviation programme.

It is a mission to build the family of God here on earth. For those who see marriage as a way out of poverty, it is a way into bondage. Women are home builders, not home warmers, don’t confuse a man’s path with his destiny. Where he is today may only be a route to where God has destined him to be tomorrow.

to really actualise his purpose for making him without a help mate and then made the woman and gave to him.

Marriage is not a poverty alleviation programme. It is a mission to build the family of God here on earth. For those who see marriage as a way out of poverty, it is a way into bondage. Women are home builders, not home warmers, don’t confuse a man’s path with his destiny. Where he is today may only be a route to where God has destined him to be tomorrow.

Another truth is that you may be the only fast means to his destination. Join in alleviating ‘husband scarcity’, pick up the right values. I am not saying that you should pick anyone that comes your way because not all men are husband materials. What I am saying is that you should stop setting your standard on material acquisitions or physical appearances. Look beyond the physical. What makes a man who he is, is not what he owns or how he looks, it is what he is made up of. And that which he is made of is, most times, not seen with the physical eyes, only its effects can be seen. Marriage is a permanent thing.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 32

Fiction A chance encounter with the detective

T

he transporter climbed through the upper levels of Abuja city. Its powerful engines revved and hummed in a never ending tussle with the earth’s gravity for superiority.

Occasionally, the earth’s gravity would win. The events that took place thereafter could always be read in the Union, the following morning, along with the ghastly pictures splashed across the front page. Ibrahim’s eyes took in the muggy city landscape, blanketed by a cloud of gas fumes created from years of non-recycled air. A voice came on the vehicle’s intercom and amidst static, announced that they were five minutes from level 47. His apartment was on level 45.

Ibrahim peeked out the window once more. The platform was now in view. His thoughts went to Artemis and their discussion earlier that morning.

“I have purchased a new phone and number for you. Do not turn it on until you get to the first of the three arms levels. Though, they will be attempting to track signals from your former line, they will also be tracking calls made to friends, lovers, and loved ones.

That includes your father.”

“No. Not my father.” Ibrahim had responded shaking his head.

“He’s the Nigerian ambassador to the U.S. Tracking his calls entails tracking the calls of some of the top citizens and government officials of the states. They’d never…”

“You don’t know the NIA.” Artemis had said, interrupting him. “There is no length they won’t go to, in order to stop you, to kill you. Ambassador or not, they’ll ruthlessly hunt you down and you will never know peace.”

Ibrahim had sighed and looked at her.

“Then what do I do? How do I end this?”

“By fleeing…. To fight another day and with the right people behind you.”

“So you want me to join the resistance.” Ibrahim had said, his voice turning cold.

“No. I want you to meet the one who sent me, and then make the right decision, for the right cause.”

“No. Never. Besides I am in my last semester of college. I have to graduate.”

“Ibrahim.” It had been Artemis’s voice which had gone cold now. “I will be frank with you.

My original mission was also to assassinate you. There’s a bounty on your head. However, he saw something in you, something that changed my mission from an assassination to a rescue… and retrieval.”

“Who is ‘he’? And it’s the retrieval part I can’t accept. I was better being in the shadows! I can work effectively that way, bringing about the change we need!”

Artemis shook her head and smiled.

“Maybe just maybe you’ve been afraid to take a step into the light. Are you afraid of what the world might think of you? You have to remember, you cannot bring about change, if you don’t see change within yourself. You

don’t have to fight for someone else’s approval Ibrahim. Fight for yours?”

“What are you…?”

A finger gently placed on his lips had cut him short.

“Think about it. I will discuss with him and buy you some time… possibly till May, your month of graduation. Until then, we will work as a team from here. So, here are my instructions newbie.”

The transporter’s operator maneuvered the vehicle into position, right above the platform.

The doors opened up and the passengers trooped out in droves.

In advanced cities, every platform on a level had a dock, for safety precautions. In Nigeria, a dock was a luxury available only to the top government officials or the wealthiest and least selfish citizens. Ibrahim got down from the transporter and looked around.

Always survey the crowd. It’s easy to blend in, but it’s also easy to stand out if the other person knows what to look for. Look for people who seem to be doing nothing out of the ordinary but never really moving on from a very repetitive task. They might be reading a book, or ordering coffee at a stand. They might be standing near the platform railing, looking over the city. Whatever it is they are doing, they usually have a good excuse to be there for an indefinite period of time and if there is more than one, they try to maintain occasional visual contact with each other.

Ibrahim’s eyes scanned the crowd looking for anyone who fit the descriptions Artemis had given him earlier. He quickly followed the crowd while his eyes darted this way and that. In between

glances, he would look down to avoid being made. Something was not right, but he could not tell what it was. Ibrahim looked up again and scanned the faces, as he passed through the entrance gates leading into level 47. There was a man observing jackets in a clothing store to his right. He moved from one jacket, feeling the material and then checking the price tag, to the other. To Ibrahim’s left was another man making a call on his phone. He occasionally laughed out loud before engaging in the next wave of chit-chatter with the person on the other end of the connection. A lady walked past him. She was also on the phone talking and laughing out loud. She could have been talking to anyone in the world but Ibrahim’s gut feeling told him the person was much nearer. Ibrahim stopped at the other side of the entrance gates and watched her board the waiting transporter. She turned briefly and looked up in the direction of the man on the phone.

The movement was very brief but Ibrahim caught the slight knowing nod she gave before being whisked away. Ibrahim turned around and began walking briskly. He passed a couple walking arm in arm from one station shop to another. The man was talking.

“This looks nice on me doesn’t it?” He asked.

“Very nice indeed. Hmmm.

I’m tripping.” The lady responded, massaging his ego to the point of overkill. Ibrahim stopped at a coffee stand and asked for bottled water. He glanced over to his left and just as he suspected, the laughing man and the jacket man had crossed the entrance gates.

Ibrahim looked at the man next to

him, who was still talking with his wife.

“And to think I got it from this particular outlet.”

“I know, I know. I’m just surprised you chose to wear it immediately.”

“Of course. Who wouldn’t want to flaunt The Gentleman’s clothing?”

“Bottled water. One hundred naira.” The coffee seller said to Ibrahim as he placed the bottle and the receipt on the counter.

Ibrahim took out a hundred naira note and slid it across the counter into the seller’s finger tips.

“Thank you.” He said as he took his bottle and walked up to the couple. Ibrahim cleared his throat, interrupting their conversation.

“I am so sorry to barge in like this but I couldn’t help but listen in on your conversation. What shop did you get the sweater from? I’m scheduled to have a reunion with my high school friends tonight and I want to show up looking grown and sophisticated like my big brother here.” Ibrahim flashed his best charming smile as he surveyed the man’s physique. They had similar builds.

“Oh why sure!” The man said happily and turned to his partner.

“Do I need more validation?”

The lady chuckled in response.

“Let’s go joor.” She said amidst giggles.

“C’mon young man. I’ll take you there myself.”

“Thanks!”

Ibrahim responded, feigning excitement.

The man pushed past him walking briskly. Ibrahim thought his head was going to burst. Serious psyching. Ibrahim thought as they walked on one of many metallic sidewalks and streets that overlaid

the translucent platform that served as the “ground” of level 47.

The translucent glass base served as both the “ground” of one level, and the “sky” of the next, letting light through all the way to level one, without necessarily forming clear images of the foot and motor traffic above. Level 47, much like all the other levels was a designated region that spanned about twenty mega sky scrapers much like the one they had landed on. Each had a connection to the other either through a bus system (straight tubes that conveyed passengers in rollercoaster style ferries) or the aerial system which was made up of the transporters and other aerial vehicles piloted by both civilians and authorized personnel. They turned the corner unto the street The Gentleman’s was on.

“Alright young man, here we are.” The man said, ushering in Ibrahim.

“After you.” He said, holding the door for Ibrahim. He also beckoned to his wife to follow suit, before closing the door behind himself. The Gentleman’s was fairly crowded with lots of potential customers looking through the clothing selection on display.

Ibrahim heaved a sigh of relief as he navigated his way through the slew of people, towards the sweater and cardigan section. It was not long before he caught sight of the blue and black striped cardigan the man so proudly wore.

“Here it is.” Said the man excitedly. “And it is the last one.”

Ibrahim picked up the cardigan and examined it.

“Just my size.” He said, flashing a fake smile. His eyes darted to the glass doors. He knew his followers would eventually search this store, any minute.

“But just to be sure, let me try it on.”

“Please do.”

Ibrahim made his way to the changing rooms and was in the nearest empty one just as his followers came charging through the glass doors. Ibrahim peeped at them as he quickly took off his shirt and slipped on his cardigan.

He took out his new phone and expanded the disc to reveal the holographic keypad. He quickly dialed 999 – the country’s emergency response number. The feminine voice of an operator was quickly heard on the other end.

999 how may I help you!

“I’m calling from level 47.

Two suspicious characters just walked into a clothing store, The Gentleman’s and I believe I saw them during the bombing of Kano Motel a few days ago.”

Sir that was not a bombing, but an accidental fire caused by a room occupant’s…

“Don’t give me that bull crap. Now I know you have been instructed to sell that fib to the general public but I am not the general public. If you don’t mobilize men here, the consequences will be yours to bear.

Is this being recorded?”

Naijastories.com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 33

Romance

She returned to my life when it was too late

I

decide to go upstairs. I barely stand to my feet when I hear a drunken song.

Francis!

On white shirt, black trousers and shoes, his feet rocking and skipping on the floor, body sways back and forth like a palm tree in dance for storm. His eyes, like dim motor lamps, fluctuate in their sockets.

I resume my seat, my hand propping my jaw. I shouldn’t care about him, or else there would be a fight here tonight. Angelina has jerked to her feet, inching close to him, a baffled expression on her face. Like a stammerer, she keeps swinging her fists, trying to free words from her tongue.

“Fra…Francis!” She finally bursts her throat like a threatening rain, “What the hell have you done to yourself, huh? You’re drunk?”

“Who-o-o-o is this troublesome woman?” He yells, tugging at her Brazilian weave-on.

“I’m not troublesome. It’s me, your Angee!” she whines like a baby, wrapping her right hand around his waist. But he squirms out, “Baby, is it because of my hairstyle? I will undo it for you.

Let’s go upstairs. You are drunk.”

Francis could say nothing, but laugh like a mad man, pointing at her and laughing the more.

“Who…told you…am…am… drunk. How can I be drunk?”

He motions to lay his palms on her shoulders, then halts, turns sharply in my direction, cupping his hand above his face, squinting as if to sight something a mile away.

“My lo-o-o-ve, there you are,” His laughter rings louder, and he begins to sing: Ada-nwa. Pa-ran-ran-ran-ran Ada, my sugar cane. Pa-ranran-pa-ran-ran Ahuru m gina-anya (I love you.)

“Baby, I’m here with you,” says Angelina, turning his face off me.

This dude is so high. How does my complexion tally with Angelina’s, let alone my figure?

“I said le-e-a-ve me…am… not…drunk. That…that is my sweetheart!”

Angelina glares at me, flipping eyelashes like busy hand-fans. I know she could strangle me to death if chanced.

Dragging and pulling, she eventually assists him upstairs.

Some minutes later, I begin to make my way upstairs, climbing each case with heavy tired steps— as if a rock is weighed upon my shoulders. My mind swings between Mathew and the foolish impediment in my family. Besides, how do I express my feelings to him? Maybe I should invite him for a dinner, and in the process tell him, “I love you Mathew,” then pause, and continue, “Do you love me?” What a silly idea!

Should I give him a romantic card and ask him to reveal in private?

Confessing my feelings should be my next move. I have to find a way to do that. Maybe I…..

My thought shatters.

Walking across Frances’ door, I pause.

My body is melting down to the moans along the passage.

Sometimes, the soft ‘woosh’ and ‘ouch’ would die off, into a choked, ecstatic, silent cry. Then rise back in louder and doubled pattern.

With clouded mind, I walk further away.

YINKA It’s a Saturday morning. 8: 40am. I wake up to find a missed call.

Janet!

Staring at the call, my heart crashes, outrunning a beat.

Yesterday was so stressful.

Besides, I have put my phone on vibration. The mention of her name is such a banger in my heart, dare not her murderous sight. In fact, I’m yet to recover from our acted kiss….I wish those lips were mine.

We still spoke on phone two days ago and the day before, on some issues. She is aiming to open a boutique on the Lagos Mainland.

She expressed her resentment for office work, as a tiring task. And she wished I wouldn’t work there anymore, stating the way she could assist me to stand as a man.

I was glad to hear that she would assist me with a capital for import and export business. But she promised to fulfill everything after impersonating as my fiancée. I think she is just too kind. Anyway, I pray she finds the right man, if she is not for me.

Browsing through my phone, I realize she left a message, which reads: I should be at your place by 9: am. Please, be prepared.

Have a wonderful night dear.

I hurriedly grab at my tooth brush and towel, rushing for the pail at the foot of the bed.

I finish my bath in five minutes. Almost helter-skelter, I clean myself, apply a body cream, and jump into a red shirt and black trousers.

It’s exactly 8:50am when I finish dressing, Before long I have a call. Janet.

Good timing.

I clear my throat. Once. Twice.

And pick up, “Hello!”

“Good morning,” she says coolly, “I hope you’re set. There is a slight traffic. I should be in your place in twenty minutes, or less.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that. I’m ready. Thank you.”

After the call, I lie on the bed.

“

I’m expecting her to park in front of my house. The last time she came, she finally parked there, calling my phone. Getting outside, she asked me to show her to my room. I was surprised, and then laughed. I wondered how she would regard my humble abode.

When she entered, she looked around, smiled and said, “It’s not that bad. We should be going now.

We’re late for the party.”

My house is facing the Apapa high way. But there is hardly a parking space, so she prefers parking at the parking lot, at the nearest junction.

I keep taking a glance on my wrist watch, anxiously waiting for her call.

Ten minutes later, I hear a knock at the door. I jerk to my feet, adjusting my wears. Then walk gently to the door.

“Baba onile ni O.” says a manly voice, before I could get to the door. (It’s your Landlord) “Baba, e karo sir,” (Baba, good morning, sir) I barely open the door before prostrating to the man, raising my head to see…

Adeola!

“What!” My throat burst in shock, “Am I…am I dreaming or what?”

I open my mouth, dumbfounded.

She is standing right beside the old man, an apologetic expression on her face. She is brushing her

My body is melting down to the moans along the passage.

Sometimes, the soft ‘woosh’ and ‘ouch’ would die off, into a choked, ecstatic, silent cry.

Then rise back in louder and doubled pattern.

palms together in plead, going down on her right knee. Like an official beggar. She seems to have lost some weight. Her once fleshy chocolate figure is now reduced to a willowy structure. Still looking pretty though, but her braid is weary, dancing on her head and over her face like cobwebs. On her blue short skirt, yellow blouse and black handbag, she is looking rather unkempt.

“You’re not dreaming, my son,” says the old man, in Yoruba, “Just calm down. She came to me three days ago, in the afternoon….” The man begins, but I cut him short, ask him to come in.

I could see my opposite neighbour, Iya Folake, peeking from her blue curtain. A face-meface-you is indeed a hell. I really respect this landlord. He treats all his tenants like a family, or else I wouldn’t let Adeola stay a second here.

Getting inside, the man refuses to sit, adjusting his yellow agbada.

Adeola roots beside him.

He says Adeola has met him, in order to pacify me on her behalf. But I usually returned late from work. And he, the landlord, has been an early sleeper owing to his poor health, thus, we couldn’t meet. He says Adeola has regretted all her deeds, adding some Yoruba placatory adages.

I sigh.

“Please forgive me,” she falls to her knees, sniffing and swallowing hard; her head drops, “It’s my Mum….She….She….” her voice fading off, like a smoke wisp.

Staring at her, I wonder with a bitter smile. The fact is, she no longer has a room in my heart.

She used to show true love, until a particular time. She once planned to carry my baby, so that her Mum would hopelessly leave her to marry me. Her Dad was wholly in support; her Mum was absolutely not. When she introduced me to them, the woman was glaring

at me like fire. She wanted her daughter to marry an affluent man. On several occasions, she came to shout at my door, that I have charmed her daughter. She came back too late when I have already moved on.

My thought is shattered to the call on my phone. Janet is certainly outside. I thank the old man, excessively. He takes his leave, urging me to consider her.

“Please, leave right now!” I yell at her, “As you can see, I have a program! Or do you want me to bundle you out?”

The phone is still ringing…

I sigh. Then press the receive button.

“I’m at your doorstep, Mathew,” says Janet, softly, “Could you open the door.”

“At my door?” I query in surprise, mixed with shock, “Okay, I’m coming.”

When I open the door, she smiles. “You’re surprised I could still recognize your room, right?”

“Yeah…Yeah…”

I answer uneasily, trying to compose my voice, and then force a broad smile,” Yes, I’m wondering. You’re welcome.”

She is arrayed in a red skirt and white blouse, the pink on her lips and other applications are mind-blowing.

She steps in, looking straight ahead, wincing and making a face as if to ask, “Who is this?”

Adeola is still on her knees, head adown; just beside my shelf.

Before Janet could say a word I tell her, slowly,“That is Adeola.”

Adeola reveals her face at that moment, her eyes clouded.

Pointing at her, Janet says, “You mean the lady you…”

She is cut short by Adeola’s statement, “If….If you can’t consider me, please, consider my two months pregnancy.”

Naijastories.com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 34

Nolly wood

I’m not pregnant for Jude…Cynthia Morgan speaks N orthSide Entertainement signee, Cynthia Morgan, has taken herself off the matter she feels she has no business with despite the fact that her name has been briefly mentioned in between about who would have signed her first.

The singer who has been rumoured to be pregnant was recently dragged as speculations have it that she is pregnant for Jude who currently

digging it hard with his brother, Peter over management issues.

Cynthia decided to clear the air that she is never pregnant for Jude Okoye as they only have business relationship and nothing more.

According to her, “For your information, I am not pregnant for Mr Jude Okoye,My Boss.My relationship With him is Strictly Business And Highly Professional.

Thank you.”

Why I dumped banking for movies —Yoruba actor

K1 De Ultimate not bothered about haters

I

n life, one must surely come across haters, their are people who just wouldn’t wish you well in all your endeavors In life.

The struggle for fame, riches and career, should not be based on what people say or think about you, as far as you are a living being, people must gossip, they must hate, your ability to turn those negative vibe to something positive, makes you a conqueror.

Celebrities are not left out from beefs, they also face hate from people, and K1 DE Ultimate has just confirmed it.

In a recent post, he indirectly affirm the fact that there are people who do not like him because he is good at what he does. he went on to say, regardless their hate, God wins.

“Some people just don’t like you because you are good at what you choose to do in life… but the truth is, Godwin.”

Meanwhile, the Fuji icon is set to release a new album titled ‘‘Let the music Flow’’ we anticipate it’s release.

T

alented Yoruba actor cum producer, Olaribigbe Sarumi who has featured in lots of great indigenous flicks like, Ireti Oseyitan, Latorunwa, Ojo Aje, Alaye Oro is all set to release his latest movie; Adalute.

In a brief chat with Nigeriafilms.com, the multi-talented actor who is a proud product of New York Film Academy recalled how he forfeited a promising career as a banker to find his feet in what he has always loved; acting.

According to him, he has no regrets after over 10 year in the entertainment industry; “I started acting about 10 years ago through Odunfa Caucus before I proceeded to the New York Film Academy to acquire more knowledge about the film industry. I did that because I believe it enhances my knowledge about film making and I did that for about a year.

But apart from that, I am a Higher National Diploma holder in Banking and Finance.

Right from my childhood, acting has been what I love doing and I have been crazy about it before I finally opted for it. All I did was to have my certificate and I then went into acting to make a living from it. It has been rosy since I joined but at the same time tough especially with piracy, investing on your movies and nothing good coming out from it. It’s so crazy anyway.

I never wanted to be a banker but I did that to please my parent who wanted me to go to school. I chose banking and finance as a second choice,” he said.

On his new movie alert, Sarumi said, Adalute is one of his best movies he has ever done as a producer and it would be released by Mercury Pictures in few days’ time.

“This movie took me a while to produce, because it’s not like the regular Yoruba movies that is being churn out. Adalute has great stars like Yi?nka Quadri, Mercy Aigbe Gentry, Jaiye Kuti, Ayoka Ologede, Leye Adeshile, Ajisa,Lekan Oropo, Seun Omojola, Mercy Ebosede, Rafiu Bolagun, Saheed Spider and myself.’

Lynxx turns Pastor

P

opular artiste Lynxx has recently poured out his mind about what he has noticed happening around in the society.

He revealed that keeping up with the society has been a way of life currently trending, while he thinks people should live as an individual rather than follow the crowd because failing to do so, would make many miss the opportunity of believing in themselves.

He went on to say, being different is a blessing as it makes one stand out for the better. Adding that worrying about what people say shouldn’t be important, rather, what God says should be the ultimate.

“Keeping up with society has become the order of our daily lives in today’s world. In this case a lot of people have unfortunately lost their identities, followed the crowd / Trends (whether right or wrong) and everyone just tends to be ok with fitting in. The sad part is we are all born with “Individual” identities and equipped with divine Gifts which a huge percentage of people will miss out on because they never believed in themselves enough to tap into it,” he said.

He admonished everyone to fear the person that has power over the spirit over someone that can only hurt the body, because salvation is a sole journey.

Lynxx is showing to the world that despite been an artiste, he is also religious, an aspect of him unknown to many.

PAGE 35

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Hollywood

‘Are you being served’? set for TV comeback

O

ne of Britain’s best-loved sitcoms of the 70s and 80s is set for a comeback.

Are You Being Served? is poised to return to TV screens later this year with an all-star cast.

The programme, which is set to be broadcast on BBC One, is to be filmed in front of a studio audience on 5 March, the corporation said.

The show, written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, ran for 69 episodes over 10 series from 19721985 and featured Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Frank Thornton and Wendy Richard among others.

Well-loved characters included Mrs Slocombe, Mr Humphries, Captain Peacock and Miss Brahms.

The sitcom followed the misadventures and mishaps of staff in the ladies’ and gentlemen’s

clothing departments of a fictional London store called Grace Brothers.

The BBC said: “Picking up where Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft’s much loved comedy left off, the show will bring Grace Brothers and some of the nation’s all-time favourite sitcom characters including Mrs Slocombe, Captain Peacock, Miss Brahms, and Mr Humphries back to life with an allstar cast.”

It will be a one-off episode alongside reboots of Porridge, The Good Life, Up Pompeii! and Keeping Up Appearances as part of a landmark comedy season, the website Chortle reported.

It will mark 60 years since Hancock’s Half Hour first made the transition from radio to TV.

Why Jennifer Garner is in no rush to get back into the dating scene

J

ennifer Garner announced her separation with Ben Affleck eight months ago and since then, the mother-of-three has been adjusting to her new life. Although the actress is not in any rush to move on with a new relationship, she has finally found “more breathing room” while her and Ben work out the details of their divorce.

The 43-year-old split with her actor husband after ten years of marriage and now “she’s been able to focus on herself,” a family source tells People magazine.

“She made an effort to start the year fresh, and she is having a good year so far. She doesn’t find her private life ideal, but she has accepted it,” they added.

Although the couple have been separated since June, they have remained amicable for their three children Violet, ten, Seraphina, seven and three-year-old Samuel and neither parent seems in any rush to move on romantically.

“It’s hard to picture her dating before the divorce is finalised,” the source said about Jennifer. “Ben is not dating anyone,” a source close to the Argo actor said.

The pair announced their separation on 30 June, a day after their tenth wedding anniversary, but they are yet to sign divorce papers.

“They are doing it their own way,” a source close to the duo said. “And that way works for them right now. They’re working out the details, but it seems nothing has changed. They are moving forward with their plans.”

JK Rowling responds to Twitter user by quoting US rapper Chamillionaire in amazing post

J

K Rowling is no stranger to taking on her fair share of Twitter trolls, regularly hitting back with witty retorts.

But nothing compares to the bestselling Harry Potter author’s most recent response.

On Wednesday, the star fired back at Scottish writer Kevin Williamson - with US rapper Chamillionaire’s Ridin’ lyrics.

“They see me Rowlin’, they hatin’,” she wrote to her 6 million followers.

Williamson had written to Glasgow MP Natalie McGarry saying she shouldn’t apologise for a previous tweet directed at Rowling.

Last month, Natalie accused the author of “defending abusive, misogynist trolls” .

But after the mum-of-three hit back and asked her to show her the evidence, the MP eventually said sorry.

“Why apologise to her. She uses her obscene wealth & layer droids to threaten & bully. Tell the radge to bolt,” Williamson then tweeted today.

Meanwhile, catching wind of her sassy tweet, Chamillionaire also took to the social network site.

“I was gonna remix your tweet to “We see them trollin” but you already took the Grammy. Touche.”

Bowie son’s cryptic Gaga Grammys Tweet

D

avid Bowie’s son seemed to take a swipe at Lady Gaga after she performed a tribute medley of the late singer’s hits at the Grammys.

Film director Duncan Jones took to social media as he appeared less than impressed with her song and dance performance in Los Angeles.

On Twitter, he shared with his 277,000 followers a dictionary definition of the word “gaga”.

He wrote: “Overexcited or irrational, typically as a result of infatuation or excessive enthusiasm; mentally confused.” Damn it! What IS that word!?”

The 29-year-old US singer opened her performance dressed as Ziggy Stardust, complete with newly-dyed red hair, singing Space Oddity.

She then broke into Changes, Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City, Rebel Rebel, Fashion, Fame, Let’s Dance and Heroes.

Her medley also included flashing multi-coloured lights and images of her on a large screen.

One featured a close-up of her face with a lightning bolt of red make-up - a nod to Bowie’s cover from his sixth album Aladdin Sane.

Gaga received a standing ovation from the crowd at the end as she embraced Chic’s Nile Rodgers, one of Bowie’s producers who joined her for the performance.

The tribute to Bowie, who died aged 69 in January of cancer, was widely seen as one of the highlights of the awards ceremony.

And it was one of the most-discussed moments of the show on social media.

Twitter user Lady Teapots said it was “cruel and mean spirited to attack Lady Gaga who gave her all to honour and entertain”.

But Darcy Bennett tweeted: “Surely the man is entitled to his opinion. especially considering it’s about his father.”

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 36

Celebrity Gists

Kanye West loses $10m due G to pirated copies of his album

Juliet Ibrahim features Amon in ‘Sholala’

R

apper Kanye West took a huge financial hit due to the poor roll out of his new album, The Life of Pablo. His latest work has been pirated and downloaded so many times since its release that the rapper has lost $10million in sales. This all comes at a time when West has claimed he is $53 million in debt.

The New York Post reports that if the 500,000 people who illegally downloaded the album in its first day had paid the $20 it cost to buy the album, West would have personally made $10 million.

Kanye revealed on Monday that his album will never go on sale and will only ever be available on Tidal, the digital music service which is subscription based and owned by his friend, Jay Z and other music artists.

‘My album will never be on Apple. And it will never be for sale... You can only get it on Tidal,’ wrote Kanye on Twitter.

‘Please to all my friends fans and music lovers. Sign up to Tidal now.’

Tidal costs $10 to $20 a month, with fans able to get their first month for free.

hanaian actress turned singer, Juliet Ibrahim, has just dropped the video for her hot new track, ‘Sholala’.

‘Sholala’, a fun dancehall love song about that special someone is her fourth single, after dropping ‘Celebrate’, ‘It’s Over’ and ‘Traffic Jamz’.

The song was produced by Sammie Blacc and features Chris Pardie Jnr aka Amon. The video was directed by Director Frames in Lagos and produced by Jewelz Productions.

It features an appearance by model, Kelvin Godson. The video shoot was styled by Jeremiah Ogbodo of Swanky’s signatures styling, while makeup was by Sutchay.

Actress Jennifer Eliogu releases new song

N

ollywood actress, singer and songwriter, Jennifer Eliogu, is back with a new single called ‘Doh Shirt’ off her upcoming

album.

This is Jennifer’s third single in the three years that she joined the music industry.

Tonto Dikeh welcomes first child

C

ontroversial Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh, and her husband, Oladunni Olakunle Churchill are now parents.

The couple announced the birth of their first child via Tonto’s new official website.

The baby has been nicknamed Baby X, while fans wait for the child’s photo and name to be unveiled.

The actress said ‘‘Today I experienced the greatest miracle known to man. I can’t begin to explain the joy I feel, it is super awesome.

I bless the Lord almighty for his protection/safety,strength and the birth of my baby. My pregnancy was such a beautiful one (stress free, lovely, spiritually great, healthy and safe).

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 37

Entertainment

I never wanted to be a mother-Angelina Jolie

S

peaking with Associated Press while filming her upcoming movie, First They Killed my Father, in Cambodia, award winning actress, Angelina Jolie, admitted that she did not desire to be a mother.

“It is strange, I never wanted to have a baby. I never wanted to be pregnant. I never babysat. I never thought of myself as a mother,” the now mother-of-six revealed.

It was while playing with children at a Cambodian school during an early trip as goodwill ambassador for the U.N that everything changed for her: “It was suddenly very clear to me that my son was in the country, somewhere.”

She ended up adopting Maddox, 14, in 2002 and a year later opened a foundation in his name in

Ini Edo becomes brand ambassador for Slim Tea Nigeria

N

ollywood actress, Ini Edo, has been named the brand ambassador for Slim Tea Nigeria.

The entertainer has been cashing in lately with one endorsement after another. Last week she was announced as the new Special Adviser on Tourism and Development in Akwa Ibom State.

the Battambang province which helps fund health care, education and conservation projects in rural Cambodia.

Maddox is now helping her on what she deems the ‘most important’ film of her career, working behind the scenes of First They Killed my Father— an adaptation of the Khmer Rouge memoir written by survivor Loung Ung that recounts the 1970s Cambodian genocide from a child’s perspective.

Jolie said she was struck by the graciousness and warmth of the Cambodian people (despite everything they had faced in their tumultuous past) during her visit while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Now, she believes her work on the film is bringing together her various worlds: the film industry, family and her humanitarian interests.

Banky W features Chidinma in A ‘ ll I Want Is You’

T

he video for Banky W’s “All I Want Is You” featuring Chidinma is out.

The video is a modern day Nigerian love story, where we see Banky and Chidinma’s characters fall for each other, despite the disapproval of her parents (played by two of Nigeria’s most iconic and legendary entertainers, Zack Orji & Onyeka Onwenu).

Banky playfully takes on tribalism with this video. In these days when the term #YorubaDemons has been a cause for humour and concern, the video playfully shows just how far one can go to fight for the chance to love.

Shot in Lagos, it was written, produced and directed by Banky Wellington for EME/ TILT Productions.

Kcee releases Bureaude-Changer

F

ive Star music’s Kcee is out with a new song, ‘Bureau de Changer’.

For weeks, he has been tagging all his photos with #AlhajiBureaudeChange and his fans were looking forward to seeing what it was all about.

The song was produced by Dr. Amir.

Darey Art Alade in ‘Òrékeléwà’

S

inger Darey Art Alade has released the video for ‘Orekelewa’, the second track off his fifth studio album, ‘Naked’.

Shot in Lagos, the video was directed by Mex and it features veteran Nollywood actor, Victor Olaotan, award winning comedian, Hafeez Oyetoro aka ‘Saka’, comedienne Chigul and Africa Magic Academy Award nominee, Linda Ejiofor.

The music video explores the simple pleasures of family moments, the beautiful memories inspired by those loving moments and how those memories are sometimes all we need to stay connected when times and situation change.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 38

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

OUR PEOPLE

OUR VISION

Chairman Malam Wada Maida, Oon, Fnge Director/Editor-in-Chief Rufa’i Ibrahim Editor, Daily Hameed M. Bello

Chief Operating Officer Ali M. Ali

Deputy Manager, Production Aminu Jibril Mohammed

Acting Editor, Weekend Lawal Sabo Ibrahim

Manager, administration Hassan Hammanyaji

Acting Head, Lagos Bureau Ayodele Samuel

“To be a reputable, profitable, innovative and technologically reliant media company offering world class services and products”

ISSUES

The change that may never come

By Adebayo Coker

I

made a New Year resolution to try as much as possible not to burden myself with anything that may cause grief in whatever guise but my beloved nation wouldn’t stop throwing lumps of it my path. I have tried to evade the many punches but I just couldn’t help it no more.

The other day when some wise men rose up from their Ibadan Summit and issued a communiqué of a perfunctory exit to ‘Fulani herdsmen’ I knew their wisdom was already perforated by that singular anserine show. I was in no way disappointed when a notable one amongst the demagogic elders was on the list of beneficiaries of Santa Dasuki. I thought further: maybe those kidnappers were boys that came to get some trifling after they got to know that Baba has jola Aso Rock falala falala and refused to appease the land that he has desecrated; most of the so-called statesmen chameleoning as Awoists, Zikists, Balewaists to fleece us of our commonwealth are nothing but useless men that are better for the grave. Such men deserve some public thrashing; yet they will instigate the myopic minds to war that they have been kidnapped by some bojuboju Fulanis. Enough for the so-called jafojos, after all, there is no freedom fighter, Tompolo, Boyloaf, Asari Dokubo, Ateke Tom, Odumakins, FFK are good examples.

I had tried coming around few weeks ago but I was quickly sent back to my closet to scurry through the lose papers and bonded documents as well as stack of books that I inherited from my grandfather all in the bid to help the assemblymen locate the original Budget of Change presented before them and submitted in their chamber by the President himself. As I was rummaging, even my thrash can, my mind was inundated with that trite: What a Nation? Hardly have I settled down to continue my task when the news broke that it has been found that it was gavelled

by Saraki that some furtive doctoring credited to Ita Enang had been discovered and the gimmickry that followed put one off completely. That settled amidst other socio-political ills then we are back to sub-

WRITE TO US Peoples Daily Weekend welcomes your letters, opinion articles, text messages and ‘pictures of yesteryears.’ All written contributions should be concise. Word limits: Letters - 150 words, Articles - 750 words. Please include your name and a valid location. Letters to the Editor should be addressed to: The Editor, Peoples Daily, 1st Floor Peace Plaza, 35 Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja. contacts@peoplesdailyng.com adverts@peoplesdailyng.com admin@peoplesdailyng.com news@peoplesdailyng.com zero; the padding and padding and padding of mind boggling figures that even made Aso Rock a rented property to be paid for due to the occupation of the Nigeria’s President.

The only thing they forgot is the padded figures to buy pads for the wives, daughters and women in the lives of the occupants of Aso Rock. Crazy!

Obviously, the APC is not prepared for leadership in any way. The muddy way they are handling the socio-economic cum political situations of the country and the puerile alibis being presented for the attendant failure are all pointers. I want to continue to believe that PMB still holds his words as his bond in this social contract that he entered into with us on May 29, 2015 and one would have expected the Presidency he heads to have acted in all maturity by admitting their insolence in not doing their due diligence in the budget preparation and request the withdrawal of the budget having realized that such was fraught with many errors and absolute fraud but the ego of infallibility, which in itself is a failure of leadership, is exposing their notorious fayawo move leading to national and international ridicule. Much for the budget of change that changes nothing about the budget structure and texture.

One would have expected Mr Lai Mohammed to move with the same jet speed he employs each time he wants to

reel his usual excuse of “blame Jonathan for what you are experiencing” to denounce those figures being bandied around as lies but much for the government of change.

It is also disheartening that the same APC that campaigned and begged the people to give them their votes and go back to sleep because they are bringing change is the same party that is sending us back to the sinkhole, even worse.

It is also glaring that the PDP is not prepared for opposition as it is a party of conglomeration of foxes that are only interested in ‘apapinnism’ and since the honey is no more flowing their way they scamper here and there to escape the wrath with which the broom will sweep the tattered umbrella; shameless show of gullibility.

There is a meta-normal grimy belly of corruption in the heart of every society. It takes a genuine leader to find it, excavate it and cure it. A bad one will attenuate it to mere pilfering and its reign will continue with unbridled normalcy. The former is misnormal, the latter is abnormal. Kudos to PMB’s anti-corruption stance but I wonder if there is not more than one beneficiary of Dasukigate in APC. The fester of the broom should not be featherweight on the roaches and lizards on this side while unleashing Mike Tyson’s pummels on the yam eaters on the other side. Let this anti-corruption be balanced, better still, appear to be so.

The democratic tripod of this nation is defective; the composition of the National Assembly is odoriferous to its foundation, the executive is bereft of insight and political capital to pursue a true national agenda while the Judiciary which is mouthed as the last hope of the common man is in dearth of true Daniel dashing the hopes on the altar of wetin-you-bring-come. The indolence of an average Nigerian like you and me is allowing the decay to fester the more.

That most of the current crops lawmakers are bunch of rapacious individuals that will stop at nothing to realize their avaritia is no news that we will continue to maintain our siddon look posture is what is baffling. That a man or woman will be called forward to answer to question bothering on his/her integrity should be enough reason to send such to the back door of political oblivion but here we are: the head of the lawmakers will leave that elevated seat to sit in a dock answering to are-you-guilty-or-not for trying to circumvent the law guiding asset declaration of public/elected officers.

Don’t expect anything tangible from this government because what Jonathan and his cohorts alone did to the economy may take several years for succession of hardworking governments, which APC seem not to be, to recover not to mention the many other wicked holes that were drilled into this economy by other past administrations.

My Pastor (though am waiting for further list of marabouts and prayer warriors in Dasukigate to surface) started a series on How To Prosper In The Midst Of Famine since the beginning of this year and I am enjoying it while I continue to fortify my local government. Mind you, I am not talking about those derelict buildings where those thieves parading themselves as council chairmen occupy. I am talking about sinking my own boreholes, generating my own power from my highpower generator, paying my dues to the security guards – OPC, Bakassi boys, et al.

So long I can maintain my local government this change may never come.

Culled from Omojuwa.com

PAGE 39

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Opinion

Rodenticide: Annihilating ‘rats’ in our bureaucracy

By Ade Ilemobade

A

rise, O Nigerians, it is time to kill the ‘rats’ to save our fatherland from rodents eating our yam from within the bureaucracy/ministries.

We must annihilate them with love and strenght and faith, without these the labour of our heroes past would be in vain and we might be struck again with Jonathanian Lassa fever.

We must prevent a situation wherein our heart and might are susceptible to rodent virus of corruption and all vices or dishonorable behaviours, so that we can achieve our goals of freedom, peace and unity.

Bureaucracy; the word would be used interchageably to mean also bureaucrat, which is an administrative policy-making non-elective government officialism that predominates through knowledge acquired over time in managing government departments.

According to Max Weber bureaucracy can be regarded as the most efficient rationalistic methodology that we human beings have created to administer our commune in a civilized mannerism.

J.S. Mill saw bureaucracy as perspicuous or contradistinctive from representative government. Furthemore, he posited that bureaucracy has some benefits most significantly the accumulation of knowhow in those who actually conduct the affairs of government. However, Mill wrote “A bureaucracy always tends to become a pedantocracy”.

The president needs to get rid of all the ‘rats’ within Nigeria’s bureaucracy/ ministries because they are unexploded landmines or improvised explosive devices buried and waiting to be activated like sleeping cells of Al-Qaeda.

There are too many Osamas, Al zawahiris, Abu Sayafs, Shekaus in the system not to mention the Anninis, Oyenusis, Escobars, El-Chapos, Tompolos and Asari Dokubos within the bureaucracy/ministries.

They, bureaucratic ‘rats’ are snakelike meandering through the system poisoning the blood vessel of our nation so we must take urgent but drastic remediation by annihilation with Metal phosphides a quickacting poison that can kill ”Rats” in a few hours by attacking vital organs and the central nervous system.

Put differently the president must begin a rigorous cleansing of Nigeria Bureaucracy/ ministries if he desires to win the war against our grand cesspool of corruption with a knockout.

‘Rats’ are fundamentally corrupt and have perfected the arts of proliferation with the establishment of different Islands of hegemony within the bureaucracy/ ministries for the enhancement and consolidation of their evil machination to sabotage the administration as it is presently

“

constituted, with all kinds of disreputable shenanigans. A case in point is the pollution of Budget 2016 with questionable inclusions.

The anarchism of bureaucracy created by ‘rats’ give credence to the practice of corruption and people within the system start to see corruption as justifiable conduct of disobiedience to the principles of order which are the rules and regulations laid down to guide the proper functioning of Bureaucracy.

Ours are vivid example of these scenarios.

Whenever and wherever there are no external controls or supervisions in terms of structured accountability placed on bureaucracy, inward looking mentality and rationale envelop its superstructure and it becomes an Island onto itself.

This was the case in Nigeria before the inception of the present administration it was a bureaucratic jungle, a state of nature (Leviathanism) everyone is naturally willing to fight one another for the ”goodies” in a corruption-laden Bureaucracy.

The termination of the appointments

of 26 chief executives of government parastatals by the president should be seen as the prelude to what I would expect should be an ongoing purge of the system because at every stratification there are hybrid ”Rats” fully pregnant and about to deliver like a proliferous plant and they are mostly in the middle cadre. Therefore, more work in this regard Mr. President.

The roles of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission coupled with that of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission cannot be overemphasized here, since some of the expelled/sacked chief executives and their cronies or Godfathers were said to engage in fraudulent, dishonourable misadventure while in positions of authority, so an indepth investigation and prosecution of culpable individuals must begin earnestly.

We are not there yet, but we have started on a journey/process of redemption let us join hands with the government to rid Nigeria of ‘rats’.

Culled from Abusidiqu.com

The president needs to get rid of all the ‘rats’ within Nigeria’s bureaucracy/ministries because they are unexploded landmines or improvised explosive devices buried and waiting to be activated like sleeping cells of Al-Qaeda.

PDP and the inevitable dance of death

By Anthony Ubani

T

he shocking and almost unbelievable news that Ali Modu Sheriff has been appointed the new acting National Chairman of the PDP has been confirmed.

With this confirmation, even those who termed themselves die-hard PDP supporters, are aghast, stupefied and speechless at this audaciously toxic decision..

For a party that has made so much noise about wanting to rebrand and return the party to the people, this is a Guinness book of world record level tragic move. If this where a movie script, it will be titled “The Final Insult” This latest PDP move reminds me of the popular saying that those whom the gods have earmarked for destruction, they first make deaf and mad. This is a public relations disaster of unqualified proportions. For a party whose reputation is already in tatters, this is a political gambit which is sure to drag the party deeper into the tawdry halls of infamy.

The appointment of a man who, rightly or wrongly, has been serially accused of being a major sponsor of the dreaded boko haram terrorist group and has also been earlier accused of being the one that initiated and started the sect that later metamorphosed into boko haram is the craziest thing that has

ever happened in politics anywhere in the world. It shows an appalling disdain of public opinion and citizen’s concerns.

With this development, it is now clear beyond every reasonable doubt that, one, the PDP does not seem to understand that perception is reality and that in this age of knowledge, information and communication, leaders and organizations that hope to survive and thrive must solemnly contemplate and take into account public opinion and public perception in making decisions.

Two, it is equally now certain that the PDP has learnt nothing from its comprehensive defeat at the polls in 2015.

Impunity, arrogance and corruption still

“

reigns supreme in the party and if anything, impunity and arrogance seems to be digging in in the party.

Finally, it is most certainly now obvious that there is a cabal in the PDP that is working assiduously to ensure that the PDP does not survive its present crisis. Any hope of a resurgence is now gone and the impending demise of the PDP is almost given.

The appointment of Sheriff as acting PDP National Chairman, if only for just one day, is the worst and most brazen thing that has happened to the PDP in its almost 20 years history as a party. It is a classic suicide move.

Here is a man who has moved from ANPP to PDP to APC and the APC found him to be so

The appointment of Sheriff as acting PDP National Chairman, if only for just one day, is the worst and most brazen thing that has happened to the PDP in its almost 20 years history as a party. It is a classic suicide move.

repugnant that they quickly showed him the door and he scurried back again to the PDP; the EFCC has brought corruption charges against him regarding the expenditure of over three hundred billion Naira that accrued to Bornu State under his watch as governor; he has been accused by the Australian negotiator, Dr. Stephen Davis of sponsorship of terrorism; he was previously arrested in Cameroon in 2012 for alleged links to boko haram terrorists; he is unabashedly celebrated as the owner of the most expensive private jet in Nigeria estimated to be worth 11.

5 billion Naira – this is the qualification, the profile of the man that the PDP chose to lead them at this sober time of national renewal, in this auspicious moment when integrity is the sign and symbol that is sorely needed.

Across the length and breadth of the north east zone which parades an endless list of polished and brilliant political minds, the only person the PDP saw to appoint its acting National Chairman, is the one man who was certain to revolt, repulse, provoke, annoy, dismay, shock and alienate the few remaining PDP members and Nigerians in general.

Behold the PDP undertakers are out in the public square. So let the dance of death begin. It is finished!

Ubani posted this piece on Abusidiqu. com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 40

Comment

TSA enhancing autonomy, research, transparency in tertiary institutions

By Emmanuel Agha

A

t no point in the history of contemporary Nigeria has government been able to fully account for all its funds, at once, from a single consolidated view, until now. Thanks to the Treasury Single Account, TSA, which makes this possible.

The TSA initiative is not only to the advantage of the federal government and its agencies, but to the benefit of the entire Nigerian populace. This is why it often comes as a surprise when unnecessarily jabs are thrown at the initiative.

Recently, union leaders in Nigerian higher institutions, including members of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), have been coming forward with their antiTSA positions. A number of them have posited that the initiative is largely to the detriment of higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. They claim that TSA has denied our higher institutions of the autonomy they supposedly enjoyed in the past.

In as much as one appreciates the position of the scholars, one bets to disagree with them. TSA has not denied any higher institution (or even any Ministry, Department and Agency, MDA) of its autonomy, neither has it restricted their access to endowments and grants. The main changes TSA introduced into

the operations of MDAs, including tertiary institutions, are that they should hold all their accounts at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), instead of holding them in commercial banks; that payments should be made electronically from these accounts directly into beneficiary accounts in commercial banks and other financial entities; and that all revenues and receipts of MDAs are paid into their accounts held at the CBN. In specific terms, most publicly-owned tertiary institutions have accounts opened in their names at the CBN, and only the authorised signatories within these institutions are able to initiate, approve and consummate payment transactions, as long as the transactions are within the normal government accounting guidelines. There is no need for any institution to seek additional authorisation from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) or the CBN before making payments from these accounts. In addition, the MDA can now collect revenue via multiple channels such as point of sales [PoS], banks, debit and credit cards and mobile wallets, directly into its accounts.

TSA places the control of funds firmly in the hands of the management of tertiary institutions. One must also add that educational institutions are allowed to hold Project Accounts

with the CBN, for the purpose of managing their external grants and third-party collaborations. All they need to do is to apply to OAGF for such accounts to be opened for them at the CBN. This level of transparency and security, which TSA brings, should in fact attract partners and robust funding for our tertiary institutions.

Also, the CBN payment gateway used for managing the TSA provides secure access to the funds, and permits full transaction tracking and visibility. With this in place, it has become increasingly difficult for any institution of government to play “Santa” with monies in its trust. Rather that bury their heads in the sand, our tertiary institutions should embrace and get schooled on the workings of TSA, and how they can improve its usage to better harness their institutions’ resources.

The position that TSA is responsible for the late payment of salaries is also untrue. The availability of the federal government’s share of the monthly Federation Account Allocation is a major factor in the timing of the payment of federal government salaries. This timing can only be helped by TSA which quickly makes government funds available in government accounts at the CBN from where salaries are paid, instead of being stuck in commercial banks.

According to the ASUU Coordinator (Ibadan zone), Prof.

Josiah Ajiboye, “the TSA is a very good policy. Its advantages far outweigh its disadvantages, especially when it concerns government bureaucracies.” If this is indeed true, shouldn’t we be looking for ways to make it better, instead of clamouring for whole

“ Salaries of workers in our public

higher institutions are paid by the federal government, so are their pensions, their running cost and emoluments. The agitation of aggrieved union leaders in tertiary institutions could be interpreted to mean that they want to enjoy so much benefits, but are resisting transparency.

scale disbandment or subversive waivers that have jeopardised similar national interests in the past?

The implementation of TSA started four years ago under the Jonathan-led administration. In its wake, a series of stakeholder workshops were organised by OAGF to engage affected parties.

MDAs had the opportunity to make representations to guide its delivery, including how TSA can be implemented to augment their operations. However, many MDAs believed that the scheme would never come to fruition and, so, did not give the required attention.

Others decided to challenge the policy and sought to be exempted from TSA on spurious grounds.

Unfortunately, many tertiary institutions took this path and were caught in the hop when the Buhari administration mandated the full implementation of TSA in September 2015.

Salaries of workers in our public higher institutions are paid by the federal government, so are their pensions, their running cost and emoluments. The agitation of aggrieved union leaders in tertiary institutions could be interpreted to mean that they want to enjoy so much benefits, but are resisting transparency.

Culled from Omojuwa.com

Bringing back ‘Made in Nigeria’

By Olu W. Onemola

T

here has been a lot of talk in recent times about promoting ‘Made in Nigeria.’ From the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki’s recent visit to the ‘Made in Aba’ trade fair, to the hashtag to #BuyNaijaToGrowTheNaira, it is clear that Nigerians are beginning to understand that it is only our concerted and collective internal efforts as a nation that can solve our economic worries.

In the early 2000s, walking around the street rocking ‘Made in Aba’ goods was synonymous with saying that you shopped at ‘bend-down-select’ markets and roadside stations. Wearing leather sandals produced from the eastern part of Nigeria in those early years of the new millennium, was seen as an unfavourable status symbol for many – despite the hard work and expertise that had been put in to produce those goods from our local manufacturers.

Retrospectively, quality-wise, the shoes, clothing, bags and other ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods back then, were nearly on par with their imported counterparts. However, the marker of acceptability in social circles in those days came from the fact that your ‘Nike’ products were truly made by ‘Nike,

Inc.’, and your ‘Adidas’ was not labelled ‘Adadis.’

Somewhere along the line, things changed, and Nigerians began to look inwards. We began to understand that our extreme foreign consumption capacity would not fuel the domestic growth of our economy. We began to realise that Timi, Deji and Haruna, could design and produce goods that were just as good as Thomas, Dickens, and Harrisons’. We began to see that indigenous goods and home-grown services could be on par, or even better than those from abroad. Consequently, new small and medium scale enterprises sprung up allover the country to cater for our increased demand.

From fashion to finance, from entertainment to edibles, ‘Made in Nigeria’ experienced a positive boom somewhere in the mid to late 2000s. However, with this positive upsurge in our collective social mindsets towards our local products, halfway into the second decade of this millennium, effective policy thrusts to encourage the local manufacturing sector have not been formulated and/ or implemented. Even Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act of 2007, which is aimed at advising and assisting “procurement staff

to help them carry out their procurement responsibilities,” fails in some critical aspects to address pushing ‘Made in Nigeria’ products.

Since the last quarter of 2015, the Nigerian Naira has fallen by nearly 20 per cent against the US Dollar. Additionally, global oil prices have fallen by over 70%.

What this means is that Nigeria, an oilrich nation that is “dependent on oil and gas for 95 per cent of its export earnings, 35 per cent of its GDP and three-quarters of government revenue,” must see this ‘Made in Nigeria’ drive being championed

by Saraki and a few of his colleagues like senators Abaribe and Murray-Bruce at the National Assembly as one of its options to wiggle out from the impending economic downturn caused by the decline in oil prices.

To make these policies sustainable, a combined effort of both legislative and executive policies must work to ensure that domestic goods should be promoted through a flexible system of discounts, sales and other government-backed incentives. Furthermore, the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) must push for quality control of Nigerian-made goods to increase customer satisfaction.

As the economic history of developing nations has taught us that exports-driven economies are not fiscally sustainable, on the technical side, the federal government through collaborative efforts spearheaded by the Ministry of Transport must intensify its efforts to create transport networks that connect consumers all across the country to locally manufactured products.

The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics also has a role a major role to play in this campaign. Consumer trends need to be captured so that businesses know where to market their products and services.

Surveys can also help the government to measure the consumption habits of Nigerians, so that the progress of this ‘Made in Nigeria’ initiative can be welldocumented overtime.

Development cannot be imported neither can financial stability for Nigeria’s economy. Accordingly, as we tighten our collective purse strings to achieve fiscal responsibility in these times, we must also alter our social perspectives and implement government policies that will not only protect, but also amplify the calls to bring back ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods and services.

Culled from Abusidiqu.com

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

Between Gov. Badaru, Lamido and Jigawa health sector (II) Abubakar Aliyu says: The purpose of human life is to serve, show compassion and the will to help others. It is very rare, thrilling and fascinating to get a leader with this kind of initiative and attributes of pity, love, care, concern, compassion, commitment, dedication, devotion and empathy etc to his people like Sule Lamido.

He bears the challenges and interests of humanity, that man is blessed Thank you Lamido.

Mansur Ahmed Jahun says: I really pity my beloved state, Jigawa. Things are going in a reverse gear. From the inception of this present administration, we have been lagging behind in all walks of life and missing good things, because of ignoring or not continuing with Sule Lamido’s policies and the application of some unpopular and outdated policies, especially the neglect of the health sector.

Lamido’s uncommon commitment, efficiency, selfless service, love of his people, intensity and approbation of fashionable developmental issues mark him out as a purposeful leader. Thank you Baba, we are with you come rain come sun.

Auwal Muhd says: One good thing about life is the rotation of time. It is popularly said that: “A fool does not know the value of his left hand until he loses it”. I really sympathize with the good people of Jigawa for a great loss.

Lamido had the interest of Jigawa and its people at heart. A meaningful developer and a great achiever, the best that has ever ruled the state, without fear of contradiction Lamido’s name has been written in gold, shining and glowing. Jigawa people are victims of circumstances (change). If at all there will be

PAGE 41

Online Comments

meaningful development, honour must be given to whom it is due. Bin na gaba, bin Allah.

Rabiu Hudu says: It is a great setback for the Jigawa health sector. The state government under Lamido and in collaboration with development partners on health, DFID, to be specific had invested tremendously on healthcare, to the level that Jigawa became a role model to other states. I was baffled to hear over the news that the health system that made Jigawa a role model had been abolished. I belong to the system and I can tell a volume of story on where we were before the integrated health system under Gunduma and where we are, presently. I am not a supporter of Lamido but I have to tell the truth where it is needed. I am advising the state government to have a rethink on this decision.

Umar Danjani says: Sule Lamido touched all spheres of human life ranging from education, health, transportation, rural and infrastructural development to agriculture, economic empowerment, Housing and Water supply. For example from late 2007 to 2015, Jigawa accomplished the construction of over 1,200 housing units in the state capital, Malam Aminu Kano Triangle square, state high court complex, Second phase of state secretariat, chief judge, grand kadi, deputy governor, speaker, deputy speaker residences, five Emirs lodges, Dutse ultramodern market, NYSC permanent orientation camp and sport complex, New legislative quarters, illuminated Dual Carrige road traversing the nook and cranny of the state capital. The state University at Kafin-Hausa, the beautiful airport etc. In fact there are numerous projects that have made Dutse to move from the status of hamlet to a state capital city. Thank you Baba Lamido Isa Dan-Sidi Kafin-Hausa says:

Gov. Badaru

Lamido

Dr Sule Lamido CON, a great leader that has contributed immensely to the development of Jigawa State . He left lasting structures behind especially his free education, free health delivery, youth empowerment, massive road contraction etc

if he cannot but we can’t risk leaving him to experiment with our dear Super Eagles.”

NFF executives are unversed otherwise they would have known that Oliseh is inexperienced to coach a team like the Super Eagles in the first instance. How could you sack an experienced coach like Keshi and replace him with an inexperienced coach? Does that make any sense? Look! The Super Eagles won’t qualify for the Nations Cup if Oliseh remains the coach.

Many of our high-profile foreignbased players won’t honour his invitation (or even if they do, they won’t play well) simply because Oliseh lacks the pedigree to lead the Super Eagles.

Emmanual Abraham says: Malam Adamu, I really appreciate your consistent comments and stand on Jigawa and Nigerian politics in general. One thing with politics is that you can win election with propaganda but you can’t run government with it.

APC has deceived gullible people on electioneering campaigns now they find it impossible to take people to a Promising Land. . Keep on brother, don’t relent in your effort please.

Lamido has proven to be a leader per excellent. He changed Jigawa to a modern locality and a place to be and live. The present governor should borrow a leaf and stop political vendetta. May God help us.

Jane Samuel Abuja. says: You mean these are what a northern governor did for his state under the PDP? It is incredible!

What a passionate, visionary and caring a leader! I think I will relocate to Jigawa, because as the saying goes health is wealth. Welldone Lamido.

Malam Adams you did well. More ink to your pen.

NFF threatens to demote Oliseh over CHAN comments

Oliseh

Onyekachi M says: “The truth be said, Oliseh is yet to show signs that he is capable of taking the Eagles to the expected height. We might ask him to work under a technical adviser or resign

Development: Activist wants FCT Minister to focus on Area Councils Scoop.Ng says: The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), FCT chapter, has suspended its three-day warning strike which began on Monday across the six area councils.

Top 10 most lucrative business ideas in Nigeria – Investment opportunities Joy D says: I am interested in transportation business, getting a 24-seater bus on contract to a transport company. Kindly advise a number of companies I can do profitable business with, in this regard.

Thanks.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 42

Business Extra

By Joseph Omotosho

W

hen the Federal Executive Council took the historic decision to establish the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in 2002, it did so with a great sense of responsibility considering the state of federal roads across the nation.

FERMA, it goes without saying is one Agency that touches the lives of millions of Nigerians. It is therefore not inappropriate if concerned Nigerians can contribute in any way to make such suggestion available to relevant authorities in order for an informed decision to be taken for a smooth running of the agency in order to achieve its mandate.

Structurally, FERMA at the moment has a Managing Director as its Chief Executive and six (6) Executive Directors for its day-to-day operations. It also has a Board headed by a Chairman which takes far reaching decisions on policy matters that guides the operations of the Agency. The Executive Directors are in charge of the following departments - Operations West 1, Operations West 2, Administration (Human Resources), Account and Finance, Road Maintenance Management Services, and Engineering Services. This arrangement has been working perfectly well since the inception of FERMA over a decade ago and nobody quarrels with it. A suggestion is however now being canvassed to split the engineering department into two with an addition of an estate department bringing the total number of departments to seven (7).

It is believed that the estate department will greatly enhance the scope and performance of the agency because they will be saddled with testing the soil structure, the asphalt layout which will greatly accelerate the work of the engineering department.

When FERMA was established, there were those who decided to leave their mother ministry, the Federal Ministry of Works to form the nucleus of the workforce of the Agency. To some of them, it was a big gamble because there were always threats that the agency might be scrapped but many of the staff including those who have now reached the Directorate cadre kept faith with the agency.

Consequently, as the activities of the agency lengthened in years so have been the experiences of these loyal officers. Those who have been keenly watching the activities and operations of the agency strongly feel that in considering the constitution of the envisaged new board of FERMA those who have reached the directorate cadre should be considered and made executive directors to take care of the six departments and the additional suggested estate department. And there are good reasons for these suggestions. In the first instance, these people in the directorate cadre who have been working with the agency since its establishment have garnered a lot of experience in the operations, the workings and nuances of the agency. In addition, they have staked their destiny, future and progress with the agency. They have also

Helping FERMA achieve its mandate

Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and Housing seen the thick and thin and the problems and prospects of the agency over these years. At the headquarters of the agency, hopes are high that this time around, things will be done differently and a complete departure from the old practice, where appointments of key officers like Executive Directors is done and influenced by politics whereas in a professional agency like FERMA, appointments should be done on the setout criteria of expertise, career progressions, promotions, capabilities, loyalty and efficiency of such officers.

It is the contention of knowledgeable experts spoken to that if the Buhari administration is to quickly achieve all the notable programmes it has envisioned,

“

appointment of qualified personnel to man very sensitive position is not negotiable.The truth of the matter is that Nigeria cannot afford to continue to waste the available scarce resources entrusted to corrupt officers as the tale of the “Dasuki Saga” has manifested. The permanent secretaries and political heads of Federal ministries, departments and agencies should, therefore, resist the temptations and promptings from some do-gooders who may make some unwholesome recommendation aimed at appointing their cronies, relations and party faithful to the detriment of qualified career public officers working with the Agency.

At the moment, there are over 16

When FERMA was established, there were those who decided to leave their mother ministry, the Federal Ministry of Works to form the nucleus of the workforce of the Agency. To some of them, it was a big gamble because there were always threats that the agency might be scrapped but many of the staff including those who have now reached the Directorate cadre kept faith with the agency.

engineering staff of FERMA who have reach the directorate cadre and are therefore more than qualified to head the various executive positions in the Agency. All that is left is for the Minister of Works, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and his able ministers of state is to seek advice as to who among the 16 staff of the Agency deserve to be appointed to the six executive positions and the additional office recommended to be created from the large engineering department. It is easier and more transparent to embark on such an exercise to appoint the executive directors from among the serving staff of the organization than importing people from outside the agency with its attendant controversies and insinuations.

After all, these staff, who have worked with the agency for years know the problems and prospects of the organization and are therefore in the best positions to quickly proffer solutions to such problems whenever they arise.

The saying that experience is the best teacher is apt here. In any case, as career civil servants, they also have at the back of their minds the issue of pension and gratuity which all civil servants eagerly look forward to when they eventually retire. The hope of getting their entitlements will always be at the back of their minds not to do anything including fraudulent practices which might jeopardize their chances of getting their full entitlements when they finally disengage from service.

In addition, the prospect that an officer can reach the highest apogee of his career without hindrance is a constant motivating factor in all establishments all over the world.

It is the opinion of a top officer in the ministry of works who did not want his name mentioned in print that whereas the politician seeks for instant wealth and benefits in order to satisfy the flamboyant life style of his calling, the average civil servant is always very careful and circumspect of whatever he does because there are laydown principles and regulations which he must jealously follow.

In taking a final rational and reasonable decision in the constitution of the new board and especially in the appointment of six Executive Directors, (and I almost say seven), Mr. Babatunde Fashola, may wish to be reminded of a Nigerian parlance which states that one should not go too far away “Sokoto” in search of what he desires whereas such a desirability is available in “Shokoto”.

After all, the minister has the prerogative and leverage to appoint the chairman and members of the Board who could come from anywhere.

Those who are advocating for this change are not seeking anything for themselves but for the overall interest of the Agency. This is because all eyes are on FERMA to perform since our roads will for quite some time continue to play a vital role in the transportation of goods and services across the length and breadth of this country until the railway system is completely overhauled and revamped.

Omotosho wrote in from Abuja.

Biographies

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 43

Ahmed Ben Bella (1916-2012)

A

hmed Ben Bella was an Algerian socialist soldier and revolutionary who was the firstPresident of Algeria from 1963 to 1965.

Youth Ben Bella was born in Maghnia in western Algeria,during the height of the French colonial period on 25 December 1916. He attended school in Tlemcen and was disturbed by the discrimination towards Arabs by his European teacher. He failed his brevet exam, and subsequently dropped out of school.

Service with French Army Ben Bella volunteered for service in the French Army in 1936. The Army was one of the few avenues of advancement for Algerians under colonial rule and voluntary enlistment was common. Posted to Marseille he played center mid-field for Olympique de Marseille in 1939–1940. His only appearance for the club was in a game against FC Antibes in the Coupe de France on 29 April 1940 in Cannes.[6] He also scored a goal during the game.

[7][8] The club officials offered him a professional spot on the team, but he rejected the offer. He also played for IRB Maghnia.[9] Ben Bella’s eldest brother had also served in the French Army during World War I and died of his wounds.

Two other brothers died at young ages.

In 1940 Ben Bella enlisted again and was awarded the Croix de guerre. He was demobilised after the fall of France but joined a regiment of Moroccan tirailleurs (infantry) with whom he saw service throughout the Italian campaign. Ben Bella was promoted to the rank of warrant officer and received the Médaille militaire for bravery at Monte Cassino fromCharles de Gaulle.[10] He refused to accept an officer’s commission after learning of the harsh French repression that followed a Muslim rising in the small Algerian town of Setif in May 1945.

Following election as a municipal councillor, Ben Bella became a founding member of an underground organization pledged to fight colonial rule, known as theOrganisation Spéciale. This was the immediate predecessor of the National Liberation Front. Arrested in 1951 and sentenced to eight years imprisonment Ben Bella escaped from Blida prison, making his way to Tunisia and then Egypt.

At the outbreak of the Algerian War in 1954, Ben Bella was based in Cairo where he had become one of the nine members of the Revolutionary Committee of Unity and Action which headed the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN). He was arrested by the French in 1956, after his airplane had been controversially intercepted and brought to France, and released in 1962. His arrest led to the resignation of Alain Savary, opposed to Guy Mollet’s policies. While in prison he was elected a vice-premier of the Algerian provisional government.

When Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser brought Ben Bella to speak for the first time to an Egyptian audience, he broke into tears because he could not speak standard Arabic. Like many Arab revolutionaries of the time, he would come to describe himself as a “Nasserist” and developed close ties to Egypt even before independence was achieved. Nasser’s material, moral and political support of the Algerian movement would come to cause Nasser troubles, as it played a major role in France’s choice to wage war on him during the 1956 Suez Crisis.

Barre Due to Pakistan’s support for the FLN, Ben Bella was given a Pakistani diplomatic passport to make his foreign travels possible in the face of the international manhunt for him undertaken by the French and their allies.[11][12][13][14] Ben Bella also traveled on a Pakistani diplomatic passport during the years of his exile from Algeria in 1980s.

Algerian independence After Algeria’s independence, Ben Bella quickly became more popular. In June 1962, he challenged the leadership of Premier Benyoucef Benkhedda; this led to several disputes among his rivals in the FLN, which were quickly suppressed by Ben Bella’s rapidly growing number of supporters, most notably within the armed forces.

By September, Bella was in control of Algeria in all but by name, and was elected as premier in a one-sided election on 20 September, which was recognized by the United States on 29 September. Algeria was admitted as the 109th member of the United Nations on 8 October 1962.

In 1963 he was elected President

in an uncontested election, and also led Algeria’s costly defense against the Moroccan invasion in the Sand War. After stabilizing the country, Ben Bella embarked on a series of popular but somewhat anarchic land reforms to the benefit of landless farmers, and increasingly turned to socialist rhetoric. His policy of Autogestion, or self-management, was adopted after the peasants seized former French lands. In balancing factions within the Algerian government, notably the FLN army, the former guerrillas and the state bureaucracy, his rule became increasingly autocratic. Eccentric and arrogant behavior towards colleagues is said to have alienated many former supporters, and, while he promoted the development of his own cult of personality, by 1964 he was dedicating more time to foreign affairs than local political developments. In 1965, Ben Bella was deposed in a bloodless military coup led by army strongman and close friend Houari Boumédiènne, and was placed under house arrest. In July 1979, shortly after Boumédiènne died, Ben Bella was released from

house arrest. In 1980, he moved to France, but was expelled in 1983. He then moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, and launched the Le Mouvement pour la Démocratie en Algérie in 1984.

In September 1990, he returned to Algeria and ran in the country’s first multiparty election.[15] Ahmed Ben Bella was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on 30 April 1964.

Later life Ben Bella was elected president of the International Campaign Against Aggression on Iraq at its Cairo Conference. He described himself numerous times in interviews as anIslamist of a “mild and peace loving flavour.” Despite his former oneparty state he later vocally advocated democracy in Algeria. He described the militant voice rising in the Islamic world as having developed from an incorrect and faulty interpretation of Islam. Despite the controversies, he was respected for his role in the anticolonial struggle and was seen by many Arab intellectuals as one of the last original Arab nationalists.

He was also the chairperson of the African Union Panel of the Wise, which is mandated to advise the AU Commission on issues relevant to conflict prevention, management and resolution. The other members of the panel at the time were: President Miguel Trovoada (former President of São Tomé and Príncipe); Dr. Salim A. Salim (former Secretary-General of the OAU); Dr. Brigalia Bam (Chair of South Africa’s Electoral Commission); and Elisabeth Pognon (former President of the Constitutional Court of Benin).

Illness, death and state funeral In February 2012, Ben Bella was admitted to a hospital for medical checks. At the same time, a report circulated that he had died, but this was denied by his family.

Ben Bella died on 11 April at his family home in Algiers. Though the reasons of his death were unknown he had been treated for respiratory illnesses twice at Ain Naadja. His body lay in state on 12 April before the funeral at El Alia Cemetery on 13 April.

Algeria declared eight days of national mourning.

The late Ben Bella (R) with President Fidel Castro (L) and Ernesto Guevara in Havana, Cuba on October 20, 1962.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 44

Archives

Secrets of 2,000-year-old Egyptian ‘mummy paintings’ revealed

There were 15 exquisitely preserved portraits (pictured) discovered at the site of Tebtunis by archaeologists in 1899. However, they were largely overlooked as experts concentrated on papyri found with them

S

ecrets of 2,000-yearold Egyptian ‘mummy paintings’ revealed: Forensic experts discover how the artist used pigments from across Europe Their bright colours and delicate facial features painted onto wood to cover the faces of ancient Egyptian mummies are thought to have influenced later styles of religious paintings in Europe.

But it seems the ancient artists who created these lifelike portraits of the dead in Egypt 2,000 years ago were reliant upon materials from distant parts of Europe to create their masterpieces.

Analysis of a series of socalled ‘mummy portraits’, discovered at the ancient Egyptian settlement of Tebturnis, in modern day Umm el-Baragat in Al Fayyumm, is finally revealing their secrets.

Now scientists have used a series of sophisticated imaging techniques to study the pigments, brush strokes and wood used to create the rare portraits.

Hidden beneath the layers of red and yellow paint, the researchers discovered the artists had sketched out their work with a pigment called Egyptian Blue – highly valuable at the time.

The discovery baffled them

because the first pigment to be artificially manufactured and with its vivid colour, it was highly regarded by artists and often used as the final top layer of paint.

However, in these portraits it was hidden beneath other colours.

It was only when the researchers analysed the other pigments that it began to become clear why they might have used this expensive pigment as a base coat.

Their research found that the red lead pigment used in the paintings had come from as far away as Spain.

Other pigments appear to have been imported from Keos in Greece while the wood on which the portraits were painted on came from Central Europe.

“

The findings, made by researchers at Northwestern University and University of California Berkeley’s Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, suggest the Egyptian artists had relied upon vast trade networks to obtain their materials.

Dr Marc Walton, a materials scientist at Northwestern University who led the research, it could help to shed light on where techniques used artists in the Byzantine Empire came from.

‘Roman-Egyptian portraits were created in Egypt from the 1st-3rd centuries AD,’ he said.

‘Painted on wooden panels, often using wax and originally attached to mummies, these visages of the dead are considered to be antecedents of Western portraiture.

‘Our materials analysis pro-

vides a fresh and rich archaeological context for the Tebtunis portraits, reflecting the international perspective of these ancient Egyptians.

‘For example, we found that the iron-earth pigments most likely came from Keos in Greece, the red lead from Spain and the wood substrate on which the portraits are painted came from central Europe.

‘We also know the painters used Egyptian blue in an unusual way to broaden their spectrum of hues.’

Roman-era mummy portraits from Egypt are widely thought to have adapted some of the styles used by Greek artists to create striking head-on images.

These techniques were later adopted in icon images of Christ, the Virgin Mary and an-

The findings, made by researchers at Northwestern University and University of California Berkeley’s Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology, suggest the Egyptian artists had relied upon vast trade networks to obtain their materials.

gels in the orthodox Christian and Catholic Church.

The portraits found at Tebtunis are considered to be some of the best preserved paintings from the period and are among the most important collections in the world.

Researchers used a combination of non-destructive imaging techniques and took tiny samples of paint to study how the portraits were made.

They were also able to work out the order in which various parts of the painting were built up and could examine the brush strokes and tool marks on the portraits.

Dr Walton said: ‘The specific information obtained about painting methods and overall distribution of pigments produces groupings of portraits of similar materials and has led to the identification of ancient workshops and the hand of specific artists.

‘Our goal is to use objects themselves as evidence for their production.

‘In our interrogation, we have used a number of cuttingedge analytical tools developed here at Northwestern to uncover new and intriguing clues about how to identify the hand of an individual artist.’

MAILONLINE

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 45

Digest

How fat people see the world differently

E

ating too much doesn’t just make your waistline expand, it also makes distances seem bigger.

Research shows that being overweight distorts perception.

As a result, fat people see distances as being further and slopes as being steeper.

This could put them off exercising and so leave them trapped in a vicious circle, where the fatter they get, the less activity they want to do.

Researcher Jessica Witt said, of Colorado State University, said it is wrong to assume that we all perceive the world in the same way.

In one study, she asked 66 people of different shapes and sizes to estimate how far away a traffic cone was.

The cone was actually 25m away.

Those who were a slim nine stone saw it as being just 15m from them, but those who weighed in at 23 stone judged it to be 30m away - or twice as far.

Dr Witt’s research, which involved hundreds of people overall, also showed that the overweight perceive slopes as being steeper.

She believes these calculations are done unconsciously and are the body’s way of saving it from the extra ef-

View over Primrose Hill, London. Researchers say fat people see distances as being further and slopes as being steeper which could put them off exercise

fort needed to exercise when overweight.

Importantly, they have no control over this.

So, far from being lazy when they baulk at the thought of exercise, the overweight are simply being see-

ing the world differently.

And if they want to exercise away their flab they should start small.

She told the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual conference: ‘Someone trying

to help a client with obesity become more active needs to understand the tasks they are asking their client to perform don’t look as easy to them.

‘So the client is going to see these tasks as being daunting or even impossible.

‘And they might be considered to be lazy but maybe lots of us wouldn’t walk a distance that looked twice as far.’

The researcher said that alternatively, the obese could

“

Witt’s research, which involved hundreds of people overall, also showed that the overweight perceive slopes as being steeper

try wearing telescopic glasses, to change their perception.

Dr Witt concluded: ‘We think that these perceptual biases can create a vicious cycle for people with obesity where they see the world as impossible to navigate.

‘They will be less likely to choose to be active – and that’s going to continue this unhealthy lifestyle.’

MAILONLINE

Those who were a slim nine stone saw it as being just 15m from them, but those who weighed in at 23 stone judged it to be 30m away - or twice as far.

PAGE 46

International

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

How Israel is ‘turning Palestinians into Zionists’ Israel is forcing Palestinian schools in occupied East Jerusalem to switch over to an Israeli-controlled curricuBy Jonathan Cook

I

srael is to put financial pressure on Palestinian schools in occupied East Jerusalem in an effort to make them switch over to an Israeli-controlled curriculum, according to local activists and officials.

Almost all of East Jerusalem’s schools currently use a syllabus developed by the Palestinian Authority, a Palestinian government-inwaiting created in the mid-1990s by the Oslo accords. Before that, they relied on the Jordanian curriculum.

Palestinian officials have slammed the move, warning that it is part of intensified efforts by Israel to disconnect East Jerusalem from the neighbouring West Bank and entrench its control over the 300,000 Palestinians in the city.

Peace efforts have long been premised on Israel ending its occupation of East Jerusalem and recognising the city as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

“This attack on our curriculum is part of Israel’s war on Palestinian identity,” Sabri Saidam, the Palestinian education minister, told Al Jazeera. “Israel is working to consolidate its illegal occupation.”

Israel tried to impose the Israeli curriculum when it first occupied East Jerusalem in 1967, but was forced to relent after parents and pupils staged months of strikes and protests.

Civil rights groups, meanwhile, fear Palestinian schools will have little choice but to submit to the Israeli scheme if they do not want to face further budget cuts in an East Jerusalem education system already chronically underfunded by Israel.

Palestinian pupils, local activists say, will be presented with a curriculum that denies their history and identity, and places a strong emphasis on Israel’s official position that all of Jerusalem is its “eternal, unified capital”.

“We don’t want our children to be told that al-Aqsa is not our holy place, that the Palestinian flag is not our flag, that the land belongs to the settlers, and that Ariel Sharon is a hero,” said Hatem Khweis, a spokesman for the Union of Parents’ Committees, a Palestinian group campaigning for improved education in East Jerusalem.

The plan to switch curriculums came to light after senior Israeli education officials divulged details to the local media. Last year only 1,900 Palestinian high-school pupils in East Jerusalem - about 5 percent - studied the Israeli curriculum.

Israel operates an almost entirely segregated education system between Jewish and Palestinian pupils, both in Israel and in occupied East Jerusalem.

Saidam said that Israel was required under international treaties it had signed to provide a public education that respected the occupied population’s heritage, identity

‘We don’t want our children be told that al-Aqsa is not our holy place,’ said Khweis [Getty Images] and culture.

Israel’s education minister, Naftali Bennett, who is also leader of the settler party Jewish Home, said he wanted to “provide a strong tailwind to any school that chooses the Israeli curriculum. My policy is clear: I want to aid the process of Israelization.”

According to the Jerusalem municipality, the scheme will exploit the Palestinian population’s increasing isolation from the West Bank since Israel built a wall through the city a decade ago.

The extra funding will entitle Palestinian schools that switch to the Israeli curriculum to more classroom hours as well as music and art classes, teacher training and student counselling services - most of which are currently lacking in East Jerusalem’s Palestinian schools.

Last year Israeli education officials said they were considering lengthening the short school day in East Jerusalem’s schools to take Palestinian youths off the streets.

An Israeli curriculum, it is also hoped, will reduce nationalist sentiment.

Israeli officials believe both factors have fuelled months of angry Palestinian protests, as well as knife and car attacks on Israelis, that have focused on Jerusalem. Some have termed the unrest a third intifada.

“Israel believes it can change the next Palestinian generation’s mentality in the classroom, turning them into Zionists, without addressing the political situation,” said Zakaria Odeh, director of the Civic Coalition, an umbrella group for Palestinian civil society groups

in Jerusalem. “But that is the real cause of their anger and frustration,” Odeh told Al Jazeera.

He added that the Israeli curriculum denied the Palestinians’ identity, characterising them instead as “minorities” and religious groups.

Israeli officials appear to hope that East Jerusalem residents’ will to resist is now weaker. Khweis, of the Union of Parents’ Committees, said the education ministry was exerting strong pressure on schools.

They were imposing the Israeli curriculum through “a war of financial attrition”, he said.

Israeli courts have harshly criticised the government for the dire state of East Jerusalem’s schools, especially a shortage of more than 2,200 extra classrooms. In 2011 the Supreme Court gave the government and municipality five years to build enough classrooms for Palestinian children in East Jerusalem. That deadline expires this summer.

A report in December by Ir Amim, an advocacy group for a fairer Jerusalem, found the situation had deteriorated dramatically since the ruling. Only 35 classrooms had been built over the past five years, failing even to keep pace with natural growth.”The education ministry is holding educational resources hostage by conditioning funds to schools on their agreement to change their curriculum,” Betty Herschman, a spokeswoman for Ir Amim, told Al Jazeera.

Khweis said Israeli officials had stepped up interference in the Palestinian curriculum in recent years, censoring large sections of textbooks. Changes have included: removing pictures of Palestinian

flags and PA logos; excising information about PLO leaders; cutting lines from poems that could be interpreted as promoting struggle against occupation; and redacting references to the Nakba, the Arabic term for the loss of the Palestinians’ homeland in 1948.

“Israel has so mangled the Palestinian textbooks that the curriculum is extremely weak,” he said.

“And now Israel turns to the schools and tells them they would be better off with the Israeli syllabus.”

Saidam, the PA’s education minister, said Israel had also started blocking the shipment of Palestinian textbooks to Jerusalem.

Fears have been heightened by comments from education officials that funds for schools making the switch will be offset by cuts to the budgets of schools that continue to use the Palestinian curriculum.

According to Ir Amim, Israel is also expected to raid a $12m fund, set aside in 2014, to help Jerusalem’s schools over the next five years. Some $4.5m was earmarked to increase Israel’s control in East Jerusalem.

Saidam said the Palestinian cabinet had recently agreed to raise emergency funds to help schools that stick with the Palestinian curriculum. However, officials in East Jerusalem privately expressed doubt that much money would reach the city. The PA is in financial crisis, and Israel has blocked it from having any direct role in Jerusalem since 2000.

With East Jerusalem increasingly isolated physically from the West Bank, Palestinian pupils have found themselves trapped in an educational no-man’s land, said

Odeh.

Few Israeli institutions of higher education recognise the Palestinian matriculation certificate, complaining that students’ competence in Hebrew is too low. But it is also difficult for East Jerusalem’s students to access Palestinian universities in West Bank cities. If they do, they risk Israel revoking their East Jerusalem residency permits.

The Jerusalem municipality provides schooling for only 42 percent of the city’s Palestinian pupils. A similar number are taught in what are known as “unofficial” schools, partially funded and supervised by the education ministry.

The rest study in private, mostly religious, schools.

A staggering 22,000 Palestinian children are unaccounted for in statistics kept by the Jerusalem municipality.

Ir Amim said the severe classroom shortage in municipal schools forced many parents to pay high fees to unofficial schools.

Their children often studied in overcrowded and improvised classrooms, lacking heating, airconditioning, libraries, computers and science labs.

As a result, more than a third of Palestinian pupils fail to matriculate - the highest figure in either Israel or the occupied territories.

The crisis facing East Jerusalem schools follows threats from Israeli officials that independent church schools serving some of Israel’s Palestinian minority will be forced to close unless they submit to government control.

Source: Al Jazeera

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 47

Business New Electricity Tariff Regime:

Selling dog to buy monkey?

T

he Federal Government had on February 1, unveiled a new 45% increase in electricity tariff regime without recourse to the minute dissenting voices of Nigerians raised against it. This is coming on the heels of a subsisting court order of May 28,2015 granted by Justice Mohammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos in the case of Toluwani Yemi-Adeniyi vs NERC and others that there shall be no further increment pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The moral fibre of democracy is resident in the temple of justice therefore; decisions of the court in a democratic dispensation or at any other time must be seen to be strictly adhered to. Moreover, the increase was also carried out in contravention of a Memorandum of Understanding of November 1, 2013 signed between Labour Unions and government to the effect that within 18 months gestation period, all consumers are to be metered.NLC has declared a nationwide protest on the increase. The reason for the protest according to NLC President Ayuba Wabba was that, “due process in the extant laws for such increment was not followed in consonance with section 76 of the power sector reform Act, 2005.” A resolution on the matter by the Federal House of Representatives urging NERC to shelve the proposed increase was completely ignored. Almost all the increase in electricity tariff regime in Nigeria has been generally contentious since the introduction of Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO-1) in 2008.

This current one like others before it lacks general consensus and endorsement of all the stakeholders especially the end users.

With the executive pronouncement made by Raji Fashola, the minister of power, Works and Housing at the 2016 Senate budget defence to the effect that the National Assembly and in effect all Nigerians cannot stop the increase in electricity tariff, the coast for NERC, suggestive of the rogue boy sent to steal by his parents who confidently breaks the door with his foot became clear for NERC to ensure immediate compliance and implementation of the increase by Distribution Companies. In Nigeria, whenever any price of goods and services goes up, it hardly comes down. Nigerians are faced with the same scenario with the imposition of a pro-in-

Minister of works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Fashola vestor electricity tariff regime designed not to end soon but for more years to come. Both the minister of power and the NERC have painstakingly tried to justify the rationale behind the increase to no avail. In short, there is no justification for the increase. It is clear that the approval of stakeholders NERC “duly” considered and “taken into consideration” before this increase cannot be that of the majority of Nigerians who find it difficult to feed on $1 per day. Has there been appreciable power supply which should have given rise to the increase in tariff?

Government and industry players have always contended that for a guaranteed stability of power supply; quick return on investment of local and foreign investors will be guaranteed with what they call “ a stable and cost-effective pricing structure to guarantee a modest return on investment

“

for efficient industry operators” simply known as upward review of tariff. This tariff regime is an unfortunate burden which will definitely compound the visible hard times currently facing the masses of Nigerians. Nigerians voted for APC to right the wrongs of the previous administrations and put the nation on the path of true development and not to impose hardship on them. For most electricity consumers in Nigeria, the new tariff which removed the contentious fixed charge amounts to selling a dog to buy a monkey. None is better than the other. The latter is even worse. It is laughable when one of the selling points of the increase was anchored on the removal of fixed charge.

The so called fixed charge for all intents and purposes was a rip-off and big time fraud.

It was an illegal and corrupt power sectorial practice qualified for investigation. I urge Ni-

gerians to demand for a refund from the period it begun till the time of its removal. Please, join me in doing this simple arithmetic. The 45% increase in percentage of the “naira per kilo- watt- hour” (n/kwh) is far above that of the removed fixed charge. For instance, by this tariff regime, Kaduna Electric: owners or rather interlopers of and providers of electricity supply and infrastructure to Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states which previously charges N800 as fixed charge on R2 customers has raised its naira- per - kilo-watthour from N 17.00to at least N 27.00. Therefore, if an R2 customer consumes say 300 units of energy per month, the cost amounts to N8100 excluding VAT, instead of N 5900 in addition to fixed charge as obtained previously, without VAT. According to africacheck.org, a 2011 World Bank survey of 3000 Nigerian businesses re-

With the executive pronouncement made by Raji Fashola, the minister of power, Works and Housing at the 2016 Senate budget defence to the effect that the National Assembly and in effect all Nigerians cannot stop the increase in electricity tariff, the coast for NERC, suggestive of the rogue boy sent to steal by his parents who confidently breaks the door with his foot became clear for NERC to ensure immediate compliance and implementation of the increase by Distribution Companies.

vealed that, “the biggest problem was unreliable power supply. Businesses reported that they experience average power outage of 8 hours per day. 88% of retail and manufacturing businesses surveyed showed that approximately 69% of their total electricity usage was produced by private generators. The expenses incurred running private generators cost the average business the equivalent of more than 4% of their sales.” The minister of Power should step upa robust monitoring and evaluation mechanism to continually monitor and report the level of services DISCO’s provide with this and every other tariff increase while a performance benchmark for power infrastructural development in the sector should also be in place to enable government and Nigerians to see and be able to appraise deliverable results and progresses made in the entire sector especially by the DISCO’s.

Nobody is against tariff per se, but it is unheard of for a service provider to confidently demand for an increase in price of an abysmal provision of service obviously in short supply.

You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.

A nation confronted with harsh economic realities of borrowing $3.5bn emergency loan to fill the growing gap in budget deficit occasioned by the tumbling crude price should not condemn Nigerians with an increase in tariff simply because the new owners who obviously lack the needed capacity to move the power sector forward pressurises government to do so. So many fledging business empires have been built from nothing to something in Nigeria. These new owners should identify other plausible ways of revenue generation within the power sector other than tariff increase. After three years in the saddle, what stops them from producing meters, aluminium conductors, shackle insulators, electric poles etc. on their own as a way of revenue generation. Those who cannot contain the heat should leave the kitchen. It is time for government to stop bending backward to appease some interests whose excursion to the power sector is to further feather their financial nests. The new owners should think outside the box to be able to recover the backlog of arrears they inherited when buying the companies. Nigerians will no longer entertain another increase in tariff without commensurate available power supply.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 48

Business

BOI to disburse N310bn loans to SMEs in 4 years —DG

T

he Bank of Industry (BOI) on Friday said it would disburse at least N310 billion in loans to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) between 2016 and 2019.

Mr Waheed Olagunju, the Acting Director-General of the bank, disclosed this at a ceremony to mark the appointment of new internal auditors and accountants for the bank in Lagos.

“As we all know, SMEs are the engine of the economy and we have been working to support the government’s efforts at up scaling their capacity.

“To crash the rate of unemployment from the 25 per cent rate to a single digit, the SMEs and manufacturing sector need to be involved.

“The only issue we have been having with SMEs is that they keep saying that BOI does not disburse to them, but the truth is that banks need track record and character to disburse loans to enterprises.

“The major challenge of SMEs is not loan because asking for a loan at the very beginning of your micro business is not the best way to go.

“It is better to start from somewhere with assistance from friends and family; from there your track record and character can be monitored even by the business owner himself,’’ he said.

He said with the SME Website, SMEs could use the accounting applications, even from their phones or laptops without having to come over to any of the offices.

He said the BDSPs were there for a token to write proposals, application guides and all that small entrepreneurs would find difficult to present while applying for a loan.

“As a means of sustaining the tempo, we are looking to disbursing at least N310 billion to SMEs within the next 4 years.

“With a single digit interest rate and a 95 per cent per-

forming risk asset, it’s not going to be easy.

“But this is the same attitude we want for the change we want to see in Nigeria, especially in the non-oil sector,” Olagunju said.

He also urged Nigerians to patronise Made-in-Nigeria products just like other developing economies were doing.

Olagunju said that it was because of one of these reasons the BOI patronised made-in-Nigeria buses and encouraged wearing of traditional attires in its dress code.

While speaking on the sidelines of the event, Mr Rasak Jaiyeola, the Deputy Vice President, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), said that accountants were involved in the scheme to assist BOI to achieve its loan targets.

Jaiyeola said that the accountants and auditors would work with BOI to reduce its non-performing loans from 4.1 per cent last year to zero in 2016. (NAN)

Interbank rate eases on expected cash refund

By Mohammed Usman with agency report

O

vernight interbank lending rate dropped to an average of 1 percent on Friday from around 4.5 percent on Thursday as the market anticipated refunds of cash deposited by commercial lenders for foreign exchange purchases.

Traders said liquidity dropped sharply in the week and the cost of borrowing climbed after commercial lenders moved cash to their naira accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) to enable them to take part in the weekly forex intervention on Thursday.

On Tuesday, banks deposited about 700 billion naira ($3.5 billion) to back their planned forex purchases, draining liquidity in the banking system and pushing the lending rate above 4 percent.

“The cost of funds dropped today (Friday) based on expectation that the central bank will refund a portion of cash deposited for forex intervention before the close of business,” one dealer said.

The CBN usually intervenes once a week in the official interbank foreign exchange market to provide dollars for eligible importers, while it requires commercial lenders to fund its naira account 48 hours ahead of the intervention.

Traders said they were expecting around 450 billion-500 billion naira in refunds from the CBN, raising the level of cash credits in favour of commercial lenders and helping to hold down interbank lending.

The total commercial lenders’ credit balance with the CBN stood at 376 billion naira at the start of trading on Friday, but is set to rise

by Monday to reflect the refunds.

The secured Open Buy Back (OBB) traded at 0.5 percent on Friday, against 4 percent the previous day.

The interbank rate reflects the level of naira cash liquidity in the banking system.

L-R; Patrick Agbambu; International Coordinator/CEO Security Watch Africa and Managing Director Arik Air, Mr. Chris Ndulue; during the presentation of the Most Outstanding Aviation Personality in West and Central Africa by Security Watch Africa at Arik Office.in Lagoa

MTN may get ‘reasonable’ fine – Sources

M

TN Group could end up paying a “reasonable” amount following talks with the Nigerian authorities over a disputed $3.9 billion fine for failing to disconnect unregistered SIM card users, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday. Reuters reports A judge in Lagos last month gave both parties until March 18 to reach a settlement, after MTN in December had asked the court to arbitrate over the dispute, saying the Nigerian Communications Commission had no legal grounds to order the fine.

MTN was initially handed a $5.2 billion penalty in October, prompting weeks of lobbying that led to a 25 percent reduction by the NCC. At the time an NCC source said its decision was based on advice from Ni-

geria’s state security service which suspected unregistered SIM cards were being used for criminal activity.

It had originally asked MTN to disconnect between 10 and 18.6 million users but MTN told the regulator it had 5.2 million unregistered users on its network, the source said.

The original amount was based on fining the company $1,000 for every unregistered SIM card in use.

MTN has said the revised fine of $3.9 billion is still too high, equating to more than twice MTN’s annual average capital expenditure over the past five years.

On Friday, the sources said talks were bearing fruit. “There’s growing understanding within the NCC that the fine should be commercially reasonable,” a source close to the matter said.

Another source said a further reduction from $3.9 billion was a “possibility” because “the tone of the NCC is not combative any more.”

MTN’s spokesman Chris Maroleng said his company, which makes 37 percent of its sales in Nigeria, expected the talks with the NCC to lead to an “amicable resolution.”

MTN has hired former U.S. attorney general Eric Holder, who was one of President Barack Obama’s longestserving cabinet members, to help with the matter.

“There remains some uncertainty as to the final quantum (amount) of the Nigerian fine, should-an-out of court settlement be reached,” MTN said in trading statement that warned of a drop in full-year profits on Thursday.

NPA welcomes Japanese technology on infrastructure development

T

he Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Malam Habib Abdullahi has said the organisation will welcome Japanese technology in areas of infrastructure development in form of Public Private Partnership (PPP).

This is contained in a statement issued by the General Manager, Public Affairs of NPA, Capt. Iheanacho Ebubeogu, a copy of which was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

According to the statement, Abdullahi, in a message to the visiting Japanese delegation, said the management of NPA would expeditiously list out technical and infrastructural needs of the organisation.

The managing director was represented by the General Manager, Capital Projects, Mr Rufai Mohammed.

Abdullahi said that NPA was involved in massive infrastructural renewal projects at its headquarters, quay length rehabilitation in Onne, Warri and Lagos ports.

He said that the organisation’s 25-year Development Plan would soon be ready and that would be a compendium of these development projects.

The managing director said that NPA had benefited in training programmes by the Japanese Government in the past, adding that ``it is a welcome development that such assistance (infrastructure) is being put forward again.

Abdullahi said that as a bilateral issue, he expected the visit to further unite and improve the collaboration between Nigeria and Japan. ``Especially now that NPA is embarking on capital intensive port reform with the desire to be the leading port in Africa,’’ he said.

The Section Manager of Urban and Transportation Planning Group of the Yachiyo Engineering Company Ltd., Mr Yasuhiro Yamauchi, said that the Japanese Government was ready to partner with NPA in particular and Nigeria in general.

Yamauchi said this should be in the area of technical abilities that would be useful for different projects in the country.

He said that Japan was ready to help the African countries but wanted to start with Nigeria because of its population and economy. (NAN)

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 20 - sunday 21, february, 2016

PAGE 49

Oddities

Man set to meet global namesakes B

orrowing a leaf from UK comedian, Dave Gorman’s book, Seth, from New York, is undertaking the Seth Cohen Project in the hope that he can meet his global namesakes.

He recently began the Seth Cohen Project, which he hopes will unite him with other Seth Cohens around the world.

So far, Seth, from New York, has met 10 Seth Cohens but estimates that there are more than 300 namesakes in the US alone. Incredibly, he has met a tax attorney who turned out to be a former WWE wrestler who had once fought Hulk Hogan.

Outside of the US, Seth, 37, has

discovered Seth Cohens everywhere from the United Kingdom to Australia and Germany. He hopes the project will take over his life, allowing him to travel to all corners of the US and beyond.

He is currently considering a sponsor to fund the project but is also looking into crowd funding and potentially a TV production, the biggest shock was having found all of the Seth’s through social media.

“It is quite a big project and eventually it is going to take over my life. In every English speaking country I have found at least a couple of them. The plan is that I go to them, as the project is really about the journey (places, the people and their

passion).’’

Comedian Dave Gorman had a television show called Are You Dave Gorman? in 2000 in which he travelled the world meeting his namesakes.

Dave, who also wrote a book, said of his quest: “When we were first looking for Dave Gormans, we normally only knew about one at a time so it was easy to work out who to meet next. Since the TV series I have been told about thousands of my namesakes all over the world.

I wouldn’t know where to start if I was to meet them all, but I’d have to spend three years doing it and I’d end up bankrupt.”

Addict eats 36 litres of ketchup yearly

S

amantha Archer, a ketchup addict, snacks on spoonfuls of the red stuff and wolfs her way through more than 36 litres yearly.

Samantha has been obsessed with ketchup since she was just five-years old and gets through two bottles a week, meaning she consumes 700g of red sauce.

The 30-year-old from Harrow, London, spends five minutes dressing her plate every meal time, smothering everything from bread and cheese to eggs, and curries. Not even Christmas dinner can avoid the crimson tide, her plate will be doused, much to the disapproval of her aunt who will be slaving over the home cooked meal.

Samantha said: “My family

knows the deal and they always have a bottle of ketchup for me, they don’t want any trouble. I have ketchup on every meal and my Christmas dinner will be no different. I am spending the Christmas day with my aunt and she is cooking for me. She always says I won’t be able to taste the food she has cooked.

“But I can still taste the flavours, -the ketchup just makes it better. I have it on absolutely everything, I can’t think of anything I don’t add it to.”

Samantha claims her first memory of ketchup dates back to when she was just five-years old after her mum gave her a first taste and she has been hooked ever since and she is so obsessed that she even

eats it straight from a spoon as a quick fix.

“It takes me five minutes to dress my plate with sauce, I just love it. My friends and family are all used to my habit now and they keep a bottle just in case I run out.

And if they visit they can expect to be fed ketchup. If I go out on a date I would pre-warn them that I love tomato sauce, but people don’t believe how much I actually put on the plate. They think I am joking.

“I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t get my hands on ketchup, I would just have to find some before I eat. I think the only thing I don’t add tomato sauce too is soup. But I don’t really eat soup that is probably why.”

Breeder creates world’s first black, white tomato

A

plant breeder has blended two varieties to create the world’s first black and white tomato plant.

Experts at Sutton Seeds previously made a strain called Indigo Rose, the planet’s only black tomato, but now

they have blended it with a white-cherry strain to produce the black and white variety.

A spokesman said: “This year we have upped the ante by grafting Indigo Rose to a creamy-white cherry variety to produce the

first black and white tomato plant. We promise amazement from your friends, neighbours and family, not to mention rather groovy salads and sandwiches.”

The hybrid plant is on sale now at £4 each.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 13 - sunday 14, february, 2016

PAGE 50

Healthy Living

Maintaining a healthy heart A

healthy heart is a happy heart. To maintain a healthy heart you need to adjust your lifestyle including your diet.

A healthy diet is necessary if you want to keep your heart healthy and strong. Find out the most healthy heart foods.

Healthy heart diet- what can you eat?

Heart problems are one of the main issues of mankind. Millions of people die every year because of heart diseases. That is why a healthy heart diet is recommended for everyone. There are many foods you can eat during a healthy heart diet.

Here are some of them:

Healthy fish fats Fish like salmon or sardines contain many healthy fats and a large quantity of Omega – 3 acids.

These healthy fats and acids reduce the risk of arteriosclerosis and arrhythmia.

Oatmeal Oatmeal contains many healthy fibers that absorb the cholesterol from your digestive tract. This way cholesterol doesn’t reach your blood flow.

Dark chocolate Many scientists have demonstrated that the consumption of dark chocolate reduces the risk of heart failure. The chocolate that

A bowl of oats with slices of apple and red berries contains at least 60 percent of cocoa contains a chemical compound that reduces blood pressure and inflammations.

Strawberries Strawberries contain flavonoids and anthocianins which reduce blood pressure and dilate blood

Healthy heart foods

vessels.

Lemons and oranges These citrus fruits are recommended during a healthy heart diet because they contain vitamin C and they maintain a healthy heart.

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds contain fibers, omega 3 acids and vitamin E. All these help reduce cholesterol levels.

As mentioned above, there are many foods you can eat when you are on a healthy heart diet and your menu can change every day.

Pros and cons of weight loss pills W eight loss pills have always been a controversial subject and it can be a challenge if you want to change your way of life by adopting something different. You must be adequately informed about all the positive and negative aspects of the weight loss pills you want to try out.

Remember that they must be approved by clinical studies and medical research, otherwise you will not know how safe they really are and you also need to take them while you are being supervised by your doctor, who can keep the situation

under control. It is highly important to choose weight loss pills under the guidance of your doctor.

Weight loss pills (Pros) There are certain weight loss pills which have been approved by the Federal Drug Administration, so they are safe to use.

It is better to choose some natural weight loss pills, because they have fewer side effects to trouble you, they are efficient if they correspond with your type of body and metabolism.

They help you if you have hunger pangs, because they give you the

sensation of fullness, which can represent an improvement for people with eating disorders.

Some weight loss pills block the fat from the food you eat so you can assimilate only the good things that your body needs, stopping the absorption of the fats in your system.

Studies have shown that certain pills can trigger or support weight loss without serious health risks, and even if the weight loss does not happen by miracle, it can be noticed, so you will be satisfied with the results.

Some of the weight loss pills can improve your health. They make

you lose between five and ten percent of your body weight which can lower your blood pressure, blood sugar level, the cholesterol level and increase the sensibility to insulin, which decreases the chances to develop diabetes.

The weight loss pills give you energy and some of them are really efficient if they are associated with a healthy diet and physical exercises.

However, they are not for people with just a little more pounds than normal, that is those with a body mass index bigger than 30.

Weight loss pills (Cons) Some of the weight loss pills can provoke excessive gas, oily spotting and digestive discomfort because they contain chemicals, which are very bad for the system.

You must not take them alone, under any circumstances, without a proper, healthy diet and physical exercise.

Some of them have a lot of caf-

“

Weight loss tablets

feine and they can provoke diarrhoea or constipation, dry mouth, nausea, irregular heartbeats, headaches, sleeping disorders, nervousness, seizures, liver damage, temporary hyperactivity and even death if they are not taken according to the advice from the doctor or if they do not correspond with your body system.

It is not recommended to lose a lot of weight very fast, because it can be very dangerous, the long term effects are unknown and unpredictable, some of them might create addiction, so they are not created for long time use.

Some side effects of the weight loss pills may include symptoms like the sensation of euphoria and even paranoia.

Some of them can speed up the central nervous system, that is, the spinal cord and the brain, and may provoke certain damages.

Culled from YVE Style

It is not recommended to lose a lot of weight very fast, because it can be very dangerous, the long term effects are unknown and unpredictable, some of them might create addiction, so they are not created for long time use.

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 13 - sunday 14, february, 2016

PAGE 51

Beware of hypocrisy (I) “

L

ater, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any food. ‘Watch out!’ Jesus warned them. ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’

They decided he was saying this because they hadn’t brought any bread.

Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he said, ‘You have so little faith! Why are you worried about having no food?

Won’t you ever understand? Don’t you remember the five thousand I fed with five loaves, and the baskets of food that were left over? Don’t you remember the four thousand I fed with seven loaves, with baskets of food left over? How could you even think I was talking about food? So again I say, ‘Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.’

Then at last they understood that he wasn’t speaking about yeast or bread but about the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matt 16:512 NLT).

Figuratively, yeast or leaven is used in the Bible in both positive and negative ways to talk about influence.

The natural yeast is added to flour to ferment it and make it rise. Once added, it is not visible but its influence is powerful. In Matt 13:33, yeast is used in a good sense when Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast used by a woman making bread. Even though she used a large amount of flour, the yeast permeated every part of the dough” (NLT).

However, it is used in a negative sense in Matt 16:5-12 above. In that passage, because the disciples of Jesus didn’t take bread along with them, they thought Jesus was talking about bread when he asked them to “take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” The same story is recorded in Mark 8:14-21. But whereas Mark says, “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod” (Mark Nehemiah 2:1-20

G

od expects us to be attentive, retentive and responsive when we read or hear His word. With the prevailing conflict, corruption, evil and the lost glory in our nation today, there seems to be no hope of solution in sight. This was once the experience of the children of Israel and Judea.

There was no hope of redemption for them until Nehemiah rose up to the challenge. In order to fulfil this mission, he had to pay the price by giving up his prestigious job. Our ministry, work, position in God’s kingdom as agents of change and reformers is not cheap.

There is a price to pay. Believers who are ready to lay all on the altar are the people that can become agents of change. There is no position without a price. Does your ministry cost you time, further education, extramural studies, promotion; progress in your profession, movement or change? Bible characters like Moses, Nehemiah, Peter, Matthew etc., were willing to follow the Lord and do whatever He wanted them to do. We need to be consecrated and devoted believers, like Nehemiah, to bring back the lost glory in our nation. To experience the power of God and do exploits for Him, we must be detached from earthly things and surrender our lives completely to Him. Whatever labour of love we do for God will be rewarded now and in eternity, if we remain faithful to Him. 1.

ANSWERED PRAYER CONCERNING HIS GREAT COMMISSION Nehemiah 2:1-4; Proverbs 21:1; Nehemiah 2:5,6; 6:15; 5:14; 2:7,8; Proverbs 15:13; 13:23; 15:28; 16:1-3; Philippians 4:6; Isaiah 65:24.

8:16 NLT) Matthew says, “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” They are both saying the same thing as Herod and his courtiers were said to be generally Sadducees.

Jesus wasn’t talking about bread; after all, he had miraculously fed 5,000 men with the little meal available which he multiplied (Matt 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:11-17, John 6:1-14).

Similarly, Jesus had fed 4,000 men the same way (Matt 15:32-39, Mark 8:110).

False teachings Jesus’ reference to the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees was not about bread. In verse 12 of Matt 16 Jesus explains what he meant by the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees – their false teachings. Jesus was actually talking metaphorically about the influence that the wrong teachings of the Pharisees and the Sadducees could have on them just as the natural yeast or leaven influences a food it is added to. And there are many false teachings going on in the body of Christ today that believers need to beware of. Every teaching must be crosschecked with the Bible to be sure it is a sound doctrine and not the opinion of the “man of God.” Don’t expose yourself to wrong or false teachings; they’ll influence you negatively. It is not the standing or popularity of a minister that determines the correctness or soundness of his teachings; it is the Bible; the celebrity status of no “man of God” does not in any way authenticate his teachings.

The Bible is the benchmark; it’s the barometer.

Paul did not condone false teaching and no Christian should. Hear what he told Timothy, his protégé in the ministry: “When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those who are teaching wrong doctrine. Don’t let people waste time

in endless speculation over myths and spiritual pedigrees. For these things only cause arguments; they don’t help people live a life of faith in God. The purpose of my instruction is that all the Christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith” (1 Tim 1:3-5 NLT).

When Paul met with the Ephesian elders at Miletus to bid them farewell, he warned them about false teachers that would later do great havoc to the church. “And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd God’s flock — his church, purchased with his blood — over whom the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders. I know full well that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some of you will distort the truth in order to draw a following. Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you — my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.” (Acts 20:28-31, NLT). There are many of these vicious wolves in the church today doing great damage.

Wolves are carnivorous animals, flesh eaters, related to the jackals and domestic dogs, and are known for possessing “keen intelligence, skilled hunting, and highly organized social structure.” Paul talked about vicious wolves as if wolves are not dangerous enough! Wolves are dangerous animals but vicious wolves would even be more dangerous! False teachers are dangerous to the church. We have many such wolves today in sheep’s clothing. You must beware of them just as Jesus said, and Paul also said. Don’t let them influence you negatively; don’t let them destroy you by their unbiblical teachings.

Just as Paul warned the Ephesian elders about false teachers as we read

From the Pulpit green pastures

By Pastor T. O. Banso

cedarministryintl@yahoo.com GSM: 08033113523 in Acts 20:28-31, these false teachers actually came into that church in Ephesus. In the letter to the church in Ephesus that the Lord wrote to the seven churches of Asia Minor through John, the church in Ephesus was commended for testing those who claimed to be apostles but they were found to be liars.

(Rev 2:2) That church would have been deceived by these impostors but the leadership of the church must have been spiritually sensitive. The church didn’t allow this satanic infiltration of her fold. The same church was also praised for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans, a heretical sect in the early church, and followers of Nicolas, who some scholars have suggested could be Nicolas listed among the seven deacons in Acts 6:5. Nicolas was a proselyte from Antioch – a Gentile who first converted to Judaism before converting to Christianity. The Nicolaitans were injurious to the early church. The church in Pergamos did not seem to have been able to ward off this heretical sect as much as the church in Ephesus did because in the letter to the church in Pergamos, the Bible says that church had among them those who held the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which God hated (Rev 2:15).

I’ll stop here today, and continue with the message next week. Beware of hypocrisy. Don’t be a hypocrite, and don’t be a victim of hypocrisy.

TAKE ACTION! If you’re not born again, I urge

you to take the following steps:*Admit you’re a sinner and you can’t save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start to attend a Bible-believing, Bible -teaching church.

There you will be taught how to grow in the Kingdom of God. Kindly say this prayer now: “0 Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day.

I repent and confess my sins. I confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour and surrender my life to him today. I invite Jesus into my heart today. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you Jesus for saving me and making me a child of God.” I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible believing, Bible teaching church in your area where you will be taught how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things becoming all God wants you to be. I’ll be glad to hear from you. May the Lord be with you.

Prompt response to his high and heavenly calling Nehemiah’s fasting and prayer granted him uncommon favour before the king and other people.

His commission was to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild its broken walls and restore its lost glory. And he responded very promptly. Our great commission today is to preach the gospel to every creature. To accomplish the task, we must allow the fear of God in our hearts to be greater than the fear we have for men.

We must be willing, like Nehemiah, to build the wall of security, salvation, holiness and spirituality around God’s people. The task of preaching the gospel must not be done on short-term basis. We must give it enough time while depending on God. Nehemiah was faithful in accomplishing the task of rebuilding the wall. Hence, the Lord gave him a bigger responsibility: he was appointed to be their governor.

Believers who have vision, passion and conviction are always worried about the state of sinners around them.

Their dreams will affect their lives, soul, spirit and comportment. While carrying out the great commission, we must refuse the tendency to be overconfident.

Unlike Nehemiah, many believers today think in fear; they cross the bridge before they get to the bridge.

They are afraid of opposition in doing God’s work. When we concentrate on the threats of the enemies, we cannot get the task of the great commission done. We should rather look on to Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross and despised the shame. Nehemiah focused his attention on the work he set out to do, not on his detractors. As a result, he

By Pastor W.F Kumuyi had no need to worry. When we pray according to God’s will, He will answer and make us prosper in the work He has committed in our hands.

2.

ADEQUATE PREPARATION BEFORE A GUIDED COMMENCEMENT Nehemiah 2:9-16; Matthew 10:16; John 15:18-20; 2 Timothy 3:1214; 1 Corinthians 16:9; 15:58.

There is need for adequate preparation, like Nehemiah did, before we set out to do God’s work. This is because Satan is not pleased when we seek the salvation of sinners in our communities. Therefore, he uses human agents like Tobiah, Sanballat and Geshem to try to stop us. The will of God is not devoid of challenges and oppositions. We must take cognizance of the difficulties and persecutions that the devil stir up against us and use them as stepping stones to achieve God’s will. Many people shy away from God’s work because of oppositions.

But with God on our side, we shall overcome anything that tries to hinder us from doing God’s will. Like

Nehemiah, we should always make ourselves available for God’s work when the need arises.

Carelessness on the part of the believer will make him reveal his vision to those who will kill it. For Nehemiah, he kept his mouth shut until the appointed time. He had to study the people to know those who are enemies before he revealed his mission. We must be wise not to reveal our intention to those who will kill it. The world will hate us because we testify against their corrupt practices and evil deeds.

They will not appreciate us when we come to them with the message of righteousness, justice, integrity and holiness. Their persecution or hatred for the Word should not make us conform to their will. We must understand that holiness goes hand in hand with persecution and opposition.

If we wait for better conditions and opportunities, we may never serve the Lord because adversaries of the gospel shall wax worse and worse. And since our work will be rewarded, we should not be afraid.

3. ACTIVE PARTICIPATION DESPITE GODLESS CONFLICT Nehemiah 2:17; Proverbs 29:11; Nehemiah 2:18.

Many so-called believers in our contemporary times do not read their Bibles, listen to Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Almighty God. All that influences their character and actions are stories from the media. The wisdom of the world that makes us shy away from preaching the gospel will minimise Calvary, the work of Christ and Redemption. We must be active, passionate and zealous in preaching the gospel to the world of dying men.

The fool is the one that talks when he should keep quiet; he is the one that keeps quiet when he should speak out.

A fool speaks so quickly or he never speaks at all. The wise speaks at the right time to the right people for the right reason and for the right purpose.

Like Nehemiah, they are wise in recognising those who are friendly foes and know how to relate with them.

Each letter in the word ‘FOOL’ stands for F –forgetful, O – overconfident, O – overzealous, L – leader. A fool forgets all he has learnt from the Scripture about Ahab, Jezebel, Achan, Judas Iscariot etc. Nehemiah was a wise man who waited and watched carefully until the right time before he set out on his mission. Each letter in the word ‘WISE’ stands for W – watchful, I – influential, S – spiritual, E – elder. We must be determined, like Nehemiah, to join hands together with faithful believers to build for God with our hearts, skills, talents and wealth. We must rise and build for God’s kingdom; and for the restoration of the lost glory in our society.

PAGE 52

Sp or T s

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 13 - sunday 14, february, 2016

Uzoenyi still training with South Africa club Pg 53

How Manu got back U-17 job Pg 53 after initial rejection

Things to watch as new NPFL season begins today Pg 55

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 13 - sunday 14, february, 2016

PAGE 53

Sports

Ohaike advises athletes on injury management

T

echnical Director of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Damian Ohaike, has advised wrestlers to always report cases of suspected injury to their officials.

Ohaike who stated this at the training session of the team explained that injury is not a death sentence but a way to caution athletes on his/her weaknesses.

He said over the years, athletes had sustained injuries and still bounces back from their injuries to become champions.

“In Nigeria I wonder why athletes panic when they sustain injury.

Injuries are meant to occur. It is natural for athletes to crop injuries.

Once you sustain injury, you become more aware of areas you should guide” he said.

“In life there are always ups and downs, if you want to go up, you must start from the bottom, which is rebuilding yourself”, noted the technical director.

Jokingly he said “as a matter of fact, in the sport ‘wrestling’ injury is unavoidable, you must sustain it”.

Ohaike recalled that six times Africa champion, Blessing Oborududu sustained an injury last year which prevented her from participating at the 2015 World Wrestling Championship but bounced back to win her Sixth title on the African continent.

How Manu got back U-17 job after initial rejection

By Albert Akota

M

anu Garba had to fight tooth and nail to be named new Nigeria U17 coach after he had first rejected the post, it has been specially learnt.

It was gathered that Manu first told the NFF executive committee he was not interested in dropping down from the U20s to the Golden Eaglets.

But it seemed it was an impulsive response to his demotion and after he spoke with some top NFF officials, he later reach out to the NFF technical committee chairman, Chris Green, to say he will now take up the new role.

Green will tell Manu that his new position was “too late” as the NFF have moved swiftly to get his replacement.

Top NFF officials

Manu

will later sound out Wikki Tourists coach Audu Maikaba.

They would even tell him who will be his assistants.

However, Manu continued to press for his re-instatement, calling on several top officials to reconsider him for a post many have considered belittling for a man who a few months ago was being considered to succeed Stephen Keshi as Eagles coach.

And so in another dramatic volte face, the NFF announced Manu as head coach of the Golden Eaglets late on Thursday.

Manu will now be assisted by Atuni Ali and Ernest Teigpanyo.

The Golden Eaglets will in a few months begin the qualification series for the 2017 African U17 Championship, which will be hosted by Madagascar.

Wrestlers

Uzoenyi still training with South Africa club

N

igerian international, Ejike Uzoenyi, is still training with SuperSport United, despite the fact that he cannot be signed by the club until the end of the season.

It was thought that the 23-year-old was set to finalise a move to Matsatsantsa from Masandawana back in January after a spell training with the club, however loan terms couldn’t be agreed in time and he remained a Sundowns player.

Even though Uzoenyi’s move could not be completed, the Nigerian is still training with Stuart Baxter’s side as he looks

Uzoenyi

to impress the new head coach, with a view to joining the club when the next transfer window opens.

Uzoenyi hasn’t been registered by Masandawana for the current season, showing that they have no intention of using him at any stage, which is one of the reasons that he has been allowed to remain training with their Tshwane neighbours.

Meanwhile, all of the other players that were on trial at the club, such as defender, Patrick Gerhardt, have been told to stop training as Baxter focuses on the players that are already there.

Chukwueze undergo Medicals ahead Arsenal signing

N

igerian wonderkid Samuel Chukwueze was due to undergo his medical with Arsenal on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to sign a four-year deal with the North London club, according to the Daily Star.

Chukwueze caught the eye of Arsenal scouts after playing a key role in helping the Nigeria Under17′s win with World Cup in Chile last year and he’s been strongly linked with a move to the Emirates in recent months.

Reports [via Daily Star] in January suggested that the 16-yearold had agreed to move to North London as part of a £4m double deal that also involved international team-mate Kelechi Nwakali.

Nwakali wrapped-up his move to Arsenal three weeks ago but Chukwueze was only granted permission to fly in to London on Monday night after finally receiving his visa and international clearance.

The teenager confirmed the move yesterday and says he’s joining Arsenal as he believes he’ll be given a fair chance of

breaking in to the first team. He was quoted by the Daily Star as saying yesterday: It appears the move is now edging closer to completion with theDaily Starreporting today that Chukwueze was due to undergo his medical in North London.

There has been no further update on how the medical went but as long as there were no complications, the newspaper says the attacker will then sign a four-year deal but he can’t pen his professional contract until he turns 18 next year.

Nothing official has come out from Arsenal as yet but it does appear that we’re on the verge of wrapping up a deal for this exciting youngster and it will be interesting to see how he, and compatriot Nwakali, settle in England.

Chukwueze arrives with a reputation as being one of the hottest young talents in Nigeria and it will be intriguing to see where the Arsenal coaching staff see his future as he’s capable of playing anywhere across the front three positions.

Samuel Chukwueze

PAGE 54

Sports

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 13 - sunday 14, february, 2016

Why Wikki Tourists bolster squad for fresh challenge

A

fter finishing fourth on the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) log last season and missing out on continental football, Wikki Tourists FC are determined to improve on that performance and have set about the task through a number of measures including reorganisation of the management structure and players’ recruitment.

While retaining their coaching staff led by Abdu Maikaba, the club also kept intact the bulk of the players that had a good run of form all through last season staying in touching distance of the top spot.

At the heart of this objective of building on the success has been a decision to the retain about 90% of players from last season and a strategic recruitment to strengthen the squad with eight new players including one from a Sudanese side while two other influential players who went abroad last year are back with the team. The new arrivals include two midfielders, two goalkeepers and three defenders.

The midfielders are Muktari Alhassan from Al-mogan of Sudan and Yau Zakari from FC Taraba while the goalkeepers are Ndubuisi Okeogbo from Elkanemi Warriors

and Gambo Gideon from Bayelsa United. Others are defender Ezekiel Michael from Sharks and Shamama Iliya and Saidu Yellow who were recalled from loan with Adamawa United and Mighty Jets respectively.

Some tough and competitive preseason friendlies were put together to mould the squad into a seamless unit ahead the 2015/16 season and this included a tour of Kaduna where they participated in a 13-club tournament with the likes of former champions, Kano Pillars, Kaduna United, Spotlite FC of Katsina among others.

Wikki lost out in the quarterfinals but Honourable Isa Matori insists that the technical crew were satisfied with the outing.

Back in Bauchi, the team played in the MA Abubakar pre-season game against clubs from the Nigeria National League(NNL) and Nigeria NationWide League (NNWL).

A new helmsman to run the club is Hon. Isa Matori who arrived with the pedigree of having been on the same saddle in the past and has been quick to unfold his work plan to achieve a result better that their fourth position placing.

Matori assessed the performance and gave the club thumbs up, saying, “they have done well because they

Wikki Tourists FC were fourth last season and only narrowly missed a continental ticket.

What we plan to do is to immediately build on the success that they reached last season.

The club management said they

have reached out to their supporters to avoid the incidents that led to the closure of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium (ATBS) at some point and being forced to play under closed doors at another.

Thiago dismisses Manchester City rumours

B

ayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara has made it clear he has no intention of leaving the Bundesliga champions for Manchester City.

Reports from England suggested Pep Guardiola is keen to take the Spain international with him to the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season after previously luring the 24-year-old from Barcelona to the Allianz Arena.

Nevertheless, the midfielder, who has a contract until June 2019, insists he is happy with life at Bayern and is not thinking about a transfer.

“There are always a lot of rumours. It’s a fact that Guardiola is joining Manchester City and we have to respect that. But there is no truth in the rumours saying I will follow him,” Thiago was quoted as saying by Bild.

Some of the measures adopted to pre-empt this was a sensitization workshop for supporters on the need to shun hooliganism as confirmed

by Matori, a former member of the Federal House of Representatives.

Ibrahimovic hints at interest in Premier League move

Z

latan Ibrahimovic has suggested he would be open to moving to the Premier League at the end of the season.

The Paris Saint-Germain star’s future remains shrouded in doubt as he approaches the end of his contract, with moves to England, the United States and Qatar all mooted in the past few months.

Ibrahimovic’s agent Mino

Raiola said in January that the Sweden international’s physique and playing style would make him ideally suited to a spell in England’s top flight, and the 34-year-old has refused to rule out the prospect of such a move.

The former Barcelona striker opened the scoring against Chelsea before Edinson Cavani struck the winner after John Obi Mikel had made it 1-1 at half-time.

Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara

Giroud moves by transfer speculation

O

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud

livier Giroud says reports Arsenal are in the market for a new striker provides him with great motivation.

Arsenal has been persistently linked to a new attacker in the past two transfer windows, with Karim Benzema, Edinson Cavani and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all touted as targets.

With no strikers brought in, however, Giroud remains the spearhead of Arsene Wenger’s forward line.

The France international, just four Premier League goals away from matching his best return of 16 in 201314, believes the opportunity to answer his critics is helping push him to a higher level.

Giroud acknowledged he can still develop his game, stating that heading is an area he knows requires improvement.

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic against Chelsea

PEOPLES DAILY Weekend, Saturday 13 - sunday 14, february, 2016

PAGE 55

Sports

Things to watch as new NPFL season begins today

After what seemed like an eternity, the new Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season finally gets underway today and tomorrow. It has been three months since Enyimba narrowly edged their way to a seventh league title shrugging off the challenge of Warri Wolves.

I

A stiffer title challenge n the recent past, the title race had always followed the predictions - it being between the big two; Kano Pillars and Enyimba while the rest are left scrambling for the crumbs.

Last season, Pillars found themselves knocked off the race, no thanks to the troubles that befell them early in the season and while Enyimba eventually landed the title, it was by no means an easy feat for the Ababased side.

The likes of Sunshine Stars, Wikki Tourists, Nasarawa United and more sternly Warri Wolves all came within touching distance of the title.

This season, Pillars have flexed muscles in the transfer market beefing up their side with some better players available and others like Akwa United and Enugu Rangers also look bucked up. Add these to the team’s that put a brave fight last year and this could be the tightest title race yet.

More young players on display There had always been the complaint that the league was stratified, cutting off the younger players and having the league primarily an ‘old men’s affair.’

Well, that would change this season.

The league organizers are offering incentives to league clubs to encourage the fielding of

younger players.

A club that name three players aged 18 and below with at least one of them playing for up to 15 minutes in a game is due a N100,000. If the player is fielded for up to 45 minutes, then the club will receive twice that amount.

Surely, that throws the door open for a lot of young players this season.

More away wins Away wins were celebrated in the League last season. It looked a joke till they occurred too often for coincidence. The simple reason is that a few years back, away wins were simply unheard of.

Not because teams don’t turn up away from home but because poor security conditions in stadiums make it difficult for teams and officials to perform fearlessly while on hostile grounds.

Also in addition to improved security for nearly all the games last year, the other incentive of a quarter of a million rewards for teams who win away from home also helped.

This year, the financial reward has not only increased but match day security will be upgraded too. Surely this would pave way for a good number of away wins to be seen this new season.

A new goal king The Rashidi Yekini award

More young players on display

should see a new winner this season with what has become an annual exodus of the League’s top marksmen.

Understandably, good strikers are in high demand especially beyond the shores of the Nigerian league and unsurprisingly, Gbolahan Salami and Chisom Chikatara have both in the steps of previous strikers been carted away from the league leaving the door every new season for a new top marksman.

Tunde Adeniji? Mohammed Gambo? Christian Pyagbara?

Ocheme Edoh? Or will it be Mfon Udoh? Who would it be this year?

Building on last year’s league success The League Management Company in their annual general meeting in Uyo assured that it intends to build on the successes of last season by ensuring an excellently and efficiently run the league.

The improved level of officiating, according to the LMC will also be sustained. Stadium attendance has steadily been on the rise, awareness has also increased onto social media and the electronic media.

Severally last season, certain NPFL games and issues trended on social media signifying interests among today’s youth toward a growing league. Did I also mention that Lagos State has two NPFL teams this season?

A stiffer title challenge

Building on last year’s league success

More away wins

BIG PUNCH It is advisable of Dikko to return home this week to answer questions raised by the petitioners who accused him of sharp practices while in office otherwise the commission will have no choice but to use the tool of extradition to bring him to justice wherever he may be.

—Source at the EFCC

Peoples Daily WEEKEND, SATURDAY — SUNDAY, JANUARY 23-24, 2016

Saturday Column By

Imam Murtada Gusau In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

A

ll perfect praise be to Allah, we praise Him, seek His aid, and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of ourselves and from our bad deeds. He whom Allah guides, there is none to misguide him, and he whom He leaves astray there is none to guide him!

I bear witness that none is worthy of Worship but Allah, who is alone without partners and I bear witness that Muhammad (SAW) is His Slave and Messenger.

To Proceed: “O you who have believe! Fear Allah, (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared, [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah.”

[Surah Ali-‘Imraan, 3: 102] “O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife [Hawwa (Eve)], and from them both He created many men and women and fear Allah through whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship).

Surely, Allah is Ever an All-Watcher over you.” [Surah An-Nisaa’, 4:1] “O you who have believe! Keep your duty to Allah and fear Him, and speak (always) the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive you your sins.

And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (SAW) he has indeed achieved a greater achievement (i.e. he will be saved from the Hellfire and made to enter Paradise).”

[Surah Al-Ahzaab, 33: 70-71] To Proceed: Verily the most truthful speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (SAW). And the worst matters are the newly invented matters, and ALL new matters (in Religion) are innovations into the religion, and all the innovations are misguidance, and all the misguidance lead to the fire.

Servants of Allah!

One of the worst crimes against Islam and the Muslim community today is the practice of excommunication (takfir or takfeer), which is to declare a practicing Muslim to be an Advert: business: news: lagos:

0806 0704 0814 0805 0803

564 385 292 327 454

unbeliever. In several traditions, the prophet Muhammad and his companions warned us about the severity of charging a Muslim with unbelief or apostasy.

Ibn Umar (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When a man calls his brother an unbeliever, it returns at least to one of them.” (See Sahih Bukhari, 5753) Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When a man says to his brother o disbeliever, then it will return to at least one of them.” (See Sahih Bukhari, 5752) Abu Dharr (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “A man does not accuse another man of wickedness or unbelief except that it will return against him if his companion is innocent.”

(See Sahih Bukhari, 5698) Qais reported: Ibn Mas’ud, May Allah be pleased with him, said: “When a man says to his companion: You are my enemy!

Then at least one of them has left Islam or his companion is innocent.” (See Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, 421) Thus, a Muslim who wrongfully accuses another Muslim of unbelief and apostasy will himself carry the heavy burden of unbelief on the Day of Resurrection.

Brothers and Sisters!

The issue of excommunication is not merely a theoretical or abstract matter, but rather it is used by criminals to justify violence.

It is well known that the life of a Muslim (and any innocent nonMuslim) is sacred and must be safeguarded in all respects.

Abu Hurairah (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “All of the Muslim is sacred to another Muslim: his life, his wealth, and his honour.” (See Sahih Muslim, 2564)

“

8620 9705 9046 1969 0344

Dangers of excommunicating Muslims from Islam

Imam Murtada Gusau Therefore whoever unjustly kills a single believer (or any innocent person) on purpose will enter Hellfire and reside there forever.

Allah the Most High said: “Whoever kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell wherein he will abide eternally and Allah has become angry with him and has cursed him and has prepared for him a great punishment.” (Surah An-Nisaa’, 4:93) Similarly, the lives of all peaceful non-Muslims are protected and whoever kills one of them wrongfully will never enter Paradise.

Abdullah ibn Amr (RA) reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever kills a person protected by a treaty will never smell the fragrance of paradise.

Verily, its fragrance can be found a distance of forty years of travel.”

(See Sahih Bukhari, 6516) My respected people!

To bypass these clear

prohibitions, the criminal excommunicators (takfirists) within the Muslim community have developed a theory and ideology of excommunication. The original heresy was innovated by the kharijite sect and their misguidance continues today in the form of militant terrorism.

In reality, those who declare Muslims to be unbelievers and justify violence against them are closer to idolatry than the people they accuse.

Hudhaifah (RA) reported: the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him said: “Verily, I fear for you that a man will recite the Quran until his delight is seen and he is wicked for Islam and he changes to whatever Allah wills for him, such that it is stripped from him and he throws it behind his back, assaulting his neighbour with the sword and accusing him of idolatry.” I said, “O prophet of Allah, which one is closer to idolatry? The accused or the accuser?” The prophet said:

The excommunicators merely use the charge of unbelief as an excuse to murder and plunder their innocent victims. Rather, the truth in Islam is that the killing of a single Muslim believer is a greater evil than the freeing of a thousand apostates.

Rather it is the accuser.” (See Sahih ibn hibban, 81) Allah knows that some Muslims will accuse others of unbelief and reject their peace offerings only because they want to plunder their wealth. Therefore, Allah has forbidden this in the strongest terms.

Ibn Abbas (RA) reported: “A man passed by a group of companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he had with him some sheep. The man greeted them with peace and they said, “He only offered peace to protect himself.”

So they attacked him. Killed him, and took his sheep. They went to the prophet and Allah the exalted revealed the verse: “O you, who believe, when you go forth in the cause of Allah, do not say to whoever greets you with peace that you are not a believer.” (An-Nisaa’, 4:94) (See Sunan At-Tirmidhi, 3030) Servants of Allah!

The excommunicators merely use the charge of unbelief as an excuse to murder and plunder their innocent victims. Rather, the truth in Islam is that the killing of a single Muslim believer is a greater evil than the freeing of a thousand apostates.

Imam Al-Ghazali Rahimahullah said: “Verify, to permit the killing of Contd on Page 9

DAN GAYE Supreme Court dismises Saraki’s appeal -News

Didn’t he consult Rivers, A ‘Ibom govs.?

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: +2348142929046. Cell: +234 8024432099; 803 7007759 e-mail: contact@peoplesdaily-online.com; pmlnewsdesk@gmail. com ISSN: 2141– 6141